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I took advantage of the wonderful weather we have been experiencing for the past week or so today with my Husband-In-Law Chris. This morning was rather cool and the thin skin and blood of this Old Bastid required the usage of my jacket. The bike made a funky noise a couple of times today like a lifter not filling up with oil or something. Gonna have to take it in to Martin to have it maintenanced soon...

Chris was feeling kinda spunky this morning as is evidenced by the video. He rolled on me after we took a turn onto a country road and thought he was gonna cut me down....NOT..... I dropped down a gear real quick to get my RPM's up and walked away after his bike stuttered due to hitting the rev limiter...yep, that's what the boy gets for trying to sneak up on this old man!!!!

Stray Thoughts.

I was driving Ava home the other day after Chris and I had dinner with her. She was in her car seat all secure and happy. I try to keep an eye on her with my vanity mirror on my visor. So there she was just swaying to the music and watching everything, carefree and happy. I flashed back to when Caitlin was that young, not so hard to do since Ava looks an awful lot like her, and remembered how much I love her and how I wanted to protect her from anything that would be harmful and give her a better life. I wanted to be the best Dad ever and lavish this child with gifts of great magnitude and wisdom and a fairy tale story  of a life.

Then Madison came along and I had those very feelings again with her, I had such great dreams of giving everything I could to my kids. Any material thing and the wisdom thing again with a strong sense of self and family. Solidly cemented, grounded and focused on attaining greatness in life, all of those things that I managed to screw up in my life, I wanted for them. I don't know how successful I was, and that won't really be known as life evolves and takes it's twist and turns constantly challenging me and my work with my daughters. I love them more today than I did back when they were small, and that rush of emotion was what consumed me as I watched my grandchild so carefree and innocent.

To my girls, Caitlin, Madison, and Ava, I love you more than I can ever say or show you.

I actually wrote this some time back, quite a while back actually. I obviously did not publish it as I thought I had, So, here it is a couple of years later but the sentiment is still the same....... I Love My Kids and My Grandkids So Much!!!

Sadness

 Today is a sad day. My ex and Husband In Law had to put down their dog, Luke. They have had Luke a loooooonnnnnggg time. They got him when they were stationed in Jacksonville. Recently he has been having a hard time getting around and was in poor health.
 Karen, my ex, is an animal lover to the extreme and always has been. She feeds stray cats around the bank she works at and performs volunteer work with animal protection groups. She doesn't just talk it, she walks it as well. She has Luke and Bo, two golden retrievers, and a couple of cats at the house which most of were rescue animals.
 I got a phone call from Karen this morning as I was getting up. Luke had gotten worse and could not get up on his own. She wanted to know if I could help Chris get Luke into the truck to take him down to the vet. I could hear the pain in her voice and was deeply saddened by the situation. I know just how much she and Chris love that dog. I knew it was time to let Luke get some rest and how that was going to leave a big hole in their hearts.
 I drove over to lend a hand and offer up support for a difficult event. I have to admit, I was choked up on the drive over thinking about how the house was not going to be the same with Luke not there anymore. It also brought back some painful memories of my last pet, Sugar. See, Sugar was a dog Karen rescued from the pound when we were married. I initially asked her to find a home for it. But after being there for a couple of days, I was upset the day I came home and asked where Sugar was when she did not meet me at the door, as she did everyday. Karen had given her to a neighbor down the road like I asked, and was flabbergasted when I told her she would have to go get MY dog back!!!!!

 We lost Sugar due to an accident some time later and I was totally grief stricken, just like Karen and Chris today. It's hard to lose a loved one, be they human or animal, they are part of your life. I hope Luke is up in Heaven running around and being carefree, smelling all the flowers and rolling around in the grass having a good time. I hope he and Sugar are playing together. I hope someday we all can be reunited.

OK, so it's been a little while....

