Bear Hunting

Last year for Christmas Adam and Daniel got .22 rifles and have been learning how to shoot all this year. For Christmas today they both got a scope to go on their guns. I took them out and we sited in the scope. Daniel's gun is dead on and Adam's is close, we just need a little more time and it will be dead on as well. Once we were sited in on Daniel's gun he scanned the horizon and about 150 yards out he caught site of a black bear! being the daring boy that he is he carefully took aim and squeezed the trigger. To both his and my surprise the bear fell down. The bullet had gone through the right side of his chest and exited on his left shoulder. When Daniel landed his 22 inch trout I had no camera to prove he caught it but this time I happened to have the camera and took a picture for all of you to see. I don't know of any other kids who are able to claim they took down a black bear from 150 yard with a .22 rifle. Of course since he killed it I made him haul it out.

The Trail to Eagle is crowded.

I have been swamped of late at work and have not posted. But hey the waffles were good to look at. This last Sunday evening we had a court of honor for the boy scouts in our unit. It was fun to see them. They worked hard and got a number of merit badges and rank advancements.

Kenneth got his Cycling merit badge. He is so close to Eagle I think he is sprouting some feathers behind his ears. You can see how many merit badges he already has. I think he has one or two more required merit badges and and his eagle project and he will have the Rank. He has gotten way more then I ever did.

Adam has caught on fire and has been bugging his scout master to give him merit badge counselors for all the badges he is interested in. He received 11 merit badges at this last court of honor. He also got his Advancement to Star. That means that by this time next year he will also be an Eagle along with Kenneth.

Daniel is new to scouts. He received 3 rank advancements, Tenderfoot, Second class and First Class. He also received his first aid merit badge as well. If he sticks with it by April 2010 he will be an Eagle Scout.


All the boys in the troop got the first aid merit badge given out by Steve Conger who is a firefighter/paramedic. I sure appreciate guys like him that are so involved in helping boys grow into men. (You will notice that Jared Carnes has already grown full size! He is only 13.)

I am very proud of my boys. They are achievers and polite and respectful to others. They are by no means perfect but they are good boys who give me no cause for grief or sorrow. I did things that caused my parents grief and I feel bad for that. I still remember the cops calling my dad to come and pick me up one night. (That is a story for another time) It is nice to see that my boys are turning out better then me.

Oh Boy Waffles

My Dad had a recipe for waffles that was the best you can possibly imagine. They are 100% whole wheat and very good for you. I like to make them and pour blended fruit over them and then top it all with whip cream. It has less calories then syrup so my health agrees. If you would like to have some of these you can. Here is the recipe:

3 cups of Wheat Flour. (You can use white but that will just make you fat and it doesn't taste as good.)

3 eggs beaten

1/4 cups oil

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 Tbs Sugar

4 tsp Baking Powder

2 3/4 cups Milk

I first beat my eggs till they are foamy then add milk and oil. Mix these together and then add the dry ingredients. Poor into a waffle iron or onto a hot griddle and enjoy. (If you want them fluffier just add a little watter to make it more runny.)

A few days ago I got out the powdered egg and powdered milk and made up a mix that makes 10 times this much. It was a lot of fun. Now I can just scoop out some mix, add the water and oil and I am eating in no time. Maybe on my free time this week I will work up a brownie mix!

TGIF!

Some weeks are longer then others and this one is just such a week. I am glad it is over. I was out sick the first two days and it has been a grind at work each day. Maybe I will get to relax this weekend. That usually never happens but hey, we can always hope.

It is Friday the 13th of November and it rained in Eagle Mountain last night, not snow but rain. It is like it just can't get cold enough to snow. I am of course perfectly fine with that but it is a little weird. Oh well life goes on, snow or no snow.

Anyway there is some randomness for you. Have a great weekend.

A sad state of affairs.

