I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had a “tribe” or a “crew” or anything of the sort. Until now that is. Let me tell you, it’s a little overwhelming at times, but in a very good way. I’ve always been a “Do It Yourself” kind of guy. Whatever it is, whatever needs doing, I do it myself. I don’t ask for help very often because it’s not something I’m used to getting much of. I need something done, I do it myself.

I bring this up because a few weeks ago I made the momentous decision to <gulp> sell my house. I love this house. I love the house, the property, the location, the neighborhood, the neighbors (well, those that are still speaking to me anyway) and everything about it. I said for years that the only way I was leaving this house was in a box. I’ve poured my heart, to say nothing of a lot of blood and sweat, into this house. But it’s time to move on. It took me a year to come to this decision, but once I finally made it, I looked around and saw the unholy amount of work to be done in order to get it ready to sell.

The front yard — newly landscaped only 4 years ago — was a disaster. The back yard, torn to shreds by the installation of the geothermal heating/AC unit 3 years ago, needs to be completely redone. The entire inside needs to be repainted (all 5100 square feet of it!). It needed new carpeting in all the carpeted areas. Tons of work. I was instantly overwhelmed. There was no way. It would take me a year.

Then a funny thing happened. While I was on a business trip to the god-forsaken land of Texas (Digression: Austin is lovely, but Houston would make a great landfill) this new tribe suddenly rallied to my cause. I came home to find the front yard almost entirely weeded, pruned and cleaned up. We added 12 cubic yards of mulch and it looks like a million bucks. I rented a Bobcat and leveled out the back yard and it’s ready for sod. And for the past week, my Girlfriend, her best friend (and her entire family!) and my girlfriend’s parents have been over here weeding, raking, moving furniture and painting. The main floor is about 1/3 painted already. We could be done with paint in a week or two. Julie arranged to have the carpet installers come give me an estimate today. (Digression: I need 2500 square feet of new carpet. That means I’ve laid 2500 square feet of tile in this house. By. Myself.)

These people, whom I have only known for less than a year, have descended on my home and given up their time, their weekends, their evenings, and even sacrificed some clothing (Steph poured paint all over her clothes, which was hilarious) to pitch in and help me. And here’s the thing: I didn’t ask them to. Julie took over the project management of the whole operation because she could clearly see how overwhelmed I was with kids, work, and the mountain of tasks to complete. She rallied her troops and they came to my aid.

I am overwhelmed. I am filled with gratitude and in awe of their kindness and support. There’s still a ton of stuff to do — like take down, paint, and rehang, with new hardware, all 34 doors in this house! — but I am no longer overwhelmed with the enormity of it all. I’m still not used to it, and I will also say that I’m still not entirely comfortable with it all because it is all so foreign to me, but I know that we can get it done. Notice I said ‘we’ there. Not I. We. That’s the change. That’s the part that is uncomfortable and foreign to me I guess. It takes me a while to get used to changes. Especially changes this big. But I’ve made bigger changes in my life, both internal and external ones. I’m just getting to make some simultaneously right now.  The last 2 years have been all about big changes for me, and this is just one or two more. I’m ready.

The house goes on the market soon, so stay tuned for the next chapter(s).

As you may know, last year was a bit of a challenge for me. I got divorced. I was homeless for a while. I lost my job. So just a bit of a challenge you could say. 

Then I got my house back. Then I got a new job. I was just minding my own business, enjoying being single and being a dad and then this happened:

Amazing. Remarkable. Magical. Truly. It shows me that as long as I keep showing up for life, no matter what life throws at me, things change. Things get better. And miracles happen. 

In San Francsico last week we went to The Salt House for dinner — an experience I highly recommend as the food is outstanding and the service is exemplary, though it’s a bit noisy to qualify for a “romantic dinner.” The dessert (well one of them) we had was an “Urban S’More” which was truly outstanding and one of the best desserts either one of us had ever had.

So when I got home I set about recreating it. At Salt House it was described as Brown Butter Panna Cotta, Chocolate Pudding with Chocolate Graham Crackers and toasted Espresso Marshmallows. So here’s how I made it (and mine is, I think, at least as good as theirs).

Espresso Marshmallows:

Ingredients:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1 cup cold water, divided 
• 3 1/4-ounce envelopes unflavored gelatin 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup potato starch 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar print a shopping list for this recipe
• 1 shot espresso

Preparation:

• Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with foil. Coat foil lightly with nonstick spray.
• Pour 1/2 cup cold water into bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until gelatin softens and absorbs water, at least 15 minutes.
• Combine 2 cups sugar, corn syrup, salt, espresso shot  and enough water to equal 1/2 cup in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium/low heat until sugar dissolves. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Increase heat and bring syrup to boil. Boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 240°F, about 8 minutes.
• With mixer running at low speed, slowly pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture in thin stream down side of bowl (avoid pouring syrup onto whisk, as it may splash). Gradually increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very thick and stiff, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to blend, about 30 seconds longer.
• Scrape marshmallow mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top with wet spatula. Let stand uncovered at room temperature until firm, about 4 hours.
• Stir potato starch and powdered sugar in small bowl to blend. Sift generous dusting of starch-sugar mixture onto work surface, forming rectangle slightly larger than 13×9 inches. Turn marshmallow slab out onto starch-sugar mixture; peel off foil. Sift more starch-sugar mixture over marshmallow slab. Coat large sharp knife (or cookie cutters) with nonstick spray. Cut marshmallows into squares or other shapes. Toss each in remaining starch-sugar mixture to coat. Transfer marshmallows to rack, shaking off excess mixture.

Those in and of themselves are absolutely delicious. Especially when toasted over an open flame. 

Brown butter Panna Cotta:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream (use fresh, organic)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoons brown butter*
• 1 cup (minus 4 Tablespoons) sour cream (use fresh, organic)

Preparation:

• Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water and let stand for 5 minutes
• In heavy 3-quart saucepan warm the cream, sugar and salt over medium-high heat. Do NOT let it boil. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes. Stir in brown butter
• Put sour cream in a large bowl and gently which in the cream a little at a time until smooth.
• Fill bottoms of 10 – 12 dessert glasses with panna cotta and place in refrigerator for 4 – 24 hours.

* Brown Butter:

• Slice 4 Tablespoons butter into heavy non-stick skillet
• Melt butter over medium heat, stirring constantly until butter boils and begins to turn light brown — be very careful as it goes from “Brown butter” to “burnt butter” extremely quickly. It should have a medium amber color and a slightly nutty smell to it.

Chocolate Pudding:

Ingredients:

• 9 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate — use the highest quality chocolate you can find/afford. Really.
• 1 2/3 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (as above, use fresh, organic cream)
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2/3 cups sugar

Preparation:

• Finely chop the chocolate at place in a large bowl and set it aside
• In a heavy saucepan bring the milk and cream to a boil over medium heat
• Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a heavy saucepan until they are thick and slightly pale
• While whisking the egg yolks, slowly add a small amount of the hot milk and cream. Continue adding a little of the milk mixture until it is all added, being careful not to ‘shock’ the egg yolks
• Bring the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens slightly and lightens in color and is 180-F on an instant-read thermometer — about 5 minutes
• Add about half of the liquid to the chocolate and stir with a small spatula until the chocolate is melted, then add half of what’s left and continue stirring until the pudding becomes smooth and slightly shiny. Add the remaining liquid and again stir gently until all the liquid is incorporated and the pudding is even and shiny
• Transfer to a bowl and press plastic wrap down over the entire surface of the pudding to avoid forming a skin, cover and put in the fridge for about 4 hours.

