Sports Blog...

I try not to blog too much about sports, sporting events or anything related because that's what most people expect out of me, but I can't control myself. The Cubs have the best record in baseball.

We are on an 8 game win streak and I will say it again...this is our year. That being said I am sure I have just "Bartman-ed" the whole thing by blogging and getting excited about it, but it's nice to celebrate the success a little bit. I like to think it's because Steph and I cheered the Cubs on so well at Spring Training in Arizona, but I'm sure there is some other reasons as well.

On to hockey...the quest for Lord Stanley's Cup almost ended last night around 9:20 pm, with the Red Wings ahead 3 to 2 with :30 some seconds left...but Maxime Talbot's hard work behind the net tied the game up and sent it to a triple overtime before the Penguins scored again.

My son Maxim was watching the game with Steph and I, and he was excited that a boy named Maxime scored such an important goal, and that he played for the Penguins. He even wore pajamas with a penguin on them last night. However, he was very disappointed to find out this morning that nobody won the "big trophy" last night. I was happy because that means there is at least one more night of hockey.

Finally a day that felt like Spring.

Yesterday someone mentioned that it was the 3rd Sunday in a row that was warm and not windy, which are the 2 things you care about while living on a lake.

I have always been a somewhat social person, and would never pass up a social gathering or party simply to get home. Sunday after church all I could think about was getting home...in fact lately, all I want to do when it's nice out, and I'm not at home, is to simply go home.

We had a pretty cool offer for a party at some friend's house on Sunday night, but we had to bail on them because the LIQUID was calling.

Yesterday after church we had lunch at mom and dad's with an old friend of mine who is visiting from MLPS, but at 2pm I couldn't find the door fast enough. Brecken and grandpa had a "cowboy day" which took them to the horses for a long ride, so we were down one boy.

By 5pm we were in the water with a loaded boat, having a great time. Although my 3rd wakeboard session of the year was anything less than stellar, it still felt good to have some fun on the water.

We threw together another impromptu party, grandma and the grandpa delivered a sleeping cowboy to the house, he woke up we put him in the boat and he turned into the boat party chairperson.

Maxim had a pretty big day too, he was playing on one of his favorite spots, the roof of Vic and Peggy's boat house. I think he was up there for 3 hours straight, making big battles with his action figures.

We capped the night with a pull behind cousin Erkel's Malibu and one last run across the lake. Maxim drove the boat the whole way, he did remarkably good, of course I didn't let him run the throttle, or today's post would be very different!

42 mile bike to work.

Living On Liquid guest columnist "Cousin Brent" submitted this video post about a guy that bikes 42 miles to work each day.

Click HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO FROM CNN.

Yes, he saved $400 in gas, but from experience....he probably ate about $200 more to fuel the machine that pedals his bike.

My motto lately...BIKE BIG, EAT BIG...

Thanks Brent.

Kayaking Byron.

I have pirated our neighbor's kayaks. I planned on returning them on Sunday when I borrowed them, but it is almost easier to keep them in our boat house, because I have been using them more than they do.

Last night Steph, the boys and I kayaked for about 2 hours...3.5 miles to be exact...using my mapping tool. It was somewhat chilly, but we had hats and long sleeves, and when the wind died down it was perfect.

Kayaking is so different than what we usually use the lake for. A more organic experience, you see things you would have never seen before. We scared a fox up the shoreline...Maxim got to see him running over the rocks as he ran away from us. He didn't know they were more orange than red.

The highlight of the night was when we found his Dora The Explorer ball washed up on shore about 2 miles from our house. It had blown off the dock late last fall and we had no chance of retrieving it. We rescued it from the rocky shore and he stowed it away in the hull of the kayak...somewhere there is still a basketball of ours out there too...we will try to find that on another adventure.

I was wrong on my facts...

I know...details are important when you are writing a story. So I have to admit that I inadvertently lengthened the bike ride distances traveled from last week, as was correctly brought to my attention.

A year or so ago I used the Subaru trip-ometer to figure out the distance between the office and home. It came up at 18 miles, the problem was that I zeroed it out at the gas station D&S Mini-mart. Which is about a half a mile from my office.

So to keep things legit on my website, I did not complete an 18 mile ride 2 different times last week...they were only mere 17.59 mile rides. I did not want to lead anyone astray. (Of course I post this with the utmost humor, funny story telling, and good intentions for the 3 people involved in this story, you know whom you all are!)

To attain my goal of riding my bike 18 miles to work I will, from now on, continue south on Dakota Ave. to the Donut Shoppe, grab 2 cream filled chocolate long johns and a Mountain Dew, then return to the office, making it a true 18 mile ride. But then again the trips to the Donut Shoppe is the reason I need to ride my bike in the first place.

Here is the map for documentation

Memorial Weekend Repeat.

Anyone remember last year' s Memorial Day Weekend weather? From what I remember, we got an exact repeat this year...but with a bonus 15 degree increase in temperatures on Sunday.

We spent Friday and Saturday in Sioux Falls with friends. Saturday morning we were planning to head to Newton Hills for a good mountain bike session, but we got rained out. Riding Newton after a rain is a muddy mess...to the point where your forks build up with mud and it feels like your are riding your brakes all the time. We ate raspberry and blueberry crepe's and sipped gourmet coffee instead.

On the way home we detoured north to Brookings to see Cooper, the newest addition to Dr. Schneider's family. Everyone was sleeping so we just looked at him through the glass, like we were watching him play hockey...it dawned on me that I should pound on the glass and yell, "Cooper, Cooper!" (Like the NHL commercial) but I didn't want to get thrown out of a hospital again.

Sunday was the day...I think I put 4 miles on the kayak and I have the life jacket sunburn to prove it. We worked around the yard and played outside all day Monday. I knew the boys had a good day when around 9:45 pm, by his own will, Maxim climbed into bed, then called us in to pray with him so he could go to sleep.

Maybe we can boost the temperatures to the high 60's this weekend.

Biking to work...

If you have visited my friend over at Minus Car Project you know his dedication to riding his bike all the time, to reduce his carbon foot print and save the Earth. I have those same tendencies, but it is hard not to rely on a car when you choose to live 15 miles from town. However, 2 days this week I have biked to work. 18 miles door to door.

Don't go thinking I am going to drive my bike full time, but I will make a conscience effort to bike to town if Steph and the boys are also coming in that day. I'm not doing it to save money on gas, or so much to reduce my carbon footprint, those are just nice things that go along with it. I am more doing it to help recycle. Recycle some clothes that didn't fit about 5 months ago that is.

I have been running 3 miles 5 times a week and lifting 5 to 6 times a week for over 3 months now, and I read something the other day about shocking your body through new additions to your work outs.

