Today, I attended a memorial service for my mother, who passed away this past Monday. Elizabeth Lucille Gregory was 80 years old. Her obituary is here: https://grimesfuneralchapels.com/obituaries/elizabeth-lucille-gregory/3194/ I was blessed the last few weeks to spend time with my mother before she passed. I was able to say goodbye twice, once when she was very … Continue reading Elizabeth Lucille Gregory
Our hearts are breaking with the news that our wonderful little Bella has passed away suddenly this week, and we share our grief, and our joy, that we found in this beautiful creation of God. We have hundreds of wonderful memories of Bella, a feisty terrier mix that was also calm and gentle, a rare … Continue reading Bella in Italy
I found some memories today, tucked back in a corner somewhere. I've been trying to lose weight, and working on portion control. It's the Nutrisystem, and it's been good so far. Not dramatic results, but a pound lost each week is healthy. This morning for my carbohydrate, I had a slice of wheat bread, and … Continue reading Bread and Milk
It was a special blessing this past week. I am not a pastor (nor do I play one on tv), but 2 weeks ago my nephew eloped. To who? When? What do we know about her? The angst was carved into tiny slices and digested by all. The family decision was made - they're just … Continue reading Brother Michael
Took my favorite date with me yesterday afternoon (my wife) to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Had a great time. We watched two little chicks breaking out of their shells and a small crowd had gathered to root for them. The one we called "hermit crab" one, but not by much. Then we saw … Continue reading Josh Turner at the Rodeo
Hey y'all! A new blog is in town. My brother-in-law has been writing for the Kerrville, Texas newspaper for over 10 years, and I've always loved his writing. He's finally taken the plunge and started a blog. Give him a look-see at Joe Herring, Jr.'s Blog. Joe, it's about time you shared your wit and … Continue reading The Blog of Joe Herring, Jr.
Happy Day After Mother's Day. No, I didn't forget. My wife and I traveled across the barren wastelands of Houston to take my mother and stepfather out to a wonderful little Italian restaurant. Today is the post celebration of the leftovers. Yum, crown roast of pork.
Dang dogs. I'm pretty sure Patch jumped up on the furniture tonight and got my wife's thyroid medicine off the end table. When I got home after exercise, it was Bella that was happily chewing on the child-proof (but not dog-proof) plastic bottle. ASPCA poison control had a nearly incomprehensible technical paper on thyroid overdose. … Continue reading Dogs and HyperActive Thyroids
Tony at Sand in the Gears claim the title of "Father of the Year." It is the voice of a librarian, a schoolteacher, a junior senator from New York, or some other such female-type killjoy. I am physiologically and ideologically predisposed to ignore such voices. I continue my instruction. "Sir!" "You're whacking your baby's head … Continue reading Responsible Parenting
The best 248 days I could ever ask for - and I did ask for them, and God blessed me. Happy Valentines Day, my beautiful wife.
... I don’t ride for the politics of it. I ride because it’s fun...
I wish you and yours the merriest Christmas ever. The birth of our savior is indeed cause for celebration, and I hope that the time you spend with family and friends is a joyous time.
"...Orion looked like he had freckles."
I'm back - had a fabulous time in Manchester, Connecticut, visiting relatives. A big THANK YOU to my brother Stephen for tackling the guest blogging duties while I was away. I have a lot of stuff in my inbox to post, some updates on reviews of the Mind & Media books, so pardon if the … Continue reading Back from Connecticut
I found out my son may *not* graduate this weekend after all. He's passed everything except for his P.T. test (physical training), and he'll retake that test this afternoon. Please pray for Alex today that he passes his P.T. test this afternoon. I tried to intimidate the Army captain by telling him that I already … Continue reading Intimidating the Army
The New York Times has a story that more and more people are raising chickens as pets. This doesn't come as any surprise to me. My brother happily raises chickens every bit as funny looking as these. As my brother puts it, both he and the chicken get a lot out of the relationship. He … Continue reading Chickens as Pets
Suddenly, the blog went silent. What happened? Where did Michael go? I'm back, no worries. I spent the weekend in Lampasas for Spring Ho, a horribly named festival but lots of fun. My brother lives out there. Of course, he's always been "out there" but this time I went to visit. Arriving at my brother's … Continue reading Spring Ho!
Diane & I attended the Spring Fling last night, a celebration of one year of our bible study group. Ballroom dancing, semi-formal attire, it gave us a chance to play dress-up and relax for an evening. Wait, here comes the happy couple now. Get your cameras ready...
