WHY?

          “Sleepless in Hewitt” is how I would start this note. This morning about 3:00am I crawled out of bed to let Tejas out.  Each night he comes to my side of the bed (never Donna’s) to wake me up for some back scratching and ear rubbing. No, not for me, for Tejas. When all the scratching and rubbing is completed I watch him to see if he is going to lay down. Most of the time he doesn’t lay down, instead he goes to the foot of the bed and stands there.  This is his way of tell me he wants or needs to go outside. He has his own reason for going out; sometimes the other dogs are barking which indicates he must get outside fast to join in.  Other times it is either a nature call or he just wanted to patrol the back yard for a few minutes. Usually within 5 minutes he is ready to come back in.

Let’s get back to my original thought which was conjured up while lying in bed sleepless. I started wondering how you would answer a question.

Consider if you will, there is a charity fund raising event that you want to attend.

This is your favorite charity and you will participate in the event.

To raise money each participant will be given new walking shoes as an advertisement by a charity sponsor.

Another charity sponsor had donated identical back packs for each participant to carry during the walk.

Your friends as a group have pledged $100.00 for each mile you walk wearing the new shoes and carrying the back pack.

You intend to walk 10 miles raising $1000.00 for the charity.

In the back pack you must carry 30 pounds. None of the 30 pounds may be removed during the walk.

You have a choice of carrying sand, rocks, gold, mud or feathers.

Regardless of the item you chose it will be 30 pounds.

             Which item would you have in your pack and why?

From the almost awake mind of   Don Ford

Thanks.

Answer  

It is your decision so whatever you answer is correct.

Although, Gold has 12 ounces to a pound (Troy weight), so 30 pounds of gold would be 7.5 pounds lighter than 30 pounds of feathers that has 16 ounces to a pound.  I would carry gold as 30 pounds is 360 ounces and 30 pounds of any of the other items is 480 ounces.

Thanks and have a good day.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

Words

               As you know we are originally from Missouri and we are now Naturalized Texans. There are some differences when comparing “Missouri Speak” to the articulation of words from other states.

               One example of southern Missouri speak is; “jah ea jet” to which the proper response could be “no jew”.  As you can see the correct articulation would be “did you eat yet”, “no did you”. 

How about the Missouri word “ka-mera”.  Yes you got that on correct “come here”.

               Most of you know what “tar” is; it is a black sticky substance used to patch roads and sometime roofs. When it gets on your car it is hard to get off. In Missouri there are a couple other uses for the word “tar”.

1.     You have a “flat tar” on your car (tire).

2.     The antenna is on the “radio tar” (tower).

3.     I worked hard today and I am “tard” (tired). 

When I was a child I remember dad building things with “tober4” boards.  No one ever told me they were 2 by 4s. I was in the 8^th grade shop class before I understood 2 by 4.

               Did you eat your samich.  I like Ham and Cheese samiches (sandwiches).

Improper articulation of words may be the reason I can’t spell. Attempting to spell a word the way you think it is “pernounce” (pronounced) may cause problems. 

               Another reason I can’t spell is I learn by seeing and listening.  Imagine being in grade school and you are taking a spelling test. The teacher gives you the word “ran” and then she says, “The cat ran after the mouse”. In my head I would visualize the cat chasing the mouse but the word “ran” would not be in my head. 

               Missourians seldom believe anything they are told and often say, “You have to show me”. That is why Missouri is called “the show me state”.

               How many words do you articulate incorrectly?

From the non-spelling mind of     Don Ford      

 

Thanks.

 

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

 

 

 

End of the world

You may remember that I have commented about the end of the world. It is said that some prophets of old have predicted the end of the world in 2012.  It is also said that the Mayan Calendar predicts December 21st, 2012 as the end of the world.  The Mayan calendar ends on that day so the present day people that are "in the know", say it was the Maya's prediction that the world would come to an end.

I have told you of the shriveled black pecan that was still on our tree.  In the past I have wondered if it could be, when that shriveled black pecan finally falls to the ground, will that be the day the world ends?  Below is a photo of that pecan from January, 2011. 

As an update to the above, that shriveled black pecan is still on the tree and the tree is starting to bud out, see below.

That stubborn pecan may stay there forever.

               Have a good day.

