Happy New Year to everyone everywhere...

What is a happy new year?

I sit this morning after moving a couple of feet of snow off my driveway and walkways, my neighbor’s home and come in to get warm. What does happy mean? It certainly has moments of greed, but those are very short lived. Happiness to me is service in some form or another. How long did it take me to help my neighbors? Just a few minutes in a very long day and I can feel like I added some kindness to this ol world.

I keep thinking of how sick I was a few years back and I could do nothing for myself. I learned what it was like to be dependent for the first time in my life, and worse than that, finding a place to put my ego. The hardest thing about being sick was watching others do what I should have been doing. Not that I could, as I couldn’t breathe or get around. This lasted about 7 years total and I’m still not 100%, but I try. I learned how much a visit from a friend meant. I learned that time is the most valuable gift we have. I now go as fast and hard as I can all day until I have no more energy, and I sleep very well. I can say when I do lay down; I feel that my day was full, and that I have no regrets about what I did with my limited time on this earth. All we have is the moment we are alive in, and all we can do is within that moment. So to me I will say Happy New Year to everyone, friends and those I don’t know, but wish the same for. Make your time count, never stop, and never let anyone tell you it’s impossible or you can’t do that. We all have miracles in our lives every time we stretch and grow. To do the same thing over and over is not using our abilities to the fullest and I’m pretty sure isn’t fulfilling, at least for me. I fall down a lot, but I always get back up and am fearless as to my place in this world. I love my life, what I do, and how I treat others. I guess you can say, it’s a nice place to be. No matter what this year brings I will be happy. I have been given much, and in return have much expected of me to give.

Christmas "the" day is past

Well, it’s the day after Christmas and it’s time to start the schedule again. It seems so different this year as the Day was full. I’m usually up at 4 am to take care of my India business, get my day planned and line up all my tasks. I put out a quilt that my wife saw at the quilting store. She liked it and it was an easy thing to get. Elizabeth my wife’s youngest daughter flew in on Saturday thanks to her mom’s generosity. We had an open house for our neighbors and friends that went very well. Next year we will have the same party as it was just so very nice seeing our neighbors and friends not in a rush. We will have a cleanup crew next year. It was just too much to get done and then get the place ready for Christmas day. We had meetings all week prior so I really had to scramble to get everywhere I had things held for Kathleen. Everyone got way too much, especially me. I have been wanting, (but not needing) a new amplifier. Well Mrs. Kathy Santa brought me a new Mesa Engineering 5:25 http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Express/ExpressMAIN.htm . Ok, my existing amps have 100 watts and 90 watts of pure tube power. This little Mesa is 5 watts or 25 watts. A tube amp only sounds good in the sweet spot. So a 90 watt amp sounds good on about 50% of its power, or window breaking, ear breaking noise. I keep it pretty quiet but it’s still pretty hard on your ears if you are not use to the pressure these amps generate. This 5 watt beauty does all the things its big brother does, except hurt your ears. It’s loud, very loud, but the pressure isn’t there. In the 25 watt mode it hurts. And of course I’ve ordered an alnico Tone Tubby 10” http://www.tonetubby.com/ speaker for the little beast. Tone is the most important thing for me and this little guy is running English tones out if its EL-84 power tubes, all my other sounds come straight out of California with the big 6L6 power tubes and twice as many. I’m in tone heaven. There is simply nothing like the sound of a Guitar and a good Hammond B-3 organ. (Mine is in the storage area next to the stageJ. It’s my spring project to get it all cleaned up and make some impedance changes so I can put it straight out into the fender or MK-IV. It also needs some re-finishing.
My kids came over and my Son and his wife brought me pictures of their wedding, which had my deceased wife’s picture there and I couldn’t help trying to choke down the big lump in my throat. I tried but the tears flowed. My Daughter and her husband along with my first Grand Child Shelby came over in the evening and we had Kathy’s son with all his kids and his wife, it was all very nice. Elizabeth drove into SLC and picked up June, Kathy’s granddaughter for a sleep over. It was very busy, but that’s what it’s all about.
Today I moved about a foot of snow off my driveway and my neighbors who went home to Montana for a couple of weeks. We all take care of each other around here. There is never anything wanted or needed, someone always steps up and takes care of what is needed.
Well I’m off to the music room to see what noises I can make. My work is pretty much done for the day! Woo hoo. I guess 14 hours is enough? I will take a little nap I believe ;)

