Saturday posts

Saturday Posts . . .

The Definition of Freedom in Real life . . .

Freedom isn’t a word on paper or an abstract concept.

Freedom is a lamp that must be continuously refueled with the blood of those who desire it and believe in it’s worth. If you are unwilling to pay that price, it will never truly be yours. All veterans know this.

Saturday Posts . . .

We’ve had a lot happening here over the last couple of weeks. I learned that my dad’s home, which he’s owned for over 30 years, is about to be condemned because raccoons have invaded the attic and are destroying the house from the top down. My youngest full-blooded brother is going through a divorce, and is coming up here to see what we as a family can do to help dad.

But, there was one thing I found to be both refreshing and encouraging. About 21 years ago I bought a brass Zippo lighter, which I’ve used almost constantly ever since. Zippo advertises that they offer a lifetime warranty. A couple of weeks ago my lighter got stuck – the striker wheel that scrapes the flint wouldn’t move. So, I looked up the information for the repair center for Zippo, and after filling out a form and paying a $5.00 USD fee for “processing” – I sent in the lighter for repair. Yesterday they called me back to say they’d received the lighter, and I should have it back within a month.

Here is something I bought for my wife shortly after we became a couple, and it has hung on our bedroom wall ever since. In case you have trouble reading it, the text says, “I Love You More Today than Yesterday, and only half as much as Tomorrow.”

Saturday Posts . . .

First off – congratulations to my wonderful wife – who on Tuesday morning will be awarded a special prize for her excellence as a librarian. I can’t really say any more than that before the ceremony, because it’s supposed to be a secret. I’m comfortable saying that because I don’t believe any of her coworkers reads my blog.

Secondly, some bad news. A couple of weeks ago I learned that my dad’s home, which he bought for cash with a disability settlement about the same time I was getting out of the US Army, is on the verge of being condemned. His attic is infested with raccoons, and they are destroying the house from the top down. I have a younger brother who is coming to help us work as a family to deal with the situation, and I have an idea that most of the plans are already in place, but we’re going to be getting together as a family (probably Tuesday afternoon) to finalize everything. The main idea is to get everything Dad wants to keep out of the house, knock down the house, and bring a mobile home in for him to live in at the same location.