THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"If a door left open slightly is ajar, then why isn't a jar left open...adoor?"

A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE

Once again, this stupid blog puts my last picture first & vice versa, so bear with me. Nothing like a glass of ice cold raspberry iced tea to quench the thirst when the project is done!

The bench and legs are ponderosa pine donated by Mr. Kennedy of Westcliffe, CO, the cross braces are hackberry from KS, and the screws/plugs are from Claassen Lmbr of Newton. Total cost of materials...about $10. Finished bench price...priceless!

I gave the seat top a coat of spar varnish the nite before, then turned it over, made some cuts with the skilsaw, and got real busy with a set of sharp wood chisels chunking out the grooves for the legs.

the tools of the trade...a good hammer and sharp wood chisels!

First step...remove all the bark off the piece that was cut up for the legs.

The caption says it all...what a waste to sit in front of the TV or on this stupid computer (my last post took me an hour to do!!!). Why not instead put your mind to a good use, like say, making this from some scraps you brought home from Colorado....

TIME IN NEW ENGLAND....err, i mean Colorado

The Bryce/Bruce combo in the kitchen making campfire potatoes.

Man, look at the size of that thing!!! and the plane was big too!

The whole Funk-Kennedy, minus Jamie, on the front steps of their home. Me, Bryce, Nancy, Theresa, Michael, Sara, Daniel, and Hannah (in order of decending age :-( )

"Wow, did I do that?!" It was about time the Nancy tried out my home-defense weapon once...a titanium .38 Special with 130 gm hollow point rounds.

Here's part of the Kennedy/Funk armed militia...Michael at the trigger of a Henry .22 repeater. Little brother Daniel is quite the crack shot with that gun!

Michael & Sara fixing the trout they and Daniel caught Sunday morning for our breakfast Monday morning...nothing like fresh trout for breakfast in the mountains!!!

Our 2 lovebirds that made this all happen...had a great time with our "new" in-laws from Westcliffe, CO. This shot is from the top of the hill behind their cabin.

Sara and her little brother Daniel fishing for brook trout in Grape Creek, just a short 1/2 mile drive and 1/3 mile hike.....STRAIGHT DOWN...to the creek (killed my bad knees not to mention not much air to breathe at 8500 ft elevation!

Me and my favorite co-pilot in the cockpit of the '97...i sat there and reminisced about the old bird in her glory days.

I wasn't allowed to land her, but I did have her for a while on straight and level flight (just kidding...but my mind went back to the day in the late '45s when she was a proud bird fighting for our county...boy, i'd have loved to have a go at the controls!)

SUNDAY'S RECIPE from Colorado

Here's a recipe I found a little while ago...decided to post it after a glorious weekend in the mountains of Colorado:

2 heaping cups of patience *** 1 heartful of love *** 2 handfuls of generosity *** 1 headful of understanding *** dash of laughter

Sprinkle generously with kindness, then add plenty of faith & hope. Spread over a lifetime, serve generously to everyone you know and new people you meet. Serves a multitude.

the 5:30 Local.....

The 5:30am Local...every weekday morning since the 2nd
week of June, this early "freighter" makes his rounds thru
the streets of North Newton. Out for about a half hour, only lightning deters me from my appointed rounds.

Its nice and quiet, and the coolest part of the day...usually next to no one is out at that hour. Did it from mid-August till November of last year too...until the cold and my knees kept me from continuing(doc says as soon as i'm ready he will install new ones). So for now I keep pedaling to keep the flexibility up!

So for now I leave you with the immortal parting words..."who knows what evil lurks in men's hearts...the Shadow* knows".

*my moniker as I drive along in the dark every morning

SUNDAY'S RECIPE

These 2 recipes go so well together that I had to post them at the same time...kinda like peas & carrots!

HONEY-BAKED CHICKEN

3 lb chicken, cut up OR any combination of legs/thighs/breasts/wings totalling 3-4 lbs *** 2 TBSP butter melted *** 1/3 cup honey *** 2 TBSP prepared mustard *** 1 tsp salt *** 1/2 tsp curry powder

Place chicken skin side up in a 9 x 13 pan. Combine rest of ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake for 1-1/4 hours in 350 degree oven, basting every 15 minutes. Skin will get dark, but don't worry...it'll taste wonderful!

As soon as chicken is in oven, prepare...

RICE CASSEROLE

1/4 cup butter *** 1 cup chopped onion *** 1 clove garlic, minced *** 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, quatered *** 1/8 tsp thyme *** 1 cup raw white or brown rice *** 1 cup peeled, thin sliced carrots *** 2 cups chicken broth *** 1 tsp salt *** 1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese *** 2 cups zucchini, coarsed chopped

Saute onions & garlic in butter till tender, then add mushrooms & thyme...cook 2 minutes. Add rice, carrots, broth, salt and bring to a boil, then pout into casserole dish & cover. Bake in same 350 oven as chick for 30 minutes, then remove & stir in cheese & zucchini. Cover and return to oven for another 30 minutes.

**I love to take some of the pan juices from the chicken and drizzle them on the rice...OUTSTANDING!!!

P.S. - i didn't have any pictures of the dishes, so i posted a pic of my scooter...NICE!!!

GOD'S GIFT TO US

We didn't plant it, we didn't allow for it, at first
we didn't know what it was....













...we didn't plan on it, we wondered how it got
there,



.












...but we watered it, and cared for it, didn't
mow over the ends of it, and waited...till last nite, when we picked it. God gave us a 25" round, 5-7 lb. cantelope that is gorgeous, sweet, & tasty.

p.s. - Thanks, God!