Christmas "the" day is past

Well, it’s the day after Christmas and it’s time to start the schedule again. It seems so different this year as the Day was full. I’m usually up at 4 am to take care of my India business, get my day planned and line up all my tasks. I put out a quilt that my wife saw at the quilting store. She liked it and it was an easy thing to get. Elizabeth my wife’s youngest daughter flew in on Saturday thanks to her mom’s generosity. We had an open house for our neighbors and friends that went very well. Next year we will have the same party as it was just so very nice seeing our neighbors and friends not in a rush. We will have a cleanup crew next year. It was just too much to get done and then get the place ready for Christmas day. We had meetings all week prior so I really had to scramble to get everywhere I had things held for Kathleen. Everyone got way too much, especially me. I have been wanting, (but not needing) a new amplifier. Well Mrs. Kathy Santa brought me a new Mesa Engineering 5:25

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Express/ExpressMAIN.htm .

Ok, my existing amps have 100 watts and 90 watts of pure tube power. This little Mesa is 5 watts or 25 watts. A tube amp only sounds good in the sweet spot. So a 90 watt amp sounds good on about 50% of its power, or window breaking, ear breaking noise. I keep it pretty quiet but it’s still pretty hard on your ears if you are not use to the pressure these amps generate. This 5 watt beauty does all the things its big brother does, except hurt your ears. It’s loud, very loud, but the pressure isn’t there. In the 25 watt mode it hurts. And of course I’ve ordered an alnico Tone Tubby 10” http://www.tonetubby.com speaker for the little beast. Tone is the most important thing for me and this little guy is running English tones out if its EL-84 power tubes, all my other sounds come straight out of California with the big 6L6 power tubes and twice as many. I’m in tone heaven. There is simply nothing like the sound of a Guitar and a good Hammond B-3 organ. (Mine is in the storage area next to the stageJ. It’s my spring project to get it all cleaned up and make some impedance changes so I can put it straight out into the fender or MK-IV. It also needs some re-finishing.

My kids came over and my Son and his wife brought me pictures of their wedding, which had my deceased wife’s picture there and I couldn’t help trying to choke down the big lump in my throat. I tried but the tears flowed. My Daughter and her husband along with my first Grand Child Shelby came over in the evening and we had Kathy’s son with all his kids and his wife, it was all very nice. Elizabeth drove into SLC and picked up June, Kathy’s granddaughter for a sleep over. It was very busy, but that’s what it’s all about.

Today I moved about a foot of snow off my driveway and my neighbors who went home to Montana for a couple of weeks. We all take care of each other around here. There is never anything wanted or needed, someone always steps up and takes care of what is needed.
Well I’m off to the music room to see what noises I can make. My work is pretty much done for the day! Woo hoo. I guess 14 hours is enough? I will take a little nap I believe ;)

Merry Christmas

As we sit in the front room, the home all ready for Christmas, my thoughts go back 2000 years ago when our savior was born. I came to my change of heart later in life, and with each year I enjoy a happier life. People are more important to me than things, status, and the rush of moments. My gratitude is greater this year for the loving people in my life. I live in a small village nestled in the mountains and with this time of year it is truly beautiful. We had about a foot of beauty dumped on us in a few hours this afternoon. I volunteered to head to the store this evening to get a few items that were not necessary but wanted by the girls. It was a 2 mile drive to the store and I passed 3 LDS churches, a Baptist church, and a catholic church and a catholic church under construction. We all worship different faiths, but all the same God and Son of God, Jesus Christ. We all live in this small place, we love one and another, and get along with everyone here. This is a very diverse place, races, creeds, and ethnicity, but all get along and live together. That is my wish for this world, maybe to be a little kinder to each other, and a lot more forgiving. I’m not tolerant of those things which I feel are vile, like pornography, or the abuse of women and children. I’m not tolerant to any of those things, but I am tolerant to others beliefs, ideas, and ways of life. I enjoy the difference in people. May we all feel the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us, and recognize our importance and opportunity while we are here on this earth! I am grateful for my wonderful wife who has changed my life so much and given me so much happiness, far beyond anything I have known before. I know that I am loved; I see it in her eyes. I am thankful for my children who have grown up to be happy adults and are so smart and fun to be around. I look forward to watching my grandchildren grow, and to teaching them about our Lord, and that He made everything for our good.

Merry Christmas and may you feel the Lords love, and may you have gratitude in your life for what He has done for you.

everything is on track.