More Things I've Learned!

Being new to quads, I've got a lot to learn! This doesn't look much like a hill, but it is! When you decide to take a short cut, see if the quad will go through it first without the load.

The poplar blocks are still relatively green, and heavy enough that i could just barely lift one. The quad is high pointed on the belly pan, and the trailer is jack knifed aginst the rear wheel.

I hated the thought of off loading the trailer, so I got my rope, chain and come along , unhooked the trailer and drovethe quad out. I rigged up to the trailer tongue and used the come along to straighten the trailer around. Then, I went and got the 4X4 and rigged to it and popped the dude out of the hole.

Things I learned:
1. What appears to be solid ground is not necessarily so.
2. Taking a short cut does not save time.
3. A fully loaded trailer pushes a quad downhill no matter what you do with the brakes!
4. A fully loaded trailer really likes to jack knife.
5. A come- along takes a lot of levering to move a trailer 20 feet
6.I'm getting too old for this stuff
7. Horses are more reliable than quads. I've never got one stuck yet!
8. Don't apply power to a quad pulling up hill. They tend to want to flip over backwards.
9. In future, people who want firewood, get it where it falls.
10.You don't get this sort of learning curve living in the city!

Today was better. 23C, sunny and no wind. I saddled up Biz and gave the new resident dog the learning curve of trying to keep up with a horse. Her butt was dragging! It was a great day! Nobody got tossed (me)! Nobody got stepped on (Brooklynn). And Biz got a handfull of her favourite apple flavoured horse treats.

Life is GOOD on the acreage!

I Don't Believe This is Possible..But it is

On the local news at noon today out of Edmonton, it was announced that some person(s) had challenged a law as being unconstitutional and against the Freedom of Rights. A judge has ruled in favour of this challenge. The law? Anything pertaining to the curtailment of prostitution! The law was challenged in Toronto.

Now, The Freedom of Rights has to be the worst law that the liberal party ever put into effect for a whole bunch of reasons.

The judge ruling is most likely a liberal judge, appointed, not elected by the liberal party. Canada appoints judges so there is a roaring old-boys-club at work.

Now, being a guy that looks for alterior motives, I suspect that this will be tied somehow to a government make work program. In the next election, coming soon, I hope, I can just see the liberal banners flying.

Government makes work... A brothel on every corner.

Well folks, not only is this ruling dead against what is said in the Bible, but it is also against any concept of common sense that I can imagine! It is time for every God fearing Christian and those from other callings to write their MP's and demand that this nonsense stop!

I read somewhere that MP's take letters seriously, as for every one received, there are 400 to 500 that feel the same way, but are too apathic to write.

If you think that having crack houses, drug dens in your neighbourhood is bad, just wait 'till the brothel shows up!

Please write!

Is Democracy Dead?

I'm afraid if it isn't, it's close to dying! In Canada we have had a very contentious law put in by the Liberal Party that required every person to register their long guns. This program cost the country an estimated $2 billion dollars in the time that it was in place. Criminals are going to obtain weapons from whatever source they can. The law abiding farmer is tied up with paperwork! Refusing or omitting to register automatically makes one a criminal!

It boils down to two sides, rural Canada vs Urban Canada, or in other words Toronto ( the centre of the universe in their own minds) against all others.

To make it worse, politicians were told to toe the party line, never mind what their constituency says. Ie. The NDP and Liberals voting to defeat the bill to abolish the registry. Where is the democracy at work in this? It is not a vote to bring down parliament or anything that grandeous, but two out of touch leaders playing their own agenda. Several politicians changed their votes after declaring their public stance. Did cash change hands? Or were future favours involved? We probably will never know for sure.

I dug out my old hat from many years ago and will likely start wearing it. If Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal etc. want wheat, oil etc let them come buy it. from The Republic of Western Canada.

The bill to abolish was defeated by a margin of two! Beware the poitician that says " I will listen to the people, but then will vote as I see fit"! The next election is not that far away!

My Head is Sore!

Today I received a book for a study on the history of the church movements as pertains to our denomination. I joined the study late so have 6 chapters plus the one for the beginning of the month to do. "Piece of cake" I thought as I am a speed reader. Not so, says the book!

I have found more words in the first 30 pages that I do not know the meaning of than I have found in the last 2 years. The dictionary is just a smoking!!

This is "The Concise English Dictionary " C 1984. Fortunately the words are in it, but sometimes refer to another word which boils down to an easy meaning. Words like "glossolalia, hermeneutics, exegesis, eschatology, and soteriology". All these in just the first 30 pages!

My point is "Why not use the easy to understand, non-conbumbulated meaning?" Is it to make the authors look educated? Seriously, can anyone talk these words on a daily basis?

I think it is mainly to make the reader suffer! It's working!!

Now I have to get off this rant and get on with the next hundred pages, then try to do a historical (read- hysterical) graph of the history presented so that finally, maybe, I can understand what these folks are saying!

Do you ever get frustrated with things like this? If so, let me know, as misery loves company.

Thanks for the opportunity to vent!

Job Loss = Grudge? Or?

When you lose a job, it can be devastating as a lot of you know. I lost my first job after 22 years with a company. I had worked my way up to middle management, was happy with the work and was thinking that I would probably retire from the company someday. My family was third generation in the area, and my Dad had put in 25 + years with the same company. Management changed and I found myself disagreeing with the path that the new guy was taking, based on a sound, scientific basis. Needless to say, I should have seen the writing on the wall! I worked for a year in a very high stress level and finally the axe fell. I was devastated! I was #16 of 24 management people that either quit or were fired in that year.

I was able to settle for a constructive dismissal as I had kept every performance review ever done, including a commendation from the president of the company. What really hurt was the reaction of the people that I had worked with for all those years. It was as if I no longer existed. I was, in effect dead!

For many years I hated that man and a few of my co-workers. I guess it was a pride issue.

When I became a Christian about five years ago, one of the things I had the most problems with was the issue of forgiveness. We, as Christians, are commanded to forgive! After much thought and contemplation, I started to look beyond the pride issue and look at the positive side of what the act of forgiveness meant to me.

If I had not moved from the comfortable life that I was leading in a very secure job, I likely would have continued what I was doing which overall was fairly meaningless, although great at the time.

The move took me right out of my comfort zone and challenged me in a whole bunch of ways. I developed expertise in whole new fields that I would not have considered previously. It allowed the family and me to meet some really nice people right across Canada, but most important, the circumstances led me to the Church and a close relationship with my Saviour Jesus Christ.

They say that hindsight is a great virtue, and never wrong. With what I know now and have learned since, I should have thanked that man, not hated him. The Bible says that the Lord will give us tribulations or troubles in our life, but nothing that we can’t handle in order to make us grow in the Spirit. In my case, it lead to a long route to finding the Lord.

Had this not happened, I would not have witnessed Elaine’s miraculous cure; would not have experienced God’s hand in saving me when the tractor rolled; would not have experienced God’s healing of my back and would not have been at peace the way I have been for the last 5 years.

All I can say is “God is Great!”

What about you and your loss of job security? Was it a learning experience? A growing experience? Or are you still bearing the anger and hate that I experienced?