I would Like To Teach………..

January 30, 2018 / doubledacres / 6 Comments

“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Photo by Kasuma from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/alone-boulders-idyllic-looking426893/

When you look at the picture above what do you see? Do you see someone that appears to be a loner or do you see someone that appears to be a person who enjoys nature and sunrises? It is impossible to form a true opinion without knowing a little more about the person and the situation.

We seem to be living in a society that is quick to criticize and very judgemental. We don’t seem to need all the facts and, the “truth”, …… well that is purely optional. We seem to care less whether we destroy someone’s reputation or creditability. We don’t hesitate to destroy one’s self esteem with a wag of our tongue. What changed and why have we turned into a heartless society? It seems that the media doesn’t care if their story is true or factual, they just want to be the first to print or air it.

Photo by Neale LaSalle from Pexels https://www.pexels.com/photo/astronomy-comet-constellation-cosmos-631477/

“The only measure of judging a human being is through that person’s character, because is not determined by race, religion, gender or social status. And one who recognizes this simple fact of human life behaves the same with the scientist, the janitor and the sex worker.” – Abhijit Naskar Human Making is Our Mission: A Treatise on Parenting (Humanism Series)

My Grandma Bobbie told me a lot of things through the years but I think the smartest thing she ever told me was , “if you can’t say something nice about someone then just don’s say nothing at all.” Those I believe are such true words to live by. Native Americans said, “don’t judge me until you have walked a mile in my moccasins.”

You ever wonder how different things would be if we looked at people through our hearts instead of our eyes? How many possible friendships have you lost because the person was obese, nerdy, ugly, backwards, etc.? The reason I labeled them possible is because 99% of the time you probably walked away with out giving them a chance. It happens and you know it.

So you are at a party and you see this person sitting there all by themselves. Your first thought is why are they by themselves. Then the chatter of the grape vine starts around the room and it isn’t giving the person any good reviews. Do you ignore them or do you try and get to know them. News Flash!!!!!! Hearsay isn’t all that reliable and other people’s opinions are nothing more than a manifestation derived from jealousy or egotistical action. Take the time to strike up a quality conversation and listen to them. You never know, you might just find your new “bestest” friend in the world. Take a chance.

So your mission today (should you decide to accept it) is to start learning to put aside the appearance and look into that person’s heart. That is where you are going to find what truly makes this person who they are. It may be the last time you ever see them. Then again one of you may inspire the other to do something great! You had the idea in your head but you needed a nudge and that person might just be the inspiration you needed. There are so many possibilities that something might come out of it but if you don’t interact with that person you will never know.

Photo provided by Pexel

The sun will rise in the east in the morning and a new day will begin. Treat people like you like to be treated and for once let us try and get along for a change. Learn to look at a person through their heart. Listen to your heart and not other people’s opinions.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to spread the love.

They Are Family

January 26, 2018 / doubledacres / 22 Comments

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My ride dog and companion, Kate.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.” – Gilda Radner

One thing that I can not wrap my feeble little mind around is how can people abuse animals? How can folks just give an old dog to a shelter and then they have the nerve to replace them with a new puppy. It breaks my heart when I see this happen. Folks whether you believe it or not animals do have feelings.

Kate suffered from crystals in her urine and she had to have hip surgery when she was a year old. After surgery she slept on the couch and I slept on the floor beside her. From that time on she was my dog. She did her best not to let me out of her sight. She went everywhere with me and since I am a farrier she was my ride dog. She loves riding “shotgun” and loves to watch the road.

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Kate takes riding “shotgun” seriously.

Kate after surgery and her “jammies”.

Kate chilling after surgery.

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” – Josh Billings

My dad never liked dogs and still doesn’t to this day. He just turned 84 so I guess it is pretty safe to say he probably never will. I know they aren’t for everyone but there is no reason on earth to abuse them.

Just imagine, you are 6 years old and your dad puts you in the car and off you go. After awhile you don’t recognize the area you are traveling in and it appears to be in the country and it is raining. Finally in a very secluded place your dad stops the car and gets outside. He opens your door and he grabs you by the hand and leads you over to a log and tells you to sit down. Then he walks back to the car, gets in it and drives off. Leaving you there all alone, in a strange place and you are scared.

Now don’t give me that BS that I am comparing apples to oranges. I am not. Both are alive, confused, scared and broken hearted. Neither have done anything to be treated this way. Thousands of animals are dumped each year just because their owner doesn’t want them anymore. Maybe I went a little overboard trying to get my point across but animals do have feelings.

