Dust On The Shop Floor

Fumble Plus Fumble Equals Rams Win

2006-09-28T15:14:00.000-05:00

What a finish this past week!! It should have never come down to the fumble by Kurt for the Rams to maintain their lead and victory. The end of this game was made to be much more difficult than it should have been! Hold on to the ball, run the ball, pick up a first down, and run out the clock, this is what should have happened the last minutes of this game. But of course I don't think this Ram team is going to make anything easy this season.

The main thing that I came away from this game is that the Rams continue to have a hard time with tackling. I listened to the game on my Sirius radio and it seemed that the Rams made a ton of missed tackles this game. In my humble opinion, tackling is on the forefront of being a good football team. From what I heard, the Rams are not there yet. I do hope that tackling was addressed this week in practice!!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Rams and 49ers week two

2006-09-19T07:15:00.000-05:00

Well.......the uneasy feeling is getting stronger these days. Eight quarters of regular session football and only one Ram touchdown in the books. What makes it even more difficult to take is the fact that the Rams did have a 100 yard rusher and still lost the game. Yes, they played like "the same old Rams." I must admit though, they had chances to win the game. I think if the defense would not have given up 3 big plays, the Rams would have won that game.

Once again I am hoping for more offense this week!!! Now that they have 1 touchdown under their belts lets go for more!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Opening Day

2006-09-11T12:46:00.000-05:00

I guess I am not sure how I feel about the Ram game on Sunday. A part of me is very happy for the win. However, it seems that there is a larger part of me that is very disappointed about how the offense played, especially in the red zone!!

I am extremely disappointed with the series where the Rams started on the 3 yard line and failed to punch it in the end zone. They ran the ball on first down and Jackson got 1 yard. Then on second down they went to a pass play and got called for grounding due to very poor blocking. Bad things happened after that and they walked away with no points!!!! I guess I don't understand why they just didn't try to run the ball? They needed only 3 yards and had 3 plays to get them!!!! I would hope that the odds would be in Jackson's favor to get 3 yards on 3 tries!!

I started this post on Monday and it is now Saturday and I am still very nervous about the offense. During this past week I have listen to a lot of NFL radio on Sirius. I'm not sure what day it was but I listened to a Denver player talk about the game. It was one of those interviews where the player says that the reason they lost was due to themselves and not the other team. You know what? For the most part I have to agree with him! Don't get me wrong. The Ram defense was super! But for the offense to not score a touchdown with all those opportunities?? I just can't shake my uneasy feeling in my stomach. I pray to the football gods that I will see some Ram touchdowns against the 49ers.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Governor's Cup goes to KC

2006-08-27T08:41:00.000-05:00

Pre-season is pre-season. However, I am starting to develop a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. It has been three pre-season games and the Ram's starting offensive unit has not scored a touch down! I am honestly trying to not make too much about this. But, last night both starting units were outplayed by KC. Yup, outplayed by a team who has been having a very hard time this pre-season. I hope pre-season is pre-season!!

This is my last post of my summer. As of Monday I will be back at work at school up in the North woods. Yup, I will be leaving my family again this school year. Once again I will be living alone during the week days and with my family on the too short weekends!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Section 405, Row 1, Seat 10..........

2006-08-24T13:51:00.000-05:00

This was my viewing spot for my last Brewer's game at Miller Park for this season. Once again I went with my wife and two daughters. Once again we had a great time! Kristyn did such a fantastic job with with the tailgate preparations and food. I am not totally sure, but I think that we may have been the only people to eat fresh mussels in the parking lot at Miller Park!! It was very yummy and a total blast! I can't wait to see what type of great food she comes up with for next season!

Our seats were not too bad for gas card freebies. We were in the first row of the upper level. The game itself was a lot of fun to watch. The brewers played very well. They beat the Rockies 7 to 1. Once again Turnbow cane into the game and looked like he was going to have a hard time finding the strike zone. He walked two batters but he did pitch out of it and did not give up a run!

Certain sports fans can be such a pain!!! When Turnbow came out of the bullpen, most of the fans voiced great displeasure. A young lady sitting behind me gave the thumbs down sign as Turnbow ran to the pitchers mound. My family, who are not veteran sporting events attendees, looked at me with shock and asked if they were really booing him? Yup I sad. These are the same fans who were cheering him like a rock star when he was saving 24 games this season!!!! Fair weather fans need to get a clue.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Pre-season Week 2

2006-08-22T21:11:00.000-05:00

I spent this last Saturday at my sister and brother-in- law's house for a grill out. So I was unable to really listen to the whole game. I was only able to listen to the first half of the Ram game. I listened to the Sirius (Ram) broadcast in my sister's driveway while my nephew did some body work on my sister's PT cruiser. They belong to a custom car club.

What I was able to get out of the first half was that the Rams were unable to get any type of rhythm going on both sides of the ball. 7 penalties in the first half is a sign of very uninspired football. Lets hope this was one of those pre-season games that is NOT a sign of how the regular season is going to go for the Rams.

Brewers just beat the Rockies 4 to 1. Turnbow is still having a very hard time throwing strikes. He gave up the run tonight. I really feel for the guy!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Week 1.....Final Point

2006-08-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

Injuries is the final area I look at when watching a pre-season game. Thank God this is going to be a very short post!

Rams:
No real injuries where noted for the Rams from pre-season game 1. Got to be very happy about this.

Packers:
I am not real sure how their injury situation is right now. I know they had some bumps during the game. I'm sure I will get the scoop during week 2's game.

Overall, week 1 went well for the Rams and not too hot for the Packers. Both Ram and Packer fans need to remember, pre-season is pre- season!

BREWER NOTE:
4 games back in the wild card race. I truly believe their chances are very slim but what the heck....Who knows what will happen!??

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Week 1......Continued

2006-08-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

2. Player Stand Outs:

Packers-
The Packer's number 2 Quarter Back stood out in pre-season week 1. Aaron Rogers did an excellent job on Saturday night. Yup, I know he worked with and against the number 2s and 3s. Aaron did a fine job leading his offense down the football field. For the most part he looked comfortable and confident.

Rams-
Victor Adeyanju ( DE 6-4 270 R Indiana), did an excellent job with the 2s and 3s. From what I heard on the radio, Victor was all over the field. The Ram radio guys sounded totally impressed.
Tony Fisher ( RB 6-1 223 5 Notre Dame) ran the ball very well as the #2 back. He scored a touch down from within the red zone. I liked what I heard about his play.

Overall, I thought that the Ram players looked much more into the game than the Packers did in their game!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

Week 1.....Pre-season Football

2006-08-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

Week one of the 2006 pre-season is in the books for the Rams and the Packers. Here are some thoughts and observations regarding both teams.

