The Bookcases are DONE!!!

Posted on 27 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Hallelujah!!  The bookcases are finally done and installed and they look beautiful!  I couldn’t be happier!  I love the way they look and with my library now uncluttered and on full display, I am one proud dude!  Sure there are some imperfections and errors, but only I know where they are!  Mwah hah ha! 

Now that that project is done, I can move on and get back to writing!  I wrote some more in my outline for Book 2 – New Homestead while on our Memorial Day camping trip.  * read all about it in the Camping journal pages.

I have officially become a gardener as well.  Usually I have a black thumb when it comes to plants, but my little garden is starting to grow!  I transplanted the green beans, squash, zucchini, broccoli, and cucumbers to the raised garden yesterday.  So far all look good except the broccoli.  They looked a little wilted when I transplanted them. 

I know that these entries are not coming every M-W-F, but my “new” job is kicking my butt!  Some days I don’t even want to look at a computer when I am done for the day. 

Until next time, true believers!

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Happy Memorial Day!

Posted on 25 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Most gave some, some gave all.  In honor of this day, I wish to send a thank you to my deceased family members that proudly served:  my father, Lee Thomas (Vietnam), grandfather, Clifford L. Thomas Jr.(WWII), great-uncle Robert Thomas (WWII), and great-great grandfather Christ P. Stege (WWI) for serving in our nation’s military. 

We are currently camping up at Higgins Lake KOA and it is weird.  The campground is usually full and bustling during the holiday weekend, but due to Covid-19 it is eerily empty.  Besides the Four Families maybe 20 other sites are occupied.  All of the beaches are closed along with the camp store and all amenities.  Like I said, weird!

I hope everyone is having a fun-filled, but safe, holiday weekend!

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3 DAY WEEKEND! Whoo Hoo!

Posted on 22 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

I am busting my hump trying to get work done for the day so that we can head up north to Higgins Lake KOA for the weekend!  We are slated to camp there as our shakedown cruise, first outing, of the year!  Oh boy. 

With the flooding up in Midland due to two dam breaks, I am unsure about the roads.  The Saginaw River is connected to the Tittabawassee River and that’s where the water is coming from!  The Zilwaukee Bridge goes across that river and should give us a good view of the flooded areas.

That’s all for now, see you next week!

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Busy, busy, busy!

Posted on 20 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Howdy loyal readers!  I have been so busy with working on the bookcases that they are almost done!  I have also bit the bullet and purchased a new laptop!  I am now the proud owner of an HP EliteBook 840 G3, with a 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM!  I love it!  It is so fast and clean compared to my daughters POS, that we purchased last year for $200.  I am hoping to use this new laptop to write my next book and any other books that come along!!  I am a little bit perturbed with the G & H & B buttons since there is a mouse control embedded between them.  I am sure that I will get used to it in time. 

I have also been swamped with work right now.  My job is killing me with time management and workload.  I think that I have a grip on it now, but last week was a nightmare!

My bookcases are almost complete.  I have sprayed them with my air compressor spray gun and thinned out Polyurethane.  They look great!  All that is left now is to steel wool them, move them downstairs, attach them to the wall, add the crown molding then finally add the books!  I am so close!  This weekend would have been the best time to do that, but it is also Memorial Day weekend.  We are camping up north at Higgins Lake KOA.  Yes, even though the COVID-19 is running rampant we are going camping.  Wish us luck!

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Woodworking and Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on 11 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Well, whoever bet on the bookcases to win this weekend, you get a prize!  I spent the better part of Saturday staining the third bookcase, but it is not the same shade.  All three were supposed to be Minwax Espresso, but the middle case is now a bit redder than the other two!  WTF!?!?  Ugh..  I just keep telling myself that it is an antique and time has weathered them this way.  I know, whatever gets me by.  I did get my scrap lumber sorted and reshelved, it is much easier to access now!

Mother’s day came and with all of the quarantining happening, we still managed to visit our mom’s.  Even though the weather tried to rain us out, we found ways around that.  At my MIL’s we pulled out the awning on her camper and stayed dry, while at my mom’s we stood in the garage for a bit. 