 I know it's been a couple of months since I've been on. I actually forgot that I signed up for this account!!! That is a byproduct of being OLD and forgetful. A lot has happened, and I can't remember all of it. So let's just start over again, ok? OK!
 One thing that has been on my mind is my friend. We go riding together all of the time and he is more like my brother than my friend. He has been experiencing an inner ear problem which is throwing his balance off. He just isn't himself and it is really painful to see him this way. We can't ride like we normally do because of this and that sucks big time. I'm praying the Good Lord shines a little light on him and relieves him of his problems so he can get back to being himself. Please Lord, look after him.
  It's funny how, with age, the people in your life seem to take on more meaning to you. Is it because you know that you are approaching the end of your time and you finally realize how important they really are to you? I mean my kids and grand-kid always have meant everything to me. But up until now I think I have taken my other family members and friends for granted. But if they ever find this and read it, I want them to know that I do love them, sincerely and totally. I know that this isn't all that manly sounding but what the hell, it's my blog... my chance to put down in words my random thoughts and ramblings from a sick and twisted mind.
 I have a long list of things I would like to do before I pass. All of them take a fair bit of money to make happen so I am patiently waiting on the day I hit the Lotto. Patiently, for now...... but if I don't hit soon I am gonna have to have a discussion with somebody about the way this thing is being run. My luck, I'll win and then turn around and have a damn stroke when I find out and be unable to enjoy or do any of the multitude of things I daydream about if I do win. Mental note to self.... start exercising, maybe you will stave off the stroke if you're in better shape!!!
 Alright, so now to include a picture which is part of the reason I do this blog thing. Shameless self aggrandizement at it's best.....

 Now this is a picture of two of my three favorite girls.... My oldest, Caitlin, and her daughter Ava Rose. Ava has totally taken command of Pop Pop's heart and turned his mind to mush. The Grandparent thing is in full effect. I seem to not be able to deny this child anything she wants that won't hurt her permanently and immediately. I used to be able to say No, just ask her mom or my youngest daughter (who still hears it on a semi regular basis). But Ava very seldom hears it from me.... I mean how can one say no to a cute little face like that? Huh?

 And here is my other favorite girl! My youngest daughter Maddie. Now, she seldom hears No from me either, truth be known and much to my oldest daughters chagrin. She thinks I'm too lenient with her, I let Maddie get away with stuff I wouldn't let her get away with.... I like to think I learned where I may have made mistakes with Caitlin, and am correcting my actions with Maddie!!!! Works for me! Not so much with Caitlin though, she calls Bullshit, when I try to use this excuse. Good thing I'm the IRS (I Rule Supreme). It's good to be the King!!!
  But now Madison has to contend with my divided attention like her older sister did when she was born...something she's not quite used to, yet. Luckily she is at that age where she is very active with her social life, and friends occupy most of her time and energy.... The Teenage Years. So I'm left alone to rot away in my old age, with senility setting in and bored straight outta my skull, save for the few moments I get to ride my bikes or see my grandbaby!!!! Unabashedly seeking sympathy here folks, don't deny me as it will cast me further into the throes of depression and despair.

 See what I mean, how could you say No to that beautiful little girl? I can't, dammit, and I won't.... Let the Revolution begin!!!!

So it begins....

Ok, it is Saturday February 12, 2011. I woke up this morning and it was 31 degrees outside. I live in Florida so this is not what most people expect. Unless you live here and then you know that in the Panhandle it gets COLD!

My buddy, Billy, came over to get his bike to go on a Poker Run. I have been storing his bike in my garage for the past 2 months while he finds and buys another house. He and Frankie show up and I open up the garage door. That was when the blast of Arctic Wind hit me standing there with no shoes on. A little history on me and my "condition".  I'm diabetic (Type II ) and I have this burning sensation in my feet all the time due to poor circulation. That is until you open the garage door and it is 31 degrees outside. My testicles said Fug It and retreated into my stomach, and my feet actually got cold, damn cold, standing there. It felt so good, I almost had an orgasm......