I tell Diane it's because I'm building his character, his strength. I want to make a man out of my dog, even if he *is* missing some parts. When I leave for work this week, Patch goes into my bathroom with the door closed. With all the construction going on downstairs, it's the safest place … Continue reading Dog Food
When Patch runs around the house, he's like.... some energetic high speed blue sunflower. I alternate between feeling sorry for him and laughing at him. 😛 Diane is a wonderful shutterbug, hopefully I'll be able to post an occasional picture of the shenanigans around here once in a while. 🙂
When I got home tonight, Patch was in a frenzy of barking. Apparently Lilly, the black labrador in heat next door, was doing that sexy beckoning to him all day. Janice, Lilly's owner, knocked on my door when I got home tonight. At 10:30pm, it's a little late so I was wary until I realized … Continue reading Patch Escapes!
No, really. Broadband internet access is available in the Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve. So why can't my brother get broadband access in his little bitty Texas town? I'm thinking he should start wearing a panda costume.
If Diane and I decide to get married in a Lego Church (ssshhh.... she might be reading this...) then perhaps we could take our instruction from the fine people at The Brick Testament who have built an illustrated Bible entirely out of LEGOs. For instance, 1 Corinthians 7:1-2, Yes, it is a good thing for … Continue reading The Lego Bible
It's amazing what God can do if you lean on him. 🙂 Diane & I divorced eight years ago. I ran off to Singapore to mope and instead found Christ. Turns out He wasn't lost after all. Studying scripture led me to understand that I was probably going to go solo for the rest of … Continue reading Michael & Diane
I'm here, I'm here! I just haven't posted today. I'm working up a post full of good news. I want to talk to my son first, but his phone is turned off again. 😛
No longer rank amateur dogs, Patch & Bella show us their style. Click the picture for some additional photos.
Good thing the dogs were headed to the groomer the next day. A trip to the Bark Park leaves Patch and Bella filthy, but very happy. Click the picture for the whole album.
Diane, the effervescent shutterbug, took these pictures from the rodeo last week. Click the picture to see the whole photo album.
By the end of yesterday's workday, I felt like this little piggy when you click on him. A good night's sleep and I feel better. 🙂 My brother Stephen comes into town for the weekend, so I'm off to play for the rest of the day. No more stressful piggy for me, no sirree.
Matthew 12:34: For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. I've been asked to share my testimony at Second Baptist church this weekend. Everybody that comes to Christ has a story about how they finally gave up their stubborn ways and finally listened to what God has been saying to them. I … Continue reading Testify
Sometimes it's hard shopping for my brother, but I think I've found something he would like. Hard to believe it's never been used.
This post will be too long, so here's the end of the story first: I bought my brother this t-shirt (click for larger image): OK, now I'll back up to the beginning. A synopsis of random nonsense all munged together for your amusement. 🙂 I still get a lot of visitors here looking for Dale … Continue reading Dale Earnhardt and Chim Chim
Thanks for the prayers, everyone! 🙂 I spoke to Irv's daughter this afternoon; they've decreased his sedation, chest x-rays of his heart look good, they've reduced the strength of the ventilation machine so he's partly breathing on his own now. He's still going to be in the hospital a bit longer, but the worst is … Continue reading Irv is Improving
My son Alex (he posts here under the initials A.M.M.) is currently at Sam Houston State University studying Criminal Justice with a minor in Halo 2. As of June 15th, he reports for Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. That's right - Private Alex has joined the Army Reserves. He tells me his mild … Continue reading You're in the Army Now
I am not a brownshirt, although it's certainly starting to look like it. After buying the Firefly DVD series last August, I watched an episode with Sean. Well... ok, more than one. After the first episode, he said he could stay for another. And then another. I think we watched 5 in a row before … Continue reading Where Oh Where Has My Firefly Gone?
No posts today, sorry. Was called out early this morning to visit my stepfather in the hospital. I think he's spent 2 of the last 3 months there. I would appreciate your prayers for Irv today. Early this morning it was looking pretty iffy, but it looks like he's going to make it. Irv's tough. … Continue reading More Prayers, Please
It's my Friday off, but I'm at work. Something is seriously wrong with me. One of the bosses walked by and made a comment to a co-worker about his blue jeans. "That's not according to the dress code." We're supposed to be business casual, but on Fridays off most of the building is empty. Most … Continue reading Friday!