Bringing it all together:

Add a layer of the chilled chocolate pudding on top of the chilled panna cotta. Crumble a small amount of chocolate graham crackers over the top of the pudding. If you have a Crème Brûlée torch, you can simply put 3 or 4 of the Espresso marshmallows on top and lightly toast them with the torch. If not, and you have a gas stove, gently roast a few marshmallows over the open flame and drop on top. The marshmallows should be evenly toasted and slightly caramelized, but not burned. Serve immediately.

Register to vote dammit! And then show up. SHOW UP AND VOTE!

I post this without comment simply because the level of crazy stupid sorry, I’m at a loss for words.

The eyewitness testimony continues to come in.  Keep an eye on the dates of these many eyewitness reports, they tell an important story. Please forward this information to local officials in your municipal law enforcement agencies.

July 23, 2012  (stevequayle website)

Steve,

There have been numerous events around Colorado in the current weeks. Recently, here in my area. A good friend was at a shooting range on 7-21-12. He was there only a short time, and called me. He said there were 3 very “buffed” men at one end of the range, and that they were speaking both perfect English and Russian at the same time! (As I understand it, from talking to a gentleman who knows, you would have to start a child at 5 yrs. old to accomplish that.)

My friend spent quite a bit of time with them. Asked them what they were doing in the States. Said they were”mechanical engineers” . My friend, former military and and an armorer, said he had never seen pistol shooting like that. 2 and 3 inch groups at 25 yards, rapid fire. He said, “You guys shoot pretty darn good for “mechanical engineers”! The younger of the 3 asked my friend if he would like to shoot his rifle. He said, “Sure”! After picking up the piece, he said he noticed it had a Red Star on the scope! He told the ‘ENGINEER”, “Hey! This is Russian military!” The Man said,” Really?” He also told me the ammo was not sold in the States. It WAS Russian military issue. He said the reticle was as good as he had ever seen. He then said, “You guys sure you aren’t Russian military!” At this point they got somewhat upset. He asked where they had been, The told him they been up in Canada, the younger of the 2, that is. They shot a little more, then left. Headed for the range office to check out.

Upon arrival at the range office, told the young lady in the office, “That was kinda weird, shooting with Russian guys with military gear. She said, “Oh, there’s lots of them!” My friend being stunned, said “What!’ She said, “Oh Yeah, there’s alot of them that shoot here!”

Having said that, it appears we have a “Spetnatz Nest” in No. Colo. Very rural and isolated at this range. Not much out there.

Upon making some contact calls, appears I might have a possible place for where they are placed. Will do a little “road trip” soon.

Also, a longtime friend has been doing some “vacation time” in SW Colo. Spotted Russian troops, In Uniform down in Creed Co. 12 with European style motorbikes. Spotted a local Deputy, walked over to him. Said, “What are these “Foreign troops doin’ here?!”.  The Deputy just rolled his eyes and walked off! My friend walked over to them and said, “Things are a little different here than in Mother Russia” They looked at him and just walked away.

A couple of days later, he was down by Wolf Creek, going to see the falls there. This was along Highway 149 going to Pagosa Springs.  There about 3 mins., a Russian helo flew over their heads at treetop level, moving fast. We have seen 4 different Russian helos here in No. Colo.

Also, during the “Exercise” at Ft. Carson, a friend of 20 yrs. who is a documentary maker called live from the base. Said, “Guess what I’m Looking at” I said, “What?”. He said, “Black C-130′s with Red stars on the tails, doin’ touch and go’s”

Thats all for now, Steve. Will send more.

Keep The Good Work!!
God Bless,
“Mini-V”

Former State Trooper Greg Evenson has received corroborating info from a working group of ‘old school’ military brass gathering intel on the treason within the Pentagon.

Here is an excerpt from Evenson’s post.

By Dr. Greg Evensen ? July 19, 2012

Most recently, I have received information from a retired senior commanderl who is in a network of “old school” senior officers evaluating the known intelligence concerning a two front combat theater of operations. To keep as much information available to an involved cadre of military and law enforcement agents/agencies, this unofficial, undirected, yet highly qualified working group, has arrived at the conclusion point as I will describe it here.

The overall engagement strategy here is to entice the American military into pledging huge naval assets in the gulf region. The Straits of Hormuz is the “choke point” for all things challenging to Iran. It is here that the Iranian Navy and Air Force will have their greatest chance to inflict REAL damage on our (homosexually celebrated) armed forces. This is a real point of smack down for the Muslims to bring utter destruction on the American military, the American armed forces, and the American people (infidel society). The Russians and Chinese do NOT have the immediate design or permission from the luciferians to openly face the Americans, however; they will be in the command and control loop that manages the combat theater, once operations begin. This entire scheme is part of a feint to also run interference at Diego Garcia, the staging area for material’ and air support. Russian, Chinese and North Korean subs are stationed there with surface ship support. It is clear that events are moving toward an engagement of historic proportions and cataclysmic repercussions on a Biblical scale. The Pentagon is operating on bluster and ineptitude on a staggering scale. Homosexuality has reached the highest levels of the Pentagon as well. The former officers who have seen this coming have disowned many of their complicit former colleagues, while watching in dismay as they move ahead with stupefyingly poor planning surrounding the commitment of at least two and possibly three Naval Carrier Task Force groups now in great harms way. (I add with emphasis the FEAR of these former officers who despise the surrender to politically correct forces in the White House and ladder climbers in the Pentagon who have set up our military for an incredibly disastrous defeat because they recognize God will not allow a “victory” by sodomite Generals on the field of battle. Their view and mine as well).

The “second” front is America itself. Combat troops from Russia and 14 nations, air assets, armor and artillery, fighter suppression through anti-aircraft batteries on movable platforms that can respond to changing air response grids as well as logistics, hardened communications and transportation hubs, compliment a training contingent that has masqueraded as “friendly forces.” The apparent use of some type of advanced accelerant in the massive western fires defies understanding or previous experience by firefighters in that region. “Almost nuclear” in its ability to spread fire and not be quenched by normal fire suppression methods suggests, but cannot yet be confirmed by scientific testing in labs, that intentional human complicity in the fires is virtually certain. Specific battle plans in war call for the destruction of natural and man made infrastructure by fire, specifically calling for great monetary, human and technological assets to be used fighting the fires as both a distraction and a planned reduction of the area involved to produce or exist on a “normal” basis.