Believe me, my body was shocked this morning. At mile 14 I hit a wall, and it was time to go to my happy place and just pedal. I sat in the hot tub at the office for about 10 minutes before I showered...that was the pay off.

Jay Leno Headlines

I want to say I was tempted to send to Jay Leno's Headlines the "Syrians will blow" advert the Wagner paper ran a week or so ago. I didn't send it, but somebody did.

Living On Liquid readers have informed me that Jay did indeed run the advert on his "Headlines" segement last night. It garnered a good laugh from the crowd as well.

Here it is again in case you missed it the first time, and on Leno last night.

Guilty Pleasures On My MP3 Player...

I learned something about myself today...I have guilty pleasures right there on my MP3 player.


Guilty pleasures in my circle of friends would be described as something that you like, but don't tell your buddies about it. Be it figure skating, home decorating, flower planting, Celine Dion's music, any movie with Julia Roberts or Hugh Grant...you get the picture. Basically un-manly things. (For the record the above named things were simply examples and do not reflect my guilty pleasures in any way, shape or form. With the exception of figure skating during Olympic years)

So during a lull in a meeting today somebody mentioned that they couldn't get this Brittney Spears song out of their head today. When interrogated about the lingering tune, it turns out that this person has 2 albums of Brit on HIS (yes...HIS) iPod.
So it was "come to Jesus time" and around the room we went giving our "guilty pleasures of music" that is loaded on our MP3 players. A couple of folks had 'NSync, and an over 60 lady had 98 degrees and Color Me Badd! Some other notables...The Chipmunks, Boy George and Milli Vannilli.


It came to me, and I had to actually think pretty hard about the music that would get me ridiculed in a hockey locker room. I came up with Pink, the Dixie Chicks and Vanilla Ice's "Extremely Live" album. The last one of the 3 made me the butt of every ensuing joke for the meeting. So as soon as I got done with the meeting I deleted every Van-Ice song from my MP3 player.
It wasn't a peer pressure thing, I just don't want aliens to find me someday running around the lake listening to "Ice, Ice, Baby". Pretty sure any chance I had of being abducted, taken on a space voyage and then returned to Earth to write a book about it would be shattered if they thought Earthlings listened to that kind of musical junk. I would much rather have them find me listening to Johnny Cash or mewithoutYou. I think they would think I was smarter than most that way.
I kept Pink and the Dixie Chicks on the player, because of their musical talent and vocal range. I think the aliens would agree with me on that in theory anyway.

Screaming + Puking = Lots Of Coffee

Last night was one of those nights where you kind of wish you slept so hard you don't hear a thing. Unfortunately for me, I hear everything.

Brecken started the night off right At about 1:30 am he wakes up screaming...not any words, not light cries of need for his mommy...straight horror movie-type screams. 5 minutes later he is still screaming so Steph goes to get him and the screaming ensues for another half hour. Finally he settles down. I'm back to sleep.

2:30 am I hear the pitter-patter of Maxim's feet...then those words that test every parents athletic ability. "Mommy, I'm gonna throw up." Steph picks him up like a football avoids the pile of clothes and my gym bag that I leave lying around, and runs him into the bathroom...spiking his head in the toilet like a running back celebrating a touchdown just in time for the full puke in the bowl. (ESPN's da-da-daa...da-da-daa was playing in the background as this is a Top 10 play of the night)

Brecken was still in our bed from his scream-a-thon, so Maxim wanted to go back to his own bed. So Steph sets up his room for the full barf on the bed or floor experience, equipped with a garbage can, just in case his 5 year old mind thinks..."Hey, I'll save the carpet some wear and tear by puking into this trash receptacle." Yeah, right.

Brecken gets put back into his own bed around 3:00 am, and I fall back to sleep...3:30 am another pitter-patter and the unforgettable sound of "chicken noodle puke" hitting the carpet. Steph tended to the boy, I cleaned. At 4:30 am I was using Resolve and our carpet spot remover vacuum to clean up the evidence. I am sure I set a new standard for cleaning up crime scenes, but I can't stand the thought of germs.

After my Martha Stewart moment, I was wide awake, so I pulled a blanket and pillow and watched a re-run of WEC Wreckage cage fighting on Versus. I think I slept 2 hours on the couch. I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee this morning.

2 milestones this morning...

This morning was an exciting one in Living On Liquid history.

Brecken woke up with a dry diaper and wanted to get on the potty. So Steph hustled him in and sat him down. About 2 minutes later he did his job, we celebrated, took some pictures (of Brecken, not the toilet) and helped him flush it down. 10 seconds later he finished his job on the bathroom floor, I have no idea how a body that little can hold so much pee. I let Steph clean it up.

Also today is Maxim's last day of PreK. I told him he is getting to be a pretty big boy and that next year he will be really big and in Kindergarten. He informed me that you are not big until you lose a tooth, and that most dinosaurs were herbivores. Random thoughts, but pretty spot on for the transition he is making from pre-schooler to school-boy.

Things A Grown Man Should Never Have

I read Men's Health because the writing is witty and sharp. The last issue had a story called "Things a grown man should never have"...thought it was funny so here it is...can you think of anything else to add to the list.


1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You're smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you're going to lose. (haven't had one of these since I quit riding...falling off of bulls.)

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don't let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster. (mine is my name and contact info)

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her...along with breakfast in bed. (this is basically Steph's job)

4. PlayStation thumb. When they're relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you're assuredly missing out on life. (I do play, but only with Maxim and never enough to get PS-Thumb...in college I did)

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don't know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork, this magazine. (A co-worker of mine has a metal shark on his chain that doubles as a opener...I thought it was cheesy before I read this)

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he'll be. (I have about 3 lucky shirts, I will continue to wear them too)

7. An unstamped passport. (Mine is stamped, but also now expired)

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery. (Did I tell you what I did 2 weeks ago...guess I still have Olympic Dreams)

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic. (I never have cash...that's what Steph's purse if for)

10. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/ Caddyshack/Superbad. Reciting someone else's lines reminds people that you haven't the wit to write your own. (Guilty...on occasion)

11. A futon. Beds are for sleeping. (We got rid of our a long time ago)

12. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything. (can't say I do)

13. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accouterments where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else's office. (Brecken would tear it down anyway)

14. A secret handshake. (Steph and I have one, Maxim and I have one, Dad and I have one...)

15. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald's Hamburglar ones. (Do plastic Cubs, Coyotes and Twins cups count?)

16. A recent story with the phrase "So I said to the cop..." (Kind of tough not to have a story like this when you live right next door to cops.)

So I am holding on to some childish things...what can I say, I'm a kid at heart.

What Superhero are you???

Maxim is big into Superhero's...he comes by it naturally...as I am right beside him watching old episodes of Justice League. It helps that every year Marvel Comics makes a new movie out of an old superhero from when I was a kid. Like Iron Man, Batman, X-Men...etc.

