toddland

2009-04-17T07:42:00.000-05:00

A picture of Tori getting some lunch and three Easter pictures. The kids loved looking for their eggs!

2009-04-17T07:36:00.000-05:00

This is the completed kitchen! We love it!

2009-04-15T07:51:00.000-05:00

2008-07-13T22:15:00.000-05:00

2008-07-13T22:08:00.000-05:00

2008-07-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

2008-05-27T19:19:00.000-05:00

Get me out of here!

Monkey Face!

Hi! I'm Tori.

Do you want to come in and visit me in playpenland?

2008-05-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

Ty watching TV with Daddy 5/25

Ty on his Tractor

Ty was helping Daddy put out mulch in the yard Memorial Day weekend. We took a break.

2008-02-12T20:49:00.000-05:00

Aunt Amy with Ty and Tori. Tori is pretending that she just ate. We all know she's lying!

Daddy (and his balding head!!!!) playing with the kids.

Signed AJ Hawk picture I got in a silent auction at the National Football Foundation--Columbus Chapter awards banquet on 2/11/08. Mac Lawless was nice enough to invite me and I won this sucker for $190. I think it's worth twice that, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I met Jim Tressel too.

2008-01-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

Me and Ty making lemon bars last week.

2008-01-17T08:26:00.000-05:00

Ty and his new T-Ball stand from ACE-T. That's a Crushproof Tubing part on top! Thanks Marty!

New Samsung 46" LCD in the living room.

2008-01-15T18:57:00.000-05:00

January 15, 2008 Three flowers are open with one to go.

The flowers sit at 90 degree angles to each other, so the plant is pretty from all sides.

2008-01-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

Tori hanging out in a bowl of fruit.

Ty playing with his new John Deere tractor. Yes, it's motorized.

He's deciding which lever to pull next!

Tori asleep at the wheel in the jungle bouncer she got for Christmas.

2008-01-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Tori in her "Poop" rider. Her and Ty both enjoy(ed) dropping things when playing in this thing.

Tori and Ty in "Ty's house." He takes apart a little chair and uses the cushions to make his "house."

Ty getting ready for bed and talking to grandma on the phone.

Amaryllis bulb

2008-01-11T08:13:00.000-05:00

2007-07-31T10:45:00.000-05:00

Spongebob Squarepants plays a prominent role in the room.

The top shelf will be painted black and the cat boxes are now hiding behind the wall that is yet-to-be-painted. It also looks like one of the cats is eating prunes.

The floor tiles I got a Lowe's for about $.60 per square foot. What a deal! It's 1" thick foam mat.

Ty is looking at the Spongebob light switch cover.

2007-07-31T10:39:00.000-05:00

Ty's new play room that was just basement storage.

The half wall will have a chalk board below the maple board.

2007-07-24T07:39:00.000-05:00

cannas, candy lilies, hollyhocks, and guara

side yard where big bushes used to be

front bed under two pines

prunella, foxglove, liriope grass, and callas

2007-07-24T07:34:00.000-05:00

new curly willow tree

cannas and banana

2007-07-24T07:31:00.000-05:00

2007-07-23T20:47:00.000-05:00

Nemesia Masqurede

Tori sleeping

Ty on his 'digger'

Hibiscus "Plum Crazy" flower is about 7" across

2007-07-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

2007-06-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

This picture is about 2 minutes after delivery.

Great Granda McGinnis (Jodi's Grandma) hands
off little Tori to Ty and Daddy.

Ty's not so sure about this, but he was pretty
darn good for most of his visit today.

Mommy barely knows her name due to all the
pain meds, so it's all good right now!

Victoria is here!

2007-06-26T10:35:00.000-05:00

This is baby Victoria Elizabeth Grayson.
She weighed 6lbs 4oz and was born at 5:15am
on June 26th.

2007-06-25T13:22:00.000-05:00

Ty riding the Mommy Express!
Ty wanted to have some drawings on his hands. He kept saying, "more!" and who am I to judge?

Foxglove plants from seeds

2007-06-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

Ty on June 1, 2007

2007-06-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

2007-03-27T19:50:00.000-05:00

This is my growing zone in my basement. I have about 300 seedlings growing. No pot here! Just a mix of annual and perennial flowers that you can't get at the local nursery. I'm really excited to plant everything in a few weeks. Hopefully I'll have lots of pretty pictures of flowers to post in a few months when the garden is in full bloom!

2007-03-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

These are pictures of Ty from today and a few days ago. He is watching his favorite show, "Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and His Monster Truck Friends"

Ty with some hose and pics from my L.A. trip.

2007-02-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

Pictures for Ty's room

2007-01-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

These are pictures that I drew and painted for Ty's "big boy room" a few days ago. We got a bunch of furniture from Ikea as well as these frames, and I'll post some pictures of his room when it's done.

2007-01-05T15:13:00.000-05:00

Ty loves his new digger truck!

I'm playing Nintendo Wii. That's my half-brother Bobby in the background.