(dailysheeple.com)  Arizona says July 1 2012 at 11;39 pm :

I live in colorado and talk to these firefighters and I keep hearing RUSSIAN military are setting these fires,one fire fighter told me they caught russians setting off explosives six different times and the police would not arrest them so they came back home and said they ain’t fighting no more fires,well I guest they found something to keep all the russian troops busy in denver, SETTING FIRES……

May 13, 2012  (stevequayle website)

A week ago I was at Fort Carson on business picking up surplus equipment for the town I represent under a government program that gives surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies.

We’re going into what is commonly referred to as a boneyard as a group of soldiers were coming out through a small gate. I accidentally bumped into one of the soldiers and he turned and apologized in Russian, I took a quick look at his uniform and noticed that there were no insignias of any type or name tags.

Being that he told me he was sorry in Russian I responded no problem in German and received a very dirty look. At that time a man that looked like a 1950s KGB agent walked up to him grabbing him by the collar and shook him as he screamed at him.   “English, you idiot, English.”

By the time he finished yelling at him we were out of range and I couldn’t tell what else was said but this was a platoon size unit of young man that seem to be very fit and I would not doubt that there are members of the Russian special forces. I have a little experience in spotting soldiers as I was in the Army as a military police officer for 10 years.

Will return to the administration building I ran into someone I met after Hurricane Katrina and we began speaking as I congratulated him about his promotion “whose name and rank I will not divulge” he tried me to his office and we spoke for about 20 min. while our chief law enforcement officer was signing out the vehicles.

The conversation turns in the past and present as he was surprised to see me in the uniform I was wearing and I asked him about the Russian troops. He started to stammer and he said what Russian troops? And my reply was the one I bumped into that study excuse me in Russian and his KGB handler who start raising hell with him.

He broke in to remind me that KGB no longer exist, on my reply was that, yes the KGB’s gone, but they’re using another name now and they are still in business.

He acknowledged that there were Russian troops on the base by head nod and asked him are they training with the 10th Mountain division again all I had for an answer was a head nod, then I asked why in the hell are we training the Russians with our best troops and he whispered that we are not training them, wer’e training with them. At that point he said he was busy and had to get back to work, it was nice seeing me and get the hell out.

May 24th 2012,  (stevequayle website)

I am a U.S. Air Force veteran of the cold and vietnam war. I guarded nuclear weapons and uploaded nuclear B-52 bombers at two Strategic Air cCommand locations in the U.S. during the early 70′s. I was trained to recognize various types and configurations of enemy and friendly aircraft from that era I said this in order to qualify myself to you as to what I observed in Denver Colorado on May 8th. I had taken a business trip to Denver for a week and spent a week there in the Aurora section of Denver. On May 8th I entered a large park to walk my dog in Aurora at approximately 10 a.m. I noticed a large solid white aircraft fly over the park at approximately 500 ft and it was traveling about as slowly as a jet aircraft could fly without stalling. It banked right and turned to the side and I stood there watching it and trying to figure out not only what it was doing but exactly what type of military aircraft that it was. When it completed banking right I was shocked because I was now looking at a large clear cock-pit for at least two men and a nose confirguration that was uniquely Russian. I then realized that I was looking at a Russian Back-Fire Bomber that was painted completely white with no markings whatsoever. It seemed to be circling over the city either to observe Denver or even to be observed almost as if it were showing off. It then left the area and I never observed it again. I am still unsettled about what I observed on May 8th and I still possess an ominous feeling about it.

speakthetruth says:

April 26, 2012 at 3:18 pm

WOW! I live near Ft Carson/Denver and have noticed some very strange things lately, to see this blows my mind! For the past few weeks I have seen more military marked vehicles that have sattelite dishes and all sorts of electronics on them, sometimes in large convoys and sometimes alone. I have seen some with Airforce markings and some with DOD seals on the doors. This last sunday my wife and I were having a picnic in the woods west of Ft Carson and had a C-130 flying tree top level for a few hours, touch and goes I suspect. Being an exparatrooper, and knowing the C130 is a paratrooper favorite, I wonder if they weren’t practicing for their visitors. I’ve been here 12 yrs and never saw ANY activity with the unmarked, non military looking high tech vehicles, and certainly not in such huge numbers. It was creeping me out before I learned of this “exercise”, now I’m really creeped out. To be clear, these weren’t your average, HUMVE and support vehicles, these were highly modified GMC trucks, they look much like ambulances in shape. There was a time when I wouldn’t post such things, but we can’t trust our own people anymore and the citizens need to know. Very strange and I don’t like it.

Crisis Jones says: April 27, 2012 at 3:10 am

Have been reporting on convoys of white (UN?) 1 tons to 5 tons with highly sophisticated built in communications systems on the move here in Northern California. Saw another three today out running errands. Looks like the UN is moving in. Let’s keep talking folks, ‘Communication’ is a huge part of warfare.

Thank You for the excellent report Shepard! Learned some things that Watson did not cover today. Good Luck Patriots! Every American Counts!

 

SoCal Patriot says: April 28, 2012 at 8:24 pm

• Repeatedly, just north of Los Angeles, we keep seeing very high luxury looking Motorhomes pulling white dual axle trailers, usually used for hauling atv’s. Except, these are not regular motorhomes. Typically rv’s of this size will have up to 365¢each a/c units and one satellite tv domes. These units have as many as 8the a/c units and 3one satellite domes. These are clearly unmarked military vehicles. The only thing needing that many a/c units are computer servers, . Todays military communications are extremely dependent on computer servers and satellite radio systems. It’s funny ironic, not funny haha, these rv’s come in all different colors but the trailers being pulled are always plain white, no markings at all, probably so any rv can pull any trailer. Usually folks that can afford these rv’s, also have matching trailers. Would love to hear if anyone else has seen units like this. Keep an eye on how many a/c units are on top!

• Jeff Martin says: April 27, 2012 at 10:58 pm

• I live in Missoula, Montana. On April 25, 2012, I saw a train load of camoed military vehicles on that train heading East. Maybe 100 or more. I spent 9 years in the military and I can’t say what these vehicles were. Most were the same and small, maybe in the 3/4 or 1 ton class. Small and highly mobile looking.?

( The Russian special forces are also responsible for the multiple underground explosions that occurred in Michigan on June 6, 2012, one of which was a mini nuke that set off radiation detectors in multiple states. The explosions were an attempt to set off the New Madrid Fault. When the attacks failed to achieve the objective the attacks were covered up after initially being reported by local news media.  multiple explosions in Michigan )

A Message From Our Saviour  (June 9, 2012)

 “Treason from within: the Russian attacks on America!”

My Blessed Child, I am your Father Yahweh, yea Jehovah, Most High  God!  My Blessed Child, the alarm bells are sounding for this nation!  Very great alarm bells! And, you, as a nation, are sleeping!  For, a Trojan Horse has entered into this nation!  You have widely opened your gates, and the Trojan Horse has entered in!

While you, as a nation slept, they worked; and still you are in the dark about their works.  What is this Trojan Horse, and who are these, who have entered into your gates, whose works will have remained hidden?