He loves Ironman and always wants to be him when we play...I am either Wolverine or Green Lantern, which were and still are my 2 favorites to this day...Aquaman runs a close 3rd, with Spiderman and The Silver Surfer close behind.

A buddy sent me a quiz you can take to find out what superhero you are by answering some personality questions, and it came out that I was Green Lantern, which is weird, because, like I said, I have loved this guy since I was a kid. Maybe I was drawn to GL because of his personality, and I could see myself in him even as a child. Who knows, but it solidified my love of GL, his power ring and his ability to make wise cracks at bad guys while he was battling them to save the world.

My results:

Like GL you are sometimes hot-headed. You have strong
will power and a good imagination and charming personality.
You are Green Lantern

Other close matches include:

---

80%
The Flash

---

70%
Catwoman

---

70%
Iron Man

70%
Superman

65%
Hulk

WHAT SUPERHERO ARE YOU????????????????

Family Boating.

Last night, after our assigned work was done, Steph was eager to get the boat in the water...of course, it didn't take me too long to agree.

Perfect water, perfect night. Maxim was excited to make big waves and chase birds, and for Brecken this was basically a first time experience.

He has been in the boat since he was 2 months old, but I don't think he really remembered it, because last night all he could say when we would slow down or stop was, "more, more, more boooot."

Some neighbors on the South side were doing yard work so we stopped to say "hi" and steal some freeze pops. They had a fishing line in the water, so the boys were messing with their minnows.

The best part of last night is when Steph took one for the team. You see, the dock at the boat launch is not in the water yet, so you don't really have anywhere to jump off to go get the trailer without getting wet.

Lucky for me Steph is real handy at backing the boat trailer down and didn't really want to drive the boat onto the trailer. So we floated up to the boat ramp and she jumped into about thigh-high water...pushed us back out and got the trailer. We loaded up and she pulled us out...I did the whole night without getting a drop of water on me above my ankles. She was soaked, freezing and telling me how much of a Prima Donna I am.

This Blog Is Bigger Than The "Huron Metro Area". (Monday's 2nd post)

I hadn't looked at the hit counter at the bottom of this page for a while, and today I did.

Living On Liquid has had 14,000 hits in it's life...that is bigger than the whole "Huron-Metro"...and just in case you are wondering that includes Yale, Wolsey, parts of Pearl Creek Colony, Virgil, Al's Corner, Alpena, Huron Colony, Riverside Colony, Broadland, Lake Byron, Cavour, White's Drive In, Woonsocket, The Levo Larson Watermelon King Compound, Iroquois and everything East of Main Street in Wessington.

(Notice: Hitchcock was annexed to the "Huron-Metro Area" during the ice storm of 2005, but population numbers are not included to Huron's total due to results from a 2006 survey.

The survey found that female shoppers from 25 to 60 years old overwhelmingly found the "Redfield Shopping Experience" supremely more sophisticated, and in tune with today's style than compared to that of Wal-Mart, Runnings and Double "D" Western Tack; all of which are located in Huron's high fashion South End Shopping District.)

4 OT's

I am back from the dead...or I feel like it.

The Olympic Training Center was a great experience and ultimately made me a better hockey official, but they ran us so hard in classroom and ice sessions that I feel like a zombie today...for more reasons than that.

Got back last night around 8:30 pm and played hard with the kids until bedtime, then Steph and I turned on the Stars vs. Sharks playoff game about half way through the 3rd period...the game was still tied up I was happy to see that I would catch the game winner and then go to bed.

Well the game winner happened sometime Monday morning...I fell asleep during the 3rd overtime and woke up to an infomercial.

4 OT's it took these 2 teams to decide a game. The Stars won the game and the series.

The end of the 3rd and, from what I remember, the 1st and 2nd overtime were some of the best periods of hockey I have watched in a while.

It made me look back on the weekend spent with Olympic athletes and us non-Olympic types in the same facility. You looked at these guys in the lunch area and instantly realized there was something different about them...something deeper than perfect bodies and athletic abilities...it was mental, a deep desire to win, to focus on something and not be satisfied until you get it.

Be it 4 OT's to make it to the next round of the playoffs, or being able to control your heart rate so you can steadily shoot 5 targets after cross-country skiing up hill 10K, I got a small understanding of what it takes to commit to being the best.

Now if I could just push myself a little harder to lose another 20lbs!

BOOM DEE ODDDDDAAAAA!

Our family loves the Discovery Channel...last Saturday with all the snow on the ground, we watched a few of our favorite shows...Man vs. Wild, Planet Earth, and a little bit of Dirty Jobs.

We noticed that Discovery rolled out a new commercial set to the "Boom De Odda" song, and pretty soon we were singing along, then making up our own words.

Maxim loves the part where the native tribal man comes up to the camera and yells, "BOOM DEE ODDDDDAAAA!" Sunday in church Maxim went up to on of the older people and yelled that. The older non-Discovery-watching gentleman said, "He sounds like a native!" I thought, "Well, that's what he was going for!"

Here are the lyrics and the spot:

I love the mountains,I love the clear blue skies,

I love big bridges,I love when great whites fly

I love the whole world,And all its sights and sounds,

Boom dee odda, boom dee odda,

Boom dee odda, boom dee odda

I love the oceans,I love real dirty things,

I love to go fast,I love Egyptian kings,

I love the whole world,And all its craziness.

Boom dee odda,...

I love tornadoes,I love arachnids,

I love hot magma,I love the giant squids,

I love the whole world,It's such a brilliant place,

Boom dee odda, boom dee odda, ...

Do you believe in Miracles?

I was 7 in 1980 when Team USA beat the Russians at the Miracle on Ice...it meant the world to me as a Squirt-level hockey player and still brings in emotions as I see replays.

I really didn't understand the political implications involved in the era, all I knew is that we were the best in the world, and guys like Mike Eruzione, Rob McClananhan, Dave Silk and Jim Craig were regular guys that pulled off the unbelievable.

I wanted to play in the Olympics for Team USA...as did every kid on skates in the early 80's. My dream to skate on Olympic ice would sit dormant for over 20 years.

Hockey has been over for about a month and a half now. I haven't been on skates since about a 3 weeks ago, but later this week I will be on the ice at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs as a hockey official.

It is part of a USA Hockey Officials training camp where we are treated as Olympic athletes and stay on campus right there with all the real athletes, eat meals with them, use their gym, classrooms and facilities. I'm not even 100% sure all that will go into it, but it should be a pretty cool experience.

There are 2 other guys from S.D. that are going, and that will be nice as they are guys I have worked with for years.

I have been staying in shape for this, but really there is nothing you can do to be in "hockey shape". I have been running 3 miles a day and lifting harder than I have in years, and the pay off is showing. My dress pants are starting to hang again...that hasn't happened since 2002.