Soooooo, if you are thinking about getting a pet remember that they have feelings and would like a forever home and they are a member of the family. Please, if you can’t accept this then get a “Pet Rock”.

For the cat lovers out there.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Hope you enjoyed it. Remember to spread the love!

Winter on the River

January 26, 2018 / doubledacres / 2 Comments

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Boat ramp on the Bourbeuse at I44 and US50 near Union, MO.

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” – Anne Bradstreet

Listen! Can you hear that? It is the sound of a riffle on the river resonating throughout the silence of early morning. It is calling me. Taunting me. Temptation is alive within the very veins that deliver the blood needed to sustain my life. My heart rate speeds up as I realize that warmer weather is around the corner. Oh how I have missed the river.

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Bourbeuse River

My imagination begins to work overtime. Is it possible that the river has missed me as much as I have it? Does it get lonely as it meanders along the countryside with no traffic upon its waters? The life that inhabits its waters is almost dormant in an effort to conserve fat reserves until the waters become warm again and the fish have an abundant food supply. The river waits patiently for the angler to inhabit its waters once again so it can share the beauty of Mother Nature for another cycle of life on the river.

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Bourbeuse River

“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the earth itself.” – Laura Gilpin

The river waits for the grip of the icy fingers to melt back into the water between its banks. There has been very little rainfall in the Midwest and the water levels are very low. Old Man River hopes for some substantial rain fall to bring the water levels to normal. Even some minor flooding is needed to purge the leaves and debris from between the banks of the river. The river knows that heavy spring rains brings with it the chance of some major flooding. Time will tell.

I hate to disappoint, however I am not crazy. I know the river doesn’t miss me nor it never will. It is kind of nice to imagine it missing me as much as I have missed it. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. It is deeply appreciated. Remember spread the love.

Who Is To Blame?

January 23, 2018January 23, 2018 / doubledacres / 10 Comments

The pic above pretty much says it all about me. Keep it simple. Can’t say I know many people the age of 63 who would camp this way especially the weekend before Christmas in the state of Missouri.

Today’s blog is going to be kind of a rant about some of the things happening in our society today here in the good ole USA. I watched in horror as an older gentleman chewed out the cashier over the price of gasoline and this little Tasmanian Devil went off in my head. We are a nation of complainers but when it comes right down to it we, as a whole, will do absolutely nothing about it. By the way, I did tell the man where the bear poopoos in the woods.

Folks, who sets the prices in this country? If you said corporations, wrong! The market sets the prices. Who is the market? John Q Public, in other words you and I. Corporations put prices on the product and if we don’t buy the product they will have to lower the price or pull it. For example, remember those spinner things that were all the rave? Kids all wanted one and they were paying $10.00 for them. The companies made money hand over fist because we bought them at those ridiculous prices. Now the market is completely saturated so you can now buy that same spinner for$2.50. Once again Americans were fleeced. Why? Because we didn’t dig our heels in and say “NO”.

Gasoline costs. Folks are always complaining about the prices. Newsflash Twinkletoes, have you did anything to reduce your travel? If folks would reduce their driving and gas consumption the gas companies would be forced to drop the prices so they could sell it.

Look at the price of new vehicles. 2018 Dodge 350 with a diesel. $38,000 to $50,000! New homes $350,000 to $750,000. We just keep on buying them. Going deeper and deeper in debt. Then we have to have that $75,000 camper. But why? To keep up with the Jones’es or to act like we are someone of importance?

Growing up I remember camping and there were dozens of tent campers. I went to a state park back in the fall of 2017 and camped in my tent and there were maybe 6 tent campers and 20 camping trailers. I am here to tell ya those trailers were first class with all the pleasures of home. The price of tents are pretty reasonable but those campers, well you better bring the big checkbook.

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln

I seem to be all over the place here but what I am trying to get across to folks is you have to accept the responsibility of the prices you are paying. Oh, price gouging is real but if you don’t buy the item they can’t gouge you now can they? Do you have to have that camper with three built in televisions, satellite, built in butt wiper, etc.?

Supply and demand rules. As long as you demand that $10 beer at the stadium, they are going to charge you $10. Gasoline supplies get low and you keep buying it, it is going to go up because the demand is greater than the supply. Maybe it is time for consumers to stick together and help determine a little better pricing on some of the products we use in this country. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and I hope it made sense to you. Spread the love.

Lesson Learned

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 / doubledacres / 4 Comments

Well It finally happened. I have ranted about how we as a society have become hooked on modern technology. If I had only listened to myself, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I am not hooked don’t you know. Yeah right and I have some ocean front property for sale in Little Rock, Arkansas don’t ya know.

