It's a Whole New Balgame

I'm back.  Truth be told I never really left, but I did remain silent for a couple of years.  For those who know me outside the blogosphere, that is hard to picture!  So, what happened?  Well, I suppose life happened.

My smoking hot wife and I continued to raise our two little boys and deal with all the shenanigans associated.  They are 5 and 8 now.  Never a dull moment.  Of course, that gobbled up most all of our free time....as it should.  I planted the garden, as usual.  2012's plot struggled, but I actually had a really good garden last summer thanks to cooler temperatures and more rainfall that normal.  I got into the chicken hobby and I absolutely LOVE it.  I bought and sold an International Scout, flipped a couple of old tractors and enjoyed another successful year at work.  I got to witness God work in the lives of several friends and I was able to enjoy Georgia Southern's stunning victory over the University of Florida.  It was a good couple of years.  2014 is going to be good too, but it will be strikingly different.

In mid-January I resigned from my position of Director of Annual Giving at Georgia Southern University.  It was a tough decision to leave a job, a University and a group of co-workers which were all important parts of my life to this point.  Of course I still bleed blue.  I carried the flag before I went to work for Georgia Southern and I will surely continue after I leave.  Two things made the decision the right one.  First I believe that God's will  is for me to move along, meet new people, form new relationships and afford others an opportunity to lead our efforts at Georgia Southern.  Second, since the day I abandoned my previous entrepreneurial endeavor, the thoughts of getting back to it never left my brain.  My wife is supportive too.  That's a big deal.  Even though it will be a certain pay cut in the short term, she is on board.  (Sometimes she reads.... Hey MB...I love you!)  The right situation hasn't been available since I walked away last time.  Now it is.  Maybe God is leading me down a road in which I can learn a lesson. Maybe I'll make it big.  Maybe I'll flop and go cook tater logs at the local gas station.  Either way....it's time to give it a shot.  Back in September I purchased a concrete overlay and restoration operation.  I will be easing into the business with an eager spirit, but a patient mindset as I hone my skills and develop what I hope will become a successful business.  I plan to do some additional tractor restorations too.  There isn't a ton of money to be made in that field, but if properly managed, I can turn a small profit on something that I enjoy doing.  From there it really starts to get weird.  Stay with me....

Since I was a teenager I have always had a fascination with auctioneers and the auction business.  The idea of becoming an auctioneer was never really a serious consideration though.  Kids like me didn't do that.  We went to college, majored in finance and got a job at a bank.  That's what everybody did.  I didn't major in finance and go into banking, but I did fall right into the "bachelors degree to white-collar professional career" pipeline.  Don't get me wrong......  I certainly don't regret that.  I am very glad that I took that route and I am very thankful for the opportunities that it has afforded me along the way.  In fact, it has afforded me the chance to do something totally off the wall.  I'm going to auctioneer school.  The application has been submitted and the fees paid.  I'm really doing this.  Sounds nuts every time I type it.  But....it gets even more hair-brained.  Stick with me......

Auctioneer school will be in beautiful Rome, GA.  The classes last all day long for ten consecutive days.  the curriculum should be pretty intense, but I'm looking forward to it.  Actually, I'm down right excited about it!  That wouldn't be enough adventure for me though, so instead of staying in a nice plush hotel, I'm going to tent camp for 11 nights on the Coosa River.  I just hope Snowpocalypse III doesn't set it.  That would be a whole other level of high adventure.

One of the ancillary benefits of this adventure is that it will get me blogging again.  I plan to offer an entry each of the 11 nights that I will be spending in Rome.  Blogging from the tent.  How about that?  Technology is something special isn't it?  Stay tuned for that dumpster fire starting at the end of the month.  This could get interesting.  2014 is indeed going to be a whole new ballgame.  I'm motivated to pitch complete game shutouts, avoid arbitration and get a long term contract.

Y'all take it easy,

Alex

Economy: What in the wide world of sports is going on?

What the heck is going on?  For years we were told that Americans didn't save enough.  We spent too much money on liabilities.  Too bad that our entire economic empire was built on that kind of frivolous spending.  Now we hear the talking heads say that the way to jump start the economy is to get people spending again!  Seems a little paradoxical to this guy.

I'm a little worried about recent events.  Sure we've seen people flee investments for cash before.  I'm not sure it'sever been like this though.  The best I can do is read up on history and talk with those who have lived through it.  Seems the wise move is to sit tight and hold onto your money right now.  No problem.  The wife and I paid off all of our debt (except the mortgage) earlier this year.  We're alright.  What concerns me is my job.

