The object of 4th picture tag is to:

1) Choose the fourth folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the fourth picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag four people to do the same

So, here goes. And oddly enough, it's one my favorite pictures.

This picture is of Karen and I, the kids, Raymona, Matt, and Carly. And the bestest dog ever, Frisky.

It was taken in the summer of 1975 by the best friend I have ever had the honor and priviledge to know, David Fosner. Dave and I spent 4 years in the Air Force together, and stayed in close touch after we got out. Dave was from Grand Rapids, Mi and summers usually found us on the way north to visit for a week or so, then in the fall before school started back Dave and his girlfriend Jean would come down to Ky.

He called me in the early summer of '76, excited about a motorcycle he was going to buy. I tried to talk him out of it to no avail, tried to get him to look for a small car instead. He said he had gone back to college and needed something cheap to get back and forth with.

Two months later he was hit and killed by a drunk driver. Dragged over a hundred yards.

Odd you should tag me, Brick. We share the same hatred of drunken drivers, my friend.

Dave and Jean, Christmas 1975

I still talk to Dave sometimes. Late at night out on the deck, with a beer in hand.

He doesn't answer.

Maybe some day?

So, I tag- Saadia, MrsHammett, Michel, and Jaynebug

The University of Kentucky Wildcats are traveling to Louisville today to take on the hated Cardinals in a game of basketball.

I decided to spare you the 26 hour countdown this time! No no, don't thank me. Thank Leah!

Last time I did that, she unsubscribed.

If I did it again, she probably wouldn't resubscribe this time!

Lesson learned!

Sunday, Jan. 4 - 4:30 p.m. [CBS] - Louisville, Ky. - Freedom Hall (18,865)

Kentucky opens 2009 by traveling to in-state rival Louisville this Sunday in Freedom Hall in a game nationally televised by CBS. This is the 40th meeting between the two schools, with Kentucky holding a 26-13 advantage. The Wildcats have won three of the last four in the series.

The Cats are coming off an 84-52 win over Central Michigan led once again by junior Jodie Meeks. Meeks tallied a game-high 23 points while Patrick Patterson chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds. Josh Harrellson added 12 points and six rebounds in only 17 minutes of action.

The Wildcats enter the rivalry game on a season best six-game winning streak, and has won 11 of their last 12 games.

Louisville enters the game after a 56-55 loss to UNLV on Wednesday.

Notes: Kentucky leads the all-time series 26-13, including 10-6 in Louisville…Louisville won last year’s meeting 89-75 in Rupp Arena, ending a three-game UK winning streak…The Cats have won each of the past two meetings in Freedom Hall…UK guard Jodie Meeks has averaged 32 points per game in the last two outings he’s had at Freedom Hall, shooting 13-of-21 from three-point range in the process…Louisville shut down Patrick Patterson last season, holding him to 6 points on 3-of-14 shooting, the worst offensive performance of his young career…Louisville coach Rick Pitino is 3-4 against UK since signing on with the Cats’ biggest rival.

I just posted this BENADRYL® Pollen Alert widget for 500 credits. You can earn free credits too!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Karen and I will probably order a pizza, I'll have a few beers, she'll nod off on the couch, and I'll wake her up at midnight, wish her a Happy New Year, then send her off to bed.

WoooHooo!!! Near fatal excitement level here!!!LOL

   

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

"A citizen who shirks his duty to contribute to the security of his community is little better than the criminal who threatens it."

In my opinion, yes, you do. It is every citizens responsibility to protect themselves, their family, their neighbors, or a perfect stranger in need of assistance.

If you think the police will be there to protect you when things are going horribly wrong, you are sadly mistaken. Most serious, or even fatal, social confrontations happen suddenly, and are over in seconds, or a few minutes at most. The average response time on a 911 call can be 30 to 45 minutes in most cities, much longer if you live in a remote rural area.

Here's a letter I received today from Tim at the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).

December 30th, 2008

Hello, Harold!

Many, many people have been coming to me lately telling me that between the presidential election and the general atmosphere in the country, they have been feeling a tug towards concealed carry.

I've even had guys who have carried for thirty years email me saying that they are getting more serious about how they carry concealed. They tell me they are practicing more, telling more people about carrying concealed, and even signing up for professional classes.

Gun sales are up, and carry permit applications are at an all time high.

It's easy to see that these people feel a sense of duty toward gun ownership and concealed carry.

I'll never forget the time I first felt this 'tug'. It was shortly after becoming a father, while reading an article titled "The Constitutional Right and Social Obligation to Carry a Gun."

I was given the article by a friend, and it really struck a chord with me. It wasn't that I was new to guns- it was just that I had never really put much thought into carrying one around with me.

With my new child, I naturally felt the need to keep him safe, but I had never really felt a duty to carry a gun. But I read on...

"A citizen who shirks his duty to contribute to the security of his community is little better than the criminal who threatens it."

Wow... Needless to say, by the time I finished the article, I began to share the sense of duty that the author, Robert H. Boatman, was taking about.

I realized that not only was it my job to keep my family safe, but it was my duty to help keep my community safe.

I'm not talking about sticking on one of those corny "CCW Badges" and pretending to be a cop- I just mean spreading the word about concealed carry, and making criminals think twice before they pull a gun on someone.

If they hear that one out of every ten people walking around has a gun on them, they have to ask themselves: Is $20 or $30 worth dying for?

More and more frequently, that answer is "NO!". And statistics back that up: Concealed Carry laws lower crime.

So let me ask you- do YOU feel a duty to carry your weapon concealed?

Do you believe that your community is better off having you armed?

