My Box

I've been accused of being cheap a time or two.  I don't necessarily deny it, I do like to save money wherever I can.  I mean with six kids, you have to.

I like the idea of gardening.  Growing your own vegetables is so much better than buying them at the store.  I have attempted it with varying degrees of success.  Some years are good and some years not so good.  I think I got it from my grandparents and dad.  I remember working in the garden with both my grandpas, and my dad still gardens.

My dad found a planter box called The Earth Box.  I checked it out on the internet and liked it a lot.  It has some advantages that I like and hope will work as advertised.  

Now.  These things cost about $60 or $70 bucks.  I did see it on sale once for $50.  It consists of a box about 3 feet long and a foot wide.  It isn't very tall, only about 18 inches.  It has a porous platform that sits off of the bottom a couple of inches.  This serves as a water reservoir.  The dirt is on top of the platform.  In the back of the box there are two indentions that extend to the bottom, in the water, in which dirt is also placed.  The water wicks through the dirt and feeds the plants.  There is a fill tube that extends from the water to the top of the box.  The top is covered by plastic which prevents weeds.  It also prevents rain water from soaking the soil.  There is a weep hole just under the platform that prevents excess watering.  They claim that all you have to do is keep the water chamber from drying out, and you will grow more than you ever have.  We will see.

So I say to myself, "Self, you can make one of those for a lot less than $50."  The pics below are of the "earth box" that I made.  I don't know how well it is going to work, but I have high expectations.  

The box cost me $4 at Wal Mart and the pipes and other things I already had.  I plan on using a garbage bag across the top as my weed barrier.  It took me an hour or so to make it.  I think I may make more, and think that the next ones won't take quite as long to build as my first one.  I plan on putting two tomato plants in it.  

The little girl was my project manager, and kept me on schedule and within budget.

El Toro Negro

I'm Not A Dirty Boy

I have know this for a long time but it only came to the front of of my mind a few days ago at work.  You see, I consider myself to be just a working type of guy.  The guy I work with most is about the same.  We stand across a conveyor belt from each other for four hours a day.  He talks.  I almost always listen.  

A supervisor came by the other day and commented on the shirt my buddy was wearing.  He said something about the cleanliness of the shirt.  He deals with chlorine in his "real" job, and his shirt told the tale of a man that works with chlorine.  It had the white spots on it.

That got me thinking, and I shared this with my buddy and the supervisor.  There is a difference between clean and stained.  Think about it.  My friend washes his cloths frequently.  Just because it has a spot or two that won't wash out doesn't mean that it is dirty.  I have found this to be a common mistake, mostly among folks that don't have to "work".  My wife, for instance, is one I have had to explain this concept to.  Why she doesn't want me to go to the store in town in a clean but stained shirt I will never understand.

Here is one such shirt.

El Toro Negro

Big Bass

My brother, my buddy from work, and myself went fishing at a private lake that has really good bass fishing.  I didn't catch the most, (although we didn't keep count), but I did catch the biggest.

We had a great time despite the high winds and the off and on  rain.  Can't wait to take the kids and/or wife.

El Toro Negro

Mum's the Word (And I Know Why)

You husbands out there.  Ever been accused by your wife of being too quiet?  You know.  You never talk to me.  You never even answer me.  Do you even hear me when I talk to you?  There are a thousand variations of this but they all involve the man not listening or at least not answering the woman.  In my experience it is the latter of the two.  

I am going to tell you of only one of the time that I have had this experience.  There have been millions.

We are riding to church.  My wife asks me a question.  I think it was about the pressure tank I was working on or how or why I did something.  Regardless, the answer needed at least two sentences to complete.  As soon as the first sentence is off the end of my lips, actually it wasn't past my teeth, she starts talking, asking more questions and commenting on what she thought was my complete response.  

If she would only allow me to complete my thought, there would rarely be the need for so many followup questions.  She would fully understand and be enlightened to the things of "mandom".  We would communicate better and we all know that that is the key to a healthy relationship.  But instead, she takes off with her own thoughts in response to what she thought was "the" answer.   She asked a question, seemed to be interested in what was the answer, yet didn't let me finish half a thought.  As it is, it only serves to frustrates me.

