"BAILOUT"

I have 7 (seven) words that I would like to say about Wall Street & the Auto Industry bailouts.

"Whatever happened to the free enterprise system"

"The Second Great Depression"

We have a customer (Warren Brussee) that we do framing for that has written a book entitled "The Second Great Depression" that was published in 2005. Mr. Brussee spent 33 years at GE as an engineer, plant manager, and engineering manager. His responsibilities included manufacturing plants in the USA, Hungary, and China. Keep in mind that this book was published in 2005.
This is a frightening book. It shows how massive consumer debt will trigger the next depression, starting about the year 2007 and ending in 2020.
The exuberance resulting from the overheated stock market of the 90s caused consumers to stop saving and go into debt. Then the dramatic drop in mortgage rates enable people to refinance their homes and go even further into debt. People are no longer living on what they can afford; instead they are living the lifestyle they think they deserve, costs be damned!
In this depression, the United States will be brought to its knees. But not unlike the mythical bird Phoenix that dies in flames and is then reborn out of its own ashes, the United States will also be reborn. However, it will be a poorer and less arrogant country that emerges from its own ashes.
I have read a little over half of this book and what Mr. Brussee predicted 4 to 5 years ago is all coming true, and if all of his predictions are correct we had better buckle our seat belts and get ready for a bumpy ride.
This book is available at most book stores.

Ater Christmas Dinner

WOW, I have never seen so much food eaten by so few people. The guys are now watching a movie, but I am not sure they will be able to stay awake after eating everything they ate. If you ever want your cooking appreciated, just cook a meal for inmates. Time is running short for me at the frame shop this year as I will be taking off for a couple of weeks beginning 12/18 and I will not return to work until 1/5/09. I just don't know where this year has gone, but there is not much left of 2008. I would bet that Kathy already has things lined up for me to do around the house.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!

Christmas Dinner

Tomorrow is a big day for the inmates that work for me here at the frame shop / computer refurbishing shop. They will get a big dinner tomorrow that is not prison food, and they are as excited as little kids. I am going to smoke a turkey tonight, Kathy is making a mashed potato casserole and baking some chocolate chip cookies -- we also have dressing left from Thanksgiving that has been in the freezer. The gentleman that we work with from the department of education is frying some cat fish, making a green bean casserole, boiling corn, and baking an apple pie. Wow, I am getting hungry just typing this. The inmates have also requested that they be allowed to watch a DVD after lunch and the movie they want to see is 300. I bought this DVD and watched part of it this weekend and I told them that it is a terrible movie, but they still want to see it. Tomorrow will be a GREAT DAY!!!

THANKFUL

Years ago I started out with nothing and I still have at least half of it, and I am learning every day to be thankful for all that I have including the half of nothing I still have. :) This morning I just got another reminder of how good God has been to me.
Once a year during the holiday season we are allowed to have a snack day for the inmates that work for us. I stopped at Bojangles this morning and loaded up on chicken and bo biscuits. I did not know that a little food could make a person so happy, but the inmates said, "that was the first real food they had tasted in a year" and I can tell you that they were very thankful for it. The inmates were also given a bunch of trail mix by Mrs.Cathy, and they were as excitied as little children in a toy store.
This Thursday is Thanksgiving and I know that each of us has an abundance of things to be thankful for, so let's just remember who the Great Provider is and take time to praise him for all that he has given us.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!

GREAT DAY!

I feel great this morning knowing that all of the campaigning is over with, and when we turn on the tube we will not be subjected to any more candidates telling us what they think we want to hear. However, I would guess that the news media will be analyzing why, what, who, how, etc for the next several weeks. Maybe by early next spring all of the election stuff will be over with.

It is now the time for us to get on our knees and pray to God asking Him to be with our leaders and have Him guide them in all that they do. This nation for the most part has turned their face from God and the CHANGE this nation really needs is to ask for God's forgiveness and start walking hand in hand with Him in our daily walk.

May God Bless America

THE LAST TWO WEEKENDS

Kathy and I don't really go out of town very often, but the last two weekends were the exception to the rule. The weekend of September 26-28 we were in North Myrtle Beach with four of our Christian friends enjoying fellowship together, beautiful weather, and some good food. We all went to see Ray Stevens at the Alabama Theater on Saturday night -- what a "HOOT" that guy is. Don't Look Ethel!

The weekend of October 3-6 we were in Hendersonville, NC for Kathy's high school reunion (I certainly am not telling what year reunion it was). All I can say is that the Class of 1968 knows how to put on "one heck of a reunion." It all started with homecoming at the football game on Friday night and ended with lunch Sunday. There was a reception after the football game for all alumni of HHS. Saturday we got to tour HHS and see what changes had taken place in the building -- this was the first time Kathy had set foot back in the school since graduation. I did enjoy looking at their old gym since I had played basketball in it when I was at Erwin HS. There was a wonderful dinner and dance Saturday night at the Cedars. Kathy and I did particapate in the dinner part, but we just sat around during the dance portion an enjoyed watching all of the old people dance. Sunday morning was the highlight of the entire reunion for me. Sandee Carpenter one of the girls that Kathy went to school with is the wife of the Rev. Bill Carpenter pastor at Shaws Creek Baptist Church and they invited the class of 1968 to attend the morning service. What a blessing this service was -- Jerry Mullinax one member of the class played the piano and sang "I Call it Home," Pat Corn another member of the class played the guitar while his wife Monica sang, Pat also sang a song, then brought the message entitled "The Gospel According to George Jones." Sandee Carpenter and her daughter Allison sang the closing song "Come Just As You Are." I don't think there was a dry eye in the church during the service.