When I watch the pre-season I watch for three things:

1. ORGANIZATION:

Rams
I thought that the Rams were very well organized. For the most part the whole team appeared to be working off the same page. Due to Linehan being a rookie head coach, I was especially excited to hear ( Sirius radio ) how smooth the team looked to the Ram radio guys!
Grade- Above Average

Packers
The head coach is also a rookie head coach. While I watched the game on a local T.V. station, I couldn't help but to get the feeling that the Packers were a little confused and overwhelmed. I'm not sure if this was the fault of the coaching staff or the players. It will be very interesting to watch this team grow or NOT grow!
Grade- Below Average

I will continue my assessment of week one during the week. For now I am off to the Northwoods with my family for a few days!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

What......A detour????

2006-08-08T10:28:00.000-05:00

YUP, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME!

My last post talks about the search for a new Ram's head coach. Well, as you all know they found one and the season is almost here. I guess I really don't have much to write yet about this year's Ram team. I'm not one of those great prediction guys who thinks I know what is going to happen before the real season begins. All I truly know is that right now every team is un-defeated and has hopes of making a Super Bowl run!

When I started this blog the main goal was to write about my wood crafts. Well, due to a life style change, I am no longer able to get in the shop as much as I would like. The word dust in the title of my blog use to stand for wood dust. Now it stands for actual dust due to lack of work or action. I hope to change this during this school year.

For now, I am taking a detour away from wood crafts and I will be writing about my favorite sports teams and my life in the north woods of Wisconsin.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

The Search is on

2006-01-15T13:09:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a while since I have written my thoughts about the Rams. I guess with all the changes in my life, I have lost touch with football. I usually drive back to my weekday home in the north woods of Wisconsin just about every Sunday. I like to complete the 3 and 1/2 hour drive before it gets dark. Due to this, I did not get a chance to watch very many Ram games this past football season. This causes not only a personal/ family hardship of being away from my family during the week, but also a sense of football "bad attitude". It truly sucks to not be able to enjoy a Sunday afternoon watching my favorite team. I know what some of you are thinking, I did not miss much this season!! Well, even bad football is better than no football.

Before I ramble too much(I think I did already!), I better get to the real point of this post. In my opinion, the Rams need a new Head coach who will deal with the BASICS of good football. Forget about a good offensive or defensive coach. We need a hard nose old school coach who is going to stress the basics of good tackling, blocking, and mental toughness. This team needs to wake up and realize that they stink when it comes to playing good, sound, and tough football! In the very few games I did get to see, I saw mental mistakes, turnovers, poor blocking, and most of all very poor TACKLING.

So, the search is on to find the head coach who will force the Ram players to find what they lost, the ability to play sound fundamental football!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor.

Thanks Lyle Overbay

2005-12-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

One of my present day Brewer heroes is gone to Toronto. Even though I am very sad about Lyle no longer taking care of first base for the Brewers, I am happy that he is going to a team that he will be wanted and he will not have to look over his shoulder. It must have been an unnerving thing for him to look over at the dugout and see Prince Fielder waiting to take his place. I do think that this is a winning situation for Lyle and also the Brewers. In time, I do see Prince doing an excellent job for the Brewers.

The Rams are sliding down into a hole of the truly poor and lower level teams of the NFL. Not much to write with this!! The Rams are unable to perform the fundamentals of basic football. Poor tackling and blocking are the keys to the Rams downfall.

Life in the North woods is going okay. I am still missing being with my family during the week. But having a job in my new career which brings home a nice pay check every two weeks is very very nice!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor.

"I'm A Brewer Again"

2005-11-07T17:04:00.000-06:00

Robin Yount, number 19, is back home with the crew!! He is the new bench coach for the Brewers. My baseball world is getting more and more exciting! I would have to say that number 19 is very high on my list of Brewer favorites. But then again he is high on most Brewer fan lists of favorites.
I do think that this is the earliest I have ever been so interested in the upcoming baseball season. The football season is only half over and my mind wanders away from the Rams and to the Milwaukee Brewers whenever I think about sports. Some of this is due to the fact that the Rams are rebuilding and playing very inconsistent this season. But what the heck, why can't a long time Brewer fan be happy about his team in November??
As far as wood dust on my shop floor, there hasn't been any for quite some time. Dust from lack of work is piling up like the winter snow that will be falling soon here in the north woods of Wisconsin. I have decided to try my hand at making model airplanes while I spend time in my apartment away from home, my family, and shop. I continue to work as a guidance counselor on the week days 3 and one half hours away from home. On the weekends I do go home to be with my family but I have no time for shop time.
My first Airplane is the Corsair. It was used in WWII and in Korea. I hope to have a picture of the finished plane when I complete it. I hope this new hobby helps with the long cold winter nights by myself in my apartment in the woods.

Here's to dust on YOUR shop floor

2 In A Row

2005-11-01T15:18:00.000-06:00

The Rams are now 4 and 4 going into the bye week. People are talking about them again and the players seem to be feeling pretty good. I must admit that I too am feeling pretty good about my favorite football team. However, I just can't shake this feeling of something is going to go wrong again for this team.

I don't think that they really have the fire power to compete with the Seahawks for the division. This next game will tell a lot about this Ram football team. I do hope they prove me wrong and they take care of business in Seattle. The boys should be back and the offense should be ready to rock and roll. It will be interesting to see if Jackson continues to get the ball as much as he has been getting in the past two games.

I guess the bottom line for me is that the heart is obviously there big time!!! But is the skill level on the same page with the top teams of the league?? I really don't think so. But I sure hope that I am wrong.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Monday Night Blues

2005-10-18T16:09:00.000-05:00

Well, another Ram loss on Monday Night. Not much to say about it. Except that this defense needs to go back to the basics. This defense can't tackle to save it's soul!! The offense did very well while Bulger was still in the game. I do wonder what would have happened if Bulger could of played the entire game.

On a personal note, I continue to live and work in the north woods of Wisconsin while my family continues to live 3 and one half hours away. It has been a very tough road for all of us. However, I do not think I could of done this without my wife. She is truly amazing!! But maybe I will only have to do this for this school year. It sounds like a job might open up closer to home!!! I hope my guardian continues to watch out for me!!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!!

I am still here

2005-10-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

Due to a very busy life and some major life changes, I have not been able to post for a very long time. Now that my life is a little less stressful during the week, I hope to get back to this blog.

The Brewer season is over and I am very pleased with the .5oo season. The next goal for the brew crew is the PLAYOFFS!!! I look forward to next April with a sense of hope and happiness!

The Rams are starting this season with inconsistency as the main theme. Lets pull it together men!! Hey Coach....good luck with your health!! I truly hope all goes well for you and your family.

Time to go. I am currently sitting at an internet coffee shop in the north woods of Wisconsin. Paying to write on the computer is not my idea of having fun. Maybe soon I will have a computer up at the cabin.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Brewers, Rams, and Door County

2005-07-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

When I think of the first half of this baseball season, two words pop into my brain. Promise and fundamentals are the words that best describe the first half of the Brewer season.