I tell you that this Trojan Horse is the Russian Operation in your nation.  Their true intents and purposes have remained hidden from you, the masses!   And, their works have been in the dark; and sadly for you as a nation, the leader of this nation bowed to them!  He broke to their demands and he opened wide the doors of your nation to these infiltrators.

Do not be naïve!  The Russians, who supposedly came in for joint, military exercises, have not left; and their joint experiences have all been terminated, except for some very few.

Now, their experiences are known primarily to themselves and to a very few at the highest levels of your government. For, their collaborative efforts are to keep in power the one, who is in power over this nation. And, their combined schemes are to destroy this nation and to put it totally into the hands of your enemies.  Do not believe that the Russian troops have left!  They have only gone underground.

You will see more underground nuclear explosions, like the underground explosion, which was reported in and around the Indiana/Michigan area. You have also seen that this nuclear explosion and its radioactivity were immediately covered up. For, when the Russians came, they brought nuclear devices.( multiple explosions in Michigan on June 6, 2012.}

Why would the Russians need to bring war planes into this nation; and why would you, as a nation, allow even one of their war planes to come into your nation?

When the Russians came, they brought nuclear devices. They brought explosive devices; and they intend to set off the New Madrid fault.  They are viciously attacking the New Madrid fault zone with both nuclear devices and with their terrible weapons, which are known to cause earthquakes. They have also been busy setting fires and they plan to blow up nuclear power plants and to destroy dams.

They have been allowed into this nation for the sole purposes of destabilizing this nation!  You will not recognize these Russian infiltrators. Their mannerisms and their training have been perfected so that they will neither be recognized, nor suspected as foreign. They are on your streets, in your tunnels, in your cities, in your subways, and in your countryside;  and they have been brought in, brought into your nation by a few at the very top of this nation, particularly by your President.  For, he will use their instabilities to get his iron grip on your nation.  And, he will use their money to keep his place.Soon, devastating explosions will rip this nation from one end to the other.

You opened up and you allowed these troops and these many explosions to be brought in through Russian aircraft and vehicles.  The plot is from within and the great treason is from within this nation.

I am showing you their works.  I am not just telling you their plans; for their plans will come to pass in great measure.  I am showing you their works: fires in New Mexico; fires in Colorado, nuclear explosions and various kinds of attacks on the New Madrid Fault lines. But, among their plans are planned attacks on your nuclear power plants, planned attacks on your dams and bridges, fires, fires all across this nation, many fires and explosions, and the planned release of poisonous gases!  Yes, they plan to release the poisonous gases, and soon!

Now, you see!  Now, you know!  There is a president in this nation, who is a true Russian intelligence agent!  He is one among them; and he has been one among them for most of his adult life.

Will one change the feathers of a bird?  And, will this bird easily give up his power?  He will not, for his controllers will not. And, his controllers are not just the Russians, but, as you know, his controllers also control the world’s wealth.  Therefore, he will do as he is told to do; for he is Satan’s frontrunner, who controls the military and who will also bring this nation to its knees through the violence of this Trojan Horse; and also through the violence of the international banking cartel.

I tell you these important truths! For, soon, very soon, the poisonous gases will fill the skies and fires of all sorts will erupt all over this nation, fires and explosions, and a very great destabilization of the New Madrid Fault will take place.

And, you shall hear! Chicago is fallen! Chicago is fallen!  Chicago is fallen, and so great are the numbers of the dead!  For, Chicago is fallen and the city is broken, clean broken down! For, a very great earthquake will rip through Chicago!

Hear Me in this!  The plans of their great works are to rupture the Great Lakes! See their evil works! See what they do!  For, in this way, Chicago shall fall!

I am your Father, Yahweh, yea Jehovah, Most High God!

As witnessed, dictated and recorded this 9th day of June 9, 2012     Linda Newkirk  www.prophecies.org

June 11, 2012The Lord gave me yet another dream last night but this one was different it felt more like a warning. Anyways this is what I was shown. I was following a military convoy when a portion of the road we were on gave way and one of there trucks got stuck so I stoped my car and got out to help them. After I had helped them to get their truck moving again one of their people came and helped me back up and asked me if I would follow them back to base because her commander would like to thank me personaly. So I did and after I was finished with the commander the soldier that I had spoken with earlier found me and started to speak with me. I asked her what the convoy was for and she told me that she couldn’t say so I asked her point blank if it was for population control and marshal law and with a sigh she pulled me aside and said yes. So I asked her if that meant that the NDAA was going to be enforced and the prison camps would be activated and again she told me yes and that its not just the american military that will be active and that half of that convoy was russian. And then I asked her when it would happen and she said that she didnt know but that it would be soon and that I need to get my family ready to flee because it is going to happen fast. My final question to her was did she know that when they are done with us that they would kill them next, but she didnt answer she simply turned and walked away. Steve I am not exactly positive about what the Lord is telling me other than watch and pray so that we may hear him when he tells us to flee. And as always I am praying for you and this nation so that people will wake up. God I pray that they do before its too late. J.

Excerpted from the ‘Obama Prophecies’  Nov 20, 2008 just after the election.

Just know, My Little One, that his roots go deep, that his roots are dark, and that they stretch wide in Communist/Marxist teachings and doctrines, even as I have shown you in a previous vision! For, these words and visions of our Father are also My words and visions to you! Obama has been brought through the ranks and has been deeply indoctrinated and trained in subversive techniques. And, he has been groomed and prepared for this time of world communism and Satanism; for nothing of such a magnitude happens in Satan’s kingdom by chance! But, even so, am I not in all of this?

You, Oh, My People in this nation have refused Me! You have refused our Father! You have forsaken righteousness, preferring instead to follow after the world, and to trust in the arm of the flesh, and to believe in men and their powers! Yes, indeed, to trust in a wicked government to rescue you, to fix your problems and to provide for you!

Now comes the very antichrist into your midst and you see it not! For, you are looking for someone to SAVE you from your own downfall! You are looking to a man to fix the world situation! You are looking to a man to save you from war, to save your houses, to save your jobs and to save your families! Yes, you are looking to a man and I have given you a man, who will lie to you! He will tell you every smooth tale! He will con you with every smooth plan, even as he leads this nation off a cliff, to a point of no return. Even as he sets up death camps in your midst and even as he executes your families and even as he ravages your land with war and destruction, he will tell you that this if for your own good! Even as he beheads and kills you by the hundreds of thousands, oh yes, he will tell you that the terrorists and the dissidents must be purged.

Oh, yes he will do these things! He will cast you into a third world war and quickly so, to cause you to be attacked and to be annihilated and/or carried away by the foreign soldiers. But, he will not be satisfied with only bringing this nation to its knees. He will look to the whole world, and wish to conquer the whole world; and to bring to its knees the whole economic system in the world.

For, he would have all in the world to bend a knee to him and to worship him. And, many, many will bow and serve him and many, many will worship him and many, many will take the mark of the beast. But, the tried and true will not! My Faithful will not, yet these things shall be; for they are now upon you!