As most of you know I am a resident of Eagle Mountain UT. I love Eagle Mountain and have many friends who live there with me. It is a quiet little community that is growing at an incredible rate. It is estimated that they will grow by 10% a year for the next few years at least. In 1996 they had about 250 residence and according to the US Census Bureau in 2008 there were approximately 22,309 people living here. The population is largely young families. In a 2007 statistical survey, more than 85% of residents rated their quality of life as “good” or “excellent.” This brings me to the point of my blog this morning.

This week we had a municipal election. It was a vote for Mayor and for 2 city councilmen. Not a "big" election some would say. I disagree. It is my opinion that what impacts us the most is what takes place on a local level not so much state and national. With the populationof Eagle Mountain at 22,309 and assuming each home has 2 parents and 3 children I came up with the following voter information.

Potential registered voters - 8923

Actual registered voters - 7578

Number that don't care to vote - 1345

Now These 1345 for the most part are uninvolved and uninformed people who are probably to stupid to vote and I am fine with them not participating anyway. There is no end to the damage that can be done by a large number of stupid people. I am sure that in that group are some great people who for one reason or another have a good reason why they have not yet been added to the voter registry. The other 1339 can be left out of the voting pool and I do not care.

Registered voters - 7578

Votes cast - 1655

Total voter turnout - 21.8%

Less then one in 4 people voted in this last election. In the Book of Mormon Mosiah points out that it is not usual for the voice of the people to choose that which is wrong or bad. However 21.8% really is not the voice of the people. It is becoming clear to me that the voice of the people is "I don't care, I am to busy with my little world to care about anything or anyone else." It is kind of ironic that this is about the same percentage as the home teaching numbers I was seeing when I was the High Priest group leader.

I sit in Sunday school or at different activities with people and hear about how bad things are in "the world" and how hard it is to raise kids. Just yesterday Kenneth came home and said that the Westlake library has more books on gay marriage then they do on us history. I have not been down and counted them myself but Kenneth is pretty good with his facts so I will assume he is right. When you tell someone that they shake there head and say what is happening to us. Why is there so much evil and wickedness in the world. I submit to you that it is the good men and women who turn their focus inward and have left the "gates of the city" unattended. For example, the school board makes the decision on what happens in our schools. I am sure that they do not select each book that gets put in the library however I wonder if anyone has submitted complaints to them about this. I have not. I do not know what their agenda is nor do I know what their track record is. I have allowed just the watchmen of my children's education to go unchecked. I have allowed the watchmen for my community and nation to go unchecked and the as such we now have the fox guarding the hen house.

It is a sad state of affairs and a dangerous one. It is time that the people wake up and take action if it is already not to late. (Ps. Start by doing your home teaching!)

I love power tools

Every year my kids love to get out the knives and carve the pumpkins. It is a lot of fun and I enjoy seeing all the different creative ideas that they come up with. However cutting out all those pumpkins with a knife, no matter how sharp, is a bit tedious. A couple years ago I saw something on a web page where someone used power tools to carve their pumpkin. I thought it was cool and so I tried it. I have taken this idea and never looked back. A one inch wood drill bit makes a perfect circular hole and cut thing out the mouth and eyes with a jigsaw is fast and easy. I break out the dremal for the detail work and within a third of the time I have a finished product. If you have never used power tools you should try it.



Daniel got grossed out by the pumpkin guts so he went and got a sandwich bag to use as a glove. It was kind of funny. Boys are all rough, tough and macho but it is funny the things that will turn that whole notion upside down.


This was Krislyn's first year where she actually designed the pumpkin. It was a simple design but cute. She really did have fun with it. Notice the nice jig saw laying on the table in front of her?

Meet the Flintstones!

Lisa and I have not been big Halloween people. It is fun to let the kids dress up and go out and trick-or-treat but we have never gotten into it much. However the last few years my friend Aaron has been inviting me to his halloween parties and so we have dressed up. This year Lisa and I were Fred and Willma Flintstone. It was a lot of fun. I made both costumes, not bad for an amature. After all a sewing machine is nothing but a powertool with thread. I would actually like to get a new one but the one we have does what we need. The funniest part was all the kids who did not know who the flintstones were! This rising generation needs some good old fashion cartoons. We thought it a great deal of fun to go as a famouse couple. Does any one have any suggestions for us for next year?

