The Creation… Steven & Sheena Gabbard

The analogy is absolutely right on …

I bought a bird feeder. I hung
It on my back porch and filled
It with seed. What a beauty of
A bird feeder it is, as I filled it
Lovingly with seed. Within a
Week we had hundreds of birds
Taking advantage of the
Continuous flow of free and
Easily accessible food.

But then the birds started
Building nests in the boards
Of the patio, above the table,
And next to the barbecue.

Then came the poop. It was
Everywhere: on the patio tile,
The chairs, the table ..
Everywhere!

Then some of the birds
Turned mean. They would
Dive bomb me and try to
Peck me even though I had
Fed them out of my own
Pocket.

And others birds were
Boisterous and loud.. They
Sat on the feeder and
Squawked and screamed at
All hours of the day and night
And demanded that I fill it
When it got low on food.

After a while, I couldn’t even
Sit on my own back porch
Anymore. So I took down the
Bird feeder and in three days
The birds were gone. I cleaned
Up their mess and took down
The many nests they had built
All over the patio.

Soon, the back yard was like
It used to be…. Quiet, serene
And no one demanding their
Rights to a free meal.

Now let’s see.
Our government gives out
Free food, subsidized housing,
Free medical care, and free
Education and allows anyone
Born here to be an automatic
Citizen.

Then the illegal came by the
Tens of thousands. Suddenly
Our taxes went up to pay for
Free services; small apartments
Are housing 5 families; you
Have to wait 6 hours to be seen
By an emergency room doctor;
Your child’s 2nd grade class is
Behind other schools because
Over half the class doesn’t speak
English.

Corn Flakes now come in a
Bilingual box; I have to
‘press one’ to hear my bank
Talk to me in English, and
People waving flags other
Than ‘Old Glory’ are
Squawking and screaming
In the streets, demanding
More rights and free liberties.

Just my opinion, but maybe
it’s time for the government
To take down the bird
Feeder.

It’s not every day you get a new gun.  Much less a Beretta Xtrema2.  Needless to say, I was ready to get it out and shoot skeet.  I had waited a month to do so and when the opportunity came on May 1st, I was ready.  I was ready to say that four-letter word, PULL!

We started off at station 10 which was 4 report pair. Pull! Shot one went off and down went one bird (clay).  The second bird was out… and no shot went off.  Gun defect!

It’s very rare to get a new gun that has a defect but I indeed did.  I was able to send it back to Beretta but it will be going for 4-12 weeks.  With that said, I’m looking forward to returning to the Sportsman’s League to try it all over again.

PS – I was able to finish the sporting clays event using someone else’s gun.  Thanks Todd.

It’s Spring. That means many things and for me, that means that it is time to get the garden going. Last year was a test run for Sheena and I as it was our first garden at our new home. As with anything, you learn what to do and what not to do after going through your first season. This year, we increased the garden from 7×15’ to 25×15’ and changed the arrangement of plants.

Central Kentucky has received a lot of rain this spring and that has been very good for the garden. After only a week, peas, tomatoes, turnips and beans are starting to show. Planting a garden is not an easy project. The soil requires preparation to reach the correct pH level and weeds must be removed on sight. This year, only a little lime and extra tilling was required. Weeding will take place as needed.

Below is a photo of the garden after two weeks. I’ll keep this post update as the season goes on.

Happy gardening!

Those are the words uttered by DW (Darrell Waltrip) as the green flag waves for lap one of a NASCAR Sprint race (on FOX).  There’s something about 43 cars driving 200+MPH inches apart three-wide at a place like Talladega that keeps me focused on the TV for 3-4 hours.  It is a long time to watch TV but it’s a time I look forward to each week.

I haven’t always liked NASCAR.  I remember my grandpa and uncles watching it at my mammaw’s house when I was younger and thinking it was the most boring sport there was. I had no problem saying that NASCAR stood for Non Athletic Sport Created Around Rednecks.  That’s what I thought about it and to a large degree, that’s how it started out in 1947.

Today, NASCAR is one of the fastest growing spectator sports there is.  It’s not uncommon for 150,000 fans to attend a race and several million to tune in for a Saturday night or Sunday Sprint cup race.  The face of NASCAR has changed.  At any minute, you can listen to the driver communicate with his pit crew, see how fast he is going, how many RPM’s, break usage, track position, watch a 3D version online, and view front and rear cameras.  What other sport makes you feel like you are there.  Plug that in with a large LCD TV with HD and surround sound and you too will be uttering Boogidie, Boogidie, Boogidie.

So, who do I pull for/like?  My first choice is Jeff Gordon.  I started liking Jeff Gordon when I was younger just because Dale Earnhardt fans did not.  Earnhardt fans (Jr. and Sr.) have issues with drivers that win (aka beating their driver).  Jeff Gordon is that driver.  Jeff Gordon was the 1991 Rookie of the Year.  He won his first Sprint Cup race three years later in Charlotte.  As for Dale Sr., he finished 3-laps down.  Since then, Gordon has won 82 Sprint Cup races and has won the Sprint Cup Championship Series 4 times.  Gordon’s last win was in 2009 at the Texas spring race.

This makes me wonder, why do Earnhardt fans not like Gordon (other than Gordon not fitting the redneck profile)?  Earnhardt Sr. was a great driver who earned his respect.  Over the course of his career, he won 76 Sprint Cup races and was the Winston Cup (now the Sprint Cup) Championship winner 7 times.  After his death, many fans flocked to his son Dale Earnhardt Jr.  As for Dale Jr. Dale has 18 Sprint Cup wins and 22 Nationwide Series wins since starting in 1999.  His first win was in 2000 and his last win was in 2008 – but yet he is still the fan favorite…  It’s a good thing his dad has a large coat tale for Jr. to ride around on.

At that start of 2009 I asked Sheena to pick a driver that she wanted to win.  She picked the #18 M&M’s car driven by the “Wild Thing”, Kyle Busch.  Again, Earnhardt fans have issues with winning drivers that do not fit the old NASCAR profile.  Kyle Busch has 15 Sprint Cup wins, 24 Nationwide Cup wins, and 11 Camping Word truck series races since staring in 2001 while he was 16 years old.  Sounds like a winner to me.

What does all of this mean?  I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.  As for me, I’ll finish watching the rest of the race at Darlington.  We’ll see who wins tonight.

Driver vs. Driver

Finishes for Busch and Earnhardt since 2008

The following prayer is from one of my most cherished & favorite Bible Teachers, Beth Moore.  May this prayer be the prayer of all of our hearts as we stand up and declare victory for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prayer for Our Nation

Beth Moore
Father in Heaven,
We lift our eyes toward Your Throne,
where You reign in righteousness.
Your Word assures us that when Your people cry
out in sincerity and humility,
You will never turn a deaf ear to us.
We call upon You now, seeking Your
forgiveness and favor.
Look over this fevered landscape and
heal us, Lord.
Drop knees to the floor and raise eyes
to the sky, for we know where our help
comes from.
Unite these States again in devotion to
You, and blur every dividing line.
Do not give us over to our sins. Give us,
instead, over to passionate prayer that
moves Your heart.
“May Your unfailing love rest upon us,
O Lord, even as we put our
hope in You.”
In the Name of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
Amen.