Be not troubled, My Little One, for even so, all of these things must be! I tell you now that Barack Hussein Obama is the antichrist and that the false prophet is also already known and is standing in the shadows. For, now is the time that the world knows, even as I have told you, that Barack Hussein is the antichrist and he will rise over this wicked nation! And, know that our Father has placed him here and many, many of you have believed a great lie! Yes, you have first loved a lie!

I have called and sent My prophets throughout this nation to warn you to repent of your wicked ways, and you would not! You would not receive My warnings of correction, but have overwhelmingly scoffed at My warnings to repent, or perish. Therefore, your hour is at hand, wherein I will raise up the antichrist over this land, and you will drink of the bitter cup of your own sins! For, oh so wicked you are, Oh Nation of America!

(end excerpt)

By Tom Fife
11-20-8

During the period of roughly February 1992 to mid 1994, I was making frequent trips to Moscow, Russia, in the process of starting a software development joint-venture company with some people from the Russian scientific community. One of the men in charge on the Russian side was named V. M.; he had a wife named T.M.  V. was a level-headed scientist while his wife was rather deeply committed to the losing Communist cause – a cause she obviously was not abandoning.

One evening, during a trip early in 1992, the American half of our venture were invited to V. & T.’s Moscow flat as we were about to return to the States. The party went well and we had the normal dinner discussions. As the evening wore on, T. developed a decidedly rough anti-American edge – one her husband tried to quietly rein in. The bottom line of the tirade she started against the United States went something like this:

“You Americans always like to think that you have the perfect government and your people are always so perfect. Well then, why haven’t you had a woman president by now? You had a chance to vote for a woman vice-president and you didn’t do it.”

The general response went something along the lines that you don’t vote for someone just because of their sex. Besides, you don’t vote for vice-president, but the president and vice-president as a ticket. “Well, I think you are going to be surprised when you get a black president very soon.”

The consensus we expressed was that we didn’t think there was anything innately barring that. The right person at the right time and sure, America would try to vote for the right person, be he or she black or not.

“What if I told you that you will have a black president very soon and he will be a Communist?” The out-of-the-blue remark was met by our stares. She continued, “Well, you will; and he will be a Communist.” It was then that the husband unsuccessfully tried to change the subject; but she was on a roll and would have nothing of it. One of us asked, “It sounds like you know something we don’t know.”

“Yes, it is true. This is not some idle talk. He is already born and he is educated and being groomed to be president right now. You will be impressed to know that he has gone to the best schools of Presidents. He is what you call “Ivy League”. You don’t believe me, but he is real and I even know his name. His name is Barack. His mother is white and American and his father is black from Africa. That’s right, a chocolate baby! And he’s going to be your President.”

She became more and more smug as she presented her stream of detailed knowledge and predictions so matter-of-factly – as though all were foregone conclusions. “It’s all been thought out. His father is not an American black so he won’t have that social slave stigma. He is intelligent and he is half white and has been raised from the cradle to be an atheist and a Communist. He’s gone to the finest schools. He is being guided every step of the way and he will be irresistible to America.”
We sat there not knowing what to say. She was obviously very happy that the Communists were doing this and that it would somehow be a thumbing of their collective noses at America: they would give us a black president and he’d be a Communist to boot. She made it quite obvious that she thought that this was going to breathe new life into world Communism. From this and other conversations with her, she always asserted that Communism was far from dead.

She was full of little details about him that she was eager to relate. I thought that maybe she was trying to show off that this truly was a real person and not just hot air. She rattled off a complete litany. He was from Hawaii. He went to school in California. He lived in Chicago. He was soon to be elected to the legislature. “Have no doubt: he is one of us, a Soviet.”

At one point, she related some sort of San Francisco connection, but I didn’t understand what the point was and don’t recall much about that. I was just left with the notion that she considered the city to be some sort of a center for their activity here.
Since I had dabbled in languages, I knew a smattering of Arabic. I made a comment: “If I remember correctly, ‘Barack’ comes from the Arabic word for ‘Blessing.’ That seems to be an odd name for an American.” She replied quickly, “Yes. It is ‘African’”, she insisted, “and he will be a blessing for world Communism. We will regain our strength and become the number one power in the world.”

She continued with something to the effect that America was at the same time the great hope and the great obstacle for Communism. America would have to be converted to Communism and Barack was going to pave the way.
So, what does this conversation from 1992 prove?

Well, it’s definitely anecdotal. It doesn’t prove that Obama has had Soviet Communist training nor that he was groomed to be the first black American president, but it does show one thing that I think is very important. It shows that Soviet Russian Communists knew of Barack from a very early date. It also shows that they truly believed among themselves that he was raised and groomed Communist to pave the way for their future. This report on Barack came personally to me from one of them long before America knew he existed.

Although I had never before heard of him, at the time of this conversation Obama was 30+ years old and was obviously tested enough that he was their anticipated rising star.

“The Third Great Judgement!”

The Great Methane Bubble beneath the Gulf of Mexico is melting;

And its’ terrible gases are rolling forth!

Repent, oh you people!

June 30, 2012

My Blessed Child, I am your Father Yahweh, yea Jehovah, Most High God, yes Jesus, Lord of Lords and King of Kings! I tell you again, that I am One and the Same!  I am your Saviour! I am your Redeemer; and I am Most High God; and besides Me, there is none! But, there come those, who wish to quibble, who wish to find fault and who wish to dispute the truth of who I am! And some say, “She speaks to another Jesus! She hears from another God!”  But, I tell you, My Blessed Child, that among these very mockers are those, who speak to another god. They speak to another jesus! For, I am not found among them; and these include some of your biggest critics, who control the churches, and who mock these works.

But, now, My Blessed Child, I come to you and I tell you a very important thing!  And, this very important word is about to accelerate all of My judgements in the earth! Yes, people will look here and they will look there and they will say, “Oh, look at these Satanists! Oh, look what they do!” But, I tell you this! Hear Me in this! For, I am empowering the Satanists over you!

Just as I raised up Nebuchadnezzar and I empowered Nebuchadnezzar to come forward and to overrun and defeat My people, who did evil and who would not heed the warnings of My prophets, I have now raised up another in your midst!  Indeed, he is Satan’s choice and Satan has put him over you through his secret organizations. But, I tell you now that I control Satan!  He does what I allow and what I command!

I wrote the Book of Revelation; and I have spoken through My prophets down through the ages, for this is what My people chose. And, I have honored their choices!

The antichrist in our midst!

But now, hear Me in this!  Make no mistake about it!  Barack Obama is the antichrist!  Whine all you want! Be in denial all that you want, but you will not change who he is; and you will not change the fact that I put him over you!

He is your worst nightmare, oh America; for he will burn you down and laugh as he sees you burning!  He has no allegiance to America; for his allegiance is to Satan; and this man’s heart is set upon his rule of the whole world!

“The Time of the Burning!”

You, oh America, are but fodder for his fires, you wicked and adulterous peoples of America!  And, burn you will!  Yes, you will burn; and the fires will spread all across this nation, even before the nukes come!  Yes, you will burn, oh America!  For, you will not repent!  And, because you will not repent; and I have called out to you for many years to repent of your evil ways, and you will not hear My cries, I tell you that you will burn! (The Lord warned the prophet, Dumitru Duduman, that America will burn. We have now come to that time!)