Promise: On FSN North there is a commercial of Yost talking to his players about a promise he made to the fans that his team will fight to the last out each and every game. I think he and his Crew can feel good about that promise. This team has shown great heart and fight. No one can challenge this team's heart and desire.

Fundamentals: This team does have heart and desire. However, at times they lack the fundamentals. Stupid mental errors have lost more than one game for the Brewers. Booting catches, mental defensive mistakes, poor base running, and swinging at bad pitches have all prevented the Crew from being at .500 the first half of this season. This is a team that will have to shore up it's fundamentals in order for it to be at it's goal of .500 at the end of this season. I strongly feel that this Brewers team can do this!! There will be no fall apart or downward slide this second half. The Crew will play good baseball and will be at or above the .500 mark when all is said and done this season.

We are getting close to training camp time for the Rams. I have read on another blog that it is time for Bruce to put up or shut up this upcoming season. My comment to that is that the leading receiver in Ram history doesn't have to put up anything. The man put up when he caught the winning touchdown in Super Bowl 34.

A few days ago we went to Door County in Wisconsin for a nice summer day trip. Overall we had a great time. Door County is a tourist recreational area with cool little shops, golf, camping, boating in Lake Michigan, and other cool outdoor activities. It is well known for a place where the rich can play. We counted well over twenty license plates from out of state. Most of these plates were on cars that I will never be able to afford!

One of the shops we went into was a shop that has all of it's goods from England. This is a big treat for us as we spent 2 wonderful weeks in England two summers ago. If you ever get a chance to try a Flake chocolate bar, jump all over it and enjoy!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

The waiting game

2005-07-15T08:46:00.000-05:00

Well, there is a small chance we might get to the space shuttle launch after all!!! Due to a problem with the number 4 fuel sensor, it did not launch on the 13th. I do feel sorry for all those involved with this project. However, the delay might cause us to be able to still see the launch in person!

Just as NASA has a short window for the launch, we also have short windows that we would be able to travel to Florida to see it. Our summer calendar is of course jammed packed with activities and obligations that we cannot cancel. So this means that the new launch date must fit into one of our windows in order for us to make the trip to Florida.

My first and most important wish is that they correct the problem and the shuttle is safe and sound for the astronauts!!
My next wish is that the new launch date works out for us!

Right now we are in a holding pattern. Our dream of seeing the shuttle launch in person is still alive!!!

Bummer!!

2005-07-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

It's kind of a sad day today at our house. Today was the day that we were going to start our summer trip to Florida. We were going to drive down there, camp, and watch the space shuttle launch in person. It was going to be a trip of driving, camping, and the space shuttle. These are three things that we all enjoy as a family. I know it may sound funny, but my family enjoys riding in our van for hours at a time. As my youngest daughter likes to say, "I like to feel the road under my feet."

But as our luck or my intense feeling of duty may have it, I forgot about a family obligation that I must do the day after the launch. This gives us no chance to see the launch in person and still be home in Wisconsin to do the 2 hour chore for my parents.

Now that I think about it, this whole week will be a sad one for me!!

Boot Lake

2005-07-06T16:37:00.000-05:00

We just returned home from a 4 day camping trip over the 4th of July at a national campground near Lakewood WI. Once again it was a lot of fun! Camping, paddling the canoe, fishing, eating sunflower seeds, and Brewers baseball were the only things I did for 4 straight days of summer fun. Of course, I also downed all of the sunflower seeds with a good amount of Mickey's. For those of you who don't know what a Mickey's is, it is a fine malt beverage that comes in a wide mouth green bottle.

The all-star break is coming up fast and the Crew has a chance to move into second place!! Go Brewers go!! The last few games it has been fun to see the bats come around and see them score some runs. With the pitching doing very well and now the offense coming around, the second half of the season may be very interesting for the Crew. Lets hope they continue to play fun baseball.

My youngest daughter is at Girl Scout camp for the next few days. Her first time at camp alone. I hope she has a blast! When we dropped her off at camp, she seemed to be right at home. She was all smiles and didn't seem to care when we left. I think she will do just fine.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

Fishing Buddies

2005-05-31T17:42:00.000-05:00

My wife took this picture of our girls. We spent part of our Memorial Day holiday fishing with our kids.

God Bless Everyone.....ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO GIVE SO MUCH TO HELP OTHERS!!!!

What the heck....

2005-05-29T22:53:00.000-05:00

.....could this be a woodcraft post??? Oh my god I think it is!!

Here is the Christmas clock that I made for my parents last Christmas. I finally took a picture of it!!! The picture is a little small. But I hope you get the idea?

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

No Soccer This Weekend.......

2005-05-29T07:19:00.000-05:00

.....And I miss it! I have not written a lot about my youngest daughter and her sports. The truth be told. Until now, I was not real sure how much she actually enjoyed sports and that was okay with me. My wife and I have always been okay with what our daughters were interested in and wanted to do.

My youngest daughter played organized soccer for the first time two years ago and after the season said she hated soccer and never wanted to play it again. To be honest, I was a little disappointed but I was okay with it. This spring my daughter asked to play soccer again. This was a total surprise, as she really seemed to hate soccer. We gladly signed her up and waited for the season to start.

To watch her play soccer is so much fun!!! She seems to really enjoy it. She is one of those kids who will look over at the sideline with a huge smile and wave at us with all of her body. As a dad, this is a total blast to see!

Of course I am a proud dad, but for taking a year off of soccer during her sports developmental years, my daughter looks fantastic out there. Her position is fullback. She is an aggressive defender. Without hesitation she will often get in the face of the offensive player and will challenge for the ball. She does look good out there!! I hope she continues to enjoy it!!

Just a short note: my oldest daughter had a 3 on 3 tournament this weekend and she played very well and her team took second place.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

It is time to come clean.......

2005-05-24T22:59:00.000-05:00

....I am a Milwaukee Brewers fan and have been for all of my adult life. Why does it feel like I have some problem that needs fixing when I tell people what baseball team I love and support? And tell me please.... why in my small circle of people I know, there are more Cubs fans that Crew fans? I can take the heat in football. Being a Rams fan in Wisconsin is not a popular thing to be. But come on folks, being a Brewers fan means that I am a "homer" when it comes to baseball!!

There was a short period of time in my youth when I was not a fan of the Brewers. Back in my little league playing days, I played first base. My hero and idol was George "the boomer" Scott. When he was traded to Boston from the Brewers, I went along with him. When I reached college age, I again found the Brew Crew. The Robin Yount days were an exciting time for us Brewer fans!!! "Storming" Gorman Thomas was also a favorite of mine and other fans as well. He and those Brewers made it fun to watch Milwaukee baseball. The term Harvey's Wallbangers has a warm spot in my heart!!!

Okay, getting back to my current problem of being a current fan of the Brewers, I know they have stunk for a good number of years, but they are still Wisconsin's pro. baseball team!! I truly feel that this group of guys are fighters and do not give up when things look bad. How many times have they come back in games this young season? Right now at this moment, they are only one game under five hundred and in second place. Did we Brewer fans expect this? I know I didn't. I am enjoying this little success. It's not too often that my Cub fans friends are so quiet!!! And one last thing, when was the last time a Brewer was on the Jim Rome radio show?? Just a few short weeks ago!!! Go Brewers Go!

Here's to dust on your shop floor

Basketball Camp, Baseball, and Substitute Teaching

2005-05-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

Basketball camp : My oldest daughter wants to attend an overnight basketball camp this summer. After reading about the camp here in Wisconsin, I think that it would be a good experience for her. However, she wants to attend the camp with a girl from her team. This girl's parents have said no to this camp as it is way too expensive. I do agree with them. For the price of this camp, my daughter could attend two camps this summer. My daughter and this girl want to do fund raisers to get the money. They do not have enough time to get the money together for this camp. However, I do think that fund raisers are an excellent idea. Is there a better way to show commitment than earning the money yourself? I think not!! My daughter will attend basketball camps this summer!!

Baseball: Manitowoc Bandits finally sent us our tickets!!! I'm not sure if it was exactly what I was hoping for when I bid on the item at the silent auction. I thought it was a family of 4 pass for the season. I thought that I along with my family could attend all of the home games for the entire season. After receiving the tickets, I'm not sure if this is the case. I need to find out more about the passes I received. I will keep you posted!! Milwaukee Brewers, what can I say?? Please turn it around now!!!!

Substitute teaching: I am doing a long term sub position for a 6 grade. All seems to be going very well.

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!

5 on 5 is FINALLY over for this year.....

2005-05-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

.... and I am very happy!!
It was a very long hard season. What made it so hard was not the girls but the parents. Very competitive is the best way to describe these parents. They are the most cut throat people I have ever met. They are not cut throat about the team doing well, they are only worried about how much playing time their daughters get. There is no feeling of team with these parents at all. It will certainly be very interesting and I think frustrating to watch how these parents progress as their daughters move to the higher levels of school sports. I truly hope that we as parents are different than most of these parents and continue to try to cheer and support the entire team!!

My daughter's team was in a tournament this past weekend at Lakeland College in Howard's Grove Wisconsin. They played one game on Friday night and three games on Saturday. If they won three out of the four they played again on Sunday. They were .500 this weekend. They won two games and lost two. I do believe that this was a good job by this team. The level of competition was very high. So, it is Sunday morning and I am happily planning my day of getting the grass cut instead of watching basketball. I do enjoy watching my girls play sports but sometimes losing can be such a learning tool!!

The Friday night game that they lost, they could have won that game. It was a very close game and could have gone either way. A made shot here or there during the game could have made a difference for our girls. But the loss on Saturday morning was a total blow out. Those girls were very well coached and they understood how to pass and work the ball. But what they really showed was how well TEAMWORK really works!!!! I hope our girls and parents saw this!!! But what is the old saying....You can lead a horse to water????

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

The 3 on 3 season has begun!!

2005-05-08T21:41:00.001-05:00

Well, it's Sunday night and I am sitting down to think about the weekend. WHAT A HECK OF A WEEKEND IT WAS!! We spent over 12 hours at the tournament. We participated in a post tournament party until 1 a.m. on Sunday morning. We also did the Mother's Day thing with both my mother and my wife's mother.

Friday night we went to the High School to help set up for the tournament. It didn't take me too long to set up the clock and remember how to run it. Eventhough it has been a year since the last time I ran the scoreboard/clock, it was no big deal to figure it out again. My wife helped set up the concession stand. It always takes a lot of work and organization to get it ready for the tournament. I do have the better end of the stick when it comes to set up.

On Saturday my daughter's team had 4 games. They won 3 of them and lost 1. Not too bad, they got second place in their age bracket. They all seemed to be happy with the finish. My daughter played very well. She is making big improvements with her play. Aggression however, continues to be a problem for her. As the season goes on, we are hoping she becomes more physical. Only time on the court will help her with this.

By the time clean up was finished on Saturday, we had spent about 12 hours working at the tournament. We really didn't want to go to the party but felt that it might help us to make new friends in this very small village community. We actually had a good time and we did seem to make some new friends!! I hope this is the start of something positive for us and our attempts to fit into this community.

On Sunday we drove to our old home town to visit our mothers. We had a nice visit with each mother. My mother in law made us a nice lunch and my mother had cake and coffee for us in the late afternoon. We ate enough that no supper was needed!!!

All in all it was a very nice weekend!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!

It has been one heck of a long time!

2005-05-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have not posted in a very long time.....So shoot me!!! I guess the last time that I posted was right before we left for the Division 2 Women's Elite Eight at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs. We all had an excellent time on our trip!!

This trip was a total blast!! However, it did have its problems. We took along the dog after she ate about 24 chocolate chip cookies the night before the start of our 17 hour drive to Arkansas. Traveling with a dog who is sick from stealing and eating chocolate is never a good thing. Sick dogs tend to go potty in places that they really shouldn't, like hotel rooms and Chevy vans. The first two days of our trip involved driving, concern and worry for the sick dog, and cleaning up potty messes!!!

Just when we decided to take her to the vet, her behavior did a 360 and she was back to being the excellent camping dog that she normally is!! I guess the chocolate worked itself through her system and she was fine after the first two days. As soon as we got to the campsite at DeGray state park in Arkansas, she perked up, seemed happy, and was very excited, Thank You God!!!

After setting up camp on Thursday afternoon, my oldest daughter and I went to the semi-final games at Summit Arena in Hot Springs. We enjoyed both games and could not believe the great seats we had. We were 4 rows back and at half court! It was a very fun time.

The two teams that came out of the semi-final games where the Washburn Lady Blues and the Seattle Pacific Falcons. On Saturday March 26, the Lady Blues became the 2005 NCAA Division 2 National Champions. I truly enjoyed the game. I think my daughter enjoyed the whole experience as well!! We are already talking about doing it again next year. My youngest daughter said that she wouldn't mind going along to the games!!! It would be totally awesome for the whole family to go.

The start of 3 on 3 basketball season is tomorrow. My oldest daughter is playing in the local tournament. I am running the official game clock for the tournament and my wife is selling food. It will be a very long day. But I am hoping that it will be fun for all!!!

Here's to dust on your shop floor!!
(feeling bad about the fact that there is no wood dust on my shop floor)

No Real News

2005-03-12T09:26:00.000-06:00

Not a lot of news to report regarding our trip to Hot Springs. I will need to get our Chevy van into the shop for a complete check up and an oil change. I am a little nervous about the van making the trip with the camper on the back. But then again I am always nervous about the van making it on any trip.

I just read that a rumor regarding Pace is that he might be traded. His new agents are a little more reasonable than the last ones. However, they continue to make it difficult for the Rams to pay Pace and not hurt their cap situation for years to come. I can see how Pace wants to get as much money as he can. But come on Mr. Pace, you are paid very very well for playing a game!!!

