I think I can?? I think I can?? NO!! I KNOW I CAN!!

Henry Ford said." If you think you can; or If you think you can't; you are always right!" Mine is a little different from Henry Ford's because from small on up I always did not think, I knew I could do what ever I put my mind to. I don't know if it was because my mother always told me I would not amount to anything or because my dad was stubborn and would not give up whenever he was doing anything. I grew up with those two opposite influences and my dads won out. When I was doing something I did not like, in gym class for instance when we ran cross country and I would get cramps I would just remember the pain will only be there till I finish the course. I eventually would be sitting in another class when it was over. The pain would not last. And that is how I made it through all the operations I have endured over the years.

Life's setbacks are temporary; good friends helping us out are not!

And I have had a lot of good friends over the years. When at the age of about twelve a car pulled out in front of me when I was coming down a hill on my bicycle. I guess he did not see me. I hit the front fender of the car and sailed over the hood and landed on a patch of grass on the other side of the road. He took me home, I was still conscious from this accident. He was my neighbor and knew where I lived.  Friends were looking over me that time too. I'll tell you later about the fight I had with GOD when my father died. I was not friends with GOD for a while. But I reclaimed my senses and realized not every thing is GOD'S fault. We have a free hand in our lives. It took me a while to figure that one out. The head is a little thick at times.!

I made a lot of crazy inventions when I was in my teens. Some worked, some sent me flying when they did not work. There was always someone there to pick me up and check for broken bones. I worked in maintaining production equipment most of my life. If my employer owned it, we repaired it. Guys told me a lot, how the heck did you figure that out to get it running again. I got the ability from my dad. He was a mechanical genius. He took an old washing machine electric motor, turned it up and down on an old mower and hooked a blade to the shaft and mowed the yard before those type of mowers existed. Some one saw him mowing and stole it. Probably sold it for a lot of money. The little guy gets the shaft again. My dad always helped people, I guess thats where we get it from. My parents took in a lot of people over the years. So did Mary and I. You do what you see your family doing!

That is where I and Mary get our attitude from. Mary had us install a wood floor in the kitchen. She did a lot of vinyl tile work at the old house we had, and this one we are in now. Three years ago  we had a contractor install picture windows and vinyl siding on the back porch. She said we would do the inside. Again I thought she was nuts, we could not get it done. And again I was wrong, the porch turned out great, thanks to Mary and our son in law. We even cut and installed vinyl flooring. When I doubt, Mary is there to set me straight. Pretty good set up for a relationship that lasted 41 years so far, considering Mary was afraid of me when we first met. Donna heard all these wild stories from Jim about me and told the girls I was Jimmy's wild friend. Well the first time she saw me I went around a stop sign on the motorcycle where Jim and Donna were stopped because a cop was chasing me. And yes he did not catch me,THAT TIME!

Yes I had a lot of traffic violations when I was young and reckless. I never did any thing real bad, never hurt anyone except my self. I thank the LORD every day he got me thru this reckless life I have led. I am glad I got this far in life, and am not ready to give up the living years yet.

Thank you for checking in to read about why I am how I am. Life creates us all different. How we live and what we are taught makes us all different. But it is funny how most of us really care about others and will help when we see a need. That is in our genes too. The good and the bad is in there together. Its just some of us use what we have in different ways.

I guess I have bent your ear enough for tonight. Good night, remember never give up, fight like the frog in the pelican's mouth, put your hands around his throat and choke him till he spits you out. Be stubborn like me. I have a bumper sticker that says: Make the undertaker mad, don't die.     I cleaned it up for my readers, but you get the idea.

Thank you Randal (Randy) Caldwell