So, stayed up all night making arrows for a coworker's cubscout's arrow of light ceremony (thanks to Gary). So Gander Mtn, BassPro etc. have the tools & every part to make arrows up....but DON'T sell the ARROW SHAFTS!!! Would it kill them to keep $100 worth of cedar arrow shafts in inventory for people like me? I'll be ordering some from Three Rivers (online) to replace what I used from Gary's stash. Now, of course, I've got fletching adhesive (aka superglue) all over my fingers. But, hey, it was actually kinda fun.

Walked into basspro last night and the "greeter" almost ran me down. "Oh great" I think, "what is he going to try to sell me now". He says "excuse me sir, the hat looks reallly sharp". Turns out back in the 50's this guy was a buyer for a now defunct men's store (Schultz? I think). He went to Italy & all over the world buying HATS! He lamented that no one wore hats like mine (a straw Stetson Montrose fedora on this occasion). So, we had a neat little conversation about hats. It's amazing the people you meet due to a piece of headware.

That's all my blabbing for today. I've got to dry out (from the walk in the rain to my office).

RKS

Yesterday I went on my lunch break & got new work boots (company pays $115 towards the cost of a new pair every year, but I skipped last year). Redwing #2231 pull on's. They're pretty comfortable so far.

Took my Justin Ropers to the repair shop to have them re-soled (there were literally holes in the soles from walking on the A&M campus concrete, haven't worn them much since). New boots : $100, New soles: $32- easy choice.

Started (about a month ago now) my "new" thing of wearing hats (fedora style, not baseball caps) all the time (of course not indoors). I like the look, and waited for years for someone to bring them back. I figured hey "if you want something done right....do it yourself". So far, most comments have been positive (and those that were not were promptly ignored).

While it means nothing to me now (happily married 4 years today), here's a tip for you single guys: wear a fedora. 99% of the positive comments on the hat have come from females and they're always commenting on it out of the blue when I'm wearing it.

The missus & myself are celebrating 4 years of marriage today. Not much to say about that, she already knows how much I love & appreciate her. Her gift: flowers & I washed the dishes last night (which happens less frequently than anniversaries). Difficult to do anthing big when she's got class till late tonight. In continuing our tradition of weird/new food for anniversaries, I'm thinking ethiopian food at Blue Nile tomorrow night would be kinda cool.

Ryan

Please pardon the long post, but this is important to me.

Harold Walker (and his sweet wife) are still an inspiration to me. I ashamed to say I didn't know his health had declined, for I should have visited, but he passed away this week. I won't be able to make it to the funeral in Palestine (though I wish terribly that I could). Please bear with me as I write down a few thoughts about a truly wonderful man who could teach us all some lessons.

Harold was one of those men who probably went through life without attracting much attention to himself. In fact, it is this humble & gentle spirit which I find to be one of his most endearing qualities, and one I should emulate more often.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath – James 1:19

I sat in basically the same spot (behind Tim & Ruth Ann Harding and in front of the Walkers) while attending services at Benchley in my college years. I tried to always make a point to turn around and talk to the Walkers.

I specifically remember one night after services (I believe it was a Sunday night) we ended up in the parking lot talking late and Harold asked if I'd like to go to Hearne to get a bite to eat. I accepted the gracious offer and am exceedingly glad that I did.

We rode in their car (a Ford Focus) to the Dixie Cafe in Hearne for supper that night. Along the way (and in the parking lot at the building before we left) we discussed all manner of things related to life & godliness.

Harold worked for the railroad, painting railcars, and retired from that job years ago. Sometimes when I get stuck at a train (which is almost daily here), I look at the paint codes on the cars and think about him. (if you look at the cars you'll see stenciled on the car the words "Ameron" "PPG" or "PSX", followed by the code for the paint formulation) As you can imagine, this was a noble, though tedious job. I have no doubt that Harold did his job well. It's truly a lesson to those of us who feel that the world "owes" them something or that feel we are "too good" for certain tasks.

Harold & his wife, Oleta, were married for 50+ years (I could kick myself for not remembering exactly), but only obeyed the gospel well into their senior years. I remember (as I was then dating Amy) asking them about marriage, and their advice on how to make a marriage work. They simply said that they never considered divorce, and that they were just good friends. That's ESPECIALLY powerful when you consider that the majority of their lives were not spent as Christians. Their bond to each other was not built out of some responsibility to honor Matt. 19, rather it was a bond of friendship & love for one another.