I just know that no matter how in shape cardio-wise I am, on Thursday night, right there on the Olympic Training Center ice surface I will be hacking up my lungs and fighting for breath. But that's what you get for trying to be a 35 year old Olympic level referee...realistically, I mean just the best college/high school hockey ref I can be.

"Do you believe in miracles???"

The Syrians Are Gonna BLOW...according to the Wagner Post

Jay Leno has his Headlines skit where he shows funny stuff from papers...I thinking about sending this one in!


It seems the Syrians in Wagner are gonna blow...that's funny because I didn't know we had a large population of Syrians in South Dakota.


The Wagner Post...just a step below your local High School newspaper...and for the record I guarantee Ron Gall didn't write the text!

Happy Earth Day.

I have always been a bit of a tree hugger...I think I got it from my dad.

Steph and I will pass that love and respect the outdoors, wilderness and being in tune with nature, to our boys. I think it is already working.

I told you about the tree we had to cut down in the yard because it was growing into the overhead power lines and causing a general mess. Well, it was sitting on the trailer waiting to be hauled away, and last week Steph saw Maxim laying on the huge tree stump that was on the trailer. She didn't think much of it, until a while later she saw him hugging it, so she yelled outside to him to see if he was alright. He responded to her, "Yeah mom...I'm just saying goodbye to the tree."

It made us proud to think that he already has a respect for his surroundings.

With the price of gas, electricity, propane and all other energy products it has become pretty fashionable to be "green-minded", but actually being "green" is not always fashionable. Smaller cars, or biking to work, recycling, weatherizing your home, using energy smart products is all a challenge, but worth it.

A friend of mine was featured in the paper again for Earth Day...you can read his story here....or read his blog by following the link to Minus Car Project located on the right sidebar of this page.

Skipper & Verlie should be proud.

This weekend was my wife's favorite kind of weekend...I was home with nothing on my schedule, and she has a list a mile long of things for me to do.

She was a taskmaster, and didn't stop handing our chores or doing her list of things to accomplish until the sun set. I think I mentioned before that we have been watching that show Ax Men on the History Channel, and it must have rubbed off on her, because she demolished all the undergrowth on our hill. Between her clear cutting, and my leftover logs from the evergreen we cut down, we had a huge pile of lumber on the trailer.

The boys got 4 baths in 3 days this weekend, so you know they were happy. Maxim even parted ways with his training wheels on his bike this weekend. He's got scrapes on his feet and knees to prove it.

Just so Skipper and Verlie know I earned my keep around here this weekend, and had time to clean up the boat...only to climb on a plane Monday morning headed West.

Using GPS on commercial airplanes.

So I picked up a Garmin NuVi a few weeks ago for all my travels, and so Steph never has to open a map again to help me find my way around a city...and I love it.

On the way to Montana on Tuesday I was playing with it on the airplane and it picks up the satellites and starts calculating how long it would take to get to Denver in a straight line!

I wasn't sure if it is approved electronics on a commercial airline, so I felt like an 8th grader...later to find out it is ok with most non-signal emmitting units.

So now instead of wondering how much longer I have on flights I can boot up my GPS and I will know right away. The other cool thing is that the Garmin also measures traveling, average, maximum speed and altitude. My max speed was 114mph, but now my max speed is locked in at 454 mph! (Don't ask how I got the max speed to 114mph in the first place!)

I think I will turn it on again tonight on the company jet...that thing goes like 500 something!

Horses

I went on this horse pictures kick last week for some reason...here is one of them.

Birthday Boy.

This picture pretty much sums it up.

Brecken the Cowboy.

He turned 2 on Sunday, had a nice small party. Grandpa brought out some horses again and Breck was in heaven...all his favorites...horses, mud, trampoline, his chaps, boots and hat, and some frosting from his cake. He is a 2 year old.

Another barn.

This is another barn that caught my eye in the middle of the snow storm this weekend.

Confused.

Today's picture was a quick shot on our deck. Steph put her super bright plastic chairs on the deck last week, when it was spring.

Today...not so "Springy" out.

Thursday's Picture.

This was an old barn that caught my eye on H-way 77 in Northern Nebraska...took this on Tuesday on my way to Lincoln.

Picture a day.

I have long been a big fan of photography. In college I even dabbled with the thought of still photography as a career.

Jim Brandenburg has been one of my favorite nature photographers ever since I learned who he was. When I was working in TV I was lucky enough to be one of the first journalists to go through his exhibit hall in Luverne, MN. I think his quote to me...something to the effect, "if you can make the Prairie look beautiful in a picture, you can make anything look beautiful." was a challenge to my creative side to try to look around my everyday situation for those beautiful moments.

Brandenburg did this experiment in photography before the boom of digital photography where he took one picture a day for 90 days in the summer in Northern Minnesota. You can view the pictures here.

I have always thought that would be a cool challenge, but I don't have a whole summer to devote to taking 1 shot a day, so I will post a picture a day to my blog. Some will be good, some average, some will be pictures I have taken in the past, some will be as recent as yesterday. Hope you enjoy.

I will post them as I have time, so you might get a couple days in one shot.

The Lake Is Open.

On Saturday night Grandpa Bob brought 3 horses out to the lake so Brecken, Maxim, Cowboy Bob and I could go on a long ride. We rode about 2 miles and the last part of it was along the lake.

Dad asked me if you could still walk on the lake and I had heard that it was still 6 or 8 inches thick so I said yes.

12 hours later you would have to be a bit more divine than I will ever be to walk on the lake, as 2/3 of the lake was open water. By Sunday evening the whole thing was open, and Steph and I were celebrating Spring.

Then Sunday night it snowed.

I need to remind myself I'm in South Dakota.

James Valley's Promo Video.

Here is James Valley's new promo video...you might recognize at least one of the kids in the video of the pre-school.

The Price Of Everything Is Going Up....

This morning on National Public Radio they did their usual economy news. Which is pretty bleak, millions of foreclosures are fore-casted for 2008, the price of gas predicted to go up to $4 a gallon, milk prices, cereal grain prices...etc.

$4 gas is not even a drop in the bucket for what you are about to read...when we were in Phoenix we stopped at a pet store in a mall because they had Whippets, and I totally want one...in about 10 years.

Puppies are crazy expensive in Arizona. A simple black lab puppy, that you have no idea if the parents were field tested or "his daddy was a great duck dog" type statements to back up what kind of dog you are buying, will cost you $2,500! We saw a couple breeds that went for as much as $4,000.

About the same price, with insurance, it takes to have a kid. Not to mention in Arizona you have to buy all sorts of doggy accessories, like diamond necklaces, sweaters and special bowls and a carrying purse if you have a small dog.