I also spent time with my wife, helping her make an order of masks for her best friend’s, uncle’s business.  24 masks, 12 large, and 12 medium.  I helped by cutting them out on her Cricut machine and then trimming excess thread and pressing the hems.  I’m a good helper! 

My book has been gnawing away at me and it is fighting to get back on the front burner, but the bookcases and the prospect of getting a new laptop keeps curtailing its progress.  I want to get back into it, but other forces are prevailing!  Time to buckle down and set a schedule for me to work….

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Writing, Woodworking and Ham Radio! Who will win?

Posted on 8 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

IT’S THE WEEKEND!  Howdy folks!  I have been fighting with myself about which task/project to work on. All three are worthy of my time, but I cannot decide on which one to focus on.

Bookcase:  I have been steadily working on finishing my bookcases and get them installed. I have two of them stained and drying.  I stained the moldings as well.  I have some more work on the third one before I can stain it.  Up next is sealing the bookcases and the moldings.  Then install and enjoy!

Writing:  I REALLY want to get back to my second novel.  It’s a continuation from my first novel, Home Bound.  I haven’t touched in a couple of months and I am jonesing to get back in it. I have been tossing around ideas on where I want to take the characters and I am struggling with finding the motivation.   

Ham Radio:  The last thing on my list is Ham Radio.  I have been studying, on and off, to get my Extra Class license.  Since we are on lock down and all FCC testing has been shutdown, I put it on the back burner.  Now I am seeing virtual testing is trying to start and the itch to take the test is growing harder to ignore.  

Decisions, decisions. 

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PDF’s, Bookcases, and the Search for a Laptop

Posted on 6 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Well, here we are. It’s Wednesday and I have been working on creating PDF’s for the Survival Magazine page. There are 140 total issues, and the original creator (Prepper Scott) started out with having them available as PDF’s then he switched to individual HTML pages. Not very nice for archiving and saving in the event of SHTF! So I saved them ALL and am now have 85 issues complete! Yay! Only 55 more to go. Ugh.

I am slowly getting back into the writing mindset. I have had so much going on, with the Coronavirus, and home schooling and starting a garden and building 3 HUGE bookcases! I am close to finishing the bookcases, should be done and installed in 2 weeks. I can’t wait!

Other things I am working on, searching for a new/old laptop. I had an HP G2 laptop issued from my former employer. I miss it. I wrote my first book on it and now I am relegated to my desktop or my iPad. Both can do the job, but I wrote Home Bound while sitting on my deck or up at the cabin or camping with the family. I have to get the wife to buy off on me spending $200-$700 on a new laptop. The upside is that I might be able to write it off as a business expense since I will only be using it for writing. *sigh

The search continues….

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Websites, Blogs and Projects, Oh My!

Posted on 4 May 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Good morning folks! 

I had every intention of writing another blog entry on Friday, but circumstances out of my control thwarted me.  We had a power outage.  The blog functionality that I once had as a FREE service is now an extra charge!  Freakin FREESERVERS…grrr.  So I had to go through all of my previous posts and break them out into smaller chunks to view them completely.  Ugh.  What a chore.  It was that or create my own blog pages and code, and that was WAY too much work even for me.  So here is the latest and greatest entry in my weekly blog!  I am gonna give it a go on a M-W-F basis.

I have made some HUGE updates to the site.  For starters I have added the following pages:  Gunfighters, Godzilla and Survival Weekly Mag. I removed the Golf League page since it was a colossal waste of time on my part.  I have made some gargantuan updates to the Space Page and the Family tree page.  The website is looking good and I am feeling pretty good about it.

Keep moving forward! 

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Quarantine Projects

Posted on 29 April 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Hello again!  I have fulfilled my promise of logging on and entering a second weekly blog post.  I can check that off my own list of projects and items to complete.  I, just like the rest of the world, am in quarantine because of COVID-19.  My state’s shelter in place order started on March 13th 202 and is set to expire on May 15th, 2020.  From that time up to today, I have been completing many small projects that I had kicking around in the garage, yard and basement.  I know that many folks are starting new hobbies or toiling away on the ones they already have.  My hobbies have taken a back seat to some projects that are new and some that I have been working on for a LONG time.  Some of the items listed below are the usual spring maintenance, but it bears noting.

