Rant!

I have not had a rant in a while so here goes. As most of you know the federal government is debating a bail out of some really stupid people. OK I will not name call. Some people who were not using their heads. How is that? The argument is that if you do not bail out these companies they will fail and then there will be ginormous financial repercussions. My arguments is that you can only prop up a house of cards for so long. If it is going to fail, it is going to fail. If the private sector can not hold it together what makes you think that the proud owners of the DMV can do any better. What is really going to happen is that the government will, in the end, just print more money and hurt the dollar which will in turn hurt everyone, even more so then if they would have just let the chips fall where they fall. If the lending industry would not have loaned sub prime loans they would not be in the mess they are in. If they do not suffer the consequences they will just do it again. If my kids get away with steeling once, what is to stop them from doing it again. We bailed out the savings and loans in the 80's and here we are with it happening all over again.

The bottom Line is that Governments, like ours, are not designed to be entrepreneurs. They make, enforce and interpret laws. In limited cases they provide certain things like roads, utilities, and emergency services. Out side of that, THEY DO NOT BELONG IN BUSINESS AND THEY WILL ALWAYS FAIL AT BUSINESS. The free market can do a much better job at meeting needs and regulating the market place. It is not perfect but close enough that it works. I might add that it works better then any other system that has ever been introduced in the history of the world.

What I believe is happening is that people are wanting things without thinking of the consequences. We are a buy now and pay latter culture. Take the City where I live, Eagle Mountain, UT. The City has reposed building a recreation center that is between 50 and 60 thousand square feet. They are going to hold hearing and if their is a favorable response they will put it on the ballet for a vote next summer. I think it would be great to have a place to go swim, lift weights, play racket ball and all kinds of other great things. However, It is not the City's place to build this. If it is profitable then let Golds Gym, 24 hour fitness,or any of a thousand other gyms in the US build one. If it is not profitable for them to build one then what makes them think that a group of people, who have major turnover every 4 years, can make it profitable? If it is a smart choice then it will work in the private sector, if it is not it wont. In Eagle mountain we have no businesses to shoulder the tax burden so where does everyone think the money will come from? Taxes will go to make up the shortfall that is naturally there blocking someone like golds gym form building it. The only thing people are going to see is "wow a rec center right here in our back yard, yeah." Buy now pay latter.

If I were to tell a young married couple to go and buy their dream home and brand new car on credit and just pay for it over time I would be told I was stupid. When I suggest that governments save for improvements instead of borrow for them people call me stupid. Am I just missing something? I fear for the storm that is coming. Nobody is thinking about what is going to happen when it all falls apart, and trust me it will.

Squash, Squash and more Squash

There is a movie called how to eat fried worms, I'm sure that most of you have seen it or read the book. I think I would like to write a book called how to eat a ton of squash.

The other night we were eating dinner as a family and I was still a tad bit hungry. (Not an unusual thing for a guy my size.) I asked for the squash since there was still quite a bit left. about 3 or 4 bites into the pile I realized this was just to much squash. I did not want to eat it at all. However, I had 5 children sitting with me at the table gagging down their squash. I could not say "no more for me thanks." Even though I had already had a helping they would doubtless say, "See dad, it is nasty stuff and we should not have to eat it." So for all you parents out there I took one for the team and gagged it down. The things we have to do to save face. Lisa could tell what was going on and she thought the whole thing was hilarious.

As a side note I have discovered that if you make squash brownies with the stuff you will have no problem eating them or getting your kids to eat them.

All time greatest movies.

Tonight Lisa wants to watch a movie for date night. I'm good with that. We always enjoy going to a Friday night movie. Over the years there are a few that have stood out and I enjoy watching over and over. Here is my favorites list.

Return to me - Lisa and I can watch this one over and over. It is a touching chick flick but the old men and especially James Belushi, make it a funny movie as well as a chick flick. If you have not seen this one I recommend it.

Indiana Jones - I am speaking of the first 3. Not to impressed with the last one. These are classics that I can watch over and over.

Star Wars - The series is a little bit long but for si-fi it is the one. It was one of the first movies I remember seeing as a kid in the movie theater. Maybe that is why I like them so much.

Spiderman - The current spider man movies I can see again and again. Once again my favorite super hero growing up as a kid was Spiderman. It is his vulnerability that I like. I hate superman these days.
Big Trouble in Little China - This is probably one of my all time favorites. It has some of the cheesiest scenes and awsome one liners in it. Lisa hates it so I don't get to see it very often.



Spencers Mountain - This is just an all around great movie. It tells of the struggle of a family who wants to elevate themselves. Definatly a great film. The oldest son's girlfriend is a little to interested in sex and reproduction but nothing bad. Annoying but not anything bad.

Better off Dead - Same category as Big Trouble in Little China.

The Count of Monte Cristo - This one is awesome. Lots of action, great story of triumph and a study in human nature. I love the priest. "... yes, you have counted all of them but have you named them?"

The Sand Lot - Ultimate boys growing up in life movie.

Silverado - This is my western. I like all of John Wayne's stuff but he is kind of like superman. I go for the guy that can be beat.