I wonder what most Arizona dog owners would think of South Dakota classified advertising for dogs. FOR $200 I CAN GET A FIELD CHAMPION POINTER OR A LAB THAT WILL BE SMARTER THAN A FENCE POST! Where do we sign up?

I have to think the dog ownership in Arizona is behind that of the average Midwest town.

April Fools...

I have to admit that I have some tricks up my sleeve for today. I really like April Fools Day, I think I got the love of practical joking from my Uncle Skip.

He was on us all the time with jokes and pranks, but I think I got him the best, and he has never quite topped the day I put his newer, sharp looking pick-up for sale.

When he lived in South Dakota he was a foreman at a plant and got a good parking spot right in the front of the building, so everyone walked by his truck in the morning. He had people coming up to him all day asking why he was selling his pick-up for such a low price. He'd ask them what they were talking about and tell them his truck wasn't for sale.

It was one of the best jokes I ever pulled on him and it only cost me $4 and a little lost sleep.

Skipper was good about it, and promised revenge...so I waited, and waited and waited. I was always on the lookout for his next prank, but it never came. Finally, I asked him if he was going to pull a revenge prank on me and his answer was, "I just did, you have been so nervous waiting for me to get back at you why did I need to!"

He did the same thing about 4 months ago...he was in town for something and came out to our house to eat...I was late getting ready and knew he would be there at any time so as I was in the shower, I was completely insane thinking every noise I heard was Skipper coming in with a bucket of cold water. He didn't do anything! Which was a better prank than if he would have.

Bad for your wallet websites...good for the economy of some .com

So I have this problem...kind of like video lottery, but I lose a lot less money, and when I do spend money I get something I "really need" in return.

If you look to the right of this blog you will notice some links...Steep and Cheap and Whiskey Militia. I hit these sites at least once a day. Some of the stuff is ridiculous and I would never need it, but sometimes you can score a really good deal on outdoor gear or clothes.

Lately, I have re-found a website I used to hit up a lot, but for some reason it forgot about it...it is woot.com. They usually have electronics, refurbed MP3 players, speakers, computers...etc.

I have bought 2 new MP3 players in the last 5 weeks off of WOOT.COM, and together they have 9GB of memory, one plays video, pictures and music and both together cost less than $70.

The first ever MP3 player I bought about 6 years ago had 64mb internal memory and a card that doubled it!!! I payed $120 for that. So if you wait for a little bit longer you can pick up that 60GB video I-Pod for $50 on some website.

The Robber and Steve Nash with a "ba-ba".

MAXIM THE ROBBER...

So the other night Maxim, Brecken and I were screwing around in our master bedroom and Breck found a nylon stocking...which as I write this I can't think of what would have prompted Steph to actually need to wear nylons...but whatever...it was lying on the floor so I put it on Maxim and about 10 minutes of insanity ensued. I have video that I should post of the 2 boys running around with a nylon stocking over their heads, but I am afraid Children's Social Services would be knocking at our door tonight...here is Maxim's best Nixon impression.

STEVE NASH WITH A "BA-BA"

When we were in Phoenix we watched a lot of Suns basketball and it dominated the local news because Shaq had just been traded there a week or so earlier.

We saw a lot of Steve Nash, and I have always liked him...kind of the same reason I always like Bird...hard working, not overly gifted sizewize, just plays his heart out every night, and he's got cool hair.
After years of not caring about the NBA, I have actually watched a few games this year, basically because it was the only sport in HD that was on TV.

I have to say I am looking forward to the NBA playoffs this year, I can actually tell you the last time that happened. It was the 1996 NBA Playoffs...the year the Bulls went 72-10...my roommate Rahn and I hated Michael Jordan and wanted nothing more than the Sonics to ruin their record year. Chicago won the series 4 games to 2, and Jordan was named Finals MVP. I still don't like him...Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins, Sam Perkins, GARY PAYTON, and George Karl on the bench...ahhh those were the good ole days.

Anyway, I talked Steph into buying Brecken a Nash jersey...she was so against it, because she hates most jerseys, but she caved in. This morning she put the jersey on Breck and was bragging on how cute he looked.

So just in case, Steve Nash Googles himself today...I thought he might be proud to see some crazy-haired bottle sipping kid from South Dakota was rocking his jersey.

Easter Sunday.

We have been doing this thing before we put the boys to bed where we tell our 3 favorite things about the day. Of course, Brecken just runs around and pays no attention during this very special family time. There are times when it is tough to come up with 2 things, and then there is days where 3 is not enough.

Easter Sunday was one of those days where you added a couple extra things to your list.

Maxim sang in church, and he actually moved his mouth, we were so proud. I have no idea what song they sang now that I think about it, but he did a good job up there, and we have pictures to prove it.

We then went over to my cousin Mary's for Easter ham. Mary is like a cooler more laid back version of Marth Stewart, kind of like Martha without the East Coast snobbery. So I always giver her a hard time about her presentation of the table/meals/home layout...etc. She earned a 9.8 this year. Of course basketball was on so most of us watched Davidson put their Cinderella-magic to work on Georgetown.

Brecken ate a few bites of ham and some potatoes, but his big deal for the day was the amount of candy...in his reach...that could be eaten without parental supervision. He was on a continued sugar buzz for at least 7 hours.

I'm not sure how chocolate and the death/resurrection of our Savior go hand in hand, but believe me...Brecken is glad they do.

The Easter Weasel did stop by Mary's with a load of eggs and the kids ran around looking for eggs with more candy. It took Brecken only 1 egg to discover that if you throw the egg with all of your almost 2 year old might on the concrete it breaks open and the candy spills out and it is free for the taking. (As illustrated in the picture to the right.)

The kids and adults had fun and I think they found all of the eggs.

After the festivities we headed back home. Brecken fell asleep for 30 minutes and when he woke up he was ready for round number 2. We played outside until the sun went down and then grilled hot dogs.

We played a family game of baseball in the front yard...Maxim got a couple of good hits and Brecken cried each time he didn't get to be the batter.

Finally around 9:30 p.m. the sugar wore off and they both crashed.

Actually all 4 of us crashed.

Other People's Pain Is Sometimes Funny...

As most of you know I worked in TV for a number of years, and bloopers were just a part of the job, whether it be your fault or someone else's fault they always made someone laugh...not always us.

Thought you would all like this one...as a couple of what seems like "has been" news reporters go at it right during the live shot.

Easter Weasel.

Cassidy this post is for you.

About 8 or 9 years ago my oldest niece Cassidy lived in Alaska...one Easter they came home to the lower 48. She must have been expecting bunnies, chocolate, and eggs, but for some reason I messed with her and told her I had never heard of the Easter Bunny, but we did have an Easter Weasel.