 

What is the response to this?  What behavior will a man develop?  Well, the man begins to lessen his involvement in the situation.  Why bother?  Who wants to be run over while trying to answer the original question.  Instead, he will sit there, listen, and then remain silent as if he didn't hear you.  If this happened once in a while it would be one thing, but it happens so much that the end result is something of a defensive response that she doesn't like.  The only thing I have going for me is that I claim to be getting older to the point of not being able to hear well.

So the next time you wonder why a man just sits there, when he can, and doesn't say anything, now you know why.

El Toro Negro

We go on small trips several times a year.  Usually we go the the grandparents or great grandparents.  The trips range from three hours to seven or eight hours.  As is usually the case, I drive.  About one trip in ten I get sleepy and ask my wife to drive.

I am not sure what it is that makes a woman think she needs to take so much crap with her when she travels.  It is common with ALL women.  As if that wasn't bad enough, my wife thinks she has to have half of that crap with her in the front seat.  I guess she might have an emergency and need her mail from a week ago, or some grocery ads from the local news paper.  

Normally I don't care how much junk she puts in the floorboard at her feet.  She sits Native American (formerly Indian) style anyway.  But, on those occasions where I ask her to drive, it is a pain for me.  Just look at what is at my feet.

El Toro Negro

Going Both Ways

When I was attending Texas A&M a couple of years ago I met a guy at church that became a good friend almost instantly. We ended up working together.  He and his wife even moved close to where we were living until he graduated.  We spent a lot of time together playing cards and dominoes (42 mostly).  

He, like myself, had gone on a mission for our church.  That gave us a lot to talk about.  He had been sent to Argentina and learned Spanish.  As you already know I am learning Spanish and have always wanted to learn.  He would teach me a word or two here and there.

So, all of that to tell you about the picture.

He told me that they used the bus system almost every day in Argentina.  When they would get on the bus they would get a slip of paper with a number on it.  A transfer slip, I think. (I'm not all that familiar with bus systems.)  As missionaries they would look for a number on their slip that was the same forwards as backwards.  It was like a good omen or something.  They had a word for it.  Se llama copiacoa (palindrome). I'm not sure of the spelling or even if it is a real word in Spanish.  I think not.

Ever since he told me about that I have always notices when numbers are the same forwards and backwards.  The picture below is one I saw recently.  

El Toro Negro

While the Wife's Away...

My wife and all the kids, except my third son, are away for spring break.  We stayed to take care of the chickens.  Every two hours.

You know how when your wife goes away it leaves you free to do things that she won't allow when she is home.  Well, this week is that time for me.  One of the things she won't allow is for me to save money.  Try as I might, she freaks out when I do this when she is home, at least this one method of saving money.  

When I come in from outside I like to wash my hands.  Who knows what I have been working with, right?  I like to use paper towels to dry my hands.  They work really well and are fast too.  Since it is clean water they are drying, I see no reason to throw them away simple because they are damp.  So, I lay them out to dry.  Usually they are ready by the time I come back in from doing whatever, ready to dry my recently cleaned and wet hands.  

Listen, I'm not impossible on this issue.  I throw them away when the become torn beyond use.  But why waste a perfectly good paper towel just because it has a bit of clean water on it.  And you don't even have to buy the expensive, snooty brand to do this.  The cheap one will give you several uses.  Just don't get too rough drying your hands and you will be fine.  With the economic crisis we are in right now, who can afford to be throwing away money.

EL Toro Negro Ha Hablado

Que es esso? What is that?

It is time to cull the chickens again and instead of putting pictures of the actual events I thought I would put some cute pictures of the chickens.  Here is the first one.

Isn't that just the cutest thing.  Doesn't that make you want a bucket of fried chicken or a chicken fried steak (for the Hallies).  I just love chickens.  My kids love them too.  Just ask them.  Here is the bird the picture came from.  Perhaps you would prefer the pictures of the culling.  

El Toro Negro

So High, So Low

It is my job to ask the questions that everyone is thinking, but are too proper to verbalize.  I know you think them too.