I'm not sure how true this trade rumor is. But, I don't think I will be too sad if he is traded. I know I am not in the minority when I say this. Most true Ram fans are very tired with this whole situation. It is really too bad because on the whole, Pace does seem like a nice guy. I do hope things work out for the best for him. However, I do think that the best for Pace might not be the best for the Rams.

As I read over this post I am realizing that really this Pace news is nothing new. Trade rumors have been flying around for a long time. Please Rams put an end to this!!!!!!!!

UW-Milwaukee

2005-03-09T20:50:00.000-06:00

I would just like to give a quick congratulations to the UW-Milwaukee Division One basketball team. By winning the horizon league tournament last night they are going to the Big Dance for only the second time in school history!!!! We had a very happy house last night as my wife graduated from UW-Milwaukee with her Bachelors and Masters Degrees. Of course she did have to rub it in that my old school is Division Three and stinks when it comes to sports. But what the heck, I am very happy for her and her school.

Go Panthers!!!!!

NCAAW Basketball Division Two

2005-03-08T15:33:00.000-06:00

I was sitting in our living room one evening with my family watching women's college basketball. Since my oldest daughter enjoys playing so much, we have been watching a lot of basketball together as a family. It seems that my wife who is not very sports mined even likes the game and enjoys watching it with us. My youngest daughter however, watches with us but could really take it or leave it. She does get the GREAT sister award for how much sports she puts up with when watching her sister!! She is truly a special little girl.

While watching the game I made a comment that it would be very cool to see a women's college game in person. The oldest daughter of course agreed with me. My youngest daughter as well as my wife did not reply to my comment. I just left it out there floating around with no true hopes of it going anywhere.

Well, it did actually float right into my wife's head and the next day she talked about our plans for the upcoming spring break (both of us are teachers and we all have a week off together).She talked about hooking up our pop-up camper and going somewhere warm for the week. I thought this was an excellent idea!!!

What I did not know was that she was checking out where we could go somewhere warm and watch basketball. Through research on the computer, my wife found out that the Division Two NCAAW Basketball Championship is at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs Arkansas. The Championship is March 23-26. These dates work out perfectly with our spring break! It was as if we were meant to go!!!! My oldest daughter and I could watch the games and my youngest daughter and wife could enjoy the warm weather and shopping at the shops in Hot Springs. It would be a perfect vacation for all of us!!!

We have tickets for the Semifinals and the Finals!!! I will keep you all informed as the details continue to be worked out.

Ram Moves

2005-03-05T08:59:00.000-06:00

Let me start this post by saying that I like the moves the Rams have made so far this off season. I don't care how old Coakley is. A three time Pro-Bowler will definitely improve one of the most unimpressive Ram defenses I have seen in a long time!The addition of Claiborne I also feel is a nice pick up by the Rams. Six foot three and two hundred and fifty seven pounds will add some size and physical presence to the Ram's line backer middle. According to the Ram coaches he can also run for a big man. Both of these players are not listed in the upper levels of stardom in the NFL but I think they will work out nicely with the Rams.

Once again however, I sit here and wonder about Mr. Pace. He is such a talented line man but a team player he is not (at least he does not appear to be). I often think that the Rams should try to unload him and then I think they would be foolish to do so. This whole situation is so irritating to me. I just hope that this soap opera ends soon!!

Mr. Faulk to back up Steven Jackson

2005-02-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

According to coach Mike Martz, Faulk will be used as a change of pace back for the Rams next season. The load will be carried by Steven Jackson. I think that this will be a very good move for both Faulk and the Rams. Faulk can remain a little more fresh during the season with the lighter work load. I truly believe that a fresher Faulk means less injuries for Faulk and more productive yards for the Rams. Also the fact that Marshal will still be out there as a leader of the team and a teacher for Steven is very valuable.

The only problem I see is the fact that Jackson may not be a durable back. This past season he played part time and seemed to have a lot of dings and hurts. His straight ahead power running may take a toll on his body with the greater work load. But maybe as a pro he can learn how to prepare his body better in the off season. We will see this next season!!

Bleacher Butt Continued

2005-02-13T22:29:00.000-06:00

Well, it is now Sunday night and my butt is doing much better.

After the basketball game on Saturday we went to my youngest daughter's swim meet. It was a total blast, but the heat at the pool was pretty bad and my bleacher butt was in full swing. I did forget about the heat and my butt after watching my daughter's face beam with total happiness after each race she swam. She did very well and seems to be making improvements with each meet. I am so proud of her!! There is no way I could swim as well as she can.

Now that it is late Sunday night and I have a chance to look back at yesterday, I can't but help to feel grateful that I do get bleacher butt. Having Children active and involved in sports is such a rewarding experience. Actually, having children is the most rewarding experience a person can have!!!!!

Bleacher Butt.........

2005-02-12T10:20:00.000-06:00

......For those of you who have children in school sports know this term very well!! If you don't have a clue, I will explain it briefly for you.

Bleacher Butt- What happens to one's bottom when one spends a lot of time sitting and watching school sporting events.

Last night we attended the local junior and varsity basketball games. My youngest daughter was involved in pom poms for the high school varsity basketball game. The high school pom pom squad gave a clinic for elementary and middle school kids to learn a pom pom routine. At half time during the varsity game the little girls were able to show off what they learned at the clinic. My daughter did very well and had loads of fun!!! I was a very proud daddy but had the start of Bleacher Butt.

Right now I am between sporting events for my children. We just returned from my oldest daughter's basketball game. They played very well as a team and out scored the other team by 30 points. My daughter did very well. She scored a basket and played very good defense. Scoring a basket in 6th grade girl's basketball is such a thrilling event. She plays guard and has a very pretty shot. One area that she needs to work on is her confidence level. She has great skills but often feels that she doesn't play as well as the other players on her team. Once she learns that she is a good player, I feel she will truly take off as a great player!!

Well, right now it is time to get ready for my youngest daughter's swim meet. I will report back on how my daughter did, when we return from the meet. I will also report on the status of my bleacher butt!!

Tory Holt will replace Owens in the Pro Bowl

2005-02-08T21:38:00.000-06:00

Due to an ankle injury, Terrell Owens will not play in the Pro Bowl. The Ram's Tory Holt will replace him. Read about it in the St.Louis Post-Dispatch.

Pats Do It Again

2005-02-07T21:52:00.000-06:00

Congrats to the Pats!! They came through again and showed they are truly the class of the NFL. Due to the fact that I still have a very hard time with the fact that they beat the Rams in their first Super Bowl win, I have had a very hard time giving them any credit. But the time has come where I need to put aside my hard feelings and give them their due. They are the best team playing today!!

Tom Brady is truly the man!! I would have to rank him as one of the best QBs playing the game today. With living in Wisconsin, I have to hear non-stop how great Brett Favre is as the leader of the Pack. But to use a phrase that is used often in the NFL, What has he done lately?? To answer this question, Nothing!! Brady has led his team to 3 Super Bowl wins. This is a true sign of a team leader.