I do. I believe your township, village, or city is better off having you as a member of the community.

And you know what? Well over 20,000 members of the United States Concealed Carry Association believe so too.

Friend, if you feel this same sense of duty as all these members, you might be a good match for a membership to the USCCA.

See, people join the USCCA because we're the 'Ultimate Resource for the Armed Citizen'- and we take that mission statement very seriously.

Our 20,000+ members love our magazine and our website for this reason- these materials help them fulfil their civic duty more effectively.

We are more than just a club. We are a tight knit community. We're host to hundreds upon hundreds of articles, stories, and profiles all meant to help you become prepared for whatever you may encounter.

Our writers come from all walks of life- some are expert trainers, and some are people just like you and I.

Give a membership to the USCCA a shot. All you have to lose is a few minutes of your time. All you have to gain is a whole new perspective on carrying concealed, and mountains of life-saving information.


Tim Schmidt
USCCA - Owner / Founder

If you would like more information about carrying concealed, or if you already carry and would like to join USCCA,

Click here.

Other links for concealed carry info:

http://www.handgunlaw.us/

http://www.carryconcealed.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_carry 

http://www.concealedcampus.org/

My two constant companions.

My father-in-law passed away Tuesday, December 23rd, at 10:15 AM. I won't be on here much for a while.

Karen is, of course, devastated.

As am I.

This has changed our Christmas plans a bit. We were going to "pass" on the big dinner we always do, and have a small brunch, instead.

But now, everyone will be home by tonight. Kids and grandkids, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, inlaws and outlaws from near and far.

So everyone will be home for Christmas this year. As Karen's friend Carrie just said to me, everything happens for a reason. Maybe there's a reason you are all supposed to be together this year.

Sure wish they were just coming home for Christmas though.

Jeri and George, newly wed. 1947

George Blevins (1927-2008)

George Wade Blevins, 81, husband of Jeri Blevins of Westwood, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008.

George was born Dec. 11, 1927, in Johnson County, to the late William Worth and Lennie Mae Stamper Blevins. He was a retired truck driver and had previously owned a coal dredging business. He was of the Southern Baptist faith.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two brothers, Bruce Blevins and Ottie Farmer Blevins.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Geraldine “Jeri” Ann Sears Blevins of Westwood; a son, George Richard “Rick” (Bonnie Sue) Blevins of Russell; six daughters, Karen Arlene (Harold “Bud”) Ferguson of Russell, Janet Carol Adornetto of Buffalo, N.Y., Sylvia Wadene (Lee) Virgin of Westwood, Rhonda Dale (Larry Joe) Copley of Ft. Gay, W.Va., Deena Lavonn Maio of Roanoke, Va., and Marti Robinette (Nick) Martsch of Rupert, Idaho; four sisters, Lula (Bill) Adkins of Paintsville, Ella (Vage) Guaze of Inez, Bonnie (Cletus) Webb, of Catlettsburg and Jerri Tackett of Staffordsville; two brothers, Jimmy (Ilene) Blevins of St. Marie, Idaho, and Harry (Diane) Blevins of North Carolina; 20 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008, at Caniff Funeral Home in Westwood. Entombment will be in Rose Hill Burial Park Mausoleum in Ashland.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and an hour before services Saturday at the funeral home.

Father's Day 2007

Rest in peace, George Wade.

I love you, Dad.

You will be sadly missed!

Karen doesn't have one of those little thingies.

 Trust me, I looked!

9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980

Imagine Live - John Lennon - 72

It absolutely does not seem possible that it has been twenty eight years.

Imagine, indeed!

*

My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

*

You have to be a bastard to make it, and that's a fact. And the Beatles are the biggest bastards on earth.
*

The more I see the less I know for sure.

*

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.

John Lennon

Denise (menskeet) sent me a few tracks from Alvin Lee's newest solo CD, Saguitar, so thought I would share with any other fans that may be out there.

Enjoy!

"This rather awkwardly titled album (Alvin Lee's horoscope sign is Sagittarius) is a true solo project from the ex-Ten Years After frontman. He plays virtually all the instruments except keyboards, overdubbing himself in his home studio to impressive effect. Musically, he's not blazing any new territory at this point in his career, content with sticking to the Chuck Berry styled rocking blues boogies and the country twang he has dabbled in for 40 years. Lee's not a great drummer, and the lack of a rhythm section (other than his own overdubbing) results in a somewhat stiff, homogenous feel that might have been avoided if he had just hired a few pros to play these parts. Still, Lee's voice hasn't changed an iota since his heyday, and songs such as "The Squeeze" adequately replicate "I'd Love to Change the World"-styled hits without being carbon copies. "Smoking Rope" digs into the stop-start "I'm a Man" blues riff with surprisingly electrified results, helped enormously by Tim Hinkley's keyboards and an acoustic based sound that clicks without the drums that often hinder this album's material. Perhaps he could have left the self-explanatory "Rapper" on the cutting room floor, even though the psychedelic guitar solo that snakes through the track helps overcome Lee's very white and cardboard-sounding rapping. He's far more convincing on blues based originals such as "Blues Has Got a Hold on Me," a mellow yet convincing groove perfect for Lee's voice and approach. His vocals have always been Elvis-influenced so when he goes full on Presley for the rockabilly "Memphis" (not the Chuck Berry tune), the effect is impressive and unpretentious. Lee lays off most of the lightning licks of his youth, instead adding tight, taut fills that bring substance without flash to an eclectic and consistently enjoyable set. Ultimately, this is a solid Alvin Lee album that fans will enjoy but that is unlikely to attract many newcomers to his rather predictable if undeniably personal and energetic style."

~Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide~