Welding Class

So, I'm going to be taking a welding class this spring from Katy ISD's evening continuing education class. I'm taking it with my good friend Tom. It's six three hour classes held on Wednesdays. It doesn't start until late March, but I can't help but lookup the gear I'll need for the class.

The teacher says I have to have a welding helmet, welding gloves, safety glasses, long sleeve cotton/denim shirt, full length cotton/denim pants and enclosed denim/leather shoes. I got the pants and shoes covered.  Here's what I'm looking at for the rest of the personal protection equipment.

I think I'd like a light weight welding jacket that I can also use for wood turning. I found this one on Amazon. It's not too expensive and it looks kind of "snazzy".

Welding Jacket

For the gloves I found these. They are some of the thinner gloves that I found. I'm ordering them plenty early, so if I don't like them I can return them.

Welding Gloves

This is the helmet I'm looking at. It’s an “Amazon’s Choice” with 4.5 stars, 820 reviews and 90 answered questions. I haven’t ordered one yet, I’ll probably get one early next month. One of the reviewers said you can purchase magnifying lenses for the helmet. He said he bought some 2x and it really helped his “50 year old eyes”. I have 50+ year old eyes!

Welding Helmet

Jacket link: http://amzn.to/2C8XJcT

Glove link: http://amzn.to/2BQeM7Z

Helmet link: http:// amzn.to/2nQM5yY

RANT.

I'm tired of the dung heap belief that “caring for the poor” is giving other people’s money to the poor. That's crap and that's what politicians do. Dear Joe B. politician, if you truly “care for the poor”, take your hand out of my wallet and stick it where the “sun don't shine”, your own dang wallet. Taxes are taken from individuals through the threat of force. Stop forcing people to give to your favorite cause. How about giving away some of your own money!

What's crazy, I mean really crazy, to the point of being crazy stupid, is thinking that Mr. Joe B. politician is compassionate. Come on, it's real easy to give away someone else's money. How compassionate is that?

How do you care for the poor? By caring for your neighbor! If you let your neighbor’s house get repossessed and you didn’t help, shame on you. If your neighbor is going bankrupt from medical bills and you didn’t help, shame on you. If your neighbor can’t put food on their table and you didn’t help, shame on you. If you don’t know your neighbor . . . well, you know the rest.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:2-4 NIV

Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Matthew 19:21

They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Acts 2:45

Notice how Jesus taught, "when you give", "sell your possessions".  It's about YOU doing.  Come on, let's stop looking to big brother government to do what we should be doing.

It raining, it pouring . . .

We've has some ferocious rain this morning. Flooded streets are everywhere. I can't leave work. The home street is flooded, and my home has a leak in the roof! Yuck.

Conspiracy

"Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them."
Isaiah 8:12

I love this verse for several reasons.

First, it reminds me that "conspiracy" has been used for thousands of years, probably for all time, to frighten us

Second, it reminds me that everything is NOT a conspiracy.

Third, it reminds me to live differently, not "like they do".

Verse 13 tells us how to live.

"Make the Lord of Heaven's Armies holy in your life.
He is the one you should fear.
He is the one who should make you tremble."


Thanks brother Peter for sharing this verse with me.

Love and Justice

So far, I've only seen reports, in the news media, about Americans rejoicing over the death of Osama Bin Laden. I find those reports troubling. I understand the desire for justice. I understand rejoicing at justice, but justice is not God's greatest and highest cause, redemption is the greater cause. Like my wife said, and many others of my church family have echoed. We rejoice over God's redemption. We morn death.

“But love your enemies, do good to them . . .” Jesus (Luke 6:35)

I don't think you can rejoice at the death of someone you have been called to love.

Really?

Sweet

Sweet, lovely, new snack, at least for me.  Ya gotta have the red pepper.

Use money to make friends. (aka Being Generous)

With most Christians that I've used this line with, they are very leery, even offended by that statement.  I admit, I phrase it this way to make them think.  To shock them, because it just sounds wrong. Kind of like buying friends and everyone “knows” that's wrong, don't we, yet Jesus said it. Not only does he say to use money to make friends, but if you do there are eternal benefits.  

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9

When you think about it, it kind of sounds like what Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler in Luke 18. In that passage Jesus said,

“You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Luke 18:22

Use wealth to gain friends → eternal dwellings.

Give everything away → treasure in heaven.

I'm beginning to think that Jesus wants his followers to be generous! It's also a little interesting in how Zacchaeus responded to Jesus. He didn't give it all away, but he gave away more than half.

“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 
 

“Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:8-9

I don't propose to suggest that Zacchaeus' giving away so much of his wealth earned him salvation, but I do suggest that his salvation prompted him to give away his money. Meeting Jesus made him generous.

Go forth and be generous.  Help your fellow man.

Blessings,

Byron

Running without shoes

It's been awhile since I read Born To Run. It's about barefoot running. At the time, I tried to run barefoot in my neighborhood, but the cement streets, being over 40 years old, are too rough on the old soles. A few weeks ago, I had an idea on how I could overcome the rough streets and still run barefoot or at least almost barefoot. I made my own "running shoes". I took a pair of old socks and sprayed the bottom of them with "Plasti Dip". The Plasti Dip came from Home Depot and was only $5.98 for the can.