You see.....I'm a fundraiser.  I ask people to share their hard-earned money with not much in return other than a sense of civic pride.  I believe in my organization.  100%   Our constituents believe in us too.  However, when things are tough, charitable giving is usually the first thing that a family or business cuts.  Understandable.  Been there, done that.

A person's self-perceived wealth is most times based on the performance of their investments, their job and the news headlines.  Even if a person is safely employed, the other two factors are ruining it for me right now!  It's going to be a hard sell to convince folks to consider charitable donations in an environment like this.....much less trying to get them to increase over last year's giving.

I don't say any of this thinking that I would lose my job.  We're going to have a good campaign, the volunteers are going to be great, as always and we're going to raise a lot of money for a great organization.  I say it on more of a personal level.  I have set some pretty lofty goals for myself.  Maybe it's natural, but I'm starting to doubt just how attainable those goals might be.

Back 'er Down real world comparison:  It's kind of like when you have the big daddy deer in your cross-hairs and just before you pull the trigger, buck fever strikes and you start shaking.  You want to shoot it.  It's right there.  You're just too amped up to keep still and make the shot. (you knew I wouldn't do a serious blog without hicking it up just a little)


But there is good news!  We have an awesome team!  There are dedicated folks, both employees and volunteers, who are going to come together and get us to the goal.  We also have generous supporters.  I know they will step up to the plate when the time comes.  In a time where I have a little bit of personal uncertainty  knowing that those folks are there helps me sleep at night.

How cool would it be if I somehow incorporated 500 square inches of hunter's orange into my suit?  Ehhh.  Maybe not ;)

Y'all take it easy,

Alex

Back To School!

At the local Wal-Mart an 8 pack of Crayola crayons cost me 96 cents.  A 24 pack of Crayola crayons was 40 cents.  Only in America.  It's time to go back to school and the cash registers are ringing.  After buying the assorted supplies for my Kindergartner I was surprised that things haven't really changed all that much.

We're at the end of the first week of Kindergarten and I proud to report that it was a great week!!

Edit and Update:  This was a draft blog that I had planned to expand on.  However, I hit the publish button instead of the save button.  didn't even realize it!  LOL!  Well, since Trey commented, I figure that I'll just leave it.  If you like the outdoors, Browning firearms, antique furniture, the Atlanta Braves, or the Georgia Southern Eagles, check out Trey's blog.  It's a good one!   http://treyluckie.blogspot.com/

Snow Day Musings

Snow day today!  Well....winter weather day would be a better description.  More ice than snow.  No snow in fact.  Here in South GA we aren't really familiar with winter weather.  We certainly don't have a clue as to how to drive in it.  So here I sit....at home.  I spent the early part of the morning walking around the Ponderosa looking at ice in the trees.  That was pretty neat.  I don't particularly care to live in anything like this all the time, but I enjoy the novelty of it once or twice a year.

Here is a picture of the windsock on top of the kid's playhouse.  Thing is the wind isn't blowing right now.  It's frozen.  Pretty cool.

A while back I said that I would try my best to blog a little more often.  Writer's block strikes me pretty hard sometimes.  Others post pictures when they don't have anything particularly interesting about which to write.  I decided to follow suit with the pic above and then this beauty:

This is Davis' first time driving a tractor by himself.  I throttled it down as lo as it would go and put it in first gear.  I released the clutch with my hand.  I was able to walk faster than the tractor was actually moving, but he didn't care.  For 5 minutes he was THE man.  Only problem now is that he wants to drive all the time ;)  I have fond memories of my Dad doing the same thing with me as a youngster.  I'm pretty sure Davis had the same feeling I did way back when.  Now.......if I can get him running it with a mower behind we'll be in good shape.  That might still be a few years away.

Ya'll take it easy,

Alex

Flying, Football and Some Other Stuff

Been a while!  I've been slacking off as it relates to my trying to "Back 'er Down"  That's the only thing that I've been slacking on though.  Busy, busy.  I was cutting grass today and caught myself thinking about work.  That's a no-no.  Tractor time is supposed to be manual labor only.  I am not allowed to use my brain.  I caught myself just as I heard the Jackson 5's version of Rockin' Robin.  At that point all was right with the world.  I really "love" three things.  God, my family and Georgia Southern University.  I've been busy at work and some things have been driving me nuts as of late.  I'm fortunate though because I still love my job.  When you dig what you do even on the sucky days it's a good sign.  I count my blessings every day.  I work with good folks and I love what I do.