As with Favre, the QB of my favorite team is in the same boat. Until Marc Bulger leads the Rams to a Super Bowl win, he too is not on the same level with Brady. In my opinion the Rams have a long way to go before they can get back to the high level they were once at within the NFL. I as a Ram fan can only hope that next season will be the start of something good for my Rams!!!

Manitowoc Bandits Baseball

2005-02-05T22:10:00.000-06:00

I went to a Winter Carnival at my oldest daughter's school tonight. It was set up by the school district to raise money to help the Unicef Tsunami Relief fund. I have not donated any money as of yet so this was the night I was going to open my wallet and give what I could.

It was a fun family night and all four of us had a wonderful time. More than just a few times through the evening, I did look around at all of the people having fun and wondered what all those people who were hit by the Tsunami were doing today. Could they ever get over this tragic event in their lives?

One of the events of the Carnival was a kid's free throw contest. Both of my daughters took second place in their age groups! Sorry for the bragging, but what can I say, I am a proud Daddy! Both girls had a total blast tonight.

Another event was a silent auction. I bid on a season family pass to the local Semi-Professional baseball team. I got the pass!!! I am totally excited about this. I have often thought about what it would be like to have season tickets to the Brewers. But of course right now there is no way I can afford Brewers Tickets. So I am very happy with the season family pass from the Manitowoc Bandits. I am so excited that I now have a link to their official website in my sidebar. I can't wait for the season to start!!

No other news to report tonight. The hummingbird clock is still in the pattern stage. I just can't get shop time. Hope to get down in the shop soon.

Kyle Turley

2005-01-30T10:17:00.000-06:00

Okay so what is Kyle Turley's problem?? I do not have a problem with the fact that he is having issues with Martz. What I do have problems with is that he is so public about it. Settle the issues like professionals. Do it in private where it is more appropriate to deal with team or personal issues. I do believe that Martz is trying to do this with Turley. However, it doesn't seem like Turley wants to keep this private.

I as an average fan do not have all of the facts regarding this situation, nor do I need to know all about it. In every type of employment situations there are going to be differences and some problems now and then. Bottom line, all I want to know is if Turley can still be productive for the Rams next season. I guess from what I have been seeing and hearing he will not be!! I believe it is very important for the Rams to overhaul the entire O line. Free agency and the Draft will be huge this off season!

To read about the latest Turley/Martz situation click here.

Scroll Saw Work Shop

2005-01-29T13:15:00.000-06:00

I got the Spring 2005 issue of Scroll Saw Work Shop magazine on Thursday evening. This is a how-to Magazine for Wood Crafters. I enjoy reading it and suggest it to any one who enjoys using a scroll saw to make wood crafts. It is always packed with great project ideas and has free patterns that can be used!! In today's world, patterns can be quite expensive.

The article by Steve Malavolta: Layered Marquetry Puzzles, is a great read. The puzzles that man creates are truly works of art! He goes way beyond what one thinks of when thinking about your average puzzles. If you are into puzzles or wood art, these puzzles are a must see!

If you are interested in finding out more about what this magazine has to offer, go to their website.

Here's to dust on the shop floor

Kurt Schottenheimer to coach Ram's Secondary

2005-01-24T21:24:00.000-06:00

Click on the link to read the story in the Post-Dispatch.

Hummingbird Clock

2005-01-22T19:35:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally started work on the new project. I sat down on Friday afternoon with my sketch pad and pencil. For me the design stage is one of the most fun parts of the process. This is where I get to play around with different ideas. I draw all of my ideas on paper and then pick out the one idea that I like the best. The other ideas I stash away for possible future projects. I have learned that no matter how bad I think an idea may be, it still may have some value when planning other projects.

The idea or pattern for this clock will be a circular design. What I am planning to do is to start with a circle and then work hummingbirds and flowers into it. As I posted before, I plan to use the same colors to match with the counted cross stitch piece my Mother-in-law did for us. The clock will be on a shelf below the picture my Mother-in-law did.

I do realize that it may be hard to understand what my pattern for this clock looks like. So, I hope to take pictures of the process as I go. The only problem is that the camera is from my wife's school. So I am at the mercy of when she can bring it home. Bear with me on this. It may be some time before I can take a picture of each step in the process!

Here's to dust on the shop floor!!

Rams Fire Special Teams Coach And Hire Another!

2005-01-21T23:08:00.000-06:00

Mike Martz fired his special teams coach, Mike Stock, and hired Bob Ligashesky. Ligashesky was an assistant to the Jacksonville special teams coach, Pete Rodriguez during last season.

Lets hope this move helps. As we all know, the Rams special teams were just down right stinky!!!

Laker Basketball

2005-01-20T22:43:00.000-06:00

With the football season coming to a fast end, and the Rams out of it, I am starting to take a closer look at Basketball. In particular, L.A. Laker basketball has been another passion of mine.

Through the years I have spent many a winter or spring night watching the Laker greats. Players like Magic, Kareem, West, Shaq, and yes Kobe, have all displayed greatness on the court. However, as I watched the Lakers play the Timberwolves last night, I couldn't help but to shed a tear, where have all my Lakers gone?? This is not my Laker team. With Kobe being out with an injury, I could not connect with a single Laker player. At half time, I did get a glimpse of the past when they interviewed Magic. However, it wasn't the same as watching him dish the ball to a wide open Kareem for a slam!!

After Magic's interview at half time I went to bed. Due to living in the Midwest it was late here and I had no interest in watching the new Lakers lose.

Hmmmm.....After seeing the final score today, I realized that maybe things will be okay in Laker Nation. But I'm not going to hold my breath!!

Retirement Eagle Clock

2005-01-17T22:08:00.000-06:00

Right after Christmas I finally finished the Eagle clock that I had been making for a friend who retired from work last November. It took me longer to finish it than I had hoped.

This is a completely original pattern.

Crying in my morning coffee........

2005-01-16T09:41:00.000-06:00

.....Not really. But it sounds like the appropriate thing to be doing the morning after such a butt kicking loss by the Rams.

Another Ram season comes to an end too soon for my taste. However, the heart ache is not as bad as previous seasons. Early on during the season I could see that this team didn't have what it took to be a superbowl team. I do however believe that this 8 and 8 team winning a playoff game is a huge accomplishment. They are the first non-wining record team to win a playoff game in NFL history!!

It seems that the talent is there but young talent. I do believe that in the future the Rams will once again be an excellent team. We as fans need to be patient and wait for this talent to develop.

Due to a feeling of being burnt out with football, I will be taking a break from writing football posts. Now that the Rams and other teams who I enjoy rooting for are out of the mix,I plan to wait a few months before I will post my in-depth view of the state of the Rams.

