Today is Anthony's birthday!!
Happy Birthday, Anthony!!

Today is Michelle's birthday!!
Happy Birthday, Michelle!!

Today is Vincent's birthday!!
Happy Birthday, Vincent!!

Well, we managed to do it again. Rode out another tornado.

This is the fourth major one. Actually, this one skipped and jumped around instead of following a relatively straight line. No deaths. No houses lost. A large number of barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed.

As usual, funny things happened. A man behind us lost his barn and chicken coop, but not a single horse or chicken was injured. The barn was lifted up and tossed about a quarter of a mile. But the horses standing in it just got rained on.

As for us, I was the stupid one again. Stood by the back windows watching as the debris swirled around in 80 MPH winds and saw our sign for the business get picked up and thrust into the large tree just off the driveway. Put a good size hole in the tree and demolished the sign. Splintered wood everywhere. I had told mom to take Michelle and the kids into the "safe closet" we have set aside for just these kinds of events, then sat down in my chair and watched as it tore apart into the long shed. This time I heard the tearing metal, those who don't know about the tearing metal story from the last time I did this, check with someone who does. Got pretty sick when I heard the molds go. But, as tornados go, this was a pretty minor one.

For those of you who have heard that a tornado can snap a tree like a twig, take a look at photo "I". That was a 40 foot tall, 5 foot around elm tree that was in our front yard by the street. After the storm it was stretched from where it broke in our yard, across Western, and into the fence of the field across the road from us. It took 6 men about 3 hours in the middle of last night, until about 2 or 3 am, to cut it up enough to clear the road. This while I was out in the middle of the street with my little flash light turning around people in cars that were too stupid to see all the flashing lights from the police cars and a wrecker and figure out something might be blocking the road.

"Some" of the debris can be seen in photos "H" and "J", but it really doesn't do justice to the actual amount of wood and branches that litter both sides of the road from our mailbox into the yard of our neighbor to the South on our side of the road and about half that amount on the opposite side of the road.

Another "snapped" tree can be seen in photo "L". Some of the smaller "branches" that were torn off and tossed for hundreds of yards in some cases can be seen in photo "G". "F" is another of those snapped like a twig trees, although this one was only about 2 or 3 feet around.

As for us, other than the aforementioned loss of trees and branches, far too many to show, the long shed lost parts of its roof at both ends, photo "M" and the left door is just propped up. The tool cabinet that was up against the house and FULL of heavy tools was flipped upside down and literally emptied, photo "A", our "addition" or what most of you refer to as a tent, was torn to shreds, the canopy is nowhere within a quarter mile in any direction and we stopped looking after that, photo "C", two heavy duty pallet racks, full of molds weighing 50-75 pounds each (it started out covered with a tarp that was tied down, needless to say, it is gone) were dumped over, breaking some molds and others don't have a scratch, photo "D", and then there is the who woulda thunk photo, "K", another tree torn up from its roots, this one dropped across the driveway and we had to have it cut up before we could get out today, but everything you see that is green, all is part of the fallen, still to be chopped up tree, and that little white thing, that is a bowl that we had set out on the back porch.

We lost the big TV in the family room, sound, no picture, and worse of all, NO WHERE, could I reach our insurance company. May have to rethink who we use next year.

"B" is what is left of the fence on the side of the drive, and of course we are trying to salvage and dry out things that were soaked from everywhere that got opened up.

But, the good news is that everyone is safe, and yes, I will probably watch the next one go by too. They are just too fascinating to miss.

Dad

Posted on: Sunday, May 30, 2004

      LOVE OF LIBERTY

Lord Jesus, thou who art the way, the truth, and the life; hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make all free.

Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived.

Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books.

It costs too much to be hoarded.

Help us see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please to do what is right.

~Rev. Peter Marshall
U.S. Senate Chaplain
1947-1949

 I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO SAY shhhh (31)

I WILL NOT ACCEPT THAT MY YOUNGEST SON IS 31 . . . THIS IS JUST A REALLY BAD DREAM . . .

BUT, EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE REALLY OLD!!!