They are working pretty well. I've used them a half dozen times for walking and running. Sunday I did 4.5 miles total (running and walking) in them. I did blister up a bit, but I think that will stop once my feet get used to going barefoot, since the blisters are the same for both feet.

PS: I hope my wrinkly old feet didn't scare you!

Drive -Thru Prayer

I'm not quite sure what to think of this, Drive-Thru Prayer. I don't recall Jesus having many "drive by" encounters. He usually spent time with the people that He helped and in some instances He even engaged in follow up.

There were lots of people manning the Drive-Thru Prayer. Look at all the big red signs. Interesting, but I don't think I'm ever going to be using their services.

Remodeling . . . again

Here's a couple of views from the "library" room, previously the formal dinning room, through the new dinning room, previously known as the formal living room, to the foyer.

We've greatly widened the opening from the library to the dinning room and made it an arch. For the opening from the foyer to the dinning room we've added french doors.

It's been a lot of work, but finally you can start to see what it's going to look like.

Still to do.
1. crown molding
2. window casement
3. door trim
4. window trim
5. paint all the crown, casement, trim, and French door
6. second coat of paint for the walls
7. new electric plugs, switches, and wall plates
8. new door for the new pocket door
9. new front door
10. put in the wood floors
11. put in the baseboards and flinch blocks
12. paint the baseboards and flinch blocks
13. clean, clean, clean!

It will be nice once it's finally done.

Sharpstown Sunday Service and Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine

It was hard, hot, long, and dirty work, but with a few friends, it was great.

Brenda and I hit the streets at around six in the morning. We were soon joined by six others. We weed eated (is that a word), edged, mowed, picked up lots of trash, shoveled, and swept up.

The list of Hornwood Heroes: Dean, Roberto, Maria, Abram, Vic, and Benny. Thank you all for helping.

We got about half of the street mowed. Maybe next weekend we will get the rest of the street done. Maybe we'll do it on Saturday.

Here's an after shot.

The varmints won

I had nine apples on my two apple trees. Six on one and three on the other. When I was down to only three, I gave up and picked the last three from the tree. Me, I got 1/3rd of the harvest, those little no good, apple stealing varmints, they got 2/3rds of the harvest. Those bunch of free loaders. I picked them green and they are in the kitchen window ripening up.

Sharpstown Sunday Service at Six to Seven

Well, I couldn't take it any more. At six o'clock this morning, I walked to Fondren and Moonmist and cleaned up the Fondren left turn lane. I'm jealous of those neighborhoods that have beautiful medians and clean streets. We don't have either. So, this morning I tried to help change that.

I took a broom, shovel, and a five gallon pail to cleanup the trash that accumulates in the left turn lane of Fondren. There are lots of left turn lanes and all of them are trashy, but I figured I could at least clean up one of them. Who knows maybe others will join.

The job wasn't hard, but man did I underestimate the amount of trash!!! I had to go back home to get a full size trash can and bags. I filled up three large trash bags. But, now at least the left turn lane at Fondren and Moonmist is no longer strewn with trash.

It felt good. I hope others will join in and soon we will have a beautiful street.





PS: My wonderful wife is trying to help inspire people to help. She created a handbill to encourage our neighbors to help. This evening she distributed it to 49 homes in the neighborhood. Maybe something will come of this.

Father's Day Gift

This is a picture of my Fathers Day gift from my lovely daughter. It is an insulated glass with a motorcycle on one side and my name on the other. If you notice, it comes with a top where I can put a straw. It is a very lovely cup, but . . . Is my daughter trying to tell me something? Is that why she gave me a "sippy cup" for Fathers Day? I'm not old yet. :) I'm really not.

Love you Anisha and thanks for the lovely gift. It has already saved the day.

Disaster in the Apple Trees

Some unwelcome varmint is stealing my apples. I've lost three of the nine apples. That dastardly, no good, bushwhacking, varmint is not going to be happy if I catch'em. What's that click you hear . . . could if be a round being chambered?

Cat Toys Treasure Trove.

Our cat loves to play with the plastic rings and tops from the milk jugs we buy. When I'm opening a gallon of milk, I often throw the plastic ring to Shim and he goes nuts playing with it. I've always wondered where they go. Today I found out. We moved our couch, to get ready for the US vs England world cup game, and look what we found! A cat toy treasure trove.

Apple Trees

Last winter (2009) I planted two apple trees in my back yard. Houston is not know for growing apples, but I thought I'd give it a try. I planted an Anna and a Dorset.

This year they have bloomed and I have apples! Here's a series of pictures of their progress.

February 20th, blossoms just start to open.

March 4th, more blossoms.

March 25th, apples the size of marbles.


April 20th, they are the size of golf balls.

May 10th, don't the just look great!

June 2nd, almost there

June 2nd, notice the stocking on the center apple. It's my wife's experiment.

Now, if I can only keep the birds from discovering them! I'm looking forward to some delicious, fresh, organic apples, SOON.

Tomorrow, I'll show you the pictures I took of our black berries.

Salt & Pepper

Last Saturday, my wife and I went to get our hair cut. I got my money's worth as Brenda cut her hair much shorter. For the record, I like her hair and so does she.

On Monday, we went to see Brenda's mother and father. It turns out that her mother has pretty much the same hair cut. As you can see from the picture below, I think I'll take to calling them "Salt and Pepper". Guess which one is pepper.

My apologies to the owner of this truck, but this is just wrong! Especially in Texas.