Redneck Friends!

People call me a red neck and they are right I have lots of redneck tendencies that Lisa, try as she may, has not been able to get worked out of me. It is my redneck friends that make me who I am. They are very dear to me and their ways and habits are just a little to persuasive to my natural down home tendencies. Take my friends here, Dave and Melisa Leatherwood.



They are the salt of the earth and some of the best people on the planet. I enjoy spending time with them as much as I do any family member. Heck some relatives I would love to replace them with. Although Dave has a mullet and rotten teeth and Melisa wears a hat everywhere she goes they are great company and I look forward to spending time with them.



They love bowling, 4 wheeling and all kinds of Redneck activities. Who cares that they have a shovel like this for camping? If you ever have an opportunity to meet David and Melisa Leatherwood just be sure to look past their redneckedness and see them for what they are on the inside, just downright good folk that make the world a better place to live.

Scouting is awsome.

I am now the 11 year old scout leader. I started back in July so I guess it has been a little while. This last weekend I took the boys on a camp out. We had a few of them who have just turned 12 and a few others who will be turning 12 in the next little bit so we decided to take them and the older boys so they could get used to each other. It was a great camp out. We did not have as many of the older boys go but the two that went are awesome.

My Adam and Jackson Balser were the two older boys who showed up. What I like about these two is they show up and generally carry their weight around camp. You don't have to be their mother. Their packs are packed with the right stuff, you never hear them say, "my mom didn't pack me..." nor do we have to tell them everything to do. They are a good influence on the younger boys and I was glad to have them along. I told all the younger boys that these guys are the ones to watch and be like. I think a key part of the scouting program is good scout leaders and older scouts to roll model the younger boys.

There were 8 boys and 3 leaders/parents who went with us and in the picture they are left to right, Daniel, Tanner, Adam, Brother Gardner(Cadens Dad), Brendon, Pk, Brother Balif(Scout Master), Jackson, Caden and Ben, I was taking the picture. I am excited for this group as they are all really good together and have the potential to be a solid group of good peer pressure.

We went hiking up American Fork Canyon by Tibbel fork. It was a little bit past the season of fall colors. There were still a few leaves left on the trees but not many. It would have been a lot better 3 weeks earlier. It was only relatively cold so all in all the whole things was a success. We did a 5 mile hike that was quite an adventure. We took a wrong turn and indeed up having to climb strait up the side of the mountain through the underbrush to get back on track after the trail we were on ended. I would recommend that hike to anyone who wants to see some of the beauty that exists in the rocky mountains, just make sure that you take the turn to the left when the trail forks.

There were some breathtaking views when we got to the top. I saw a hawk circling over the lake below and watched him with my binoculars. It was really cool. The lake you see way down below the boys on the left is Tibbel. Adam is about half way up the side of the mountain where we had to blaze our own trail. I did not have enough room for all the pictures but just out of the picture of Adam there are two caves on the far mountain. Maybe some day I will hike up there and check them out.

I try to be the last one in line when on the trail so that I can pick up any stragglers that might be falling behind. This was a section of the trail that I pictured as being just beautiful 3 weeks ago. Right now it is just bare oak trees but picture all those leaves you see on the ground still attached to the trees above and full of color. I love the outdoors and I love the scouting program because it gives me an excuse to go out and enjoy it.

Monday night basketball, Really? Come on now...