Grandma Mary is helping Ty read about furry animals.

The best way to enjoy messy foods it to eat with your shirt off. Ty demonstrates this perfectly here.

See how much I can fit in my mouth, Daddy?

Here I'm playing Wii with my mom. She really got into it!

Grant and Alex took their turns...

One good looking guy there on the left and a bunch of stiffs. I'm surprised the camera still works!

I'm helping Ty open presents from Great Uncle Tim and Great Aunt Linda. He really likes the truck puzzle that was in this box.

Ty and his second cousin Emily Grayson.

Mr. Orange getting some love from the grandparents.

Ty opening his truck.

2006-10-27T09:02:00.000-05:00

Me in 1979 and Ty a few weeks ago

Me in 1979 and Ty a in September

2006-10-22T10:12:00.000-05:00

These are my new "speed boots" and I love them!

My new friend from Utah likes to jump into my crib

I was reading about the nutritional benefits of eating Corn Pops.

I was disappointed to find that Pops will not allow me to climb over the gates that Mommy and Daddy put up.

I'm modeling my new Halloween costume.

I want candy!

I'm making Daddy look cute by being in a picture with him. He needs all the help that he can get!

My first Halloween treat is a wax ring for the new toilet Daddy is putting in.

2006-10-16T17:03:00.000-05:00

Ty and Mr. Orange

Mr. O is actually enjoying that.

Our 4 cats. Yes, Maily and Mistint are "close."

Maily's going over to check on Mr. O.

2006-10-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

Ty is a big OSU fan, he just doesn't know it yet.

Ty likes to play with his trunk monkey, Curious George. He lives in the trunk of Ty's car.

Ty was out picking tomatos with daddy in the back yard

Mommy's funny, so we laugh at her.

Ty loves corn Pops

Pops!!!!

All he can talk about when he wakes up is "Pops!"

This is the walnut TV console that my father and I just built. It took 4 days and too many four letter words to count, but it was fun.

straight on view

This is the top of the console. After it is 100% dry in a few days it will go under our flat screen TV.

2006-09-26T07:18:00.000-05:00

dining room table is done and in place!

it only took 10 coats of finish to make it look like this

the veneer center panel turned out really well

2006-09-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

Amy's birthday party...it's the cake!

amy's got a big box...i wonder if jonathan found a way to stuff a cruise ship inside?

nope, no boat in there! just a gift card

"if there's no boat in here, i'm gonna hurt somebody!"

there is a cruise in here!

now for something really exciting...my new dining room table project

birdseye walnut veneer in the middle surrounded by solid walnut and maple trim pieces

close-up of the birdseye walnut veneer

three graysons working on a table

2006-08-30T07:21:00.000-05:00

living room with furniture. the table under the tv is temporary.

another angle. we're putting up sofa-colored curtains soon.

view entering the room from the kitchen. i hand made the pillows!

2006-08-21T19:44:00.000-05:00

new living room color scheme

end table with new colors

pink rose from our front garden

2006-08-15T06:56:00.000-05:00

I'm rollin' in my 6-4. Grams here is crampin' my style, but she does help me roll.

have you seen any ho's yet, grams? i'm lookin' all over and I don't see any.

we decided to go to the cash and carry for some supplies.

we rode off into the sunset. it was pretty.

it was orange, pink, and blue!

2006-08-07T07:19:00.000-05:00

the trip to lay pymatuning was long, so i slept a little

this is my new friend connor playing with his dad ryan

i spent a lot of time chillin'

i also got friendly with the ladies. clair couldn't resist my charm as her little brother watched in horror.

then i realized that she was a girl, and they have coodies. i tried to make myself throw-up, but it didn't work.

me, clair, and connor

i lost focus on this one.

we had to go after this, but it was a lot of fun!

2006-08-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

i love playing in the kitchen cabinets

this is my friend joel from down the street

daddy repainted the kitchen a gold color and the counters green. this is before he got to the countertops.

this is the other side of the kitchen

see how good the counters look now?

a little paint makes a big difference!

the finished product

here are the ducky cakes that my aunt amy and uncle jonathan made for me

i'm number one now!

2006-07-19T16:18:00.000-05:00

Ty's getting bigger and really likes standing up now.

I'll be 1 year old in a few more days!

nothing like painting with a kitten in your pocket.

I'm crawling now!

I can read books with mommy

I play with the little kitten Molly.

I move the stick and she chases the string. It's big fun!

2006-07-06T12:22:00.000-05:00

This is great. A nice look at what the Revolutionary War would have been like if the NY Times was around then. I understand that you have to report the news, but uncovering the money tracing system the Fed's were using to track terrorists is a little fishy ethically and unquestionably detrimental to our war on terror.