Terrible Droughts and Famines!

And, the famines, great famines, will begin to rip across this land, from one city to another and from one part of this land to another! In years past, I warned you through My words, which I gave to My servant, Linda Newkirk. I told you that if you would not repent that I would dry up your corn fields, that I would bring famines; and you would not hear! You would not believe!

Now come the famines, and you can see it at your door! For, the droughts are so great!  And, now the great fires come, yet few of you can see them, and these fires continue on! Now comes also the time when your antichrist president will wallow in his victories! For, now comes also the time when he is coming into his power!

The Fall of America!

What will you do, oh you decadent nation of America?  You will fall! America will fall!  Yes, America will fall, and all over the world, the people will shudder!  They will panic!  They will fear with a great fear! For, they shall soon say, “America is fallen!” Yes, the whore of the world is fallen! That old wicked woman, who made the world to drink of the cup of her perversions, has fallen!

Yet, not all will fear, but only those nations, who have depended upon you, will fear!  Many will rejoice!  Many will be joyful! They will be glad; for you, oh decadent nation of America have terrorized many nations!

Terrors From the South!

Now comes the time, and it is at your door, when many nations shall terrorize you, oh nation of America! For, as you have sown, so shall you reap!

The wind is coming! Yes, a very great wind from the South is coming!  A very great Southerly wind will come upon this nation and this wind from the South will greatly trouble you!

Yes, the King of the South will rise up and he will collect his own nations; and they shall rise up to defeat and to overthrow this nation, not through war, not yet through war, but soon through war! However, at this time, they shall rise up; and soon, en masse, they will rise up to overthrow the dollar!  And, this wind will blow hot!  This wind will blow upon you with a great force and this great wind will cause you to suffer an irreparable crack in the economy of this nation. And, the rumbles of this great wind shall crash and crack and beat and dissolve, beat and dissolve, pound and pummel the very economic structure of this nation!

The Works of the Antichrist!

But, do not be alarmed when you see your president bow to them all; for he is not after your approval. He is after their glory!  He is after their support! He is after their admiration; for he champions their causes! He is their man and he is your great enemy, oh America!

Yes, America, your president is the antichrist! He came out of Europe! In Europe, he was conceived and through the European Satanic elite, he was born!  But, he is truly a man without a country; and because he is a man without a country, he is loyal to no country!  His eyes are on the prize of world governance; for while he bows today to ingratiate himself to foreign rulers, tomorrow he will require that they all bow to him.

The Fulfillment of Our Saviour’s words!

Yes, Barack Obama is a man with a great plan; but remember: I wrote the plan! I put him over you, oh America; for I am going to use him to break your pride! I am going to use him to break your haughtiness. I am going to use him to break your economy! I am going to use him to fill up your concentration camps! I am going to use him to haul you off as slaves, oh you rebellious house!  I am going to use him to further pollute you, oh Nation of America; for he hates you, oh wicked nation; and I will drive his hate towards you until he sees you in flames from one end of this nation to the other, from north to south and from east to west!

The Price of Rebellion

You will not repent, oh you wicked nation of America!  You will not heed My calls to repent, or perish!  You will not bow a knee to Me, to the Creator of All Things, but you will bow a knee to him!  And, many of you will take his mark and will worship him, just to have food on your tables.  For, you will not honor Me and My word! You will not repent!  Therefore, you will worship him and you will lose your souls!  For, you have loved evil! You have no regard for what is right! You love a lie!  You love every perverted thing; and you will perish in your wicked ways!

The Great Judgements of our God against Louisiana and this nation!

Get ready, people of Louisiana! Get ready! Get ready for one of the greatest catastrophes that you will ever see!  I have sent you warnings through the great devastation of Hurricane Katrina! This was My first great warning to you, oh people of Louisiana: my warning to repent, or perish.  Yet, you have made yourselves busy in re-buiding that great decadent city of New Orleans, but you have not repented!

Then, I sent you even greater warnings through the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster!  Great is this calamity and great have been your losses through this great calamity! But, still you have not repented!

These are My judgments, oh you blind, who lead the blind; but you would not see My handiwork in the midst of these great calamities. You would not see My judgments through these great catastrophes!

The Third Great Judgement Against Louisiana,

 and the people of this nation!

Now, you do not see again what is happening to you!  For, the great frozen methane lake, which is beneath the Gulf of Mexico, is quickly melting!  The heat of the seeping oil, which is pouring into the frozen lake, is melting this great lake of frozen methane!

Yes, you watch in amazement as these methane bubbles come to the surface and some of you are surprised at the shifting of your homes. But, hear Me! For, you have seen nothing yet! This gas is finding its own exits!

A great volume of methane gas is pushing upwards and is seeking to find its own vents!  As more of this gas pushes its way to the surface, there will come a shifting in the subterranean land masses. There shall come a subsequent shifting in the lands, both beneath the Gulf of Mexico, and even for some distance from the Gulf of Mexico!

Some of these land displacements will be great with ensuing earthquakes.  But, the earthquakes will not compare to the unexpected explosions, and in many areas, unparalleled deaths of humans, animals and aquatic life and yes, even birds and other life forms!

Oh, you people of Louisiana, you would not listen!  I have sent you two very great calamities and now comes a third. So great shall be your suffering! The stench, the stink of the dying shall be so great!  And, many will say, “Who is going to Louisiana?”  For, the explosions and the dying shall be so great among you!

And, when you see these terrible things hit Louisiana, know that this is My third, great judgment against this wicked state. It is a haughty state! It is full of idol worship and witchcrafts; and those in the churches will not obey Me. They will not walk in humility before Me. For, their song is, “How great I am!”

But, I tell you, oh state of Louisiana, you are a cancer!  You are a grievous sore in My face!  You are a great blot upon the face of the whole earth; and I will erase you!

I will continue in My judgments against you; and I will continue to plead with you to repent through My great judgements, until I erase your very existence! For, you are rotten, oh state of Louisiana! You are rotten to the core and I will no longer allow this evil before My face!

I tell you now; and hear Me well! The great methane bubble, which lies beneath the Gulf of Mexico, is beginning to rupture!  As this great bubble ruptures, it will push out! It will begin to push out with great force!  It will erupt beneath the ocean!  It will erupt all along the Gulf Coast!

The great rupture of this methane gas will hit Florida! It will hit Texas!  It will hit inland and move up beneath the Mississippi River! It will go south towards Cuba. It will go towards Mexico!  It will spew forth, sometimes with small eruptions, but at other times, the eruptions of these gases will be so great that they will easily sink ships! And, there will come a time when travel in the Gulf of Mexico will be extremely hazardous!

Most often, the presence of these terrible gases will go undetected, but the effects of these gases will be deadly!  Whole areas will come under attack, and there will be many “unexplained” deaths and sicknesses!  This great gas explosion will be seen as the “silent killer.”

The time is at hand, oh America!  You have come to the time of your great judgements; and this bowl is now full and overflowing!

