It has been awhile since my last post.  I recently discovered that even though I am not around hundreds of children and their germs every day, I am not immune to the viruses that are making the rounds in our area.  I am now wondering if I can market this remarkable way of losing ten pounds in one week.  Probably not.
    I have made the decision to spend some our our retirement nest egg to purchase needed equipment to start a business.  I was surprised at how difficult it was to click the "confirm order" buttons on the various websites where I ordered manikins, a laptop computer and an LCD projector to begin offering CPR and First Aid classes.  I am certain it is a good investment.  There are scores of people required to take one or both of these classes periodically, and I am a good instructor, well-liked by those I have taught in the past.  But while my head said, "Push the button.  It'll be fine!" my heart said, "That's a lot of money!"  That's why I didn't choose the business world in the first place; too much self-doubt and timidity.
    I still can't see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel regarding my house project.  I started out simply wanting to repaint the outside of the house.  It has needed it for years, and since I knew I was retiring in June, I thought this would be the perfect time to tackle a project I have no desire to do.  I hate the preparation work most of all.  But I figured I could save several thousand dollars by doing the job myself.  I have, however, discovered over the years that no project I plan is ever as simple as it first appears.  This project has proven that point.
    Before the painting preparation could begin I had to replace the living room window, a unit consisting of three double-hung wood-frame windows with a half-round over the middle one.  It has been leaking during moderately windy storms.  To order a new unit I had to remove some the siding from the top, bottom, and both sides for measurement purposes.  That's when I discovered the dry rot was more extensive than it first appeared.  I also discovered that the siding was nailed to the studs.  My contractor son strongly suggested I go ahead and remove all the siding from that wall, install 3/8" sheeting, then replace the siding after installing the new window unit.  While removing the siding I found out how easily redwood splits when being forced by a breaker bar.  I also discovered that, despite four years of washing windows when I was in my twenties, I really don't like being at the top of a 16' ladder while pulling on a breaker bar. 
    The new window unit has been installed.  The siding has been reinstalled up to about the 9' mark.  I now need to find someplace that has this exact redwood siding to finish the last six feet.  I had to throw out a good amount of the old siding due to dry rot and splitting.  I still haven't removed the top four pieces of siding.  I borrowed a scaffolding rig, but it is one inch wider than my deck.  So, once the temperature drops below 100 degrees I'll have to overcome my fear and climb up that ladder to finish the job.
    Oh, since I made the wall 3/8" thicker, the trim has to be changed. 
    I called a painter today.  He's coming by in awhile to give me a quote.  Being retired seems to be costing me more, not less.

The Pastor, the Imam, the Quran and America

     This story has gotten much more attention than it deserves, and it has more twists and switchbacks than the trail up Mt. Whitney (so I've been told).  Yesterday Imam Rauf told the chick filling in for Larry King that he can't stop the building of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque because it would inflame Muslim terrorists.  So, I guess America and Americans aren't not allowed to make any decisions or take any actions without getting permission from Muslim terrorists first. 
     Pastor Jones wants to burn some copies of the Quran to inflame Muslim terrorists.  He will likely end up inflaming previously moderate Muslims.  Today he proclaimed that he will not be burning any Qurans because he and Imam Rauf agreed that the mosque would not be built near Ground Zero.  Almost immediately spokespeople for the imam denied any such agreement, so the book burning may be back on.
     The Gainesville fire department says they will prevent the burning because a burn permit has been denied.
     Upset Muslims around the world have already burned American flags and called for the killing of American citizens, and a match has not even been struck yet. 
     Here's an observation:  Moderate Muslims have not been very vocal about their supposed opposition to the activities of radical Muslims like Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  Now we know why.  Imam Rauf, a leader of what he would like us to belief are mainstream, peace-loving Muslims, is afraid of the terrorists and therefore won't take any action that might inflame them.

     Another observation:  I used a form of inflame 5 times in this post.  That's about 2% of this article.

Re-Tired and Confused

     I have done something that has resulted in several of my followers' pictures disappearing.  I don't have so many followers that I can afford to offend any of them, so I'd love to know if anyone can tell me how to get those pictures back.  I believe they vanished while I was playing around with some commands like, "Block images from ..."
     I've heard many people tell me I would be busier retired than when I held a real job.  I didn't believe them...until this week.  I've been up at 5:30 A.M. doing manual labor resulting in my accumulating blisters, intensifying my need for chiropractic assistance and making it difficult to keep my eyes open until bedtime.  I volunteered to help my son install a floor.  Oh, did I mention I have a bum knee?  Suddenly I find myself looking for more time to complete some tasks before Sunday.  I thought it was tiring dealing with misbehaving kids and disgruntled parents, yet today I was longing for those days.
     So Pastor Jones wants us all to burn copies of the Quran this Saturday?  Nobody is denying his right to do so, but many have voiced their concern, opposition and indignation at the apparently unstoppable action.  I happen to agree that he should not go through with it, but maybe not for the same reasons as others I've listened to.  First, I don't believe any government official should be saying anything directly addressing the wisdom of Pastor Jones' action.  Hilary should make it clear to the world that the government does not condone this action, but she should have stopped short of calling the plan "outrageous and distrustful, disgraceful."  By making that judgment she has put the state in the position of officially "disfavoring" a particular religion.  While this is not the same as making a "law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," it steps over the line intended by our founding fathers.  And those, like General Patraeus, who believe the pastor's actions will endanger the lives of American service personnel don't understand that Al Qaeda and the Taliban already are doing everything in their power to wipe all of us off the face of the earth because we aren't devote Muslims.  What more can this pastor's actions incite them to?
     Second, the people who will be most affected by this ill advised demonstration are those Muslims who have been fence riders or sideline sitters up to this point.  They will now be enraged and may attack American civilians, like missionaries, in emotional responses to an action intended to incite those emotions.  And emotions are all that will rule in Muslim communities around the world.  They will not stop to consider that groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas and the Taliban have desecrated the American flag, torn up and stomped on Bibles, cut the head off of Nick Berg and cheered at the news of 3,000 civilian deaths on September 11, 2001.  The burning of a few Qurans just doesn't seem to compare.
     Oh, Pastor Jones' group is called Dove Outreach Center.  The dove is a symbol of peace.  Outreach is an attempt to share the Good News with people and pray they will respond by believing that Jesus is the Savior.  I'm just not sure how declaring this Saturday International Burn a Quran Day fits in with the vision, aims and goals that title of their organization seems to declare.
     I believe I will just display the flag on the front deck.