Here are some of the projects that I have completed since March 13th:

  • Replaced my son’s brake pads and rotors on his car.  It needed to be done!
  • Cleaned the garage.
  • Built a raised bed garden.  This is new, and exciting!
  • Started a small indoor greenhouse with vegetables to be planted in the new garden.
  • Tried my hand at baking bread.  The white bread was pretty good, the wheat bread?  Could be used to build houses.
  • Cleaned my trash bin area of winter debris and trash.  – Ugh.
  • Cleaned the BBQ grill.  I haven’t done that since never.
  • Removed the chair molding and spackled every freakin hole in my daughters bedroom.
  • Sanded my daughters bedroom.
  • Painted my daughters bedroom.
  • Rearranged my daughters bedroom.

I am currently struggling with building 3 bookcases for my 800+ book library.  The will be put in the basement and look as though they are built it into the wall.  The crown and base moldings will span all three and make it look like they are one unit.  They stand 7′ feet tall and each case is over 2′ wide.  They have 8 shelves apiece and should hold all of my paperback library.  I have been working on this project since last September.  The autumn months are rough because of the temperature and the holidays.  Then the winter months are even worse because of Girl Scout Cookie season.  My garage is loaded with boxes of cookies and I am not allowed to make any sawdust.  The overall project is about 75% completed.  Once bookcase is built (glued and screwed), the second should be done today.  I have yet to build the third one, due to it being on the end.  Here is a list of things that I still have yet to do:

  • Sand and Glue the second case.
  • Stain the first case.
  • Stain the second case.
  • Build the third case.
  • Stain the third case.
  • Seal all three cases.
  • Move them to the basement.
  • Attach to the wall.
  • Attach the base molding.
  • Route the crown moldings.
  • Stain and seal them.
  • Admire!

I have many more small projects that I want to work on as well and will get to in due time.  But that list will be for another post! 

I am feeling pretty good and may try to post on Friday!  If wishes were fishes…

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Coronavirus, Scouting, Books, Life and Death

Posted on 22 April 2020 by huaiwarp.net

Well, folks, again, I’d like to say sorry for not keeping up with this.  It has been 4 LONG years of scouting, writing, working and living.  With this Coronavirus going around and all of Michigan suffering through the “Shelter in Place” executive order I felt it time to try and stoke the fires of this blog.  Again.  So, I’ll try and sum it all up:

Scouting:  I was the Scoutmaster for my son’s troop from April of 2016 to January of 2020.  Ok, so 4 months shy of 4 years, but I can tell you that the job of Scoutmaster is demanding and time consuming and rewarding and most of all, fun.  I feel that I have made a small difference or contribution to the lives of my scouts.  We have gone on many adventures, both in state and out.  I have had the pleasure of seeing many scouts attain the rank of Eagle and others grow into wonderful young men, ready to challenge the world!  Unfortunately my son decided that scouts was no longer for him, and try as I might I just couldn’t convince him to stay in.  So with a heavy heart I confirmed the fears of my troop committee.  I had initially told them I would step down as Scoutmaster by September 2019 and stay on as Assistant Scoutmaster to ensure the troops’ success.  Well, that fell through because no one wanted to step up, so I stayed on.  Thankfully one of the adults, Mr. Stu, took charge of the troop and allowed me to step back.  I am still active in the troop, but no longer Scoutmaster.  It’s bittersweet.

Writing:  I had been writing short stories and novellas for years now, and I finally fleshed one out into a full length novel!  Home Bound: A Story of Survival, was officially published in September 2019 through Amazon.com!  I had actually finished it in December of 2018 and had printed a hardcopy for my family to read, but alas, no one did.  That is until my wonderful mother read it and started telling folks how good it was.  Typical mother, praising her child’s work.  After that, my wife, and Mother-in-law read it and pretty soon I had others clamoring for a copy.  I published it and the rest is history.  Now, I’ll let you in on a little secret.  It took me 4 years to write that novel, and almost 9 months of sitting on it before publishing!  I am working on a follow-up novel which could turn into a series of 4 or more!  The proceeds are no where near big enough for me to quit my job and live on!  So I will continue writing and reading!