I am your Father, Yahweh, yea Jehovah, Most High God.

As witnessed, dictated and recorded this 30^th day of June, 2012,   Linda Newkirk  www.prophecies.org

 

July 31, 2012

Hi Steve,

I read the article about Odumbo supposedly giving away 7 Alaskan islands to the Russians back in February. A high up inside source says the leak for those 7 islands are payment for the 350,000 Russian troops here that will disarm and kill Americans when the collapse comes! It includes their training, wages, guns, ammo, tanks, assault weapons and housing in underground bunkers. So in reality Odumbo, gave away our land as payment to kill most of us, while all our troops are overseas and wouldn’t dare attack the American people! Back in February the deal was made just like the article says about the giving away of the 7 islands. So they say no money in the article was given because there wasn’t no US dollars paid! Instead they made a deal for the slaughter of our blood and lives for the rich oil based islands, and will let their Russian troops do the dirty work! Besides, how could they afford to pay the Russian troops you ask to attack the American people? They can’t! We are already 16 trillion in debt. In reality it is over 200 trillion! They don’t want our soon to be useless dollars anyways. So payment was made with the oil rich 7 islands for the Russian troops. It all fits the puzzle and the mystery behind what the payoff was. You may post or do what you want with this information. Pass this along to everyone you know……..
Keep up your great Watchman work and God bless,
GRP

http://stevequayle.com/News.alert/12_Global/120731.Alaska.html

Don’t know what else to say other than people better start waking up and paying attention to what is going on around us and over in the Middle East, all the civil violence will be coming here to our shores shortly to make way for a one world government.

J

I watch a lot of TED Talks on Netflix. And I do mean a lot. If you were to look at my instant queue, you’d see a preponderance of TED Talks there. More than anything else, really. I watch on subjects from Art & Fashion to Robotics to Nutrition and Food (I recently basically went vegan for some reason) and everything in between.

I watching last night I came across this talk by Jill Bolte Taylor. When I first started watching it, I have to admit to being a tad judgmental about her delivery style, etc. Typical cerebral scientist, blah, blah, blah. By the end I was in tears, as it appears most of the audience at the time was.

I encourage you to watch the whole thing and listen to the powerful message that this woman has to deliver.

Since I’ve got some time on my hands lately, a lot of time, I’ve been working on my bowl-turning skills. I spent about an hour or so on this one this morning, and I think it came out pretty nice. My first attempt at inlay, and I have to say, I love it!

That’s Redheart, by the way, one of my favorite woods to turn. I’ve also been experimenting with new finishes, and this bowl uses a friction polish which gives it a very nice shine. At least I think so.

Presented without commentary, a few pictures from my otherwise awesome day:

Today has been … well, surreal. The kitchen looks like there was some sort of war between the ingredients going on. Epic. Disaster. We started by making waffles, which is messy, but I got the kitchen sparkling clean after that. Then came the adventure into making paper. Which quickly descended into experimental territory. 

We’ve always made paper by unloading the paper shredder into a blender full of hot water, then adding all sorts of other things to it, blah blah blah … That was before The Tot … Jesus Cristo con frijoles!! That child! So that was the start of the mess. Then we decided to take some of the exotic wood sawdust/shavings from wood-lathe land (caution: when your woodshop and your kitchen collide, get out of the way FAST!) and add that to the paper-making. 

So we started a huge pot of water and Osage Orange (or maybe it was yellow heart) boiling on the stove. No idea why. Then we decided it would be a good idea (probably because the costco sized bag was sitting RIGHT. THERE. since I had been using it to deodorize the rug since my STBX had just decided to let the dogs pee all over it for the past 6 months … let’s not go down that road, shall we?) Anyway … so we started dumping handfuls of baking soda into the pot. Interesting … it was like adding it to a pot of boiling vinegar! Foaming all over the place! and all over the stove. Nice. Boiling baking soda and wood pulp. That should be easy to clean up!

That was now officially my son’s experiment — he took over after it became obvious that it was really weird and cool and messy.  The Tot decided she needed to do her OWN experiment. So I got her a small mixing bowl. She got out her “ingrediments” which consisted of double-acting baking powder and vanilla extract. That’s how it started anyway. Wait, did I ever even finish making paper? Yeah, I was finishing that up while the experimenting was going on. 

The son got bored with the boiling pot of foaming wood pulp and wandered back to the woodshop to make more bowls — someone please go buy one before I go broke! http://www.etsy.com/people/randysimmons1 Ok, my OT is going OT, not a good sign.

While I finished with the paper, The Tot continued her experiment. She was most of the way through the can of baking powder when I switched her to baking soda (since I have eleventy million pounds of the stuff). Then I turned my sights to replacing the under-cabinet lights. (Why did I decide that now would be a good time? Point out the part where I said I was sane. Go on. Just try. ) They are all Xenon and get too hot, plus there’s 360 watts worth. So I replaced 4 (240 watts) with 3 LED light bars (30 watts) and … well, maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention to the Tot’s experiment. She had self-graduated to the largest mixing bowl in the kitchen, added flour, raw barley, dried black beans, brown rice, shredded paper, yellow-heart sawdust and red heart sawdust to her list of ingredients and was threatening to use it like paper mache to “make a bolcano” with. Clearly this had gone on too long. Rather than carry the flour, sawdust and shredded paper containers to the site of the experiment, she had just been carrying handfuls back and forth, so there was now a trail of each across the floor. And the table was … wait, is there still a table under there? Dunno. I’ll look for it later.

Great, now it’s dinner time … So we did that (on what little of the table we could find). And now the Tot is INSISTING on making the paper mache volcano. So we get out the next-largest mixing bowl and start THAT project. On the floor. Wouldn’t you know it but Murray Dog decides to play hoover about now and look amongst the shredded paper, sawdust and who knows what else for tidbits to eat. Pickles, the large cat sleeping on the chair, takes offense to this plan, and swats Murray Dog, who jumps, and lands … wait for it … IN THE BOWL OF PAPER MACHE!!! Then runs off through the house. Somebody shoot me. Mess officially no longer confined to the kitchen.

Meanwhile Lilly has decided that the now-fresh smelling rug is *too* fresh smelling and decides to pee on it. The deck is just not high enough to jump off of at this point. Did I mention that we got 2 new cats this weekend who are sequestered in the master bath, making Pickles edgy and Murray all giddy at the prospect of fresh kitties to bounce? Yeah, so add that. Or multiply by that. I forget the exact math on these things.

It is now 10:30. I have wiped down the counters, and re-oiled them, since paper-making will take the shine off a soapstone countertop. I have cleaned up most of the paper mache mess, other than the stuff littering the floor. I still haven’t the first clue what to do with this 40-pound bowl full of 5-year-old’s experimental ‘cooking’ results. And now I have to (once again) figure out where everyone (of the critters) is sleeping tonight. Murray Dog gets very upset if he can’t sleep in the room with me. The new cats, needless to say, are not thrilled with this sleeping arrangement. Plus it’s raining, which makes Murray Dog all nutty since he’s convinced there will be thunder and lightening and the world will end in calamity. 