Don Ford 

 

Flowers for a nice day

I was in the yard thinking about a new lawn mower.  I would like to have a rider to reduce the walking when mowing (what did you say, maybe I need the exercise). You could be right but I saw a few flowers blooming and I took some photos.

I know what you are thinking “Ford is an excellent photographer”.

 

From the camera of         Don Ford      

 

Thanks.

 

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

 

 

One neighbor’s lawn is mowed

As I sit here thinking about my day I am happy to say that one of my neighbors had their lawn mowed today.  I was in the computer room early this morning when I observed a yellow pickup pull up in front of the neighbor’s house.  Yes I have some cameras on the outside of my house and I can keep an eye on things without being outside.  I thought the truck was the fellow that comes through the neighborhood picking up junk metal. 

Last Monday morning I was sitting in my favorite rocker on the driveway near the garage door having a cup of coffee when this fellow stopped and asked if I had anything to haul off. I have given him items in the past so he will stop and ask when he sees me outside.  I had nothing this time but I knew the neighbor had an old tiller in his yard so I told him about the tiller.  The neighbor was not home so I did not go into his yard to get the tiller. The junk man said he would come back later.

Two guys got out of the pickup and carried some tools to the neighbor’s back yard. First they started cleaning up the limbs and other debris, putting some of the items in a pile and some in their pickup. They repaired the chain link fence and dug up parts of old fence post from a privacy fence that is long gone. They worked at this most of the day.  About 3:30 they started weed eating and mowing the yard. They must have missed some debris as the fellow using the mower kept hitting items as he mowed. To my surprise they mowed part of the ditch; this has never been mowed by anyone that has lived in that house. The two fellows did a good job but my yard looks better.  Now if the other neighbor would clean up his yard it would help make me happy.

Donna was at her garage sale again today and I am left at home all alone. She called a few minutes ago saying they were closing down but she did not know when she would be home. They were going out for supper and then she was going to the grocery store. I told her that was ok I could just eat another cold sandwich like I had for lunch.

I accomplished a couple things today while I was all alone (are you feeling sorry for me yet); I painted the bathroom door, I mowed my yard, I picked up a couple small piles of twigs and put them in the trash can, I took two showers and I watched a black and white movie during lunch. I did not get a nap today. L

Tejas met a new dog this afternoon, his name was Teddy.  Teddy was loose and running through the neighborhood causing all the dogs in their pens to bark continually.  Tejas has never met a dog that he doesn’t like.  Teddy was very friendly and decided to hang around with Tejas. Teddy was well groomed so I knew he had an owner. Tejas, Teddy and I waited in the front yard for about 20 minutes then the minivan pulled up looking for Teddy. The fellow said Teddy had gotten out twice today.  The fellow would not come in the yard saying he did not want to get bitten by Tejas.

Now I must start thinking about bed time.  Good night all.

 

From the never ending thoughts of Don Ford      

 

Thanks.

 

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

                 

 

Follow up to;

Plumbing; is it a Necessary Evil?

               The next morning (Thursday) after the repair was completed, the labor returned to fill the hole with cement which would complete the job and exact more money from me. My wife was participating in the garage sale and I was left, “home alone”.  Sounds like a title for a Christmas movie.

               It had been suggested that I could paint some of the doors from our house.  I typically remove the door and take it to the garage to do the painting. As you may know, Thursday is my day to ride somewhere for lunch and Wayne had suggested we ride to Glen Rose, Texas to have some BBQ.  Glen Rose is an 80 mile ride one way and Wayne wanted to meet at 11:30.  I agreed to the ride knowing I had some painting to do before I could go. I removed the door from the front bath room and from my closet and took them to the garage.  The first paint brush I picked up was stiff; obviously not cleaned properly by the last user (Ms. Ford). The 4 inch brush was clean and ready to use so I started my chores.

It is difficult to see the handsome gentleman doing the painting in this photo, but you can see the paint brush and the door that I had been ordered it had been suggested I paint.  

               Back to my original story; the labor put some rebar in the open hole in prep for the cement. I was checking his work when he pulled a wheelbarrow full of dry cement up on the porch.  I noticed that it was a tight fit and he was backed against the storm door, but I did not think anything of it at the time. I returned to my forced labor painting.  I finished painting the two doors and properly cleaned the paint brush. I needed to take a shower and I wanted to shut the doors.  There was an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the house and the wire ran through the front storm door. OK it did not go “through” the door, the cord was laid on the floor and the door was partly open. I unplugged the extension cord from inside the house and laid it on the porch noticing that the door would not close “%@#*&#@”. After several tries and the labor telling me the wood was pushing the door frame, I decide to get my shower and come back to this later. 