"What I do" is actually taking me on a special trip this weekend.  My alma mater is playing the US Naval Academy this Saturday, September 11th in Annapolis.  What a special treat that will be to be in the presence of those Midshipmen on that day.

Another reason that it will be special........at 31 years old it will be this guy's first time on a plane!  Hooooo weeeee!  Get out the cement pond Granny!  Jethro's gonna fly on the big silver bird!  I'm pretty fired up about it but a tad nervous at the same time.  My sister travels something like 9 days a week so she's given me some good tips.  That got me thinking...how in the world have I never been on a plane?  Well, I do really enjoy driving.  Drove to San Antonio a few years back.  I guess the main reason is that I never really had to.  I've always worked locally and I'm too cheap to travel anywhere too far away.  I think the trip will give me some pretty good blog material ;)

The garden is long gone, but we recently planted a fall garden.  We put out some more snapbeans, squash and some butter peas.  Next month we'll put out some turnips, mustard and carrots.  This will be my first foray into carrots so I'm looking forward to that.  Our Sugar Cane didn't perform very well, but we will make enough to use for seed next year.  It should be ready to chew at the first frost.

The kids are growing like weeds.  The Murph is developing quite a vocabulary.  He's spraying us down with such spoken gems as "want some" "got poop" and "fix it."  At least we know what little boys turn into.  That brings me to Heavy D.  He is really good right now for keeping me grounded and reminding me that my number one job in life is to guide him and be a good father and husband.  Like many 4-5 year olds he's testing my patience and pushing boundaries.  I pretty much did that until......well..... yeah I guess I still do that.

What else?  I scored a new rifle a few weeks ago.  Got my hands on a compound bow too.  I plan to do a little hunting this year.  Camping trips at the river seem like they will be far and few as the river is up a little.  It is falling but I won't have too many weekends free.  I hope to find another suitable spot at the river.  Maybe something on shore so we can still enjoy the water even with no sandbars out.

Okay.  That's all I got.  I was feeling really bloggy at the beginning but I've petered out and I'm rambling.  It's time to "back 'er down" into the bed and get some rest.

Ya'll take it easy,

Alex

The Joy I Get From Cutting Grass

I've always made a point to be optimistic about everything.  No one wants to be associated with what Mom called a "belly-acher."  With that lesson firmly entrenched in my mind daily I always try to seek the good in every situation.  There is good in every situation you know ;)  Do I fake it sometimes?  Hell yeah.  You can't be happy ALL the time.  But we do owe it to our fellow man to set a good example and bring out the best in each other.  It's amazing what kind of impact I've been able to have on myself since adopting this practice.  I assume that it helps others as well though I have no empirical evidence.

Let's take for instance the lowly task of cutting grass.  There are a million things that one could belly-ache about when it comes to this regularly occurring summertime chore.  Heat, bugs, smell, allergies, aches, pains, time blah, blah, blah.  These are all the things that cutting the grass does TO us.  What can cutting the grass do FOR us?

1.  The tractor and/or lawnmower are supportive friends.  They do not care what kind of day you had.  They won't reprimand you.  They don't talk back.  They do their jobs and support your efforts 100%.

2.  The alone time is a good opportunity to think or clear your mind.  You'll get some alone time for sure.  who wants to be all up in your face when there's a fume-spewing grass-slinging beast between you and them?  I often take time to think and reflect when driving and before bed, on the toilet (LOL) but I find that when I'm cutting grass I have a whole new level of clarity about my head.  It's refreshing.

3.  Cutting grass is exercise.  Don't let anyone tell you it isn't.  You are sweating out impurities, working muscles and burning calories when you cut grass.  If you use a push mower it may be more noticeable.  Weedeating and edging are great too!  What about riding mowers or tractors?  Certianly not burning the calories that a push mower might, but that of course depends on the size of your yard.  One other thing....If you think riding an old tractor for three hours in the hundred degree sun won't work you, come see me and I'll let you try it ;)

4.  Looking back on a successfully completed job.  At the end of the task, you can take a step back and admire a freshly cut pasture or sharply edged sidewalk and really appreciate the beauty.  It should give you a sense of accomplishment.  You should feel proud and rewarded for your hard work and a job well done.  Who knew we could move so far up on Maslow's Hierarchy by simply cutting grass?!?!