I get irritated about national politics and feel that this country is in a tail spin. However I get it and realize that the voice of America is choosing these things and my voice is becoming more and more of a minority. So I simply do my best to voice my concern and then I go on living my life realizing that the train is on a crash course and will most likely crash with all kinds of pain involved. This I accept and deal with. However there are some things that just down right piss me off! I received an email from the city of Eagle Mountain announcing a men's basketball league. I love basket ball and got all excited about it. I read on in anticipation, thinking of the guys that would be fun to play with on a team. Then I read the part that makes me so mad. It is to take place on Monday night! Now those who read my blog and are not LDS may not understand. Since I was a small boy I have heard the leaders of the LDS church ask local church, civic and other leaders to not plan things on Monday nights so that families could have that time for family night. In Eagle mountain you have a concentration of LDS people that is greater then any other place in the world. In some neighborhoods you are upwards of 80% LDS. I am sure there is some reason that they have selected Monday night but in my opinion, based on the demographic there is no reason to do this. In the national theater I have no voice but in my community I think I do and so I am asking all who read my blog to join with me in making our voice heard. If you are of the same opinion as me please respond to this with me. I have sent an email to the Eagle Mountain Sports Director, Jason Hall, letting him know how I feel about them scheduling this on Monday nights. His email address is jhall@Emcity.org. You can read up on the details of this by clicking here or going to http://www.emcity.org/. Please join me in responding and tell all your friends and neighbors to do it as well. Lets have as many people as possible respond.

This afternoon I recieved an Email from Jason Hall and the city has changed the nights of the basketball games. Thanks to all those who participated. The website has not been updated but I am sure it will be shortly.

Snow, hummph!

I hate the snow. I prefer to be warm and dry. Yes, from time to time you can find things about the snow that are fun but for the most part I hate snow. Today was the first snow and I scowled at it all day long. It did my no good but at least I gave that blasted white stuff the what-for. Makes me wonder why I left Mesa!

Am I just getting Old?

So I have noticed something. When I was younger I used to be able to memorize phone numbers like crazy. I had at any given time the ability to call 25 to 30 people just from memory. I noticed the other day that I only have about 5 numbers in my head and Lisa's cell is not one of them. It has been suggested that the brain only does what it needs to and in todays culture we have cell phones and auto dial and so there is no need to learn these numbers. Thus the brain does not store it. Now that may be true for some but I have no cell phone (the one I had went through the washing machine) I have never used auto dial and so I have to say I am a bit perplexed as to why I can not remember phone numbers anymore. I think it is just like the glasses, old age is starting to catch up.

New Pictures

I took Lisa and the kids up American Fork Canyon on Sunday and we got some pictures. It was a lot of fun and we kenneth got some nice shots of us. Have a looksee.

I like pie!

I have to apologize about not blogging for a bit. Work is crazy so sometimes you just have to relax and take a break. I did that a few weeks ago when my mother and father in law were here visiting. Lisa and her mother went up to Salt Lake City to the Women's conference held every October. They had a great time. It was her mom's first time to attend a meeting there. I on the other hand stayed home with her dad and the kids. I was not in the mood for the root beer floats Lisa left us. I wanted pie! I like pie and will eat it to engorgement.
I went out and picked some apples off my apple tree in the back yard and pulled out the "Fat Sisters Cookbook." This is a wonderful cookbook and let me tell you those fat sisters can cook! I followed the instructions to the best of my abilities and made probably one of the best apple pies I had ever tasted. I am sure that I was a bit bias but it was really good. I felt like the little red hen. I grew the apples, baked the pie and enjoyed it to my hearts content. Dosen't this shot of the finished product make you think it's about time for thanksgiving?

1 and 5

Football has been fun this year. We are currently 1 and 5. (1 win and 5 losses) In spite of this the boys are having a great time. We no longer get blown out. The games are much closer and the skill level much improved. My favorite thing is to see the boys that are not so good at the first of the year get it and become these great little football players.

This shot is of Daniel. He looks great, don't you think. He is not so big of course but man is he ever fast. If he can break away from the pack there is no catching him. However when the pack catches him he still gives them a good fight.