Anyway I bought a new Apple IPhone X at the end of the year. Things were gong great and I loved it. Then, it happened. I waited too long to charge it and it was dead. So I plugged it in and it showed it was charging. Then the little Apple showed up on the screen and it booted up and some how it had cleaned the phone of my passcode and facial recognition so low and behold it was “LOCKED UP”. Nothing, nada, nil, I could not get in.

Well I took it back to the AT&T store only to discover they couldn’t help me and told me I would have to take it to an Apple Store. One problem, I live in the sticks. The local movie house just started showing “ET” last week. The nearest store was an hour and fifteen minutes away. After I get there I have to wait 2 hours and 10 minutes before someone could help and still no answer as to why the phone did what it did. It had to do a “factory reset” of itself so I lost apps, pics and phone numbers. Gotta love modern technology.

From all of this I learned that I am a member of the dumb arse club. I had not backed up phone numbers, I had backed up pics and my favorite apps all had to be reloaded. No one could get in touch with me and since my phone is my hotspot I couldn’t access the internet. I am going to have to rethink the way I do things through the internet and look into getting a landline. Hell I had even slacked off writing in my journal because I had been recording my thoughts on WordPress. Changes are a coming for sure.

As far as the Apple IPhone I was not impressed at all by their tech support. Really disappointed. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you enjoyed it. Share the love!

Growing Up!!!!

January 13, 2018 / doubledacres / 3 Comments

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Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

The year was 1964. We were one out away from winning first place. The count was 2 and 2 with a runner on third, score tied 1 to 1, and the bottom of the ninth, when “bam” the batter hits the ball over second base and our dream of winning the championship is crushed. There were eight teams in our division and only first and second place got trophies. Unlike today not everyone got trophies.

We failed. We tasted failure. Looking back on that time in my life, I remember how we all became closer and how we vowed to work harder. We were hell bent on improving our skills and becoming champions. In 1965 our dream came to fruition.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but rising every time we fail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have spent a lot of hours through the year thinking about this and I believe in my heart that failure is the reason we became champions. It built character and made us work harder. It didn’t scar us for life or fill us with low self esteem.

We didn’t get participation trophies. We earned them. I think the big difference between now and back then is that the “family unit” was a lot stronger and more endeared. Don’t get me wrong, we were a long way from perfect. I remember fathers that just gave their child hell if they lost. Losing wasn’t an option. These are the actions that were detrimental to childhood development. It wasn’t the losing that caused the problems, it was bad parenting. Parents that wouldn’t take the time to teach their children that it wasn’t wrong to lose. That it happened. It was an integral part of life whether we wanted it or not.

At the end of the day, you are solely responsible for your success and your failure. And the sooner you realize that, you accept that, and integrate that into your work ethic, you will start being successful. As long as you blame others for the reason you aren’t where you want to be, you will always be a failure.” – Erin Cummings

Maybe I am just an antiquated, set in his ways, old man but I truly believe it is time to go back to the “olden days” and teach children what failure is and how to use it in their favor. No, everybody doesn’t get a trophy for participating, you have to earn it.

Then we need to teach them the importance of taking responsibility for their actions. That they are in charge of writing their “Book of Life” and they decide what is going in it. Teach them that “failure” can actually be a good thing. We also have to teach them how to cope with failure and how to use it to their advantage.

Thank you so much for reading my blog. I appreciate you taking the time. I hope you enjoyed it. Spread the love.

What Is “Life”?

January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 / doubledacres / 7 Comments

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” – Joseph Campbell

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I have been MIA because of that nasty viral infection that is make its rounds. It is some nice stuff, let me tell you. I am behind on reading the blogs that I follow and have a lot of catching up to do.

My combat with the infection took me to the doctor’s office. While sitting in the waiting room I looked around the room at all those that had ventured in to seek medical help. There were around 11 waiting and ranged in age from 27 to 80. There were only 4 males including myself. I watched as they sat there patiently waiting for their turn. As I watched my mind began to ask, I wonder what life means to them?

Is life just existing to them or is it so dear to them they have a fear of dying? Is it exciting and always in party mode or do they prefer sitting in a chair reading a great book and sipping on hot tea? Life is what YOU make it.

Life can be so strong and virile one day and it is so fragile the next. We think we are on top of the “world of life” one day and wake up to find ourselves in the abyss of life gone wrong. Life is full of highs and lows and your quality of life depends on how you manage those highs and lows.