Tonight I'll be seeing the Houston Aeros at the Toyota Center, even if I do drive a Nissan. I haven't seen them (the Aeros) on the ice in years. Diane is bringing Maritza and the kids, I'm sure we'll have a grand time. Here are the rules for hockey as I understand them: There is … Continue reading Aeros Hockey
What a wonderful weekend. Have I ever mentioned how much I love my 3-day weekends? 3-Day Weekends! 3-Day Weekends! 3-Day Weekends! Oops, sorry, carried away there for a sec. 🙂 I can see I enjoyed the weekend so much I forgot to post a thing, so let me get caught up here. My weekend actually … Continue reading Weekend Recap – With Recipes!
I'm having a weird feeling dizzy feeling. For my brother-in-law, I found a geeky gift. I want to turn him into a true geek someday so our bonding will be complete, but he's not there yet. He's too intellectual still and can recite poems and Homer's Iliad by heart. Stop it; let me find you … Continue reading Defend Yourself Against Hobbits
They looked at me like I was crazy. I had a larger family gathering planned for Christmas this year, but those plans got derailed this year. My stepfather went into the hospital for a whole laundry list of problems (thank you for your prayers, by the way - he's home and doing much better!), and … Continue reading Christmas Packages
This was a special, blessed Christmas for me in so many ways this year. My son came home to visit from college, my step-father got to come home from the hospital, I spent Christmas Eve with my beautiful sweetheart for the first time in years, and wonders of wonders it snowed on Christmas Eve in … Continue reading Blessed Christmas to All
I went to visit my step-father in the hospital today; I hope to visit him tomorrow if he's up for company. I had trouble finding a parking spot because they had torn up the road for construction. At home, I met with a contractor to install a new dryer vent. He was here for 4 … Continue reading Saturday Stress Relief
Eight Days till Christmas. Are you ready? Most of my family will be here for Christmas *SUNDAY* and I think I'm barely going to be ready in time. The rest of you lucky squirrels have another week to get ready. I've been occupied and forgetful, and I'm going to get all caught up in a … Continue reading These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
This morning my step-father is in the hospital. Details are sketchy, but it may be an emergency gall bladder surgery. Please pray for Irv this morning, as well as the surgeons who will be working on him.
My brother has been waiting for this for some time... high speed internet over electric power lines. It's coming, bro! BURNET -- High-speed Internet service is coming to about 120 homes in this town of 5,000 using a novel technology that connects residents to the Web through power lines. Broadband Horizons, which provides Internet access … Continue reading Broadband over Power Lines
Sung to the tune of "Yesterday" : I'm forty three there are pieces falling off of me now I'm twice as old as I used to be I can't believe I'm forty three. Why I huff and puff climbing hills I couldn't say At least my memory's intact I... what was I going to say … Continue reading I'm Forty-Three
My brother-in-law writes a weekly column for the Kerrville Daily Time... at least, I *think* it's a weekly column. The Kerrville newspaper uses some odd url's to post the article, so I suspect only 3 people a week can find Joe's article online. And I'm not one of them. Joe and I have similar writing … Continue reading Getting the Last Laugh
I got a phone call last night from one of God's messengers. He told me it was time to go back to church. Even told me which church. Again. He's told me before, using messengers of ever-increasing impact. The last time was just last month when my next door neighbor asked me to go. I … Continue reading God Called Last Night
I am going to Huntsville today (4 hour round trip) to change a car battery because: A) I don't have a battery locally that I can change; B) There is a battery changing festival in Huntsville; C) My son has run out of clean underwear; D) I want to listen to 4 hours of country … Continue reading Pop Quiz: The Battery
I had a good time at my sisters this weekend along with her husband and daughter. Among the many accomplishments - - Saw "Vanity Fair" except for about 10 minutes where the sound disappeared; - My sister challenged me that I couldn't pet her cat, and if I could, she'd give me a shiny nickel. … Continue reading Weekend Getaway Over
Gone to my sister's for the weekend. Y'all be good while I'm gone.