The folklore goes like this....the Easter Weasel runs around stealing eggs from chickens and colors them then hides them all over, and it is the kid's duty to find them, and the chickens are totally cool with the kids keeping them.

So started a tradition...the tradition of the Easter Weasel.

E-Weasel also likes to eat the ears off of any chocolate bunny given to children of the family on Easter. Grandpa Bob started that one long before Cassidy was born.

So this post is dedicated to the Easter Weasel, or Easter Ferret in some parts of the world...I couldn't believe it when I found 2 pictures of the Easter Weasel on the Internet.

Happy Easter...and by the way this weekend is not a celebration of Spring or about the bunny or the weasel.

Happy St. Patrick & Survey Results

Hey, it's March 17th...whoop-te-O'doooo.

Some of you remember my Halloween posting where I poked some gentle fun at adults who dress up in costumes to go to work. I still think that is stupid...and generally I don't get the hype around St. Patrick's day either...although I am much more tolerant of green wearing folks if Irish-descent.

I must work around too many women...as there is little Leprechauns wishing me a happy spring in plants around the office, green M&M's in candy dishes and today I might be the only one in my wing of the building that isn't wearing some sort of green.

I guess I have been this way since high school...I'm not Irish, I'm not Catholic and the closest thing we have to a Leprechaun in our family is my Uncle Skipper.

So forgive me if I choose to not pretend I'm Irish today. I do hope the Cubs win while wearing green uniforms, and also I hope the Chicago river looks nice...dyed green...enjoy it Aaron and Sheila!

Survey Results:

-62% of you found this website by word of mouth...12.5% because I begged you to come here

37.5% of you visit the website for reasons other than listed in the multiple choice...an amazing 25% come here because of my writing ability and my good looks.

-Only 18% are from the Huron city limits...2 folks do come from Hoth and 1 from Endor.

-Most people considered us friends or relatives...about 54%...only 6.3% thought we were insane.

-Most of you dedicated readers have been reading the site for a year.

-94.3% of you thought the solid rock anchor of the family was someone else besides me.

-An equal number of majority would like to see more long form essays and pictures of Steph

The most loved team from all readers is the Vikings bringing in 28.6% of the votes.

-And J. McCain would win the election, but just narrowly over SMELO-Land weather anchor Jay Trobec...he actually only won by 2 votes...I think if Volesky would be the VP on Trobec's ticket he would win...hands down.

Thanks for playing.

Survey Results...next week.

The 1st ever LOL survey is going well...the results are some what funny and most of the answers I expected.

I'm going to let the survey and the website stew for the weekend and early next week I will release the information.

I feel a bit like Neuman the mailman from Seinfeld..."When you control the mail, you control....information!"

Click below to take the survey...you know you want to!!!

Click Here to take survey

Living On Liquid Survey...the first ever!

So I always have to take surveys with my job asking me how I like this or that, or how helpful this meeting was or this conference could be better with.....

I thought I would spread my pain to the readers of this website with the first ever Living On Liquid survey.

It should only take 5 minutes to do, unless you have a hard time reading, then it might take 12 minutes. The excitement of taking a survey will make the time fly by.

Thanks...Oh yeah, most surveyors say that this information will better help them serve the survey taker...I won't lie to you, there is nothing in this survey that will help anyone!

Click Here to take survey

The best way to put kids to bed.........

Is to make them work/play outside for 7 hours.

For the last 2 evenings the boys have not gone inside until the sun goes down, which has been so nice...they may be a bit on the muddy side, but that's what boys do.

Monday night we played outside with every outside toy we own, it was like Christmas all over again opening up the storage shed where their toys are. They put a couple miles on their electric Jeep, and ran over some small shrubbery and into a couple of trees.

Then I started a fire in the burning barrel and it was ON. Both boys are pyromaniacs! OK, all 3 of us are. We burned everything, including this wooden snowman that Steph told me to throw away the other day...Maxim would have burned the deck if he could have lifted it! We had flames jumping 5 feet out of the barrel.

Last night, with the help of our neighbor and her chainsaw, and my chainsaw which wasn't working very smoothly, we cut up a tree that the utility linemen cut down for us. It was a 40' evergreen that was dirty and annoying...a very pretty tree...in someone else's yard. Maxim and Brecken hauled branches for 2 hours...without complaining! In fact, they asked to help...I'm not sure if they are my kids. By the end of it we had a huge pile of branches that they were jumping into and crawling through.

8pm rolled around and they ate like rabid wolves, then took baths and both went to bed without incident...which never happens in our home.

Thank God for spring!

PHX Update 1.4...the final installment.

Back to reality.

I sat down at my desk this morning to a week of mail, 67 newspapers, about 80 e-mails that I didn't respond to last week, and my coffee mug had some funky mold growing in it. Somehow I was relaxed and didn't notice the time fly by...all of the sudden 5 pm...time to go home...and I actually enjoyed the day.

PHX was beautiful and Steph and I needed some time alone away from everything. I couldn't believe how relaxing it was, even though I had a very full schedule while we were down there.

We came back just in time for winter to be on the way out the door and it looks like spring is right around the corner!

While Steph was in town today the utility came by and chopped down a big evergreen we asked them to cut down, as it was growing into the power lines, the only problem is now I have to clean up the mess! Lucky for me I watched Ax Men on the History Channel last night, and I know how to take care of felled trees, I just need a little bit more equipment and I could start a logging company!

PHX Update 1.3

This would have came a long time ago, but we were having a blast!

We just got back from our 2nd Phoenix Coyotes hockey game of the week...we loved the atmosphere around Jobing.com Arena. The Yotes lost both games we went to this week and the Cubbies lost the game we went to as well. We actually thought about going to the Suns game last night, but decided to hang out downtown right by ASU's campus, and we watched the game...SUNS LOST!

I think the Mayor of Phoenix will ban us from the city.

Anyway, we are ready to come home to see our boys, and get settled back into the cold weather...kicking and screaming.

We will post some pictures and video through out next week.

PHX Update 1.2

Do we have to come home?????

PHX Update 1.1

The Cubs new import from Japan, Kosuke Fukudome, broke out yesterday...a day after being harassed by some bums in White Sox jerseys in right field at HoHoKam Field...the Spring Training homefield for the Cubs. Fuku missed 2 foul balls that he should have had for outs, and also had a very poor day at the plate.

But on Monday, he went 3-for-3, including a solo homer with one out in the third and an RBI single in the fourth. I hope he works out...it was cool when he went to bat everyone chanted "FOOOOOOO".

I might have Steph talked into catching one more game.

We went to a super nice Italian restaurant this evening...Tomasso's...we didn't understand a thing our waiter said for about the first 10 minutes!

Tomorrow we head to our 2nd resort and have most of the day to ourselves.