               After showering and putting on some clean clothes I returned to the front porch where we tried in vain to shut the door. I noted that the door worked properly this morning but not now. In the back of my mind I knew it had something to do with the labor. We were able to force the door shut. I said I need to leave I will look at it later.  As I turned to walk away I looked at the fresh cement, to our surprise Tejas’ feet prints were in it, about 4 inches deep.  Yes, Tejas had walked through the cement with all 4 feet. It was kind of like an old time comedy to me, but probably not the labor.

               Tejas went to the back yard and I hopped on the motor cycle and headed out to meet Wayne.  Glen (neighbor across the street) could not go with us this time but wished he could because it was supposed to be warm and no wind. Glen was wrong; the winds were strong during the entire ride. I met Wayne at Spring Valley and we started the ride to Glen Rose. 

In Glen Rose there are a lot of dinosaur tracks and Dinosaur State Park.  Glen Rose is also known for the Nuclear power Plant.  Hammonds BBQ may be what they are best known for and that is where we had lunch. I must say their food is better than the Bunk House but it is more than twice as far from home. We had excellent food and the ride was outstanding except for the wind.

I returned home about 4:30 and thought I should take another look at the door. It still would not shut so I studied the door frame looking for any signs of damage. There was nothing to be found. Almost everyone knows how smart and observant I am; I found the problem.  The door frame was ok but the door had been hit at the door handle with the wheelbarrow handle, which warped the door about 3/8 inch. I don’t know about you but I usually say wheelbar not wheelbarrow.  I decided to attempt to pop the door back in place. I went to the garage and secured my rubber mallet.  As I drew back to hit the door I prayed that the glass would not shatter. I could not blame a broken glass on the labor.  With one properly place impact, of exactly the right amount of force, the door popped back in place and it would shut again.

After all that I went to my rocker in the drive way and sit there enjoying the afternoon.

From the never ending thoughts of            Don Ford      

Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

Plumbing; is it a Necessary Evil?

               It all started when Donna noted that the drain in the bathtub was loose. The bathtub is in the front bath room and does not get used very often. Having worked as a plumber’s helper in my formative years I knew that a loose drain was not a good thing. 

               As I remember it, I did not explain in detail to Donna what a loose drain could do, or that loose drains allowed water to leak out and could cause all types of damage, instead, “I instantly went to the bathroom to investigate” (Donna has a different version).  I observed the drain then I reached in to wiggle the drain and it came out.  Yep the chrome part of the drain in the tub was not connected to the drain pipe below. The chrome part has threads and should screw into the drain pipe. Further investigation showed that it had never been connected (screwed into the drain pipe).

This bath was remodeled about 10 years ago and it appears that they set the drain pipe under the drain from the tub and put a lot of putty on and around it.  The threads on the chrome part of the drain were covered in putty which indicates they were never threaded in. I put my finger in the hole to see if the drain pipe would move and it did, it fell out of sight. That was not good at all. I had to call “the plumber”.  He charged me $39.50 to tell me what I already knew. We would need to break up the front porch then dig under the foundation to get to the tub drain.  

The next day they arrived with a labor to do the dirty work. He knew what he was doing but he was not a fast worker. I am not complaining; if I were attempting to do that work it would have taken me a week.  Who am I kidding; I would never have gotten that work done. I did learn that this fellow liked to talk and I should stay away since I was paying by the hour.

Below; The hole that was jack hammered into the porch, broken up cement removed.

Below; the same hole after he dug a lot of the dirt out. At this point he was able to get totally under the house. He showed me the drain pipe that should have been connected one end to the tub and the other to the drain line; it was not connected to anything.

               Donna is getting ready for a garage sale that will be held at “The York’s” house. Our garage is full of things to be sold and she has explained that she will need to make at least two trips to get all the junk merchandise to the “York’s”.  I would be happy to help her but; I need to stay at home due to the plumbing work.

               Back to the plumbing; there is a man in that hole with his head and shoulders under the house.

They had to pump water out of the hole and then they placed a tarp on the wet ground then they lay on the tarp.  The water came back and they got wet. Once finished they pushed the dirt back in the hold and someone will come out tomorrow to put cement back in the hole.