Superbowl pick: Colts

Divisional playoff games

2005-01-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

Here are my predictions for this week's Divisional playoff games

These are my picks that come from my head:

Falcons over the Rams
Eagles over the Vikes
Steelers over the Jets
Colts over the Patriots

Here are my heart picks:

Rams over the Falcons
Jets over the Steelers

LETS GO RAMS!!!!!!!

Sports Talk Radio In Packer Land

2005-01-12T22:59:00.000-06:00

In my previous post I wrote that I am Ram fan living in Wisconsin. This means that most of the sports radio is related to the Packers with a few things here and there about other sports or teams. I totally understand and accept this. Packer football is the most popular sport in this area.

HOWEVER, there is one station out of Wisconsin that drives me totally nuts! I guess it is the fact that I am a Ram fan and for some unkown reason to me, a few of the on- air personalities seem to have a problem with the Rams. There is one in particular who has nothing good to say about the Rams. He takes every opportunity to try and stick it to coach Martz. Now this normally wouldn't upset me as much as it does, but this individual really doesn't have a clue when it comes to the Rams. By the way he often talks, I'm not sure if he has even seen a complete Ram game. Most of what I have heard him say is repeated from what some other national guy has said about the Rams. This local guy doesn't seem to have an original thought when it comes to the Rams. I have heard this individual say something to the effect of: If we think we have it so tough here in Wisconsin with the Packers, we should live in St. Louis with the Rams.

I say to this individual, if we lived in St.Louis right now, we would be talking about the upcoming playoff game, not what needs to be done to get better next year. If we lived in St. Louis we would be looking forward to another game in 2 days. How long do the Packer fans have to wait until the next meaningful Packer game?

Poor Green Bay Packers.......

2005-01-10T23:45:00.000-06:00

.......NOT!!!!

Hey what can I say, I'm a Ram fan who lives in Wisconsin.

The Packers need to take a serious look at their team. I think that this playoff loss will force them to take a realistic look at the current players. Changes need to be made, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Packer organization and fans are not willing to admit that this team is not superbowl caliber. What is the battle cry I hear almost every day during the season.....The Pack is back!!! I say NOT!!!!

The only thing I will say about Randy Moss is that I feel his behavior was highly inappropriate. His talent and play on the other hand were outstanding during the game!

I do not hold a lot of hope for this weekend for a Ram's victory. But it is the playoffs...Anything can happen!!!

Here's to dust on the shop floor and a good game on Saturday!!

Sports Weekend

2005-01-09T22:49:00.000-06:00

What a weekend!!

It started at 6:30 A.M. Saturday, when we had to get up to prepare and get ready for my youngest daughter's swim meet. Warm ups started at 7:45 A.M. She is 9 years old and enjoys swimming. She however, does not enjoy swimming in the meets. She says that she gets too nervous. We do give her the choice if she is going to swim in the meets or not. We try not to lay any pressure on her. We do want her to have FUN!!!!She did very well and seemed to have a total blast, YES!!!!

My other Daughter had two basketball games also on Saturday. She plays on the local 6th grade middle school team. Her team did very well, they won both games. They actually blew the other teams right out of the gym. During the first game my daughter scored 10 points....her personal best!

My wife and I had to split up so one of us could be at each daughter's sporting event. I went with the oldest to the basketball games. The other daughter cried when I had to leave the swim meet to go to the basketball games. Yuck!! I hate it when that happens.

After the swim meet and basketball games were finished, I went to a friend's house to watch the ST. Louis Rams game. I have a great wife who knows how much I enjoy watching the Rams. I can say that I am truly lucky when it comes to being able to enjoy watching football games. She's not one of those wives who gets all bent out of shape when the husband watches football. I didn't return home until after 7:00 P.M. This means that I had 12 hours of sports on Saturday. Most of it was with my kids participating in it. HOW GREAT IS LIFE!!

My daughters did very well and the Rams won. So, of course my mood indicator involves a smile!

No new news with the hummingbird clock. I plan to get started on it this week as well as maybe clean my shop.

Here's to dust on the shop floor

Ring Surf for crafters

2005-01-07T13:29:00.000-06:00

I actually got interested in doing a blog because of my wife. She started a blog a while ago and seems to really enjoy it. So I decided to give it a try. My wife writes about our family, our pets, a little politics, and her great passion for knitting. Her blog is listed under my favorite links: Through The Back Door.

As she has progressed through her blogging skills, she has joined a few knitting rings. Now this is a great idea, link or ring together sites/blogs that have certain themes in common! Ring surf seems to make it easier to find just what you are looking for when surfing this wide open world of the web. I was very excited to try and find a ring of crafters like myself who enjoyed doing crafts and writing about them as well as other stuff like sports and family. Yup, I was all ready to jump right in and join a ring!!

Well, I had no luck whatsoever. Unless I don't know where to look, there are not a lot of rings out there that deal with crafts. When I was able to find a ring, it didn't seem to work for me. Some sounded good but when I clicked on them they did nothing. I did find a lot of knitting rings that seemed to work just fine. Now, I am in no way, shape or form against knitting rings(the person I love most in this world is a master knitter),but could there please be a few more rings that deal with other crafts besides knitting? If anyone comes across a good craft ring please let me know!

For now, I have decided to start my own ring. I'm not sure how long it will last, as I would rather be in the wood shop than adding more responsibility and time here on the computer. Well, to be honest, I'm not sure if I have to do anything extra being the Ring Master. I am sure I will find out before too long. So......If you are reading this post and enjoying doing crafts, please think about joining the ring that is in my side bar. Crafts and Blogs, not a very creative title but what the heck?

I may be the only one who joins this ring. But at least I feel better about trying to find other crafters who want to talk about their crafts, tools, and any other "G" rated material that they find interesting! This ring could be a good tool for all kinds of crafters to learn from each other, show off work, or just enjoy reading about someone else who might have the same interest as you have. But then again the history of craft rings looks rather bleak at the moment.

Here's to dust on the shop floor!

It's Not A Mess...

2005-01-05T21:36:00.000-06:00

...It's a sign of a creative wood crafter at work?

Since I came up with my new idea for my first project of the year (hummingbird clock), I have been itching to go down into my basement workshop to get started. However, whenever I take two steps into the shop I turn around and walk out. My shop is so messy! The mess really never bothered me before now. I always told people that it was a sign of a creative mind at work. They would smile and ask how I was able to find anything in all that mess. I would just smile back and say, No problem, I know where everything is!!! But to tell you the truth, there were times I had no idea where anything was. I often would end up cleaning the entire shop because I could not find my favorite hammer or paint brush.

The time has come when I need to clean the shop again. But to be honest, I am dreading it!!! I want to create not clean. But in order to create I need to be able to get at the top of my workbench. I know that my desire to make the clock for my wife will force me to do a major cleaning of my shop and I will feel more creative after I have cleaned it. However, for now,I'm going to keep complaining about the mess and tell myself I have plenty of time before Valentines Day!! So for those of you who know me, I really don't need daily reminders of how fast Valentines Day is coming!