Living:  Many things have changed in the intervening years since the last post.  I have changed careers!  I am no longer a Mainframe Systems Programmer, but I am now a Lead Functional Analyst!  Please don’t ask me to explain what I do, I am still trying to figure that out!  My son has turned 16 and has earned his driver’s license and with it I have earned less hair and more gray hair!  He has gone through a couple of girlfriends, loved and lost and come out the other side a more mature person.  Sort of.  He is still a teenager.  My daughter has turned 13 and has got her eyes on High School!  Oh lord give me strength.  My wife had lost her job right after Thanksgiving, douchebag move, and struggled with finding another job.  Thankfully, Mr. Stu came through again for us.  He was able to get her a temp job at his company and she is thriving.  We gotta puppy too!  Read the Nov 2019 blog for more info.

Death:  As I posted last year, we lost our beloved family pet, Brandy.  She was the bestest girl and was loved by many.  Please see the July 2019 blog entry for more info.  In the words of Forrest Gump, “That’s all I’m gonna say about that.”

Coronavirus:  This is the newest and greatest event to affect not only us, but the whole world.  My family and I are thankfully safe and healthy, but we understand that many are struggling and suffering.  I have had the prepper mindset since before I took over as Scoutmaster.  I took the Scout Slogan of Be Prepared to heart.  My family was still young and I feared that I would not always be there for them, so I started small.  I packed away extra canned food and powdered milk, much to my wife’s derision.  I learned skills in scouting to better myself and to pass on to my kids.  I watched videos and read books and articles (both fiction and non) to get an idea on what the rest of the like minded folks thought would happen.  Then Coronavirus started spreading.  First in Wuhan, China, then Europe and soon the world.  All of the skills and knowledge that I had was suddenly put into action.  I had extra food and medicine stored away.  I had extra water and supplies to bake our own bread, which was a hot commodity, along with TP!  I had seeds to try and start a garden, which is flourishing right now!  My family has been playing games, and building puzzles, reading and I have been busy in the garage building some desperately needed bookcases for my ever expanding library.

So yeah, I have been busy.  I’d ultimately like to start posting something every Wednesday.  If I can keep this up then I may move to every Mon-Wed-Fri.  Lord, give me strength!

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Puppy time! Holly Jolly Christmas Time!

Posted on 15 November 2019 by huaiwarp.net

Well, we waited, and healed.  We think it’s time to bring another canine into our home.  We searched and looked and sought out another little golden girl.  It turned out that the breeder that sold us Sophie, our dark golden retriever that looks like an Irish setter, had a litter of puppies in late September! 

I wanted another light golden, my wife wanted another dark golden.  But since Brandy was light, I wanted a light one. 

I got a light one! 

We welcomed a little, light golden retriever puppy into our home and it has been a roller coaster ever since!  I wanted to name her Molly, but due to reasons that I won’t go into, (drug reference and mean kids in school), I was vetoed.  The next two names were either Reilly or Holly.  Since it was close to Thanksgiving and the holidays were coming we settled on Holly! 

We were destined to have a Holly Jolly Christmas after all!

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Brandy, You’re a Fine Girl, in fact You’re the Best

Posted on 3 July 2019 by huaiwarp.net
Brandy The Bartleby, The Grand Old Brand-Hole!

It is with a heavy heart and through a shade of tears that I commemorate the life and death of the goodest girl I have had the pleasure to have known.  My golden retriever of 16yrs had to be put down due to age related ailments.  She was unable to stand for herself and she was struggling with control of her bowels.  The decision to put her down was not made easily. 

Her life was filled with many adventures and good times.  Her empathy was so strong that she would lay next to my wife when she was pregnant with my son and let my wife stroke her ears to calm her during her anxiety and morning sickness bouts.  She greeted both of my children when they were brought home from the hospital. She sniffed them cautiously and begrudgingly accepted them into our pack.  She loved to hang out with my son, and many pictures were taken of them together under his crib.  Because of her affection towards him, she earned the nickname Moose by constantly hip-checking him to the ground! 