Strange how ideas pop into my head sometimes.  A drive-by blog about the benefits of cutting grass.  Getting entertainment value out of something that needed to be done anyway?  That's Backing 'er Down!

Ya'll take it easy.

Alex

First Fish, Fashion and Friends

What a great weekend it was.  My oldest son (4) caught his first fish!

We had originally planned on going camping at the river, but the extreme heat advisory that was issued made me call off the trip.  Not sure I would be nominated for the Parent of the Year Award if I hauled my child off to a river slew when the thermometer was still reading 99 at 7 PM.  We instead opted for a early morning trip up the river.  It was much more about riding and swimming than it was fishing.  We headed home for a nap around Noon.  A friend invited us to his family's pond that evening and that's where kiddo became a pint-sized Bill Dance.  He caught 7 fish!  I think it ruined him for river fishing, but he had a blast.  It's a memory that I will cherish forever.

Still having trouble wrapping my mind around the jean diapers.  I'm just gonna let it go, LOL.  I'm not exactly what you'd call fashion suave.  Golf shirts and brown pants pretty much take care of my needs regardless of the occasion or social setting :)  What's that saying about those living in glass houses? ;)

The Lord has blessed me with some good friends.  I don't get to hang out with many of them anymore.  Life progresses, careers and kids come along.  We're still able to keep in touch, but I sometimes yearn for the good old days.  Is that "nostalgia" or just "getting old?"  One of my best friends is getting married soon.  He's one of the last to take the dive.  Looking forward to celebrating this happy time with him.  Many friends are entering parenthood as well.  I pray that all of them will take these two sacred duties seriously and always give 100% to making sure they are successful.  I pray that they'll also help remind me to do the same.

"Backing 'er down" and living a more simple life has really shown me that my responsibilities are few, but important.  If I can manage to glorify God and lead/provide for my family, everything else kind of falls into place.  Of course I fall short  in those areas regularly.  That's where the three F's come into play.  I Fish to clear my mind.  My Fashion choices remind everyone how NOT to dress and leaves more money for my wife and kids clothes.  And my Friends help keep me on track.

Pretty good plan I reckon.

Ya'll take it easy,

Alex

Summer Summer Time

Well the summer is here.  It's pretty much the best time to "Back 'er Down."  The main reason being it gets so freaking hot here in my neck of the woods and you don't want to do much of anything else!

The garden continues to do well, and some of the earlier crops are starting to phase out.  We got enough potatoes to have a nice stockpile and to be able to share some with neighbors and co-workers.  So far we have been able to put up 47 quarts of snapbeans as well.  Since that is about the only veggie that my kids will eat those will go rather quickly.  Those two particular crops made up 1/3 of my entire garden and now its time to start planting something else in that dirt.  I'm thinking butterpeas, pumpkins and sweet potatoes are in order.  We will start breaking and processing corn this weekend.  The deer nipped a few ears but I still think we'll have a nice harvest.  Looks like we might just have some watermellons ready for the 4th of July as well.  I'm stoked about that!

I recently got my hands on a couple of new toys.  I know....I'm supposed to be saving money and living like a hermit right?  LOL!  I never said that ;)  Saving money is useless and counterproductive if you don't enjoy at least some of it.

The first toy is a boat.  B.O.A.T=Break Out Another Thousand.  Well... not really in this case ;)  My mega purchase was just a little 12 ft jon boat for the river.  I got the boat, motor and trailer for $600 and so far I'm very pleased with the purchase.  It's not really pretty and the motor is 40 years old (really...40) but it runs and it floats which is what I need.  I was able to take my 4 year old on a trip up river for the first time a couple of weeks ago and MAN, what a great time he had!  I'll make a river rat out of him yet!  It wasn't until a fishing trip this past weekend that I realized just how slow a 40 year old motor is.  My friends with a much more modern Yamaha were literally 3 times faster, lol.  I just kept telling myself...."Alex, it's a $600 boat."  I'm fired up about it and I think it will end up being of the cheapest forms of entertainment for me and my boys as the years go on.  Camping trips on the sandbar are definitely in our future!