In regards to my blog, I have decided when appropriate, to post information and ideas that I think other wood crafters might find useful. Today I received a catalog from Wildwood Designs. They have some really good stuff regarding scroll saw patterns, clock parts, and supplies. You can go to their website at www.wildwooddesigns.com.

Thanks for listening to me wine today.

Here's to dust on the shop floor!

4 out of 5 years in the playoffs (sports post)

2005-01-03T23:19:00.000-06:00

As I have already written, I am a St.Louis Ram fan. Being a fan of the Rams has been a part of my life for a very long time. I am now 42 years old and have been a fan since when I was about 10 years old. This is a pretty amazing statement coming from someone who lives in the land of the green and gold (Green Bay Packers). I think it is a pretty good trick that I have not been run out of the state yet!!! I even have the nerve to fly a Ram's flag under the American Flag on my flagpole in my front yard for all to see. My flag is pretty well known throughout the village where I live. During an interview to become a substitute teacher for the local schools, the superintendent wrote on his notes during the interview that I was a Ram fan and made a face like he didn't approve(I think it was his way of trying to make a joke)! I did get the position but I am not too sure he wasn't a little serious about my lack of support for the local team! I will just say that people in this area live, breathe,sleep, and eat Packer football.

For the past five years under coach Mike Martz, the Rams have made the playoffs four times and have gone to the superbowl once!For a Ram's fan who has sat through many losing seasons dating all the way back to when the Rams were in L.A., these past five years have been fantastic!!

But what is really bothering me is that the national sports media and some of the media in St.Louis are way too critical of coach Martz. Some of these media people are down right nasty towards the man. They seem to take great pleasure in making fun of him. It has gotten to the point where I am unable to watch certain pre-game shows as it gets sickening to hear the same old nasty jokes about the man. GIVE IT A REST!!!

Now don't get me wrong, coach Martz is no Vince Lombardi. There are plenty of things he says and does that I don't agree with at all. But for the so called football gods to make him the laughing stock of sports is way wrong!! There are plenty of coaches out there in sports that would love to have his accomplishments as a head coach. The man also seems to be loved and respected by his players. How many coaches can honestly say that about their relationship with their teams?

The Rams play the Seahawks in a wild card game this Saturday. As a die hard Ram fan I am praying for a win. I am also pulling for a class act....Coach Mike Martz!!

Here's to a Rams win and dust on the shop floor.

Inspiration Has Hit

2005-01-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

Well, at about 2 a.m. this morning (I'm not really sure what time it actually was), inspiration hit me!! As I sat at the dining room table thinking about going to bed, I looked around the room and for the hundredth time I realized we do not have a clock in the dining room. This is one of those things I always complain about but never do any thing about it. I decided that now was the time for action!

But before I write about the new project of the year, I must take care of some Thank Yous. I would like to thank those who have visited my blog and have left comments.
1. Nathan Frampton: Thanks for the comments and the heads up with Blog explosion.
2. Heather: Thanks for the comment regarding the teddy bear clock. It was a very simple pattern. But it is very special to me as it was the first project I did with my Father's tools.
3. Ivy: Thanks for the very nice comments. I hope to visit your blog soon!

Okay, back to my new project. In our dining room on one of the walls we have a small shelf with a picture of a hummingbird above it. The picture is a counted cross stitch piece that my Mother-in-law did for us. My wife loves hummingbirds and she enjoys watching them drink from our feeder. We have a few that return every year to our back yard. I am thinking that a hummingbird clock would look fantastic on the shelf! If I use the same colors that are in the cross stitch picture, I think it will tie the clock and the picture together in a very neat way. What do you think, a possible Valentines gift?

Here's to dust on the shop floor!

Happy New Year

2005-01-01T11:14:00.000-06:00

Well, another New Years Eve has come and gone. I spent the evening and night at home with my wife and two daughters. We spent most of the night watching movies that I rented from the locale movie rental place. We of course took a break from the movies to watch the ball drop at New York. The t.v. channel we were watching also had reports and live feeds from other cities in the U.S. Wow, people sure seemed to be having a great time!

But even though I was having a great time with the people I love the most in this world, I just couldn't fight the sad feeling I was feeling for all the people in this world who are struggling with all types of disasters. No matter how big or small the struggle, the pain and sadness can be overwhelming! For those of us who live and struggle to get through this life (everyone), I truly hope there will come a time when there is more happiness than sadness for ALL people of this world!!

A new year means new projects to complete. When I figure out my first project of the new year I will let you know! Right now the inspiration hasn't hit.

This has been more of a what's on my mind post rather than a wood craft post. Hey, New Years is a time of reflection and hope.

Here's to dust on the shop floor!!

Teddy bear Clock

2004-12-31T01:50:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of the first project that I completed with my scrollsaw. It is a very basic pattern of a teddy bear. I really didn't want to start out with anything too difficult, as my skills as a scroller are very limited.

I spent hours watching my father make dust in his shop. But for some reason, I just didn't have the interest or confidence to try my hand at the scrollsaw. My father often offered to help me but I would just tell him that I enjoyed watching him. But one day after I became an adult and had a family of my own, my father and I started talking about what makes a good wood craftsman, he told me something that changed my whole outlook! He told me that in his eyes, a good craftsman is someone who is not afraid to make mistakes. He then explained to me how most of his first projects ended up in the fire pit. I guess as a kid I never saw those mistakes. I always saw his beautiful finished projects. I never realized that even he too made mistakes that he couldn't fix! For him, it was the challenge of trying something new with his craft. He also didn't take it too seriously. After all, woodcrafting is not brain surgery.

The morale of this post, enjoy and don't get all bent out of shape if your project ends up as campfire wood at your next camping trip. As I now tell my kids, it is okay to make mistakes!!!

Here's to dust on the shop floor!

So now I have my very own Blog

2004-12-30T16:20:00.000-06:00

Gee, a small place of the internet world I can call my own! I have never kept a journal. But with the New Year fast approaching, now is a good time to start. Most of my posts will focus on things that interest me. I have never been a good writer but hopefully with doing this Blog, I may improve a little. So here goes!!!

For me, doing woodcrafts is like Therapy. It helps me to get rid of the daily stress that we all get in this fast paced world. I especially enjoy working with a scrollsaw that use to be my father's. Due to poor health, he is unable to do his passion of woodworking and has given me most of his tools. My new tools will always hold a special place in my heart. I gave my first ever project to him. It is a very simple wood cutout of a teddy bear that I mounted a clock movement in. Since that first bear clock I have found that I really enjoy making clocks. I have made an eagle clock, downy woodpecker clock, and a Christmas clock. All of these are cut out of plywood and painted with craft paints. Right now I am finding that my painting skills are better than my scrollsaw skills. Pictures of my clocks will follow in future posts as I am also learning about publishing a Blog.

Okay, so this has not been a very lengthy post, but for my first one I am very happy with it!

Here's to dust on the shop floor!