Her empathy continued when she comforted us after the deaths of my father, sister and my father-in-law.  She would sense our sadness and forcefully lift our hands with her nose so that we would be resting on her head.  She would look up at us with her big brown eyes and smile, trying to lift our spirits.  This continued on when she needed to communicate her needs to us, such as needing food, water, or potty.

Brandy accompanied us on many camp outs over the years.  She went on 70 different camping trips to 9 different states.  She had camped with us in a tent, pop-up, hybrid and travel trailers!  She was a true camping dog!  Her first trip was to Mammoth Caves in Kentucky, 2003.  We stayed in a tent with a very pregnant woman and the humidity was horrible!  Brandy spent the time eating rocks and getting tangled under the in-laws pop-up camper!  Her last trip was to Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin, 2019.  The weather was humid and she still loved to sit outside with me in the mornings and watch the other campers walk by. 

She loved the water.  It didn’t matter if it was a lake, pond, or swimming pool.  She loved to go swimming with me when we camped in Silver Lake.  She loved to jump in my Mother-In-Law’s pool.  Towards the end I would take her in my Sister-in-Law’s pool and hold her up to float.  Her hips and back were starting fail and the strain was getting to be too much. 

She will be missed and there will never be another like her.

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Post-Camping Musings

Posted on 20 July 2016 by huaiwarp.net

Hello faithful readers!  Well so much for the weekly blog posts!!  That didn’t last long.  Sorry about that.  I am trying to post more, so please bear with me!

Well another family camping season has come upon us and has blown by with as much speed as a class 5 hurricane!  We camped in June, in Hocking Hills Ohio.  I was able to get in some really awesome hiking!  Me, my wife, and 2 brothers-in-law (BIL) hiked 8 miles!!  It was awesome!  We some beautiful natural wonders, Old Man’s Cave, Rock House, Ash Cave, Conkle’s’ Hollow, Cedar Falls, and the Cantwell Cliffs!  I love it down there!  I would love to go back there someday, with just the wife.  We had gone down there many times before camping with the families.  

Then came summer camp at the end of June.  It was my first summer camp as Scoutmaster.  I was totally nervous, and excited.  We stayed at the Custaloga Town Scout Reservation.  It is located near Carlton, PA and is about 5.5 hours away from home.  I didn’t have a single scout get homesick or get majorly hurt.  I did have a scout get some blisters on his toes, and then on his fingertips from a lantern.  Don’t ask.  We shall just call him “Blisters” from now on!  We had one minor issue, that almost blew up into a major issue.  One scout left his wallet out, and another left his money on his pillow.  Some other scout “misappropriated” it.  I had to stop being the cool scoutmaster and turn into the angry and disappointed scoutmaster.  I told the scouts that tents will be turned out if the money and wallet aren’t returned by the end of the day and until then, no Gaga Pit or Trading Post!!  The Gaga pit was a kind of thunder dome/dodge ball pit area.  Needless to say, the items were returned after dinner and all was back to normal!!  Thank GOD! 

Lastly, we just got back from a family vacation to Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula!! We stayed in lovely Newberry, MI. Specifically, the Newberry KOA, which was just down the road from the city limits.  We visited Tahquamenon Falls, Munising, Whitefish Point, Manistique, Historic Fayette State Park, Oswald’s Bear Ranch, and the Newberry Logging Museum.  My family and I also hiked from the Upper Falls to the Lower Falls!  It was 4 miles of great hiking, only marred by the fact that I got stung by a wasp, on the kneecap!!  We weren’t even at the halfway point and that happened!   We even spent some time the next day swimming and wading in the lower falls!  My kids loved it!

Since we are mostly done with camping trips, for the most part, I will be parking my butt in front of a PC for the rest of the summer.  I WILL try to post more frequently, and with fervor!  I think the next one will be on scouting, and on what I am doing right, and what I fear I may be doing wrong!  Till next time!!

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2015 – 2016 Updates

Posted on 6 June 2016 by huaiwarp.net

Well, howdy folks, if anyone ever reads these few and far between musings!  It has been a long time and I (again) was hit with the bug to try and get this going.  