We run a play called the 24 lead. As you can see we open a hole big enough to drive a car through. We send a lead blocker through the 4 hole (between the right guard and right tackle) and the running back follows him through. It is almost allways a 6 yard gain on this play. It works better on the right as our right side of the line does a better job of blocking. Once the other team figure it out they stack half their team in front of that hole and it slows us down.

Sometimes we clobber them and sometimes they clobber us. The cool thing about this kind of football is that it is a very exciting game. There are lots sudden changes and break away plays that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Coaching is a lot of fun for me. Nobody ever realy took the time to coach me in football. All the coaches I ever had simply took the most talented guys and used them the best they could. In all my years of playing none of my coaches ever tried to develope their players. They did not take the time with the less talented and help them become good ball players. I was a big strong farm boy so I was able to hold my own but if I knew then what I have learned now I think I would have been more effective as a player and had a lot more fun.

Thomas S. Monson

My aunt was one of president Monson's missionaries when she served her mission in Canada. She was an awesome missionary and stayed in touch with him and the other missionaries over the years. On Monday the 14th of September my aunt died and I attended her funeral on Monday the 21st. While I was sitting there talking with my relatives in walked Thomas S. Monson, president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later day Saints. He greeted many people who walked by and shacked his hand. There was a family just in front of us who took a long time and just as they were finishing the funeral was to start so I did not get a chance to shake his hand, but we turned together and payed attention to what was happening. I stood shoulder to shoulder with the prophet of God. He did not shine with a glorious glow nor was there some magic about him. I was fascinated with the humble man that stood next to me. He had greeted my family members with kindness and grace. He had a natural way about him that made everyone comfortable. I guess we all kind of look at the prophet as near immortal but he was just a man, no different then my grandpa or my father. It made me stand a little taller to know that he was nothing of a super man just a good man who made many righteous choices. He cared enough to come to the funeral when he was very busy. The really neat thing to me was that he seemed to be interested and feel for each person that was there. He wiggled his ears at a small boy, waved at Krislyn and in genuine concern and love took each he greeted by the hand and took time with them. What comes to my mind is when the savior came and met the Nephites. I think it was much the same. When I picture the savior doing that I picture the exact same kind of person. It makes me want to be like that. It is an experience I will always remember.

Pay it forward.

I participated in a blog post on a friend's blog and as a result, that friend will make something and give it to me. I'm rather curious about it and wonder what it will be. However, there was one condition which was that I had to offer the same deal on my blog. So here I go...

The Giveaway

The first three people to post a comment on this blog posting will get something made by me that will be especially for you.
There is some fine print associated with this deal:

1.I make no guarantee that you will like what I make (but I hope you will).
2.What I create will be just for you.
3.I have a year to get it to you.
4.You have no clue what it's going to be. It's a surprise to both of us at this point.

There is a catch! You must repost this same offer on your blog and offer the same deal to the first five people who do the same on your blog.

Sweet 16, well kind of.

I set this to auto post at 6:15 am on Sept 12th but obviously I did something wrong. Anyway, enjoy.


Today my oldest son turns 16 years old. I don't know that I would call him sweet but he is 16.It has been a long time since he was born. I still remember Lisa's labor and delivery. The hospital we were in at the time has since been torn down. At the time I remember watching the doctor sit and visit with my mother in law While I was helping Lisa with stuff. I said to him if I'm going to do all the work here do I have to pay you? He replied that he only charged for office visits. When It came time to cut the cord, I was not to sure but when he told me he would charge me if he did it I jumped right in. It was a few moments later when they had cleaned him all up and I was holding him that I was hit with the realization I was a dad. Those little eyes just looked up at me and he seemed to listen to what I was saying. He had stopped crying and was so content. Of course that didn't last to long and before you know it he was wrestling on the floor and running through the house before I knew it.



