"Hundreds attend Global Warming Protest"

"Hundreds attend Global Warming Protest"

A co-worker sent this to me. I thought it was funny.

It causes me to reflect on caring for our earth. My thoughts on this are, global warming or not, we need to care for our earth. It is our home. It deserves the best and I feel that there is a lot we can do to improve our use and investment into renewable energy sources.

To me the idea of "energy independence" goes far beyond drilling for our own oil and independence from oil-producing nations. It means every family having a simple solar system on their homes, being able to be independent from the grid when the power goes out, thanks to a battery that can run furnaces and several florescent bulbs inside, that recharges each day when the sun comes up.

It also means that during really sunny days that the electrical meters on homes are turning backwards, generating more power than their home needs and putting it back into the power grid. That is the way things ought to work.

This same principle applies to finances, food, and so on... ever heard of a garden and food storage?

"And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?" - Moses 7:48

Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument

A co-worker e-mailed this to me. I thought it hilarious, although I would not "try this at home..."

Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument

Most people think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, iPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. Eye to eye contact helps a lot too.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. View it below.

Sincerely,
Your Friend

Diesel Mechanic

(written Saturday afternoon, June 20)

Today I feel more like a man. Why? I discovered the deeper meaning of a weighty, masculine word. There are a handful out there: lumber, football, etc.

Well, today it was "diesel."

No, not that one...

..not this one either...

...this one:

Main Entry: die·sel

Pronunciation: \ˈdē-zəl, -səl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Rudolf Diesel

Date: 1894

1 : diesel engine
2 : a vehicle driven by a diesel engine
3 : diesel fuel

I have been able to borrow my dad's old CASE 680 "Construction King" backhoe to do occasional work. Despite "construction" being part of its name, the yellow beast does a great job at demolition. Now, I am speaking of planned demolition, like when we tore out the old milk-house or pulled the silo over. It also does a great job of smashing things unintentionally- like when one of my brothers managed to mash the rain gutter into the side of the house. I was inside at the time and it felt like the whole house was going to come down. He is not alone- I did thump one of the post that holds up the deck a few weeks ago with the hoe (yes, it left mark).


Besides being a great help when I was in the demolition stages, it has come in handy recently to dig out the area where I am installing a retaining wall and to also bring in the retaining wall blocks. I've made a few temporary roads, haul gravel, rocks, and dirt- of course.

In the course of these events it has broken down at least three or four times. We've blown just about half of its hydraulic hoses, improved some of the electrical wiring, and most recently I had to replace the starter. Thus this blog entry.


It was my first ever "starter-ectomy" (I hadn't even done this on a car) and the old 60's backhoe didn't give it up willingly. Three bolts held it in. One was right out in front, one in back, and the last one underneath. I am embarrassed to admit that I mistakenly worked for at least 20-30 minutes trying to remove another bolt that was located just next to the REAL bolt (the third one) that I should have been removing. This impostor was so tight, and the space so small for my socket and wrench, that I could lot get any leverage. Of course it was when I finally got that darn bolt to budge and was removing it when I noticed that it played no role in holding the starter. Oh well- the fact that I got it loose made me feel good. Of course the real bolt came out lickety-split and I used a lever to heft the huge, greasy starter out. Finally! After over an hour victory was mine! I am guessing it weighed 60-70 pounds. This is a photo of me AFTER I cleaned myself up (I was black up to my elbows) and was preparing to drive to the rebuild shop in SLC.

It took them over a week to find the right parts to rebuild it, and it took me about 30 minutes to put it back in. The backhoe starts much easier now- and without starter fluid. I now have a great respect for diesel mechanics and know why they make about $40/hour. Let's just pray the backhoe lasts another month or two. I don't know how much of a man I am to handle much more than a starter.

Family Reunion, June 2008: East Canyon Resort & Reservoir

I thought I'd share a few photos from our family reunion at East Canyon Resort held in early June. We had a bit of rain but had a lot of fun in between and during. I played shuffleboard for the first time- a pretty fun game!

We had GREAT food (of course- I think I gained 5 lbs.) and we had a great time! Thanks to my Nate & Steph for planning a memorable event.

(Click on any image for a larger version.)

Burn, baby, burn!
The lure of the campfire. Toasting anything & everything.
Who needs marshmallows?

Fishin'
I did not fish. If fish tasted like chicken, then I'd be fishin'. For the most part, the taste of most fish just doesn't agree with my taste buds. Maybe it's because fish eat worms, bugs, and stuff like that. Maybe worms would taste better? :)

Fishin' with Daddy

Canoeing & Fishing

Near the state park entrance to the reservoir
(I think this may become one of my desktop backgrounds)


Some guy getting in the way of the great scenery.
Move it, dude!

The drive home
(photo by Kimball)

Hey Sarah! Happy Birthday?

(I apologize for the lack of blog entries as of late. I have started an official family blog and have spent most of my free time there. This is a post I originally put there, but modified. If I am found dead in the coming days or weeks it will be because one of my brothers murdered me for posting this picture.)

Okay- the instructions were to dress like a "nerd"- and pictured below is how that was interpreted. It was Sarah's birthday and we decided to have a little fun. In my family you are lucky if someone calls because they remembered it, but Sarah's is never forgotten (though she has a short memory and doesn't see it that way). I guess you could say that she is spoiled, which is probably due to the fact that she is the youngest and our only sister. I think that she thinks she has it rough, and maybe she does, because...

If you went into a restaurant and had been invited to sit with this bunch, what would you have done?

Yes. I would have run as well.

Pictured from left to right are Homie "Hip-Hop" Brown, Bo, Rhett "Hot Rod" Andrews, Kevyn L. Baker, B.S. (aspiring astrophysics student), Dr. Stan Cipek (astrophysics professor), and the flamer, Alf Kimo.