If anyone is in the neighborhood and would like to stop by and shoot me, that would be a big help. 

If you read this far, well, you obviously don’t have enough to do, so get over here and take this giant bowl of godknowswhat off my hands. And clean my floors. 

I am starting the process of rebuilding my life. A life by myself — except for my kids and animals. There is a lot to do. I have to rebuild myself first, but I have been diligently working on that project for months now. Now that I am no longer homeless, and am back in my own house, it seems that I need to begin rebuilding the house and most of its contents as well.

Many rooms in the house look as if I have been robbed. The dining room has no table or chairs and doesn’t even have a light fixture. Thanks to the slate floors I installed a few years ago, it echoes with the sound of emptiness in there. I’ve actually already begun the process of rebuilding in that room in the form of a new dining room table. I’m making it myself out of cherry, inlaid with Padauk and Walnut. When I finish it it’ll be gorgeous but for now there is just the echo.

The walls, once so covered in signs of love and life and family are now bare. Virtually everything that was hanging on them is now gone. It’s time to put the images of my new life up, but right now I don’t know what those images are. Yet. But my eyes are wide open to life and possibilities and new beauty, so who knows what will end up there.

I do know that one thing that left seemed so minor, but was, apparently, very important. The chalkboard in the kitchen. We used it to record grocery lists, messages, little drawings by my daughter and the occasional misunderstood message. We called the women that designed our kitchen “the girls” and for a few months there was a message on the board that said “Call Girls.” Until the neighbor raised an eyebrow and asked if there was anything we needed to talk about.

The blank spot on that wall needed to be filled. I needed to fill it. Simply writing on the wall wasn’t going to be an option, so I got to work yesterday. Remember up there I said I was making a new table out of cherry? Well, I have a lot of pieces that can’t be used in the table, so I made myself a chalkboard frame to match my kitchen. Only took a few hours, and now I have someplace to write my grocery lists. Small as they may be now.

And I made it myself. Of course the moment I hung it I thought “it needs to have something on it. I can’t have it be blank!” but of course my mind went blank and I couldn’t think of anything to write, anything I needed from the grocery store. So I smiled instead.

It’ll do for now. I may even leave it there to remind myself to smile, even when I don’t feel like it. To remember that my life is not empty, even if the walls of my house are. That there is always something to smile about, if I look for it.

After 7 long months, I am (finally) no longer homeless. You want to have some fun? Try caring for 3 kids (even part time) without a real, permanent place to live. I can tell you from experience that it is not easy, but it can be done.

Last Friday I moved back in to my own house. It looks as if it has been robbed at this point, but I have enough furniture and household items to make a go of it. Hopefully I’ll be able to afford to re-stock the house and make it look like a home again soon.

I’m home. I’m happy. I’m single. I’m a father. Certainly not in that order. I’m also happy. For the first time in a very long time.

What’s your point of view?

Full Circle from Callum Cooper on Vimeo.

Thanks to my friend Roger for finding this. Makes you think about what your point of view is on everyday things vs. what … well, what the other person/thing’s point of view might be.

It’s always good to look at things from another point of view.

The new lathe is getting quite a workout — even if I only get to see it every other weekend. When my son is here for the weekend, he spends the entire weekend on it, and he’s getting extremely good! It sure is better than before, when he spent the entire weekend welded to the couch watching Netflix and playing 1st person shooter games. He’s actually creating something of beauty instead of just racking up a body-count.

Here are a few of his recent creations:

Cocobolo Bowl

And:

Red Heart Bowl

And finally:

Orange Osage Bowl

As you can see, he is very busy, and quite talented. The sides are razor thin (he even cut himself on one while sanding) and beautifully proportioned. He now wants to start an etsy page to sell them to, as he puts it “support his habit” of wood. This is not just a good thing, but a fantastic thing, if you ask me.

For my part, I made this bowl:

My Orange Osage Bowl

I’m not selling it, but am giving it away to my friend Capt’n Pat for being such a wonderful friend to me over the past few years. Once I am able to spend some more time on the lathe myself (which should start happening after April 1 when I get my house back) maybe I’ll start producing enough to sell as well. I’ll keep you all (all, HA!) updated on how things go.

My friend Ali Davis posted this over at her blog, and she’s one of the writers (and even appears in it!). I know, I don’t post much political stuff anymore, but …

Seriously. If Rick “Frothy Mix” Santorum is the best the GOP has to offer? They need to change their mascot from an Elephant to a Dinosaur Jesus Pony.

I freely admit to being a Grammar Geek and a bit of a stickler for spelling. Yeah, we all make typos, and most people rely too much on spell checkers to keep our spelling in-line. Read through this blog (and you won’t have to go very far) and you’ll find spelling errors for sure. No one’s perfect.

That being said, I do have a few serious pet-peeves around spelling. Lucky for me The Oatmeal has many of the same ones, and provided me with exactly what I needed.

So let’s start out with a few of them.

These may not be in the same order as they were on The Oatmeal, but I’m doing my own thing here. Deal.

This one’s easy to do, if you are relying on a spell-checker, since spell check won’t catch this one. They are both perfectly valid words. So be careful. I am one of those that will over-look it the first time, but when you keep doing it every time then it’s not a spelling error.

I know, it’s spelled weird. That whole “i before e” rule can be troublesome if the only part of it you learned and committed to memory was “i before e.” Best to study up on the whole rule, and commit it to memory.

Now on to some of the more annoying ones.

I like that rule. Don’t be an A-hole. Don’t put an A in definitely. It doesn’t belong there.

Admittedly this next one is a tough one, but still, if you want to appear to be an educated and fully literate person, you should learn it.

And of course oatmeal’s rule is an easy one to remember. Just don’t eat your children to test it out. It works.

Now, the 3 that really REALLY annoy me to no end.

Deal with it. “Alot” is just not a word. It isn’t. It never was. Stop pretending that it is.

And this one:

Seriously. This one’s not that hard. It really isn’t. writing ‘your’ all the time, in every situation, may make you right some of the time, but only in the way that a broken clock is right twice a day. It doesn’t make it right. So stop telling me “your an idiot” and the like. Because I will just ask my “My an idiot? That makes no sense.”

Finally, my biggest pet peeve:

Those two words do not mean the same thing. Again, just writing “then” all the time only makes you right sometimes. “I’d rather poke needles in my eyes then go shopping” is funny. Stupid funny. And I’ll ask you “you want to poke needles in your eyes before you go shopping? Why? Shopping is painful enough as it is.”

Look, I listen to people read out loud every day of the week. Don’t ask. The stuff I listen to them read was written at an 8th grade level. And most of them can’t read it very well. Our educational system fails. We no longer teach people to read. Or write. The number of college-educated people I see writing “then” when they mean “than” or “your” when they mean “you’re” is astonishing. You shouldn’t even get out of elementary school until you can do that right, consistently. Yet people graduate high school and college every day that never seem to have learned these simple things.

If I call you out on these things it’s your own damned fault. And your former teachers for never teaching you them, and for passing you when you didn’t learn them.