“Whatever we are, whatever we make of ourselves, is all we will ever have – and that, in its profound simplicity, is the meaning of life.” – Phillip Appleman

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When one is at their low point in life they, as I see it any way, only have two choices. Put on your big boy/girl undies and take life by the horn and make some positive changes in their life or lie there and wallow in self pity and rely on the enablers in your life to help you along.

“We get to CHOOSE the meaning of our lives. Our lives mean exactly what we say they do – no more, no less. Each of us chooses their path in life.” – Johnathan Lockwood Huie

Life is simply what YOU decide it is going to be. YOU write the definition. People, experiences and God can help you along the way but You have the final decision. Prepare yourself through education, understanding and knowledge. If you don’t love yourself then learn how to. Parents listen to your children, just because you wanted to be a great athlete, accountant, doctor, lawyer, etc., it doesn’t mean that it will be a good fit for them. Let them make that decision. What’s that you say? You aren’t going to let them make a bad decision. Yeah, right just like you never did, right? Encourage them to be their own person and to write their own “Book of Life.”

Once again thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog. It as well as any comments, is deeply appreciated. Now go spread the love.

The Liebster Award

December 29, 2017 / doubledacres / 8 Comments

The LIEBSTER AWARD

A big thank you to my fellow blogger Emmanuel Rockan, developer of Life lessons, for nominating me for the Liebster Award. If you haven’t stopped by his blog and checked it out, make sure you do. He has some great work for you to read.

I started my blog as kind of a sounding board to see what other people thought about my thoughts. Another perspective so to speak. I have also had the enjoyment of reading some fine work and hearing from other people around the world. WARNING: It can become addictive. I never really realized that there were so many talented writers out there. It has been a very welcoming and humbling experience. My good friend Dr. David Tripp is responsible for getting me involved with writing blogs and I will never be able to thank him enough.

On accepting the nomination, the rules to be followed are:

1) Create a new post thanking the person who nominated you, provide a link to their blog.

2) Include award graphic.

3) Answer the questions provided.

4) Make a new set of questions for your nominees to answer.

5) Nominate 5-11 upcoming or recently followed bloggers and share your post with them so they see it.

1) Why did you start your blog? I basically wanted to see what other people thought of my thoughts and to maybe get some feedback.

2) What do you find so good about blogging that you can’t quit being a blogger? I love reading the opinions from people of different countries and cultures and getting their input.

3) What’s the most frightening situation you ever found yourself in? I once kicked in the door of a neighbor who was constantly battering his wife, to only find myself staring down the barrel of a pistol.

4) Have you ever wrote a book or a poem? No

5) How did you deal with writer’s block? I load my kayak up and go to the river and recharge my soul and cleanse my spirit completely cleansing my mind of negative thoughts.

6) What’s the most embarrassing situation you’ve found yourself in? One time I had to go to the restroom so bad that I rushed in to the bathroom only to find out that I should have done a better job of reading the sign.

7) What do you find hard about blogging? Sometimes I know what I want to say but I have a hard time expressing those thoughts in words.

8) Have you achieved or (achieving) the goal you set for yourself when you started blogging. Quite honestly I never set any goals.

9) Have you ever been criticized about something you wrote on your blog? The night is still young, but no, not at this time.

10) How do you deal with criticism. I listen to the criticism and think about what is said and most of the time walk away saying we just need to agree to disagree. I DO NOT tolerate name calling. I respect everyone’s opinion as long as they respect mine.

My questions for the nominees:

Who or what is the biggest inspiration in your life?
At the point that you are right now in your life, what, if anything, is your biggest regret?
If you could live in another time in history, when would it be and why?
Of all the books you have read in your lifetime, which book is your favorite?
If you had to pick between living in a cabin, sitting on the shoreline of a lake in the country or a loft in a major city, which would you choose and why?
If you stumbled upon a magic lamp and were granted three wishes what would they be? (Naming in order of importance with 1 being most important.)
What is your favorite quotation of all time?
On the way out of the store you realize that the cashier gave you a $20 bill, and it was supposed to have been a $10 bill, what would you do and why?
How would you describe your perfect mate for life?
Use one word to describe your “blogging” experience.

Trying to pick eleven nominees, when everyone I follow is deserving, is hard to do. To all of you I say, stay focused on what you do. Spread the love. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion and always respect the opinions of others. Respecting them doesn’t mean you agree with them. It means you are a person to respect. Most of all, never, NEVER stop dreaming.