This nerdy, rough, and groovy bunch met Sarah and Steve at the Braza Grill in Salt Lake for her dinner birthday. Thanks to Stevie for getting her there and holding on to her when she tried to run away.

Upcoming Family Events:
April 7th - "Homie" Brown will be in concert most of the day at the Delta Center (on the northeast corner by the Trax stop). Let's support him and drop some change in the can. I heard he'll be playing the new drum that he made. Also Matt's birthday.

April 13th - Kimball gets a life.

April 15th - Nathan said we could drop by for free oil changes on this day for their "tax day special." Stuart will be there to make sure he does it right. About all Nathan can change is a diaper or a channel. (I'm just kidding)

April 21st - Spencer presents his research to NASA (Kevyn will be there to assist). Also Mom's birthday.

June 13th - Rhett will be driving in the Candidagua 500 in hopes to qualify for the Daytona 500 in late June. Also Andrew's birthday.

Tai Pan Trading, part 2

The following is a comment my brother Andrew left on the previous post, "Tai Pan Trading Co." Read it as you would a Dr. Seuss book:

M.T. Soule said...

I LOVE TaiPan Trading Co!
Next to Wal-Mart, They have the world's largest selection of STUFF! But everything at TaiPan is non life-sustaining yet you can't get enough!
A perfect plethora of plastic pastries and fruit,
Baskets, vases, bowls, and statues –SO cute!
The endless array of faux flora and fauna will make you a bonified Martha Stewart prima donna!
Pre-assembled crafts and McMansion wall-hangings and paraphernalia. Shiny, aged, copper-patina whoknowsits and whatsits all made in China.
It comes in all colors, all shapes and all sizes.
Each glance yields more 'didn't-know-I-needed' surprises!
More and more and more and more, this endless cycle of consumer glut-decor galore!
It's just like walking into a landfill but it's all indoor!

He highly recommends visiting www.thestoryofstuff.com

I'll have to put a few photos of the planters I found at Tai Pan Trading. They are pretty nice. The only other thing that they had that I thought was cool were some really big framed prints of bold yellow and red flowers. If I didn't already have a dozen other prints I am wanting to buy, frame, and hang, I'd have been tempted more than I was.
-Loren

The Farmer in Me...

A friend at work sent an e-mail to all of us bout a farmer, some puppies, and a little boy (see at the bottom of this post). When I read it I pictured the farmer standing at the fence with the little boy. I don't know what it is about farmers and farms- and maybe I am the only one that feels this way- but something inside me either IS or WANTS TO BE a farmer. Maybe it was growing up with cows and lots of other miscellaneous animals in 'Farmington' (of all places) that causes me to connect with farms and farmers. I must admit that when I "bought the farm" to build the house I am in now, that standing on the soil and looking over the old Rigby Edge-End Farm was probably what tempted me to do so. The farm feel and smell (I swore I smelled that sweet-manure-dairy smell) is what made me do it. It was my second visit to the lot- I had come with my brother, Kimball, to get his opinion. It was then that I made up my mind. I also must admit that I felt guilty demolishing and removing all that was left of the old farm (required by the city to get a building permit). I will not rest until I have written a short photo-history of the place.

We had a discussion some time ago as a family. It was started by my brother and sister-in-law, who asked if I considered myself as one who "grew up on a farm?" I'll let you decide...

I remember feeding our first five Hereford steers when I was in kindergarten and first grade. My dad had bought them to raise and sell for beef. Afterwards we had about four milk cows: Rose, Polly- who loved apples, Cocoa, and Susan. Susan, the biggest Holstein milk cow I have ever seen, gave us 10 gallons of milk each day- about 5 gallons each milking. In comparison, Rose gave my dad 5 quarts each milking (by hand). My oldest brother milked Susan using a milk machine and my brother Richard and I washed out the milk equipment.

We also raised several calves for beef. The first two were owned by my two oldest brothers- a Holstien and a Jersey. Then came Ralph (belonged to my brother & I) and Chester (my own) and two or three others that were born to some of our milk cows. In addition to the cows I estimate that over the years we had about 3 geese, several ducks and chickens, lots of cats, and a dog for a little while. If being a farmer meant selling your product- we produced milk, beef, and also sold hay from an alfalfa pasture purchased by my father in west Farmington. I think that the only purpose the eggs served was to feed the local varmints- skunks and raccoons that lived around. We even raised a litter of raccoons at one time. They were a lot of fun.

What do you think? Do these experiences in our growing-up years make our home a little farm and our family farmers? Farmers are unique- there is something pure and wonderful about them- making their living straight from the earth and nature itself. It is a great title- and I don't know that I would consider myself a farmer, but would consider myself lucky for the experience that my father gave us to work on fences, with animals, and to buck hay on to the old '66 red Dodge and then ride home on it (about 15 feet up) with Ribsy, our springer spaniel, next to us. I was on top of the world.

Thanks, Debbie, for sparking my thoughts!

This one you may of heard before I had but the lesson was a good reminder for me. - Debbie
A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy.
'Mister,' he said, 'I want to buy one of your puppies.'
'Well,' said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, 'These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money.'
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.
'I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?'

'Sure,' said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. 'Here, Dolly!' he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.
The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.
Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...
'I want that one,' the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, 'Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.'
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.
In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.
Looking back up at the farmer, he said,
'You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.'
With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.
Holding it carefully handed it to the little boy.
'How much?' asked the little boy. 'No charge,' answered the farmer, 'There's no charge for love.'
The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Pictures courtesy of the National Archives website from the "Picturing the Century" galleries I and II. Check them out- some awesome photos. Click on the two above to see the large versions- they're even better full-size.