Harold also told me of working with the animals at their daughter's vet clinic. Even in his old age, Harold found ways to be productive in his own humble way (and I imagine he enjoyed it). That's a lesson about industriousness that I feel is often lost on subsequent generations (present company included)

As we were driving Harold also asked me about the role of the Old Testament in modern worship, a question he’d been considering for some time. I don’t bring this up to display his ignorance or my superior knowledge, but rather as a testament to his own ability to humble me. Here is what I considered an “old” man who was still trying to understand the Bible better. If ever there was a lesson in diligently searching the scriptures to show ourselves approved, this is it. How many of us rest on our laurels and simply answer the questions for bible class lessons?

Finally, I’ll remember until I die the Ford Model A in association with Harold. We often talked about him having had one back in his younger days, and my desire to have one some day. Even after I’d graduated, on the occasions when I’ve met him since, he’d always stop me and ask if I’d gotten that Model A yet. What lesson does this teach? Even though Harold had his own life to live, his own family, friends, and local brethren to keep up with, he always took the time to remember one conversation we had years before with me, a goofy college kid. How many of us talk to our “circle” of friends and family, but never offer a friendly word other than “Hi” to people we see every day?

We are loosing fine men and women every day from a generation of people who understand the meaning of sacrifice, dignity, honor and love for their fellow brethren and man. While it is a sad thing, it is part of the natural progression of life on our planet, and will only be overcome by our own diligence to be faithful to the Lord so that we may once again be reunited with those good souls who have carried the banner before us.

I don’t have a Model A ford yet, but some day, Lord willing, I will. My first trip in it will be to Palestine, Texas to visit his graveside and pay my respects with the wife I’d asked his advice about years before.

Godspeed Harold, we’ll see you after a while.
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
-Hebrews 11:13-16

I am one of those obsessive people who has to have a particular set of things in my pocket at all times...

Flashlight (Fenix P3Dce)
Wallet
Keys (even if I'm not around my truck)
Pocketknife
Pen
iPhone (most recent addition)
Ruger LCP (when not at work)

If I don't have one of these, the OCD in me comes out and I'll search tirelessly to meet the need. BTW, I have extra knives, flashlights, and pens just incase one is lost.

Well, about six months ago I lost my favorite pocketknife. It's a Victorinox Swiss Army Farmer with Alox scales (silver) with my initials engraved on it. (my dad and brother both have the exact same knife). I KNOW I looked in the couch cushions at the time, but for whatever reason Amy found it there on Saturday.

Now for the twilight zone part. That VERY morning I went to a couple of local stores looking for a replacement for my beloved swiss army knife (and found nothing suitable). I've been carrying other knives in the mean time, but it's just weird that on the same day I decide to get another one, the old one pops up.

Now all of my stuff is back in the pockets where it belongs, all is well with the world again, and my neurotic tendencies can continue.

So, after being audited (at work...not by the IRS) for a week, and all of the attendant stress...we made a trip to the range.

My boss, a co worker, myself & the two auditors (from California...where many guns are forbidden) went to the Pasadena Gun Center and enjoyed the fellowship of gunpowder.

Being the resident gun nut (though relatively lax in such recently), I supplied the following:

Colt Commander .45
Ruger P89 9MM
Ruger MKIII 22/45 .22LR
Ruger Security Six .357 Magnum
Mosin Nagant M44 7.62 x 54R

We also rented an MP5 (see the cover of the last James Bond movie, he's holding one) which is fully automatic (it's a machine gun!). Now THAT is some fun. To be honest, I liked the little submachine gun more than the M-16 that I rented a few months ago.

Our California visitors enjoyed the MP5, LOVED the 9mm handgun, and I made them run for cover when I touched off a 3 foot ball of flame from the end of the M44 at an indoor gun range. When you can SEE the concussion waves...you know it's good stuff. When you’re a man (and I am one) and after you fire an excessively loud gun and you hear from somewhere else on the range: “What was THAT!?”…you know you’re doing something right.

For those interested in what it’s like, go YouTube “Mosin Nagant M44”.

And before they got there I dumped a magazine out of the .45 into a nice tight group on the silhouette target. Haven't shot it in a while (it’s hard to replace the ammo right now), so it was good to see that I can actually still shoot the thing. I did put a little dent on my ammo supply though, we’ll have to see how bad the damage was.

So, there, a manly man post!