PHX Update 1.0

This is Steph...and one of the pools on the property of the Arizona Grand Resort. For the record...Steph sat by the pool all day yesterday...she looks really dark. I spent all day listening to speakers...I look really white.

Weather is good the Cubs game was fun.

Will tell you about more later.

Video Friday.

This is video of Maxim helping to retire one of the senior All-Stars banners. The senior is Jared Wold who is a friend of ours, so it was cool that Maxim got to skate his banner.

This is something Stephanie shot...we laughed at Brecken's eyes and mouth...I don't know how he did it, but it was funny.

Phoenix here we come.

10 years...

10 years ago this week Steph was preparing for our wedding...hard to believe we have been married for 10 years.

In that 10 years we have lived in 5 different house/apartments, I have had 4 jobs, we have gone through 8 different cars and added 2 boys to the mix...and I wouldn't change a thing.

On our honeymoon we went to Florida and the Bahamas...we went to a Cardinal's spring training game, laid on the beach and just enjoyed each other. To celebrate our 10th year we are doing the same thing...kind of.

On Sunday morning we are leaving for Phoenix, I have some conferences, and then we are staying a couple extra days for a little time together. We are going to watch my beloved Chicago Cubbies play on Sunday afternoon...I am stoked about that...then throughout the week we will do whatever, and we are also going to watch the Coyotes play the Ottawa Senators (NHL Hockey Game). I got some super good tickets on Ebay.

This trip couldn't have come at a better time, as we are both sick to death of winter, along with everyone else in the upper Midwest, and we are ready for some warm weather. Let's face it...Steph needs a break.

Right now Phoenix is boasting a balmy 80 degrees...perfection.

Grandma and Grandpa Decker are coming to stay with the boys. I feel a little bad leaving them alone with the boys for 7 days, but it will be good for them to hang with their grandparents that they don't get to see a lot.

You might not see a lot of posting on the site for the next week, but I might post some pictures just to give you a feel for what we are doing.

The Zamboni.

"There are 3 things in life that people love to stare at, a crackling fire, a flowing stream and a Zamboni cleaning the ice." - Charlie Brown, Peanuts

"This office needs to be Zambonied!" Me, about 3 hours ago.

I sat down in my office today with piles of junk every where, I started thinking wouldn't it be great if when I left for lunch or the evening a little Zamboni would come out of a garage and sweep up all of my "ice shavings" from the day.

That got me thinking how many times this year I have seen a Zamboni, or if I was in Watertown an Olympia, come on to the ice to give me a clean sheet to skate on.

With reffing and coaching the mini-mites I estimate that a Zamboni cleaned up after me, and a bunch of other skaters about 230 times since October.

Zamboni Facts:
It takes about 12 minutes to flood the ice.
The average Zamboni travels about 2,000 miles a year around the ice rink's surface.
When the Zamboni comes on to the ice it is carrying about 1,200 pounds of hot water.
When finished with the rink the Zamboni is carrying about 1,500 pounds of snow shavings.
A Zamboni travels about 3 miles per hockey game.
The Zamboni made it's Olympic debut in 1960.
The first Zamboni's were built on Model "A" and Jeep chassis.
Zamboni is actually the company name, Frank Zamboni started the company, the actual name is Ice Resurfacing Machine...how boring would it be if we all called it that?

Hockey Season Comes To An End.

Hockey is over...now it is time for SPRING.

Since Steph and I will be in Phoenix for 10 days at the beginning of March my schedule won't allow for me to officiate any of the state hockey tournaments. So I reffed my last hockey game of the year last night.

It was a good year, I only had one really off game where I went into the locker room afterwards and called myself names, and offered myself some new glasses. Otherwise I felt I was always fair but firm.

I actually think being a hockey official prepares you to be a parent to boys. For instance, there are times when you have to hand out punishment, and there are times when you tell them to go ahead and drop the gloves for a little fight....and then step in to curtail the carnage.

Yes, even if it is a mis-match fight between a 5 year old and a 22 month old...sometimes fighting is needed, and the only way Brecken can earn his respect from his older brother.

I'll probably regret writing this in 8 years when one of them comes out of a brotherly-love fight with a broken tooth or black eye, but I know from experience growing up with a sister who could pound me that a lot is learned about life when you are pinned to the ground by your sibling with spit hanging out of their mouth ready to drop it on to your face.

Montana again.

I was in MT all week, and what a crazy one it was in BIG SKY land. Especially in the sky.

On the plane ride from Denver to Bozeman our plane made a crazy hard turn in the middle of what is usually a very straight flight...so I looked out the window and about 2 minutes later saw another plane go screaming past, as close as I have ever seen...I could actually tell it was a Delta plane from the tail markings.

I snowboarded at Bridger on Sunday and the sky was clear and beautiful all day, I rode in a sweatshirt for most of the day.

Then early Tuesday morning...while I was sleeping...a meteor slashed across the Northwest and caught the attention of most people outside at that time in Montana and it ended up crashing in Oregon, you can read about it here or here or watch the CNN report here.




Then on Wednesday night I was in Bozeman for the full lunar eclipse. I was out grabbing some food and I saw these guys looking at the eclipse on the edge of town with a telescope, so I stopped made quick friends with them and looked through their telescope.

It was the best telescope I have ever looked through, not the kind you buy from your buddy for $50 either (T-Meyer), they had that thing so tight on the moon at times you could not see the edges of the moon and they were showing me different areas and locations on the moon. They were from the University and were all in a astronomy students.

I got back long enough to coach hockey practice and pack for tonight's hockey reffing assignments in Mitchell. Steph and the boys are coming with and we are going to have an "I hate winter party" at the new water park at the Comfort Inn...should be interesting to watch B-reck tear the place up!

Dilbert hits home...

If you have been around me for any length of time you know I am addicted to my BlackBerry, well it seems Dilbert is as well. A buddy sent me this cartoon mocking my addiction to checking e-mails...

Regulator Robert...The Final Installment.

Writer's note: Sorry I've been keeping you in suspense...I was traveling. Now where were we...

The bullets piercing the air above and the frozen ground beneath kept bringing him back to reality...he was in a pickle and there was no escape. Any learning his mama ever gave him couldn't apply to this situation, he would have to get out of this one on his own.

He needed to get a better look at his attacker, so he peered over the berm of dirt. He couldn't make out numbers, but it looked like there was more than 2 hombres, and a horseless carriage, or a "car" as some people called them.

Just as he ducked back into the safety of the switch grass poking through the crusty snow another volley of projectiles whizzed overhead.

He yelled again...but the wind muffled his plea.

The shooting had stopped, and he knew they were out of bullets because he had been counting the shots. So he knew he had to take action now. His only way out was to ride right at them while they were reloading, and take them on bare-knuckle-style...he'd have to be fast, and that was Cookie's job.