The second toy is a new cell phone.  It's a Droid Eris in fact.  I got a little ribbing from my friend over at Kurt Busch Nation about that.  Not exactly a "Back 'er Down" kind of device for sure!  The wife and I have been thinking about new phones for a while.  We were Alltel customers for years and are now Verizon customers after the recent merger, so they have been throwing the kitchen sink at us with offers for almost a year now.  After some patience we found that we could get a pair of new Droids for $79...both phones...not $79 each.  Not bad for two phones of that caliber huh?  They really wanted us.  Why not?  We had been loyal Alltel customers for 10 years and always paid on time, lol.  That was fine because we have been pleased and figured not to go anywhere anyway.  The kicker came with the service plan.  Over 10 years we had peace mealed plans, lines, additions, promos, free stuff and discounts into a crazy looking plan.  It looked strange, but it worked for us and it was cheap.  I asked if we could leave our plan the same.  After laughing at what we had on file, and getting the approval of a manager, they agreed to leave us as we were.  So there you go.  $79 an the wife and I are pimping with a pair of Droids.  That explanation was just for you Cinde T :)

Thanks for the kind emails and Facebook messages that many of you have sent.  It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in this pursuit.  These are uncertain times.  Many people think our country is a sinking ship.  Some people are talking about how to right the ship.  I prefer to think about how I can get my family and friends safely on the lifeboat.  That sounds like a good blog in itself.....;)

Ya'll take it easy.

Later,

Alex

My weekend of getting very little accomplished

This weekend, I didn't get a whole lot accomplished around the Ponderosa, but it was awesome nonetheless. The wife headed out of town Friday morning for a ladies weekend and that left your humble author alone with our two sons for the weekend. I often joke that I should have named them Bill and Ted because together they are a couple of "Wyld Stallyns."

A normal weekend of working outside, tending the garden and tinkering with the latest project, became instead a time to spend with my sons. The little one is still a bit small to take outside for long periods of time. You can't really get much done because you can't take your eyes off of him for an extended period or he'll be into something dangerous. We opted to stay inside most of the time and actually got quite a bit done there. Inside projects often get overlooked and I know the wife was excited to get home and see things tidy and organized. We washed clothes, cleaned the master closet and reorganized the pantry among other things.

The boys were a bit stir-crazy though, so a small road trip was in order. This worked out well because it allowed me to do a little shopping myself. Our first stop was BassPro Shops where the boys absolutely loved the giant aquarium. Upon first glimpse my four-year-old remarked, "That fish is as big as me!" Is that a shark?" It was actually a catfish, but a healthy one for sure. We picked up a gas can for the boat and generally walked around the store window shopping. The little one just gazed and took it all in. The eldest had a bazillion questions. That was quite alright though. I was more than happy to explain fish species, how boats worked and even had the opportunity to plant a little gun safety seed as well.

After lunch we headed to Harbor Freight where I picked up a few tools and fasteners in the spirit of my last blog. If you have one in your area it's a great place to get super cheap tools and equipment. The quality of some of the stuff may be a little less than some top-of-the-line brands. However, for things that you won't use often, or for which will see light duty, there is a lot of value in the items there. Combine that with the awesome coupons they offer online and you can get some really good deals. We loaded up on bungee straps, picked up a few saw blades, some bolt cutters and even got a free flashlight (thanks again to the awesome coupon offerings)

The big purchase though was my foray into solar panels. It's something that I've been itching to get into for a long time, so I finally took the plunge. I picked up three 15 watt panels, some wiring and a charge controller. Not sure what exactly I'm going to do yet, but at least I now have it and can begin to educate myself with some hands-on, practical application.

Until Mamma Bear got home, the rest of the weekend was spent with short walks outside, several naps and lots of playing. It was truly a great time with my boys. It's interesting to see how they are beginning to interact and feed off of one another. I have a feeling that I'm in for a wild ride over the next few years! It's always a good reminder about the struggles of single parents too. My hats off to them because it's literally a full time gig when they are the ages that my boys are. I thank God daily for my wife and the fact that we are able to lean on one another and have the blessing to parent as a team.

So it was a slow weekend with very little of the"important" things accomplished. That's what it's all about though. Focusing on what matters. The opportunity to "Back 'er Down" and play with two little fellas and 473 Hot Wheels cars? Yep. God knew that the wife needed a weekend off, that I needed to bond with my boys and that they needed to chill with Daddy. All four of us are thankful for it.

Ya'll take it easy.

Later,

Alex