There are lots of other great movies I have seen and this list is not a complete one but these are defiantly my go to movies any time.

It's a new record

This morning I swam a mile again. I do it from time to time just to try and improve. The last time I blogged about it I swam the mile in 55 minutes. This morning I swam my mile in 49 minutes! Watch out Mr Phelps, I am coming up on you like a motor boat (Ha ha). To me this was a great thing because I have developed a philosophy in life that says, improve a little bit everyday. I do not shoot for a 30 minute mile I shoot for just a little bit better each time. The next time I swim the mile my goal is anything under 49 minutes and I win. This idea can be applied to marriage, work, church, parenting, fitness, education or anything else. If I want to be a better husband I can go home tonight and do something that Lisa would appreciate. If I want to be a better home teacher I can go home and set up an appointment or just go over to one of my families house and talk to them. If I do this for the next 30 years, can you imagine how much better of a person I will be? By focusing on little tiny things I can move mountains. The Lord said "By small and simple things great things are brought to pass." I am excited about my little improvements and I hope that when all of you come to my funeral one day you can say, "James was a great guy who made a lot out of the life he was given."

Ps. I could also apply this idea to my spelling.

The bug project

So I am thinking that I may start another blog with this one. We will see. A friend of mind found this 1974 Volkswagen beetle for sale for $400 at a gas station. He called me and I told him I wanted it. Kenneth turns 15 years old on the 12th of September and I was looking for some kind of project for him. A Volkswagen is an easy car to work on and great for a kid that wants to maintain his own car. Everything on these beetles is simple. So for the next year Kenneth and I will be fixing up this car and making it into a beautiful machine. The idea is a dark blue paint job with a light gray interior. The motor will remain a 1600 cc motor with everything stock (That means original not a spin on my name). Kenneth has never been one to have an interest in auto mechanics but now that it is his car and something he gets to drive he has suddenly plunged in with both hands. I really look forward to spending time with him working on this car. If anyone has any jobs they want done, give us a call, he could use the money to finance the project.

This is a picture of the car with him behind the wheel. It has a great body with only one rust spot that has to be fixed. The interior is in good shape but brown and blue aren't what he wants.

















The engine is actually in the garage right now. We started to do some work on it but came to the conclusion that we needed to just get it rebuilt all at once. The trunk on a 74 is nice because there is lots of room. In the 60's the spare tire made it hard to put anything up there but this one has all kinds of room.

All in all I think it will be great fun and a great experience for both me and Kenneth that we will be able to look back on with fondness for years to come.

21 Cantaloupe!!!!!!!!!!!!

They say you can take the boy out of the farm but you can not take the farm out of the boy. Such is true with me. I am having the time of my life raising a garden. I still have some bugs to work out but things are going great. I have grown this year watermelon, cantelope, yellow squash, carrots, white onions, purple onions, green onions, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, broclii, hot peppers, bell peppers (Green, Red, and Orange), and I have some peaches on the peach tree.

I have three Cantaloupe plants and this weekend I went out and counted the melons on the vines. There were 21 of them! I could not believe it. That was 21 big ones. I have lots of them that are the size of a baseball and hordes that are budding out the size of a marble. I will give it about 2 weeks and then they should be ready to pick. The kids are far more excited about the cantaloupe then they are the squash.





My tomatoes are doing great. I planted 10 but 0nly 8 made it. I was a little worried about them but they are now impressive. I have a few plants that are over 6 feet. It is amazing to see these things grow. I have picked a few tomatoes but most of them are still green. I have dozens and dozens of tomatoes that are just starting to get a yellowish tent to them. I can not wait to start using tomatoes in everything. If anyone has a really good tomato soup or spaghetti sauce recipe please let me know.
I am looking for all kinds of things to do with tomatoes.



The Squash has been unbelievable. I have picked dozens of large, and I do mean large, squash off of my 3 squash plants. The boys are sick of squash and even Lisa admitted to being sick of it (We had it for almost every meal for 2 weeks). We blanched a bunch of them and froze them so we could eat them this winter. There are 6 of them in the fridge right now and about 5 more on the vine waiting to be picked. I have never seen so many squash in all my life. Lisa said we only need one or two squash plants next year. So the same thing goes with squash, if you have a recipe just let me know and I will put it to use.


Watermelon are hard to grow in Utah. What happens is you end up with these nice looking melons and then the frost comes about 2 or 3 weeks before they are ready to eat. I just might get to eat some this year. I have about 5 melons that I think will make it. As long as I can cover them up and beat the first few frosts I will be spitting seeds while eating watermelon on the deck. I picked my biggest melon over labor day only to discover that I was about 2 or 3 weeks early. I was totally bummed.




The only one of my fruit trees that has produced is my peach tree. It has about 15 peaches that are within a week or two of being ready to eat. This is one of my greatest excitements with all the stuff I am growing. There is no fruit, in my opinion, that is better then a peach. Next year I expect I may have some apples and cherries in addition to the peaches.







So there you have it. Not a very exciting post to those who do not have a farm boy trapped inside them. After all the practice this year next year I hope to have an even better production. It is always exciting for me to grow things and I look forward to it each year. Next year I may even be able to get Lisa to let me grow some potatoes in the flower bed. (Put in a good word for me if any of you get a chance :-)

All my projects done!