 Happy Birthday

William!  have fun and enjoy.  We love you!  Hope school and everything else are going well.

 PAT . . . MAY TODAY BE ONLY A SHORT PAST WITH A LONG FUTURE AHEAD . . .

THIS IS WHY WE GOT MARRIED  . . . . I KNEW YOU WOULD FORGET HALF OF WHAT I SAID . . . .

Mom and I met 40 years ago Sunday. We married 35 years ago today. Mom has forgotten at least 10 anniversaries . . . probably more . . . It is supposed to be the husband who messes them up.

So, to the kids without whom our lives would be less fulfilled, . . .

To the grandkids we are doing our best to spoil . . . .

To a wife who, when grandma Crawford was alive called "the Bobbsey Twins"because we were almost always together, in spirit if not side by side, (Most of you will probably have to look on Google to see who they are.)

To a wife who has laughed with me as we finished each others thoughts and/or words . . . or for that matter, just laughs with me . . . (Okay, at me as well.) . . .

To a wife who has steadfastly stood at my side, not just when we were without challenge, but every time SHE KNEW I needed her most, whether I knew or not . . .

To a wife who struggled to make a home and happy life for six kids who she (we) said our sole purpose in raising them was to know if something ever happened to us, each would be able to face the world with confidence and an attitude of "THERE IS NOTHING OUT THERE I CAN'T DO!!!) . . . and each can . . .

And to not only my wife and partner, not just here and now, but forever and ever . . . the only woman in the world I could ever say is hands down, my VERY best friend. . . .

May everyone reading this post, family or not, find a soul mate who is so much a part of you that whether you are holding hands together or 25,000 miles apart, you remain one in the universe around you as we do, with nothing separating us in mind and spirit, only time and space  . . .

To my wife . . . I an SO happy you took a chance on me, blemishes and all . . . you stood by when needed and gave a little shove when needed, (Okay, sometimes a REALLY hard push.) and let us evolve into who we are . . . two as one . . .

Not recalling the number of year we have been together is nothing compared to knowing we will always be together, throughout time, two as one  . . .

Pat, you are, and without hesitation I say, will always be . . .

MLLB

 oh geeezzz..

You guys get so hung up on dates...59/60...30/35...it's not the years the count, but what you do in them...(whew....got out of that one!)

 Ummm...am I not counting right?

I thought this was 35 years?

 Happy Anniversary!

 30 years....wow

As I was standing there next to Dad 30 years ago, I knew I loved him, I knew I wanted to spend my life with him and raise a family with him. I knew it would be exciting, full of work, but with lots of good times and love. What I didn't fully understand was how much our love would grow and change over the course of the next 30 years.

Today, it is SO much bigger, the depth is so much deeper and the friendship is so much broader. He truly is my very best friend.

We have been through all the words of the vows, the richer and poorer, the sickness and health etc, but still it doesn't matter...as long as we are doing whatever it is together, then the world is right.

Thank you, my husband, for making my life the envy of many woman and for always being there for me. I love you more than you can know (but you do..:) )

 Just trying this to see if it works....

This should be posting a link to the Kohl's Cares site where you can vote for my school to get $500,000.  Please go vote!

 Some Corrections To Frankie's Post

I have just posted a revision of Frankie's original post. Most of the things changed were typographical and grammar. I did make some changes that more accurately describe what Frankie has himself said to me.

In my last post I think my views are clear.

 For Those Of You Who Have No Clue About My Last 8 Months

I am going to lay it all out for all to know why my attitude is not right towards other family member right now so here goes:

 I didn't know...

I knew most of what you described - but not the extent!  Goodness gracious!

I love reading this post though - it's awesome to "hear" the passion you have for your family.  Truly awesome. 

I have this image of you in my mind from back when we were in middle/highschool... and to juxtapose that image with the image you paint of yourself in recent years is... well, it's cool.

Certainly makes me wish we lived closer to you guys - I really believe my boys are missing out by not having a relationship with their Aunt, Uncle & cousin! (although JJ still talks about all 3 of you)

We certainly need to see what we can to plan a trip to Colorado!