All "Buckle" & no "Horse" (for a while)

Scroll up...

See that beautiful gold & chrome visor over "Chesty's" headlight? Well, it's not so beautiful anymore. And "Chesty's" front fender? It looks even worse. I didn't take any pictures. I'm not sure I would post them even if I had. I prefer to remember him in all his gleaming glory; not all bent and pathetic looking.

Without going into a whole lot of embarassing details, I offer the "following" advice (on following); Keep 4 seconds worth of distance between you and ANYTHING. And remember the Long, Long Trailer ("Trailer Brakes FIRST")? Well, on a motorcycle, it's FRONT BRAKE FIRST, FRONT BRAKE MOST. (The rear brake started the skid)

Chesty will be in the Harley hospital for the next couple months. For those of you unfamiliar with Marine Corps history, I named the bike after Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller (June 26, 1898 – October 11, 1971), the most decorated Marine in the history of the Marine Corps.

For an inspiring project, look him up on the web and read about his exploits in Korea at the Chosin Reservoir in the winter of 1950 (The Frozen Chosin).

In the mean time, I'll be "caging" it for the duration and looking in on my "wounded warrior" from time-to-time. I'm sure a broken nose wouldn't keep the real Chesty down for long; I hope my version proves to be as resilient as his namesake.

Dog suspected in Tillamook Bay shooting

The following story appeared in the news on Monday. I wonder if the Lab had gone through a background check? Some believe drugs (kibbles) & alcohol (bits) may have been a factor.

Guns Don't Kill People; Dogs with Shotguns Unattended in Boats Kill People

By Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A Tillamook man sustained a leg injury when his 12-gauge shotgun accidentally discharged during a duck-hunting trip on Tillamook Bay. The Oregon State Police says the man's dog is the prime suspect. Sgt. Todd Hoodenpyl says 23-year-old Matthew Markum and his younger brother were using an aluminum boat to go from land to their decoys Saturday morning. When the men left the boat, a shotgun blast put a hole in the side of the boat before striking Markum's leg. Hoodenpyl says the yellow Labrador had been on the boat and may have touched the gun. An ambulance took the injured hunter to a local hospital. He was later transferred to a Portland's Legacy Emanuel Hospital. The extent of Markum's injury has not been released.

I hear that the dog is refusing to cooperate with investigators, invoking his "right to remain silent".

Why's Thanksgiving so important?

While watching a rather slow, sappy (but heart-warming) Hallmark movie last night, one line jumped out at me in particular. The little boy is asked by his Grandmother, "Why is Thanksgiving Dinner so important to you?". His reply was extremely poignant for an eight-year-old, "So I'll know we'll be all right."

In his mind, as long as the family could manage to put a traditional Thanksgiving feast on the table, they were going to make it. It didn't matter where it came from. He just knew that life would continue as it always had as long as the traditions were maintained.

Conversely, if Thanksgiving Day was just another meal of boiled cabbage ( or potatos, etc.) it could mean that they were still on the slippery slope of poverty and things could get much worse.

Keeping in mind that the young character in our movie was always thinking about food, you can see how he came to his conclusion.

But try this thought on for size and see how it fits, "Thankgiving (thankfulness) for our blessings, reminds us that we will be all right." We can have greater hope for the future when we are thankful for God's provision in the past and the present.

Matt 6:25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, {as to} what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, {as to} what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and {yet} your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? (NAU)