So I had posted a blog earlier about all my projects and how I had nothing to do except take up fishing. I had Kenneth take some pictures for me of the diffrent projects. It is amazing how much work putting in a back yard is.

I do not have a picture of the side of the house. I put gravel on both sides of the house so now when it rains I don't get a big mud mess. I will try to get a picture of it put up here. The rest of the projects do have a picture.


This picture is of the trampoline. It took us about a year to dig the hole to put it in. Every time the kids misbehaved we made them pull weeds in the back yard or dig in the "pit" for 30 minutes. The problem was that they started to behave a little better. I finally took a day off of work and Lisa and I finished it off. You can also see the garden boxes up against the fence. I have cantaloupe and watermelon on the left, carrots, onions, lettuce and spinach in the middle. The squash is in the middle in the back. On the right I have 8 tomato plants. I planted 10 but 2 died.



This picture is on the other side of the yard. You can see the garden box with the strawberries, broccoli, peppers and some more watermelon. You can also see the fruit trees. I have an apple, peach and cherry tree. The peach is the only one that has started to produce. They are in their 3rd year so I expect that maybe the other two will start producing something next year.







This is another shot of the garden box that runs along the back fence.













The deck is finaly done. I got it all waterproofed right before it rained. It was nice to be done with it. I look forward to a lot of grilling on this thing. Next year I plan to build a picnick table that you can fould out into two benches to put on it.










These next few pictures are in the front of the house. The one that does not have the house in it is out front. We did not plant anything there this year and thought we would only have the rose bushes but all the petunias came up from last year. It was a pleasant surprise. I also have a picture of Daniel and Troy on their first day of school. Daniel is in 5th grade and Troy is in 3rd. You can tell how much Daniel loves school The only redeeming quality of school according to him is that he gets to play football at lunch time.

She has my vote!

Last night I watched the speech given by Sarah Palin and I was impressed. A few things that stuck out to me.

1. She is a women and mother who acts like it. She wore a skirt not a pant suit, She embraced her femininity, and seemed to have a sense of womenhood to her. Some might say What the...? I am tired of seeing Hillary Clinton as the face of women in politics. It was a breeze of fresh air to see those traits in her.

2. She is a conservative. I do not agree with McCain on a lot of issues as he is not conservative enough for me. He is the better by far of the two candidates but still some of the things he has done is, in my book to liberal for me. This is a women who has, according to the record cleaned up a great deal of corruption in the Alaskan government. She has Americas best interest in mind. Everything about her says "Conservative"

3. She can hold her own. Boy howdy can she take on the idiots, as I call them. She addressed the many things that have been said about her with some great comments that were delivered with class. What is more is that there is a rumor the teleprompter broke and the last half of her speech was extemporaneous!

4. She did not come seaking this position that she has been offered. She is not the natural candidate and it does not seem to be something that she has spent a lifetime working toward. The founding fathers were the kind of people that when duty came and taped them on the shoulder they steped up to the call.

Indeed last night she won me over. I am now able to vote for McCain with some inthusiasm.

I have heard several criticisms of her today and I will address those as well.

The first and formost is from a lot of mormon women who, citing the proclimation on the family says that she should be at home taking care of her family. Without a question a mothers place is in the home. However this, in my opinion, is a hypocritical statement. Sarah Palin has not been told since she was a little girl by the prophet that she should not work outside the home. Let me show you the hypocracy. The church teaches that we should keep our homes neat and clean.(http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=d6371b08f338c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1918767978c20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1) I have been into far to many LDS womens homes that are pig pens. Or what about your missionary responsabilities. When was the last time you talked to someone about the Book of Mormon, or better yet gave one out? We have been taught these things all our lives but still we do not do them. Those same critics who condenm her for not being a stay at home mom should look in the mirror at about 10:00 in the morning and say, "Do I love my husband? How would I feel after a long day at work coming home to this?" If you are committed to being a great mom why not be committed to being a great wife as well. If we are going to hold people to the standard of perfection why not start with a perfect wife or husband? (Guys, some of your yards look like crap!)

The hypocracy runs rampant.

How can you pass judgment on a women who has not been taught when you yourselves having been taught do not do what you know you should? I am not justifying women working outside the home, I am saying get the danm mote out of your own eye first!

You have those who say she does not have enough experience. Ha! perhaps that is true, however lets look at who they are running against; enough said. Let us also consider her running mate. No matter what I dislike about McCain he is without a doubt a man with experience.

Jesus said "By their fruits ye shall know them." I would ask anyone to examine the fruits. Five Children - Unselfish. Beat back Corruption in Alaska - Integrity. Conservative - Holds onto values. I would ask anyone who would like to make an informed decision to 1. get the mote out or your eye and 2. study the fruits.

I could be wrong about her, (Remember rule number one is that I am never wrong and there is no rule number 2 :)) but from what I have seen I think I am right. I have never met the perfect candidate. I hope to live to see the day when we have one, IE the savior when he returns, but until then I think that Sarah Palin is a great pick for VP.