               How much did it cost, too much. I could have made a down payment on a new car with what we paid. We will be eating smaller portions of dog and cat food for a while.

From the never ending thoughts of            Don Ford      

Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

                 

            Art work by Gabi, a young budding artists.

The drawing is of Gabi on the left and a friend in her class on the right.

Below we see how the artwork was used by the school in an invitation to parents.

Thanks

Be safe,stay healthy,take naps and enjoy your family and friends.

                 

Stick #15

When you have almost nothing to do you look for anything to keep you busy. I found that I could make walking sticks from limbs I cut from my trees.

Photo below is of me and stick #15 as it starts its conversion.  why call it stick #15, my wife suggested I mnumber them. The first step is to pick a stick. #15 at the start is approx. 64 inches tall.

Then I start to remove the outer bark using a large knife; it is easy to hold and it holds a good edge.

I have wondered what the neighbors think when an old man sits in his driveway with a large hunting knife.

Most of the work is completed sitting in my rocker on the drive way. Removing the bark makes a big mess. I never know what to expect as I remove the bark and each stick is different. The wood is usually light in color when the bark is removed. 

I use a saw to remove larger limb-stumps and as the unit is getting close to being finished I sometimes cut it to the preferred size. I also use a wood rasp and sand paper to round off and smooth the wood. Each unit must be smooth to the touch.

After cutting a small amount off the large end I also cut about a foot from the small end, # 15 is now 54 inches long. The foot long piece may become a handle to a wood mallet.

To stain a walking stick I use a torch and lightly burn the wood.

Below: I have started to varnish this stick; you may be able to see the difference between one coat and no varnish. The first coat has a tendency to soak in.

After: The stick has 3 coats of varnish and has a finished appearance. 

I have a friend in Missouri (Gerald) who makes walking sticks and canes and he is a true artist. I am happy with my walking sticks but his are real nice.   

Above is a photo taken by Gabi; she is 5 years old. The photo is very good and shows her ability to use a camera.  She is a lot like her grandpa, smart and a good photographer. The walking stick #15 is also in the photo.

Thanks  

Don Ford

Be safe,stay healthy,take naps and enjoy your family and friends.

                

                  

Positive Attitude

 If we don’t have one, we should get one; “Positive Attitude”. 

               Our garbage man started me to thinking about the subject of, “Positive Attitude”, and this article is about him.

The fellow that picks up our garbage every Monday is a young man possibly late 20s or early 30’s.  I had the opportunity to speak with him when I had about 20 bags of shredded leaves and grass clippings.  Basically the garbage collectors are supposed to take what is in the trash container and not pick up any additional bags.

               One day I waited for the garbage truck to arrive. I indicated that I want to speak to the driver and he stopped the truck, got out so we could talked. As he dismounted the vehicle he had a big smile and reached out to shake hands. He is not a tall man and he is premature balding. We had a short conversation about the bags and he explained how we would handle them saying he would pick up 5 bags at a time until we had them all gone.

               The next week I put 5 bags out along with the trash container.  The garbage truck picked up only the trash container.  I was somewhat confused. We had agreed that I would put 5 bags out and he would take them. I called the City of Hewitt, who in turned called the trash company, who in turn called me.  They apologized saying there was a different driver and he did not know of the agreement. They asked if it would be ok if they came by on Thursday and picked them up.  We agreed on Thursday.  Thursday came, two trucks arrived at our house at the same time, and the bags were picked up.

               A week later the original driver was on the route.  After loading the trash on the truck he got out of the truck, petted Tejas, and then we talked.  He started with a big smile and a hand shake.  He began to tell me that he was going to train on a different type of garbage truck.  The one he operates now is a one person truck; this truck has a mechanical arm the reaches out and picks up the container then dumps in in the hopper and replaces the container at the curb. The new truck he will train on picks up the open top containers (that are located at business such as restaurants) using two arms in front of the truck, lifting it over the cab and dumping it into the back of the truck. He was literally bubbling with enthusiasm, the positive attitude was contagious. He went on to say, I will later be trained on the trucks the pick up the roll-off containers. A roll-off is a large contained that are attached to a building and have a compactor that pushes the trash in to the container.