Probably the funniest story about Kenneth as a kid dealt with a "johnny jumper." It was a seat that he could sit in and it had a spring so that he could jump in it. He was about 1year to 18 months old. Our townhouse had a big wood beam that ran through the middle of it and he would go to hopping with those fat little legs and get him self swinging all around the room. He would pick up his feet and just fly. Kenneth may not do a lot of sports but don't let that fool you, he is about as athletic as anyone you will ever meet. I could see that in him when he was launching himself in that swing. None of my kids ever did that again. He was my only flying infant.

Anyone who knows Kenneth can attest to his great qualities. He is a good brother, student, priesthood holder and friend. He is becoming a well rounded and reliable man. When I look at Kenneth I see the hope of the rising generation. There are young men out there who will have the character and strength to carry us forward into the future. I would go on and on in my admiration of Kenneth but he reads my blog and I'm afraid I might embarrass him. But seriously, I have nothing but love and respect for this boy that has become a man.

Ps. Your cars are in luck, he will not be able to drive on his own until December so the streets are safe. However I can not say as much for your daughters. He has been given a license to date. If you have a daughter who is 16 let her know Kenneth is eligible. However, don't wait to long for him to ask you out, you might have to do the inviting to get him going.

Five years! Where has the time gone.

5 Years ago after having 4 boys in a row Lisa had a little girl. I was not aware of her gender until she was born. I did not want to know and Lisa did. It made for an interesting pregnancy. However nobody ever slipped and so I got the surprise of my life. Lisa thinks I should have cried but why cry on such a happy occasion. I had no idea at the time what it meant to have a little girl. I thought babies were babies and gender didn't have much to do with anything until puberty, boy was I wrong. It is like we had some kind of different species. I guess being married to Lisa should have clued me in but you know me, kind of clueless in those things.

Lisa and I are not the only one who loves her. Her brothers watch over her like a mother hen and I pity the fool who picks on Krislyn Stock. He just might spend the rest of his life without arms or something. She adores her brothers and thinks the world of them but when push comes to shove she will hold her own. Just ask Daniel about that.

for the last 5 years I have seen the most sweet little thing grow and developed into the sparkle she is. Everywhere she goes she seems to bring sunshine with her. Maybe it is just the fact that I am her dad and so I see her as I think she is but any way you look at it the world is a happier place because my Krislyn is in it.

Line in the sand

I debated on this post as it is someone elses words and opinions. However Lisa and I were having a conversation the other day about how things in America seem to be heading south, and I don't mean to Mexico. The question we were talking about is where is the line in the sand that we draw and say we will not comply with what the government says to do. For example if they said you can not store food. Would I refuse and store anyway or if they wanted to take my guns, would I turn them over or use them in my defence of the second amendment. This article is one that really makes you think about where the line is.

Gun control and the Mexican excuse
Published August 24th 2009
By Bob Confer of the Niagara Gazette