My nominees are:

Dee Kay

Chad and Marie from No Harm In Farmin

Be sure to check them out. I have certainly enjoyed them and hope you will also. Again I would like to thank Emmanuel Rockan for nominating me.

2018 Is Knocking On the Door!

December 26, 2017December 26, 2017 / doubledacres / 5 Comments

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“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller

I don’t know about the rest of you but I don’t know if it is because I am getting older or just busier, but this year reminded me of Secretariat coming down the home stretch at Belmont in 1973. I didn’t get accomplished what I wanted to. That tells me I need to improve my planning for 2018.

To me it is a little ironic that the end of the year and the celebration of the birth of Christ both happen in the month of December. The Beginning and the End so to speak. With the celebration of Christmas comes bouts of depression for some. It is a tough time for those who have lost loved ones, especially those who are celebrating Christmas for the first time after their loved one has passed. Unfortunately it is the time of year when companies trim their work force getting ready for the year to come, adding stress to the lives of those that lost their jobs.

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the time of year one needs to go to their safe place and reflect on the year and evaluate what happened in 2017. Are you disappointed? Happy? Ecstatic? Was last year a good year but if not, what can you do to make 2018 better? Now the operative word here is “you”, I didn’t say “we”. What’s that? You are married. Congratulations! Sorry the operative is still “you”. When you get “you” worked out, then you can sit down with the spouse and finish your planning.

I am going to go out on a limb here and I am going to bet that one of the things you need to change going in to 2018 is (drum roll please) spend more quality time with family. I went into a restaurant a couple of weeks ago and there were what appeared to be 4 members of a family. My guess was father, mother, daughter and son. Youngest (son) was probably 15. Every one of them were doing something with their phone and maybe, just maybe said 15 words. Do yourself a favor and make 2018, the year of the Family.

This is going to probably put some of your undies in a wad. I am sorry but it needs to be said. If you are one of the many complaining about the current political climate and you DID NOT exercise your explicit right to vote, then shut up! I don’t care if you don’t agree with me or even if I am not politically correct, you don’t have the right to complain, in my opinion anyway. Yes it is my opinion and isn’t supported by any law, local, state or federal. Sad thing though is that these people are the ones that complain the most. (Note: This pertains only to the U.S. because I do realize exercising that right in some countries could get one killed.)

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” – Melody Beattie

The new year can bring us new challenges so in that chapter of life we will be writing about things that we have never experienced before. Make sure your book of life is an autobiography. Do your own writing and decision making. It doesn’t hurt to seek advice but for life decisions, you make them. After all you are the one that is going to have to live with that decision.

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Work on knowing all your neighbors. Learn their names and even talk to them. I know that is asking a lot for some, but think about it. Spread the love. I don’t care what your passion is share that love with everyone around you. Respect those around you. When other people talk, shut up and listen. Respect their opinion whether you agree with or not. I myself have said more than once, “We are just going to have to agree to disagree.” Learn to walk away when a discussion goes south. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Keep your life free of negativity. Last but not least, love yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you enjoyed it. Spread the love! NOTE: I do not have a degree in psychology and am not a psychologist. Just an old geezer that has watched and learned as I traveled down the freeway of life.

The Lucky Horseshoe

December 24, 2017 / doubledacres / 1 Comment

“For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” – Phil Jackson

It is said that early horseshoes were made to hold 7 nail holes; seven is considered a lucky number. Most historians give the Greeks credit for the earliest horseshoe that resembled a crescent moon, a symbol of fertility and good fortune. It was also believed that iron, which was what the horseshoe was made of, would ward off evil and weaken nature spirits.

The horseshoe got real notoriety when St. Dunstan gave the horseshoe special power against evil. He was a blacksmith by trade before he became the Archbishop of Canterbury . He was approached by a stranger one day who asked for horseshoes to be attached to his feet. Dunstan noticed that the stranger’s feet were cloven. Suspecting that this stranger was Satan himself, Dunstan agreed to honor the stranger’s request. Dunstan told the stranger that he would have to shackle him to the wall. The stranger agreed and once Dunstan had him shackled to the wall, he went to work. At this point Dunstan took advantage of the shackled Satan and made the process so painful that it wasn’t long before Satan was begging him to stop, and to remove the shoes. Dunstan stopped and looked Satan in the eyes and told him if he would agree to an oath in which he would agree to never enter a house where a horseshoe was displayed above the door he would stop. The pain of the shoes was so great Satan agreed to honor St. Dunstan’s demand. Now that my friends ,is the rest of the story.