To sum up 2015:  

January:  Trying my hand/luck with continuing learning about Dungeons and Dragons!  Not too hard, and really fun!  Now if I could find some others like me and start a module/campaign….

February/March:  My son has crossed over into Boy Scouts!!  Yay!!  I could not be more proud of him!  He completed all of his requirements and even earned his Arrow of Light award and Super Achiever!  That means he earned all of the belt loops and pins that he could as a Cub Scout!

March:  Just when I thought I was out, they suck me back in!  I am now the communications chair for Boy Scout Troop 211!!  Since I had that job with Pack 82, they figured that could rope me in for the troop.  Well, they were right.

April:  Cleared some land at my Mom’s house for a rustic camping area.  Seems Joey has the camping bug and had such a blast at the Boy Scout camp that he now wants to start tent camping some more.  Oh boy, another obsession, I mean, hobby, is coming!!

May:  Had a “medical procedure” performed that would ensure no more kids.  Kinda sad, and relieving all at the same time.  Hurt like hell the next day, but on the flip side, Jeani and I saw Age of Ultron afterwards!  Gotta take the solace where I can get it!   Joey also had his last band concert at Lighthouse Elementary!!  He will now be going to Jeani and my old Junior High school, except its called Middle School North!?!  Great another new name to learn for a building I knew as something COMPLETELY different….ugh…

June:  Ellie and Jeani performed in their annual dance recital!  Ellie was awesome and it was so nice to see her helping out the little kids!  Again, so proud of my daughter!  I could not have asked for better kids!  Jeani was beautiful as ever!  She doesn’t think so and no matter what I say or how many times I say it.  First long vacation of the year was to Hot and Humid Myrtle Beach!  Read all about that in the campground section of the site.   Walked with Joey and the Boy Scout Troop in the Bay Rama Parade.

July:  Camped in Frankenmuth, cool city, and convenient location for the campground.  Now the biggie……Boy Scout Summer Camp!!  WHAT A BLAST!!  I completed my IOLS while there and basically hung back and let Joey do his own thing.  It was such a treat to watch him work on his leatherworking and movie making merit badges, as well as his Eagle Quest time!  I think I could with some more Boy Scouting……

August:  Camped in Silver Lake again, probably for the last time. I hope.  Spent a weekend at Mom’s cabin, GOD I love going up there, so relaxing.  We had the Thomas Family reunion at Brandenburg Park on 08/15/2015.  Had a lot of fun with my cousins and our kids got to play in the splash park!!  Good times.  I setup the video camera and just let it roll!!  Jeani has decided to take on the role of Troop Leader for Ellie’s Girl Scout Troop!!  Anita doesn’t want to do it and Jeani can do a much better job!!  So proud!

September:  Family Campout with Court of Honor at Lakeport State Park.  Jeani and I had the camper to ourselves, Ellie was down in Ohio visiting Deed and family.  I wish they could read a stinking clock….grrr….don’t get me started.  Camp was fun, got to have some one on one time with the wife, while Joey did the scout thing.  I completed my Assistant Scoutmaster Specific Training.  It seems like the troop needs more ASM’s, because sometimes it looks like Mr. Ward, (SM) is overwhelmed and somewhat lackadaisical about the scouts books and training.  I have decided to become an ASM and help out the troop some more.  Started attending the District Roundtables….

October:  Big news!  I was just asked to be the new Scoutmaster!!  Holy CRAP!!  I gotta think about this.  I have the training, and the drive to do it, but it is a HUGE commitment, both in time and in money.  I gotta talk to Jeani, Joey and Ellie about this.  Space Wars Camporee happened.  It was Pat Tezak and myself as the sole adults there.  Okay, so ask me to be the new Scoutmaster then send me on a campout with the troop!?!?!  WTF, is this trial by fire???  We did okay and I am still considering the position.  Halloween!!  Scared a little girl so bad she cried.  I didn’t see her and now I feel horrible….

November:  Ok, I have decided to be the new SM!!  So now our family has 2 scouts, and 2 scout leaders!!  Yay!  Time to gather my resources and start reading…..  Happy Thanksgiving!  I got to carve the turkey, again.  Mom got bit by Monster/Max, not sure which one.  I slammed my fingers in Matt’s broken freakin house window, thought I broke my fingers!!  So much for family gatherings….