No, Patch, I don't want to go for a walk. I hear your little whines, I'm not getting up. I wish you'd settle down; you keep running to the back patio, then jumping on the bed, giving a little whine, running back outside again. You've been doing this all day. Yes, I know the dog … Continue reading Go to Sleep, Patch
That was my first 3-day weekend since June. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed my 3-day weekends every other week. Friday was a day of nothing; puttered around the house, read blogs, played some Ultima Online, and waited for Alex to show up so we could catch "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." … Continue reading Relaxing Weekend, Back to Work
The Bleat, as usual, was excellent today. He turned his daughter's playhouse into Chernobyl. Go read it now or I shall taunt you unmercifully. I shall taunt Sean twice and include snide comments like, "Oh, so you were home schooled? I couldn't tell." I'm waiting for Alex to magically appear from college. He'll either want … Continue reading Chernobyl and the Weekend
I'm alone. My son has moved to college. It's just me puttering around in a huge townhome. And the dog. I take him for a walk. I bought some Bermuda shorts and some black socks just to walk him around. And my sister-in-law BAKED ME SOME COOKIES! The postman delivered a package of her homemade … Continue reading My Sister-in-Law is So Cool
My son dropped in yesterday afternoon. I didn't raise no dummy - he had 3 loads of laundry that cost 75 cents each. He'll spend $10 in gas to save 75 cents - but it's my credit card paying for gas. Heh. I don't mind; I thought he grew up quickly when he was young, … Continue reading Hurricane Alex Just Blew Through
Alex called back last night and we caught up on things. He's staying up at college this weekend (good for him!); he has parties, an XBox tournament, and movies to go see. Some of those events mysteriously involve girls.
I tried calling my new collegiate college son on Wednesday night to see how his first day of classes went. No answer on his dorm phone. I sent him an email, too, telling him I had emailed his Bearkat card. I can only assume he got the email; he didn't reply. I tried calling again … Continue reading Out of Sight, Out of Mind
After taking Alex to college, I resolved to clean his room. It's full of typical teenage junk he's collected over the years, but mostly with his door shut, I haven't looked at it in years. Alex knew this was coming; he took the stuff that was important to him, and I promised to store memories … Continue reading Years of Memories, One Piece of Trash at a Time
Dang it's quiet here without the noisy pitter patter of... huge teenage shoes. I'm going to have to fill this time with something worthwhile or I'll go bonkers. And I am *not* bonkers yet, wiseguy. I'm back at the gym for the first time in years. I really had no excuse, other than I'd rather … Continue reading My Spare Time is Gonna Kill Me
They come back, don't they? My son and I left early for Sam Houston State. There were lots of errands to do; old dad was huffin' and puffin' emptying both cars. College teens were whistling while carrying 200 lb trunks on their shoulders; I'm dragging a suitcase. With wheels. Then a trip over to the … Continue reading Twas the Night After College
I took my son out to his grandmother's for brunch this morning; sort of a send-off for him as he heads off o college for the first time. He's sort of getting organized, but not very quickly. I'm starting to wonder if he's going to finish packing today. 😛 We leave at 7:00am in two … Continue reading Twas the Night Before College
I'm not my usual vocal self. It's not that I don't have things to say, it's just that I don't have much time to say it. I'm working a lot of overtime - yay, that's a good thing, I think I paid for my son's room and board in the last month alone. The O.T. … Continue reading So Quiet You Can Hear a Pin Drop
Do they make walkers for dogs? Patch needs something to help him get around. Alex noticed Patch was limping a little last night; I said we'll just watch to see if it gets worse. This morning, it's much worse. He's limping on all four legs. If there was a way to limp with is neck … Continue reading Patch Needs a Walker
Patch & I went for a little outing this morning. He knew I was heading out as I was putting on my tennis shoes; as I headed downstairs, Patch raced ahead and checked the hall coat closet to see if I was getting a leash. Puppy joy! Not just any leash, but the short brown … Continue reading Bark Park
Today is a big day - my son is heading off to a 2 day college orientation. Alone. Without me. ARE YOU CRAZY MICHAEL HE'S NOT OLD ENOUGH!!! Apparently, sometime over the last 18 years he grew up. I have thousands of memories with him, but in almost all of them he's someplace between the … Continue reading Cutting Another String
I spent the weekend scanning and scanning and scanning; this time, the slides I converted cover 1963-1965. As you can see, my sister was a *lot* more enthusiastic about having her picture taken than I was. Here's the new slides this weekend: 1963 4th Qtr - Kittery Maine 1964 1st Qtr 1964 2nd Qtr - … Continue reading Family Photos: 1963-1965
First off, I feel silly calling it a "doggy door." I don't call Patch a "doggy," so why should I call the door something so silly sounding? I'm considering calling it the "Door of Doom for the Viscious 15 lb Canine." That sounds a lot more grown-up, though it doesn't roll off the tongue so … Continue reading Patch & His New Doggy Door
I signed my son and me up for orientation at Sam Houston State University this week. It's a 2-day overnight trip, Thursday & Friday. When I read the agenda, they separate us within the first 30 minutes and I don't see my son again until the orientation is over. There's no agenda for what they … Continue reading College Orientation
Dear Voters: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak my mind. I lost my job this past year. When Clinton was president, I worked in a prosperous enterprise. But in the last year, we had to close our operations. Far worse, I lost two of my sons in Bush's evil war in Iraq. … Continue reading Vote Democrat
I've known Mom since I was very young.... er.... I had planned to take Mom out to dinner on Sunday - her birthday is today, but being the only child in town, I can maintain my "most favored oldest child" status by taking her out a few days late. Bro and Sis are too far … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Mom
Dear Chasing the Wind... Recently I've become involved with someone. He's trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. A real boy scout. I find I spend all my time with him, and I enjoy my his company very much. In fact, it's like dating myself. No, I don't mean … Continue reading I'm Just Beside Myself
I would have posted sooner but I needed a nap.The first several pictures are Patch the Wonder Dog. Every time I said, "pizza," he's tilt his head the opposite way. Great fun.Then Alex's Graduation. There's an arrow to helpfully point him out. He's the one in red.Father and Son. Ah, I remember when I was … Continue reading The Party's Over…
My son and I pulled up Paint Shop tonight, and decided Al Gore needed to relax a bit. We gave him a little treat to help him lighten up.Though he still looks a little angry that he has to eat cotton candy.