He looked up at Cookie, that horse had been mighty good to him...he looked him square in the right eye and said, "Are you with me?"

Cookie snorted and stomped his foot as if to say, "TO THE DEATH!"

He stood up and was ready to throw a leg over for the ride of a lifetime....

Just then he heard a slam, then a motor fired up, and the car took off. The cowards were yellow-bellied sap suckers. Running away from the fight they started. Good for them...it saved their life from a cowboy that was set to defend his cattle, his horse, his land and his good name, to the death.

He kept a mental picture of the car, just in case he saw it parked at the local watering hole...he would remember this day forever. A lot of thinking was done in those 20 minutes of human peril.

On the ride back to the ranch he vowed to take better care of his family, to reach out to his preacher-boy son-in-law and ask him about the faith he proclaimed. He would take interest in his sissy-boy son's writings...he would hold that woman of his a little bit longer in the morning, he would start packing his .45 on days in the saddle, and he would become the fastest gun in Central Beadle County...things that matter in this world, things you can hold on to

It became clear to him that day, that his whole life was a preparation for that moment...those bullets flying over his head...after all when he was 8 and digging on a pile of dirt at their homestead, it was his daddy that said, "Leave that pile of dirt alone son, you never know when you'll need a pile of dirt in front of your house."

Funny, a pile of dirt saved his life.

(For the most part this is what happened, I know you are a bit dissappointed with the ending, well in real life I was too...dad didn't even call the cops. If someone shoots at me, you better believe I'm calling the cops, and my dad.)

The End.

Regulator Robert...continued.

Writer's note: I'll admit I didn't know this would turn into an epic blog-novel...I actually got bored while writing it the first night and just left it as a cliff hanger. The next installment was going to be the last, and then I saw how insane it drove Verlie that I didn't write anything for about 3 days, so that gave birth to the epic it has become. (This is a good thing because my real life has been super routine lately.)


KA-ZZZZZING!

"Bullets make sounds in the air," was one of the thoughts running through the cowboy's head as he ran his trusty steed Cookie the last 40 meters.

The other thought was, "what is going on here?". "Have I wronged someone that's looking for revenge, have I been mistaken for wild game, is someone looking to take my horse." When you don't have a known enemy or arch nemesis it is hard to know what puts you in predicaments like this.

Finally he made it to cover...he had some time to clear his head and think about his next step. He tried yelling.

"Hey, quit shooting at me!"

"Hey, there is people out here!"

His voice was cracking with fear like a 14 year-old boy going through puberty...but he couldn't help it.

"Why are you shooting?"

"I have a wife and kids."

"Please...let me live!"

KA-ZZZZZZING...another shot.

The wind was strong and blowing from the Noreast, causing his pleas for help to rush away in the wrong direction with the dust and blowing snow.

The gunman was a good 300 meters away or more. He wondered if he could fashion an old style sling shot out of his saddle's flank cinch and some latigo strapping. He had seen a moving picture show about David and Goliath one time and he was pretty sure he could fling a rock a couple hundred feet or more at his attackers.

KA-ZZZZZING....KAZZZZZZZING....KAZZZZZZZING.

They were really bearing down on him now.

The crafting of a Biblical era slingshot seemed like his only defense in case this came down to a fight, but the thought of wrecking $80 worth of tack to throw a rock to save his own life seemed too expensive...so he sat there...like a gopher trapped in his hole. He got mad at himself for being so cheap.

If only he would have brought his unwired communication device along on this ride he could have called the sheriff for back up. That piece of technology too was not within his reach...just like the old gunfighter's Colt .45 and it's custom made holster.

He had to sit and wait for the fight to come to him...or did he...

(To be continued.)

Regulator Robert....continued.

Writer's Note: Sorry I made you wait a few days before part 2. I had a lot of media requests for interviews last week with the Super Bowl and all.

PART 2:

Cookie was one of those horses that only comes around once in a lifetime...enough speed to catch the fastest calf, shoulders with the strength of a Lebanon Red Cedar, his eyes as keen as the Red Tailed hawk, ears like whitetail deer, and a heart like that of Mother Teresa, Ghandi and a little bit of Mike Tyson...in case there was a need for a fight.

The old cowboy trusted this horse, and that's why he talked to him, "What do ya hear? Trouble?"

Just then something whizzed past the old cowhand's head.

Now having never served in the military, due to a knee injury he sustained during a caber tossing competition while he was on a cowboy exchange program in the Scottish Highlands, he didn't recognize the sound right away. But it only took a split second for him to know this was trouble, of a serious nature.

He had been in tight situations before, like the time he had to smote his brother for eating the last of the cookies on HIS 9th birthday. The 10 mile trail ride with his grand daughter where their only rations were a can of soda and some sunflower seeds. The church league softball game where a baserunner didn't slide into home like required...the old boy floored him and kicked some dirt in his general direction, instagating the first ever bench clearing "rubarb" in Huron Church League Softball history. The run in with Campus Security at a college library, and the day he and his family almost came to blows with the overzealous owner of a golf ball driving range at Lake Okoboji. He was always a peaceful man, unless pushed.

There was an inner beast waiting down deep in his soul, the beast was there, just waiting for the message to rip off his shirt to show his chiseled pectoral muscles and defend his honor...this was one of those times.

Staving the urge to rip his shirt off, he refocused his attentions.

Was it what he thought?

Then it happed again...ZING.

Some FOOL was shooting at him.

The days of always carrying a gun had been long gone for this cowboy. He quit leathering a loaded piece 'round about the time when his trusty sidekick "Brother Phil" put a slug of lead into his own leg.

After that mishap and almost losing Phil, his most trusted human friend, the gunfighter image quickly wore out it's welcome. He dropped the "Bob-a-louie-guts" moniker right beside his 9-shot pearl handled .22 pistol and it's holster.

He would be a cattle man, not a gunfighter, but he never could quite walk away from his gunfighter past. He did it now for competition. Wax bullets shot at an old street sign. The people called it Cowboy Fastdraw, and it was the only way to harness the beast within, as the new era of society didn't look kindly on those who packed iron.

So this day, as like most days, his trusty Colt .45 was sitting in his house. Just when he needed it most, he had left it behind. There was no fight to be had from his end, just flight.

Quickly he surveyed the area. There isn't much cover in these parts. The tree belt was to thin and there was a chance for a stray bullet to make it through the maze of branches. He noticed a dried out dugout stock dam, pulled the reins on his horse and dropped his spurs into the breast of the horse for action.

Cookie, being the brains of this operation, was already thinking the same thing. Just make it to that cover, before we take a piece of hot lead in the flesh. He turned tail and ran, like Barbaro, without the broken leg.

Then another shot rang out...KA-ZZZZZING...just over their heads.

Only 87 meters from safety...but could they make it in time.


(To Be Continued)