It's Time

As well as you know for the past couple of months I have been mainly posting about projects and chili. I wanted to do an off topic post this time to show some of the newer readers I also have a life outside of working and competitive cooking.

It's Time

Let me explain, my personality will not let me leave something unfinished. If it's a project, a goal or a promise. No matter what it is, I have to be able to close the book on whatever it is I started. If not, it will haunt me until it is done.

Twenty one years ago I was standing in city hall of the town I was working at. I had just completed a repair of a water leak and was a little dirty, but I was summon to meet my supervisor and had to go. I was standing along the wall outside his office waiting for my turn when the City's engineer walked out. He paused, looked me up and down, then asked my boss why they let the dirt people in here. He then turned and as he walked away he looked back over his shoulder and told me to get an education.
That next semester I enrolled in College just out of spite for his kind.

Being a husband, having two jobs and going to school was tough. For over two years I slept less then two hours a night. My primary job was from 7 AM to 5 PM, school was from 6 PM to 1 PM and my second job was from 1 AM to 6 AM seven days a week. Some say you can go insane if you don't get at least four hours of sleep for any length of time. Maybe that is what's wrong me? I remember the wife nudging me to wake me up when I would fall asleep at red lights when it turned green. I looked for every possible second to get some shut eye. 

The wife and I started having babies soon after and all that I had going plus being a young father was too much. My priorities were drawn in the sand so I quit college and my second job to do what I needed to do and be there for them. No regrets, it was all my choice.

I have pushed and guided my three girls from the time they came home with us from the hospital to be something I chose not be. I would sit and talk to them while they slept in their crib and tell them they will be somebody some day and that they would make a difference. I would talk about higher education while driving them to kindergarten class and even after all these years, the talks still continue. My friends would ask me what I would do if they chose not to go and I would always respond with "That is not an option" and it is still not.
 All these years I have preached the importance of a getting a degree of some sorts to my children and here I sat a college drop out. How hypocritical is that? It's not that I made a mistake and it's not that I would change anything, it's about trying to get your kids to do better then you, go further in life and not have to struggle as much. I think that is same with almost every parent. Yes, it is their decision once they are of age, but how in the world can I look at myself in the mirror every morning knowing I did not try.                   
I was 18 years old sitting on the couch with my soon to be wife when I told my parents we were getting married. The only thing my dad said was that he had higher hopes for me. I never really got that until later on in life. Now I fully understand.

Going back to the beginning of this post, after 21 years, January 14th I will be starting college again. It is not in the same degree I was in, but it's still a degree. I am not doing it for any reason other than for me. I made a promise to myself twenty one years ago that I was going to be a college graduate. That promise has haunted me for way too long and it is time to dust off that old book, add another chapter and then finally close it.
It may take me five years to complete it, but in the end I will be able to hold to that stupid little piece of paper and say I did it.

It's Just What Rednecks Do On Our Days Off

First off I want to say Howdy and Welcome to Sissy over at http://musingsbythecreekside.blogspot.com/ for becoming the newest member of MDR. She has a real nice blog and I encourage you to take a look.
Thank you Sissy and again welcome.

New Years Eve came with clear skies, cool temperatures  and and little windy plus it did not take much to convince me I needed to do other things than work around here. For the last two months it has been cold and rainy so I guess with a day like that I wanted to do something else rather than what I needed to be doing.
So a whole bunch of us including my four girls, got together over at my dad's and threw some massive lead down range.
It was a good way to end a not so good year.



We even had a first timer join in on the fun. On the left here is my little six year old niece shooting her first pistol for the first time. Her daddy and old uncle were so proud.      






Speaking of Rabbits, the youngest girl got three more breeders to add to her stock. They are of the Satin breed.
If you are wondering the rabbits she raises are for showing and not meat. Yes, they could be eaten if need be, but meat rabbits do not go over too well here as do show rabbits.







For New Years day we did something a little different then we normally would. All my life I have had the traditional dinner with all the fixins but this year we went to an old friends daughters wedding. I have know this girl back when she was just walking and me and her daddy have been really good friends all these years. When he thanked me for coming I told him I would not have missed it for the world.  

Once back home I could not let such a beautiful day go to waste without doing something outside so me and the oldest (BEB) went out and built stuff. I will let her tell you about it on her blog but it was cool. Please check it out, here in a little bit, and tell her just how cool it really is.

I did some more stuff but will post about it later. Tomorrow will be a production day here at the Mini Farm so hold on to your hats folks.