Why do people come to Chasing the Wind? What answers are they seeking? What pheromone drives them buggy? What carrot moves their donkey?The first answer is simple - apparently, I'm a virtual babe magnet. I'm attracting women bloggers like buttered toast attracts cats. I dunno why, though I suspect it's the pretty colors. So subdued, … Continue reading The Path Less Taken
"I'm on top of the world, Ma!And I wanna get down!"These photos start in late 1971 while still living in Tucker, Georgia and bring us through our move to Houston in early 1972, and then our visit to Arizona and Mexico in late summer. 1970 3rd Qtr - TuckerStone Mountain. They were still working on … Continue reading New Family Photos (1971 -1972)
I scanned in a small reel of slides today, from August of 1977. This was a trip to San Marcos, Texas with Boy Scout Troop 479 with my father and brother. Summers were hot, scorpions and tarantulas were common discoveries. Compared to today, those days were relatively safe.It's difficult to put descriptions on the photos … Continue reading August 1977, Summer of the Boy Scouts
If you have a dog, you have to have a routine. Even if you change the routine, it's still a routine. Have to, because dogs love it.Patch, Mr. Brain of the Dog World, loves the morning routine. When I turn on the shower in the morning, his nose is in the shower. He blocks my … Continue reading Patch and The Blustery Day
I think I'm getting slower at this - I scanned another 100 family photos today, and it took 8 hours instead of my normal 6. I'm sure that my new fascination at reading other people's blogs slowed me down some. I also took not 1 but 2 naps I took while scanning, but I'm sure … Continue reading My Groucho Marx Impersonation at 6 months old!
It started off as a Do-Something weekend, but the rain killed off all the plans. Tonight was "Something With Patty" Thursday, but for some reason she's not interested in braving the tornados in order to get a caffe latte.Tomorrow was a golf day with a vendor; rain killed that, too. All that's left on the … Continue reading A Do-Nothing Weekend
Great weekend. "Babysat" my brother-in-law Saturday morning and took him out for "ice cream" later. (Euphemisms for "golf" and "a pitcher of Shiner Bock"). Sunday took Mom out for brunch and visited with my sister & niece & step-father. My son was nowhere around this time - he was playing D&D Friday, then I left … Continue reading Mom's Day Weekend Recap..
I was on one of those roller-coaster highs yesterday. Don't know why; might have been as simple as a good night's sleep. Whatever it was, yakked all day, told goofy jokes, sang that cow song that got stuck in my head, kept it up nonstop all day. Put a new MasterCard/Visa logo on my website. … Continue reading Thank you thank you, I'll be here till Tuesday. Try the veal.
Ow. Up way to late last night and my head hurts. It's not what you think though - I don't party hard anymore. I'm not sure I ever did - or at least I can't remember. Ha! No, I was up late last night playing with Dreamweaver and Paintshop Pro. New toys are fun. My … Continue reading Ow.
Brother still has his virus, both computers now. Looks like he has 2 of them, a Beagel variant and a new strain of Gaobot. He has this NS.EXE program hogging all of his resources and he's unable to delete it. He can surf the web, but the major virus software sites are unreachable. I've punted; … Continue reading Cure unsuccessful…
There's nothing on it at the moment except a lot of "blah blah blah". My brother who lives 300 miles away apparently picked up 2 viruses on his wife's machine. One of the features of the virus prevents him from going to Symantec's website and picking up virus updates. So I'm copying large sections of … Continue reading Now I know why I have a website
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