Two weeks ago, President Obama met with Mexico’s Felipe Calderon and Canada’s Stephen Harper in Mexico for a get-together of North America’s leaders. Since the inception of this annual meeting during the Bush presidency in 2005, many have rightly believed that the heads of state have used this powwow to sell-out the rights of their peoples in an effort to foster North American unity while forsaking national sovereignty. This year’s meeting was no different. Barack Obama, never the fan of our Second Amendment, said for the umpteenth time that the U.S. must assume responsibility for the weapons that have accounted for 4,000 murders so far this year in Mexico. He believes, as does Calderon, that the vicious Mexican drug cartels are outfitted solely with American guns and by controlling guns in the U.S. the federal government can control the violence in Mexico. So committed is he to this far-fetched pursuit that, following the leaders summit, Obama directed Homeland Security’s Janet Napolitano to sign an agreement indicating the U.S. will work hand-in-hand with Mexican law enforcement to, among other things, track the guns, even going so far as to share information which includes state handgun registries. This is a disturbing development. Sharing gun ownership information with a foreign entity is unprecedented, if not illegal. Data about who owns guns in the United States should be none of Mexico’s business. Quite frankly, it should be none of our government’s business either. The gun owner should be the only one who knows what he owns. Our leaders have been so willing to deny our privacy because they have succumbed to false statistics. Popular ATF and media reports indicate that 90 percent of all guns used by Mexican cartels come from the United States. This number is only partially correct: In one study, 90 percent of all traceable guns (taken from a managed statistical sampling no less) lead to the U.S. Not all guns — especially long guns — are traceable. The only weapons that are truly traceable are handguns from states with pistol permits. Most of the guns used by the cartels are not of American origin. This is a fact, not hearsay, according to a detailed analysis conducted by ATF agent William Newell. He found that just 17 percent of guns confiscated by the Mexican government are actually from the U.S. The remaining 83 percent of the cartels’ firearms come from Mexico’s southern neighbors as well as the Mexican government itself — many of them are assault weapons that came with the more than 15,000 one-time Mexican military men who have jumped ship to the higher-paying cartels. Nevertheless, Obama and the gun-control lobby don’t see it that way and, when their statistics fail, they prefer to use fear-mongering anecdotal stories about Mexico’s violence spilling over into the streets of America. Take the guns off our streets and you’ll take them off Mexico’s streets, which, in turn, will keep them off our streets, they say. They believe that restricting the ability of an individual to buy guns is the best way to curb this violence. When President Obama was Senator Obama, he constantly trumpeted this cause (even without Mexico in the equation), calling for strict limitations on who can buy guns and ammunition and how much of both.He and his followers fail to understand that you can never regulate lawbreakers. Gun control does not work. Mexico is proof positive of this. Among the North American countries, it has the strictest gun laws and, of course, it has the highest percentage of gun crimes because the gun-toting predators have the advantage over their straight-laced weaponless prey. Gun control (against the law-abiding) is so rigid in Mexico that there is only one gun store in the entire country of some 109 million people and it is run by the Army. Only a few very lucky souls are licensed to own a gun, and they face limitations on how much ammo then can buy and where they can take their firearm. This has done absolutely nothing to curb violence: 14,000 Mexicans have been murdered since Calderon took office in 2006. Taking all of this into consideration, we cannot allow ourselves to be duped by the Mexican myths that are used by the Left to foster support for gun control. Mexico’s gun problem is Mexico’s gun problem. Not ours. We as the United States have a long history of being a freedom-loving people who believe in the natural right to self-defense. Our nation was created from that right. We cannot allow a neighboring nation to directly or indirectly strip that right from us.Bob Confer is a Gasport resident and vice president of Confer Plastics Inc. in North Tonawanda. E-mail him at bobconfer@juno.com.

Harvest Festival

Lisa and I, as the stake humanitarian specialists, are a part of our Stake Welfare Committee(SWC). This year the SWC was in charge of the Stake Harvest Festival. It was a great time this weekend for everyone, well except for the poor kid who broke his arm. We had carnival type games, bounce houses, big blowup slides, a live band and food, food and more food.

The idea was to try and get people to be excited about gardening. We made it out to be kind of like a county fair. We had contests for things you grow, bake and make as well as fun things like the carnival stuff and the live band. I have to say that it all came together well and fun was had by all. We started the festival with a parade of gardens that showcased cardens throught the stake. People got a chance to see what other people were doing. I was one of the judges for the food and so I would taste something and then, so that I did not get full or my taste buds get desensitized I would spit it out. There was a buttermilk pie there that I swallowed, twice! Once the judging was done everyone showed up and we ate a great deal of chilli, cornbread and deserts.

Being on the SWC is a lot of fun at times and very rewarding when you see the people have a good time and come away a little bit better people. It does not matter what the activity is the people show up and help out and turn the whole thing into a success. I have learned how important even the smallest contributor is in making the whole thing work. It is not the person in charge or at the head that makes it work. It is the people doing all the little things like running a carnival booth or setting up the water table. that makes it a success.

So if you missed the Harvest Festival it was your loss, even you people in Arizona. It would be worth the trip to come up for this thing. For pictures of the whole event click here.