               My focus of this story is, his positive attitude, his willingness to learn, the overt optimism. This person collects our garbage, a job that most of us would look down on and yet his attitude and optimism was infectious. I could feel myself getting excited listening to him.   

More people need the garbage man’s positive attitude, his happy disposition, a pleasant smile and his willingness to learn.  Just imagine what a company could do if one out of 5 of their employees were as positive and happy as the garbage man.

From the never ending thoughts of Don Ford      

Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

   

                                         

                                                                                                                   

                  

            March Madness?

Not yet “Sweet 16”, but defiantly part of “March Madness”. 

                 

Sniper

    Sniper

A true story by Don Ford

        It was in the mid-1980s, early December when this story takes place. The weather was normal for this area; temperatures ranged from freezing at night to upper 40s in the day. The coldest time was just before dawn, the wind usually was still and the cold seemed to penetrate every part of your body.

            Our base camp was about a mile off the main road and within a quarter mile of an old abandon house that had not been occupied for probably 10 or 15 years. The house set about a hundred feet off an old dirt road which had occasional local traffic. It would have been good if we could have used the old house especially on the nights when it was raining, but we would be seen by the locals.

            It has been my experience that working in two person groups was normal although some prefer to work totally alone. This time we had two teams of two. Each team had one shooter and one observer. You may have seen stories on TV about snipers and the long shots they have made; well our teams did not make any shots that would be considered a record. We were in the field for one reason; we wanted to make a single shot resulting in a kill.

Our initial reconnaissance of the area provided two excellent locations to mask our presence and allow unobstructed view of the surrounding area. There were two frequently traveled trails that led along a creek near a pond of water (is it pond or tank).  When I first moved to Texas a new friend had asked if I wanted to go fishing.  He said his father had a nice tank on his farm with lots of fish. Being from Missouri “The Show Me State” I could not envision fishing in a metal tank.  He “showed me” the tank which was a very nice pond (in Texas a tank is a pond).

Back to my original thought; both teams had established unobstructed fields of fire with each team covering the different but adjoining area. It took a couple days of careful work to conceal our locations. Our concealed areas were small and not comfortable. The best thing about our location was it provided some protection from the wind that was usually out of the south west. 

We would move away from base camp before day light each morning, quietly move into position and would set almost motionless throughout the day.  If you have ever tried to sit almost motionless for any period of time you know it is difficult to do and boring. 

            My partner was younger than me and this was his first time to actually be involved in a real attempt to kill.  He had received all the necessary training and indoctrination but all the training in the world may not prepare a person for their first kill.  To conceal yourself for hours and possibility days, then the opportunity presents itself you pull the trigger.  “One shot, one kill”. I could see the excitement and yes, some stress in his actions. He was able to stay still and he was exceptionally quite which I found very reassuring.

We had seen our intended target Sunday about 9:30 AM and even though he was in range, it was not the perfect opportunity. Sunday after dark we made our way back to base came which was canceled in a cedar break; it was the time for a good warm meal and a warm dry sleeping bag. We only had a couple more days of opportunity and if we were not successful, we would have to leave.  It would not be the first time for me to leave without meeting the objective. I wanted to be successful for my partner to see how he would react to his first kill.  In some situations, the first kill is the last kill. Some are not able to actually take a life and consider it as an acceptable situation.  

Sitting still for long periods, birds will land on and around you. To see a sparrow sitting on the barrow of your rifle indicated that you have blended in with your surroundings.  Squirrels will play within inches of your gun, which would never happen if you were actually squirrel hunting. There were two squirrels chasing each other almost on top of us, reminding me of days past when as a boy my friend Steve and I would go squirrel hunting with 22 cal. Rifles. We always did a lot of shooting but seldom bagged a squirrel.

As this morning progressed we were sitting motionless when there was a single shot from the other team’s location. My partner and I looked at each other wondering; had the mission been successful?  We were ready at our location just in case the other team had failed. It is possible that had they missed, we might get a shot. 

A minute passed, then two which seemed like an hour. Finally from the other team we heard, “Dad we have one down”. 

My son Patrick had made his first kill of a white tail buck.  My son David (my partner) and I got out of our dear stand and walked to where Patrick and his buddy were located.  They had a nice 6 point buck.

An interesting part to this tale is; I had told Patrick and his buddy to get in their stand and stay there, do not get out of the stand.  Patrick’s buddy had to take a dump (#2) and was actually out of the deer stand about 50 feet behind the stand when the kill shot was made.  Patrick told me the Buck was following a doe and was not aware of anything else.

