Sunday, April 27, 2008

Garden Beds

I have finally finished my third round of garden beds. They have gotten progressively smaller.

My first set was in Paris, TN. We had 2 acres of land and an old horse corral sat up on the hill by the barn. I built six raised beds, two big trellises and a strawberry pyramid. We had quite the garden. I miss that place.

Then we moved to Corpus Christi. We had 1/3 an acre backyard, still pretty big. So I built a garden with five raised beds and had it enclosed in a chicken wire fence. We moved a year later.

Now that we are in Midland, it was time for round three. The trouble is, our backyard would fit inside that corral I had in Tennessee. Plus our dogs just love digging. Nothing pleases them more, other than a good smelly trashcan. So I had to work creatively.

There was a small area on the side of our backyard that would barely allow for three 4x8 beds. Plus, I needed to fence it off because of the dogs. So you see my solution. I think it turned out pretty well. Now it's Sherri's baby.

I hope this doesn't mean were moving again. Although, I'm getting pretty good at it by now. Building, not moving.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Shutout!

Short version: Icebreakers 7 - Chili Peppers 0.

Longer version: Austin has not played soccer since we left Corpus Christi. I didn't want to push him into something he really didn't want to do. This Spring he told me he was ready to play. I jumped on it quickly (since I bleed green and my cell phone ringtone has the recording of that Spanish guy screaming "goooooooooooooooal!").

Austin has played 10 seasons or so. He's never really been on a seriously good team. And he's always been one of the smallest on the team.

No longer.

Now Austin towers over everyone else on the team. He's grown 4 inches in the past three months. He was placed on a recreational team that has club level players. I don't think the league realized who they had put together, but the center striker grew up in Norway. He scored three from the top of the box today, all long shots over the keeper into the top corner. Sweet.

We have a long legged girl on wing that outruns everyone and has a great cross. She served up several great balls into the box today. And then there are the brothers. Have you seen Kicking and Screaming with Will Ferrell? Remember the two Italian brothers who played soccer like it was breathing? They are also on our team. They were juggling, passing and dribbling around people like flowing water. It was truly fun to watch.

Austin sat out the first half and played keeper in the 2nd half. He kept it a shutout. Our team is called the Icebreakers. Today was a good start. I'm glad he's playing again.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

GOP - DOA?

This is a reprint of an article posted at ConstitutionParty.com. I am not endorsing or dismissing the Constitution Party, but this article makes sense. You decide.

Primary turnout and recent surveys show conservative "values" voters have abandoned the Republican Party.

Illustrating a dramatic about face from past elections, a recent study shows that if the election were held today, 40% of all evangelical Christian voters would choose the Democratic candidate and just 29% would choose the Republican candidate. The remaining 28% are undecided, saying they would make their selection without respect to party affiliation.

A Barna Group release titled: Born Again Voters No Longer Favor Republican Candidates cites figures that spell doom for the Republican Party, given that "in the past couple of elections, the born again vote represented about half of the total number of votes cast in the U.S. (and)... given the close tally in 2004, the born again vote (is) vital."

"The political pendulum hasn't swung this far since the Whig Party became extinct back before the Civil War," noted Constitution Party National Committee Chairman Jim Clymer. "Just as the Republican Party, then a third party, wound up deposing the Whigs, we're seeing the demise of the Republican party because voters have decided it's lost its relevance. That explains the steady and solid growth of the Constitution Party," Clymer added.

The Constitution Party, on course to have ballot access in all 50 states this November, is the largest and fastest-growing third party based on voter registrations (Ballot Access News).

"Conservative voters have made it clear they want no part of the Grand Old Party. Statistics show many are saying they will no longer buy into 'party loyalty' when their party has been anything but loyal to them. With candidates like Senators McCain, Obama and Clinton in the mix, voters will correctly assume they have nothing to lose by voting their conscience in November — even if that means a vote for a smaller party candidate," Clymer predicted.

George Barna, head of the recent voter preference survey said, "The evangelical vote is up for grabs. In recent elections, the faith vote sided with the Republican candidate.... This year... however, the faith vote cannot be taken for granted. Republican candidates have a tough road ahead of them."

"To succeed in his bid for the White House, McCain must consolidate his support among conservatives, which will not happen just because he is the Republican nominee. In the wake of... Republican scandals... and... failure to advance... the social conservative agenda,... support for the GOP has diminished," wrote Tony Perkins of the Christian political advocacy group the Family Research Council. Likewise, GOPUSA notes: "The problem the GOP faces is with turnout. Plain and simple, more (than double the number of) Democrats are voting in the primaries than Republicans."

The Constitution Party will choose a presidential candidate at its April 23-26th Nominating Convention in Kansas City, Mo.