December:  Fingers still hurting.  Decembers always start sucky now, since Dad and Denise died.  Went to see the ballet for the first time, took the kids and we saw The Nutcracker!!  At least I know the music.  The Wooten family sat right behind us, Jeff, Colleen, and their kids Keegan, Reece, and Brynn.  I know them from scouts, Keegan and Reece are in the troop!  Very nice evening, and both Joey and Ellie were entertained!  Wreaths Across America.  What a great event that was, we participated as a troop, with Ellie in her Girl Scout attire, and we placed a wreath on Dad’s grave.  Mom, Jeremy, and Neal were there too!  After we placed Dad’s wreath, we then placed some wreaths on other veterans graves.  It was an awesome experience and one that we will be doing again next year!!  Joey had his first band concert in the Middle School.  He is the best trombone player in the band.  No contest.  Biased Dad?  Yep.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

On to 2016!

January:  The winter of my discontent has arrived.  Last December I was stricken with a bout of gastritis that reached it’s unfortunate peak this month.  I was prescribed a PPI that caused me to have high anxiety, and stomach pains.  Just the very things I was trying to rid myself of.  So I stopped them, started a diet diary, and was able to determine my trigger foods.  So long Mt. Dew, Onions, Green Peppers (never liked you anyway), and Chocolate!!  

February:  Well, when I said I was gonna do this Scouting thing, I wasn’t lying.  I drank the Kool-Aid and now I am taking the Wood Badge Course!!  I had a great time, met some awesome people, made some lasting connections and am now on my to completing my ticket….if I can!  I attended some Blue and Gold Banquets with Mr. Ward and I am still waiting on the announcement/turnover so I can start actually being Scoutmaster!

TTFN!

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We Purchased a New Camper!!

Posted on 15 February 2015 by huaiwarp.net

Well, readers, we did it! We sold our lovely little hybrid style camper and purchased an all new Travel Trailer! It’s a 2014 North Trail by Heartland with a pseudo bunkhouse (really just bunk beds), an outdoor kitchen (with sink and fridge!) and an exterior door to access the bathroom while en route without having to put out the slides!! We are so stoked to take this out camping!

TTFN!

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Sprechen Sie Deutch? pt 2

Posted on 14 November 2014 by huaiwarp.net

Now it is 2014, darn near 20 years since the bug bit and I find out during one camping trip in September, that my nephew is taking German in High School (WTF??) now it is offered?!?  and he needs someone to help tutor him.  AND a good friend of mine is taking some classes at work, since his company is based in Germany they are paying for his classes.  He then says, “Try this new app called Duolingo, it’s really easy and fun!”  

Is this serendipity?  Did opportunity just come knocking?  I decide to help my nephew (and copy his homework to help myself learn at the high school pace) AND try out the Duolingo app.  After 1 month, I can definitely say that the Duolingo app is AWESOME!!  I have learned a lot from it, and I have also learned a lot from my Nephew, who is also passing me by.  

I think in some respects I am fast learner and slow learner at the same time.  Depends on the subject I think.  Now, if anyone out in the ether of the internet knows of someone who would be willing to help me out with understanding German verb conjugation, please let me know!

Until next time, Auf Wedersehen, Jungen und Mädchen!! 

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Sprechen Sie Deutch?

Posted on 3 November 2014 by huaiwarp.net

Guten Tag mein freunde!  Ich bin lernen Deutch!  

Good Day my friends, I am learning German!  

 I have been trying to learn the strange and mysterious language of the proud and ancient German folk for some time now.  Since before I married my lovely Frau, I have dabbled with the language.  It wasn’t offered in high school, only Spanish (yeah, no) and Japanese (I don’t think so).  If it wasn’t a requirement to graduate I didn’t take it.

Flash forward a few years and I began dating a girl whose mother came to America from Deutchland!  I, of course, smooth talked my way to trying to get her teach me some German and I came to pick up a little bit more.  