The story is true, with very little exaggeration.

From the never ending thoughts of Don Ford      

Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

       Be safe,stay healthy,take naps and enjoy your family and friends.

                 

Focus of Photo

 

The subject in the photo, although a handsom older gentelman, is not the focuse of this photo. How did you like the use of the word “focus” when talking about the photo. 

Anyway, back to my original thought, my 5 year old grand daughter took this photo at my request.  I wanted to get a photo of me with the walking stick. Gabi is smart beyond her years, she takes after her grandpa (me).

 

          Thanks

 

 

                 Don Ford                                

 

                 

 

Retired Not Starved

Retired Not Starved

How to survive on Social Security 

Being retired and living on a small social security check means one has to give up many things. When you don’t work and don’t have a weekly check you have to improvise and cut back.  Obviously the cell phones have to go and the cable vision must be reduced to basic service. For us, being old and retired, eating out had to stop also.  We use to enjoy going out each Friday evening for supper but these SS checks make it tough to enjoy a hamburger at a fast food restaurant so a nice meal at a restaurant is out of the question. It is somewhat embarrassing to go to a fast food restaurant and order a kids hamburger without fries and have to drink water all because you are now on social security.

            I have been told there are some excellent web sites that have some real good recipes using canned dog and cat food. You can make a nice pot of chili using caned Alpo. The key is adding the right spices.  If you use the cheap dog food the chilly might seem somewhat greasy.

            The cat food can be used when you have friends over, just spread the cat food on crackers and it looks like and expensive pate’.  Don’t try making pate’ with the cheap cat food as it smells and you guests will know it is cat food. Some of the cheap cat food smells like sardines which is not all bad because I like real sardines but your friends may not. The cheap cat food leaves you with very bad breath.

            I have gained 20 pounds since I retired and started eating the cat and dog food. My doctor suggested I could start exercising more and eating less but when I go for a walk now I want to stop and smell all the mail box post and telephone poles which may have something to do with eating the dog food.  The real problem occurs when I stop at the neighbor’s mail box and lift my leg to urinate on it.  Maybe I need to eat more cat food.

Some of the above may not be true.

From the never ending thoughts of     Don Ford      

Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

                 

A Hewitt Moon

A Hewitt Moon

Even though it was cloudy and rainy today, the moon decides to appear through the clouds.

March 7^th, 2012.

 

 

                 Don Ford                                 J

 

                 

 

The Ford Curse

The Ford Curse

No one knows exactly when it started but it is believed to have started around the time that the King of England banished the Fords from England to Ireland.  I don’t know all the reason but as I understand it, members of the Ford Family irritated the King of England in some manner and he sent them to Ireland. 

What; you want to know if Ireland had a choice or if they were happy; I don’t know if Ireland had a choice or if they were happy to have the Fords, check the history books. Ireland is most likely where the Fords acquired the red hair and possibility their temper.  I know it is hard to believe that any Ford would have a temper, but…  My mother told me that as a boy my dad had fire truck red hair and a face full of freckles.  A man that knew my dad as a boy said, “Your dad would rather fight that eat”.  Although there was red hair in our family my boys did not get the red hair.  Some relatives with the red hair considered it a curse but that is not the, “Ford Curse”.

               The phrase, “Ford Curse”, may have been around for years. Most recently it was brought back to life by Claire Ford.  Claire married into the family (wife of David) and even though not a blood relative, the Ford Curse will attach itself to anyone with the name Ford. 

               To explain in more detail the “Ford Curse” can and will bestow its self to non-Fords. This is done through frequent association with any member of the Ford Family.  As an example, last year in late May early June time frame, during a week-long vacation ride through New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, an outsider was cursed.  Jason and I rode our motorcycles through parts of 5 states and I must say it was very pleasant riding with temps ranging from 40s in the morning to highs of around mid-70s during the days.  Obviously it was somewhat cooler at 11,000 feet where we were above the snow line in the Rocky Mountains. As nice as it was at higher altitudes, it was hotter than blazes riding in Texas on the last day of the ride. 