I know that Kathy had a great time getting to see all of her classmates and friends. Being around all of the wonderful people that Kathy went to school with makes me wish I had attended HHS.

NOW & THEN

I found a magazine laying around the house entitled AARP, which I imagine that Kathy had subscribed to. There is a short article about children that I would like to share with you. Do you think the little ones of today are missing out on really having a good time?

When we were kids, we played outside. Our bodies were hard-breathing little rainbows of energy and earth--red cheeks from running, brown hands from mud, green grass streaks on our pants. We dreamed of grandiose forts that never got built, had sword fights with sticks while riding our bikes (Okay, that was more of a boy thing). But we lived, baby. We lived! Unlike so many kids today, whose every micromanaged, remote control moment is seemingly spent indoors. Oh, how the play times have changed:

THEN
Eating wild berries
Climbing trees
Walking with pals along train tracks
Stickball
"Be Home by Dark" "
Summer Camp
Doing cannonballs off the high dive
Skinned knees
Jumping on a trampoline

NOW
Eating Lunchables on a play date
Allergy tests
Walking with parents on a leash
Xbox
"Answer your cell phone when I call"
Fat camp
Wearing floaties in the shallow end
Carpal tunnel
What's a trampoline?

I don't know about all of you guys, but I would not trade the times I had growing up for all the Xboxes in the world.

"A GREAT WEEKEND"

Kathy & I went to Rural Hall, NC this past weekend to visit my cousin Juanita and her husband Azariah, and on a scale from 1 to 10 we had a number 11 good time. Azariah & I had a 9:38 tee time at Pilot Knob Park Country Club Saturday morning, and needless to say the weather was questionable due to Hanna making an appearance in NC that morning. When we teed off it was very cloudy and looked as if it would start raining at anytime, but by the end of the second hole the sun had broken through and we had a beautiful day to play. Pilot Knob Park County Club is a beautiful golf course with views of Pilot Mountain from several of the holes. It had been over a year since I had played golf and my game has not changed - it is still not good. However, I did make a birdie on a par 4 by chipping in from approximately 60 yards off the green - now that was exciting!!!. Azariah "Nicklaus" is 81 years young and still plays golf several times a week, and he walks the course when he plays. In the following video he demonstrates how you are suppose to swing the club in order to obtain maximum distance out of the little white ball!

Later that day we got to tour the Reynolda House which was built by Richard J. Reynolds (founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.) and his wife Katharine in 1917. This house is awesome! We also drove through the grounds of the Graylyn Conference Center which is owned by Wake Forest University, but was built and completed in 1932 by Bowman Gray Sr (Chairman of the BOD of R J Reynolds). The house at the Graylyn has 46,000 sq.ft. with 60 rooms. Tobacco money sure did build a couple of fine houses which are pictured below.

Saturday night Azariah & Juanita fed us a great steak dinner and we got to visit with my other cousin Dot and her husband Hassell along with with Azariah & Juanita's son Mike, wife Linda and their daughter Ashley.

Sunday morning we went with Azariah & Juanita to their church which is of the Moravian Faith. In trying to come up with adequate words to describe their church the following words seem to best fit the experience: Bright, Light, Friendly and Spiritually fulfilling. After Church Hassell & Dot took us all out to eat then we headed back to Lexington and reality. The memories of this trip will be etched in our minds as one of the best weekend trips we have ever had.

$$ - Highlands, NC - $$

Kathy and I decided that a little R&R was in order so this past weekend we headed to the mountains for a long weekend. This was one of our mini-vacations, but turned out to be a maxi-vacation dollar wise. We had never been to Highlands, NC before so we thought it would be a good place to spend Labor Day weekend. We made reservations at Mountain High Lodge which had the pricing of a 5 star resort hotel, but it turned out to be a 1/2 star rundown motel type accommodations. Saturday night we ate at Nick's Fine Foods and I must say that the meal was very good, and I also must say that I am not sure that I had ever paid that much for two people to eat. Highlands has lots of little shops, but they are apparently not for people who are accustomed to shopping at WalMart. We did see one painting in an art gallery that I started to purchase, but the cash I had in my wallet was just shy of the $12,500.00 they were asking for it.

We really did see some beautiful scenery such as Whitewater Falls pictured above. These falls are 411 ft high and are the highest falls in Eastern America. Of course the mountains were spectacular as usual. Below is a short video of Cullasaja Falls - turn up your speakers and pretend you are there - it will be free for you!

We were really excited about Monday morning as our plans were to go to Hendersonville, NC to the annual Apple festival which is always lots of fun. The closer we got to Hendersonville the harder it rained so we stopped at a roadside stand bought some apples and came on back home.We did have a good time -- good times are always present when Kathy and I are together.