One thing in life is to try and see yourself in other peoples shoes, or in this case, wheelchair.

The thing I have been trying to understand is some of the accommodations that are needed by them.  You have seen them.  They are in every public restroom.  

Now take the toilets.  They are so high, super high.  You need one of those chain hoists to raise yourself up to sit down.  I have seen these toilets in old-folks homes and some hospitals.  It must be helpful.  I think I have been told that it makes it easier to actually get of the toilet.  But then that begs to question, "Doesn't that make it harder to get on?".  

Then there are the sinks and hand dryers.  They are so low.  Is that because the seat in the wheelchair is low also.  If it is, that reinforces the seat so high question.  You would think that they would be about the same.  

I have not been there and I am sure there is a reason for it all.

El Toro Negro

Bluebonnets

All the guys that read this blog can skip this one.  I'm going to go a bit sappy on you.  

I grew up in East Texas, very close to the Louisiana border, near the Gulf.  Mostly mud and snakes and 'skiters.  Very humid and very wet, swampy.  We didn't have some of the things that you think of when you hear Texas. Bluebonnets for one.

Since we moved to Normangee, some thirteen years ago, we have enjoyed the seasonal bluebonnets.  Some years we take pictures in the midst of them wearing our Sunday cloths.  I have to admit it make me feel like a Texan when I see them on the side of the rode or covering a field.  I know I'm not supposed to enjoy flowers.  Guys don't d that, right?  

I have included some for your enjoyment.  

El Toro Negro

Part of My World

Just a quick post with a video of my little girl saying her brothers name.  It tickled me the way she said it.  More to come later.

El Toro Negro

New Age Diet

My wife and a couple of her friends are going to try and loose some weight.  My wife 15 pounds, one of her friends is shooting for 100 pounds.  

Have you ever met a woman that doesn't want to loose weight?  I don't think I have.  Even the super skinny, super gaunt, super models want to lose more and more lbs.  

So they are changing their diet (my wife and her friends, not the super models), walking for exercise, etc.  Don't take me for being against my wife wanting to be more healthy.  I don't think she needs to lose weight.  She already has a smokin' hot body, great personality, the whole package.  But if it makes her feel better, then great.  I sometimes find it funny listening to them talk about their diet.

One of the dieters ask my wife where I was when they were walking this morning.  Well the pictures are the reason why I don't need to walk with them.  Not only the work I do at home (digging a ditch or digging in general, is an art, believe it or not, building chicken houses, getting the garden ready, etc), but my work at UPS is fairly physical.  Lately I have been doing pushups ever day.  I told my wife that if she would dig ditches with me or do pushups with me she wouldn't need to go walking at all.  She tried to dig part of a ditch I was working on and she definitely does not have the knack.  Pretty funny in fact.

Imagine a diet where you can eat a lot, as long as it is at least a little bit healthy, and still stay at a good weight.  Imagine a diet that helps you body reach its natural weight, and maintain it.  I bet I could sell a book with this new diet, or start one of those camps that people pay a ton of money to go to to loose weight.  Oprah would probably want me on her show for helping so many people.  It is actually not all that new.  A hundred years ago most people were on it, and it worked then, too.  It is called hard work.    Give it a try.

El Toro Negro

Chicken Thinnin'

For the last two weeks we have been in chicken raising mode.  We revolve around chickens all day, 24 hours a day.  Here in the country the kids have a chance to raise an animal and then show that animal at the local (or not so local) show.  Our kids have been doing it for four years.  

The show, with all its exhibitors, is judged.  The winners are allowed to put their project in an auction and can win a good bit of money.  We like it because it is also a great way to help teach the kids about hard work and the results that can come from that hard work.  Yes, you do more than just put feed out there and let them do their thing.  

You start out with a lot more chicken than you will ever show.  During the six weeks that you raise them you thin them down, keeping the most promising prospects.  Today we thinned the herd down from 150 to about 80.  The other thing that the kids learn how to do is process the dead chickens.  They are finally old enough to actually do some of the processing, not just the whacking.  The ones we did today were two weeks old and are great to eat.  

These are some of the pics and VDO that I took today.  

El Toro Negro