We visited the Grand Canyon which was on my bucket list. Jason was able to see the house where his family lived, in New Mexico, when he was born.  During or ride to the Grand Canyon we experienced cross winds that were at 40 mph and gusting higher. If you have ever ridden a motorcycle in cross winds you will understand that it is not comfortable and not safe.  Motor homes and vehicles pulling camping trailers were also having trouble staying on the roads in the cross winds and there was dust or sand in the air.

At some point in time I had explained to Jason about the “Ford Curse”. I believe we were in Clovis New Mexico which was the last night of the ride when Jason acknowledged the curse.  As you can imagine, although I was somewhat surprised, it was not a complete shock to me that the Ford Curse has acquired a new victim.   Some of you may know I ride at least weekly throughout the summer months with Jason, Wayne, Glen and others, so naturally I had assumed at least one if not all of them may succumb to the “Ford Curse”.  Jason is the only rider in our group that does not have a Gold Wing motorcycle. I don’t believe that has much if any bearing on why the “Ford Curse” picked him. 

Ø  I have noticed that the youngest Fords show more evidence of the curse. 

Ø  Age seems to reduce the consequence of the “Ford Curse”. 

Ø  The “Ford Curse” usually manifests itself when sitting at the table.

Ø  It will manifest itself when sitting in a recliner.

The “Ford Curse” defined; “the inability to keep food or drink that should go into your mouth, off your clothing.” 

Now that you understand the “Ford Curse” you may experience the effects and liabilities of having food or drink on your clothing.  

 

From the never ending thoughts of Don Ford      

 

Thanks.

 

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

                 

 

Good Looking

Good Looking?

 

 

          Is he good looking and well behaved, you bet he is and Alex is also.  Alex on the left Tejas on the right.

 

       Be safe,stay healthy,take naps and enjoy your family and friends.

 

 

                 

 

My Rocker

This is the rocker I refinished last summer and it is my favorite rocker for getting new ideas or thinking of things of the past.

       Be safe,stay healthy,take naps and enjoy your family and friends.

                 Don Ford                                 J

                 

The 13th

The “13^th”

As some of you know I occasionally make walking sticks out of old limbs that I have cut from my trees.  Today I was giving a second coat of varnish to a walking stick that is number 13. Although some people think the number 13 is unlucky, I have though it was just a number. I asked my wife what I should do with stick number 13.  Stop, no she did not tell me that, get you mind out of the gutter. She suggested I send it to Dalton, a friend in Mesquite NV.  Dalton use to take off each Friday 13^th, you could say he was superstitious.  Dalton truly felt that Friday the 13^th was unlucky. 

Dalton and I worked for the same company and it happened that we had to travel on a Friday the 13^th.  As if working at all on the 13^th wasn’t bad enough for Dalton, flying just made it worse. When we arrived at the airport our tickets indicted we were seated in row 13.  For Dalton things were getting worse.  

The flight left Austin Texas without any problems but as the flight ascended to about 10,000 feet the pilot announced that he would deploy the landing because instruments showed the brakes were hot and needed to be cooled off.  We all kind of assumed that meant a fire in the brakes.  There was some noise and the flight was a little rough while the landing gear was deployed.  The flight landed in Chicago without incident.  After that flight Dalton did not have a problem with Friday 13^th, he even started working on Friday the 13^th.

               This afternoon I decided to put a second coat of varnish on #13 walking stick.  It was Donna’s idea to number the sticks as I made them, NO she doesn’t have all the ideas; it was my idea to photograph and catalog them. 

#13 stick doesn’t have any unusual marking other that it has an “L” mark that was probably caused by a worm. I had put my chair next to a small table in the garage.  My coffee and a couple tools on were also on the table.  I opened the Can of varnish and started applying it to #13.  I was about half way through the process when instead of putting the paint brush in the varnish can; I dipped it in my coffee cup.  Yes, that was not a smart move.  Now what to do?  I could clean the brush or I could get a different brush.  “Don’t get ahead of me, I’ll tell this story”, I decided to do neither.  I took the brush that had been in my coffee and dipped it into the varnish.  I could not tell any difference in the look when the varnish/coffee was applied. Stop trying to get ahead of me on this story; I don’t know if coffee is better with a little varnish, I go a new cup of coffee. 

               Sorry I do not have a photo of the walking stick since it isn’t finished yet.

       From the never ending thoughts of “Don Ford “,     

                   Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

   PS   After writing this article I checked the number on the stick and it was actually #14 but I liked the article and did not change it.