Fast forward some more, and I meet a cool guy, Doug Smith, where I work (EDS) and he is also studying German.  However, he only wants to be able to read/write it, where as I would like to read/write and SPEAK it.  So he recommends a piece of software called Talk Now – German.  I buy, I try it and it is okay, but really, really, r   e   a   l   l   y  slow going, and so I put it down.

My now Frau comes along and she decides to take German in College!!  I try to keep up, even working with her on her flash cards and such, but since she is way smarter than I, she out distanced me and I just held her up.  So again, my dreams of learning a second language fall by the way side……*sigh.

(continued)

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Another Halloween has come and gone….*sniff!

Posted on 31 October 2014 by huaiwarp.net

Well folks, another successful Halloween has come and gone! Even though Mother Nature threatened to cancel it, with all her blustery wind and rain, and almost snow the brave Thomas clan fought her back for a short while and persevered!  My boy and I accomplished our annual goal of scaring at least a few kids before handing out the goodies!!  

I, of course, dressed up as my usual Werewolf, while the boy went as Deadpool.  Some of you comic book fans, may know who that is.  The Merc, with the mouth as he is called by some.  

We watched It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown as our annual background to carving our own Great Pumpkins and we turned out a couple of good ones.  Joey had one that was half green and half orange, so he opted for the only solution….Two-Face the Pumpkin!  He did a great job and we are quite proud of our little carver! 

Well, what took 2 weeks to put up, came down in mere hours.   The Thomas family haunt has been packed away for another year, waiting for that witching hour to come down from the rafters and scare the snickers out of some new trick-or-treaters next year!!  

Happy Halloween!! 

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The Workout continues…

Posted on 16 October 2014 by huaiwarp.net

Well, I finally started the Captain America / Body-4-Life workout and after the 1st week, I can tell you that:

1.  I am sore beyond belief!

2.  Chris Evans is one bad mo-fo if he can actually complete ALL of the exercises!

3.  Did I mention I’m sore?

4.  I feel better for having done it!  

I stuttered, I sputtered, I stumbled, but when the engine finally turned over, I was able to complete a full week of the routine.  Now, when I say completed a full week, I mean of course, an abbreviated routine.  I still have some logistics to resolve before I can do certain exercises, such as  a pull-up.  It’s not that I can’t do one, its just that I have no where to do one!!  I checked the usual sporting good stores and all they have are the devices that “mount” over a door frame/jam and then what?  I hang down to my knees and try to do a pull-up?  I don’t think so.  Much less, I have no door frame in my exercise wing to attach it to!!  I think I may have to jerry-rig a pipe-type device to hang from my floor joists.  Maybe gas-line type pipes with the 90 degree corners and such…..the mental wheels are turning now my friends. Stay tuned for more! 

TTFN!

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End of the Camping Season is HERE!

Posted on 29 September 2014 by huaiwarp.net

Well, we finally made it to the end of the camping season.  The camper has been winterized, the linens have been washed and the supplies have been packed away for another year.  All that is left is to store it and cover it and wait for next year!!  But the camping story doesn’t end there, dear friends.  No, no, no.  You see, the dear wifey and I have begun strategic talks to replace the warm and homey and cramped and starting to see some wear camper.  The kids have decided that it is time too!

  They are tired, you see.  Tired of having to crawl over each other to get out of their bunk end.  Tired of fighting for space.  Tired of having to crane their neck to see the T.V.   We as parents are tired too!  Tired of the bickering and arguing, and if truth be told, they are tired of the same things just at the other end of the camper.  There are other reasons to be sure, but it is time.  

  So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our 2007 Surveyor, by Forest River.  It is a hybrid travel trailer with  the fold out bunk ends that make it look like a pop-up.  It gives that tent feel without feeling like your in a mobile home which Dad likes, when it’s warm out, but he absolutely HATES when it’s cold out.  He is the furthest from the furnace and that makes him the coldest too!  

  What next?  Well, we will put the camper on the market and try to get what we can, and look for something bigger?  Sure.  Better?  Well, I don’t think better, is the right word for it.  We will make it a home, just like we did with our Hybrid and we will make it ours.  So if anyone out there is interested, please contact me ASAP!

-Hua

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