2006-06-19T15:12:00.000-05:00

y

y: mother buffalo snorted at us, then we ran

y: bobby and pete get a better look at the rapids

y: rapids

y

y

y: we were that close

y: standing by the road

y: rubbing extra fur off

y: bobby and alex with a buffalo

y: me and the buffalo

y: most of the park was devoid of tall trees due to a fire in 1988

y: bobby and alex on a rock overlooking large valley

y: tower falls

y: tower falls area

y: yellowstone river

y: yellowstone canyon rapids makes big rainbows

y: close up to a waterfall

y: artist point

y: artist

artist

y: artist

y: artist

y: artist

y: point sublime

y: view of canyon from point sublime

y: us at point sublime

y: more smelly mud pits

y: bobby and alex at mud volcano

y: dragon's mouth. it actually growls too. pretty cool

y: bear!

y: bear

2006-06-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

y: mud flats

y: boiling mud

y: more hot springs

y: mud

y: these smell good

y: smelly spring

gt: mt. teton from east side

gt: nice view of snake river

wyoming on the way to grand teton just south of jackson

gt: near entrance

gt: near entrance

gt: near entrance

gt: glacial valley near entrance

gt: some cool dudes at gt

wyoming on the drive up from salt lake

wyoming

gt: the car that took us around the park

gt: hanging out after arriving

gt: near entrance

gt: planning the day

gt:

gt: "indian paintbrush" flowers. lots of these around

gt: rambling river shot from our first hike

gt: upstream view of nice mountain stream

gt: bobby climbed lots of big rocks like this one

gt: view from the path on our first hike

gt

gt

gt: glacial pathway through mountains

gt

gt: kingfisher? let's just go with that.

gt: cool trees over rocks

gt: taggart lake in the mountains. crystal clear and very isolated

gt: taggart lake

gt: alex and pete at taggart lake

gt: taggart lake

gt: taggart lake

gt: yeah, i'm prett gay. my bad.

gt: bobby and alex at taggart

gt: small pond

gt: taggart lake from afar

gt

gt: little stream

gt: marshland

gt: jenny lake

gt: jenny lake

gt: jenny lake

gt: moose lakes region

gt: one of the moose lakes. very small and secluded

gt: moose lakes

gt: mallards in marsh by moose lakes

gt: moose lakes

gt: aspen on hillside

gt: alex takes a break while bobby and pete look around

gt: mountain flowers

gt: as close as we got to a moose

togwotee mountain lodge cabin that we stayed in

from our cabin

weasel? on the roof of our neighbor's cabin

gt: elk in the field

gt: elk close up

gt: north of jackson lake

gt: north of jackson lake

gt: grand teton

gt: teton with flowers

gt: bobby, alex, and pete

deer from our cabin

y: mineral deposit from hot spring

y: blue colored bird

y: boiling water

y: start of our muddy hike

y: marsh

y: funny sign

y: old faithful. very lame, actually

y: hot water and mud

y: streaming geysers and a river

y

y: bones on our muddy hike

y: looks dry. it's not.

y: view over muddy area at buffalo in a geyser field

y: skull on the ground

y: herd of buffalo

y: baby buffalo that bobby and I stalked

y|

2006-06-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

my half brother alex is petting pete's cat mr. orange

mr. orange says 'hello'

2006-06-05T21:25:00.000-05:00

hi daddy!

i'm almost ready to walk!!!

he's looking at maily the kitty cat

5th ave again

2006-06-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

empire state building from 34th & 8th

new york hotel. don't be fooled by the nice exterior. it's ghetto fabulous inside.

this is Ty's new toy car. he spent 185,000 diapers on it. he poops a lot.

empire state building up close and personal just off 5th ave.

large building

NACHO LIBRE IS EVERYWHERE!!! this damn movie has banners pasted over half this city.

the NYPD said that i could have an escort for my tour, but this was a little over the top! i guess you get 50 patrol cars when your hose is famous the world over.

a really cool building at times square

looking down the street from times square

madame tussauds near times square

cool building and the wedge-shaped building on the left

Westin New York on the right has a light that runs through the arc-cut gap in the middle.

cool building

i didn't remember being this big of a tourist when i was in times square. my bad.

there were three towers. you can kind of see the third one on the right side to the left of the trees

base of the really big three towered complex

church and trump building down 5th ave.

the other way looking down 5th ave.

an are museam on 5th ave. they were having a fashion awards show and I saw tyra banks. pretty cool and totally unexpected.

gorgeous building next to the museam

2006-05-25T21:47:00.000-05:00

That's some nice bling, grandpa V! It's almost as nice as my Rolox.

Maybe I could pawn it for some carrot puree and a couple dozen bottles of formula.

Ohhh! That camera will bring top dollar at the swap meet!

I'll get it when he isn't looking...

I'm gonna eat you!

Oatmeal and rice. Oatmeal and rice. It's like a friggin' broken record around this dump.

This is mommy's way of censoring my potty mouth. Like I said f*$%ing oatmeal and rice.

All right. I'm done. Not only do I have to eat, it ruins my complexion.

All the ladies say 'oh-oh.'

Daddy taught me how to spit, so I'm gonna practice with this rice stuff.

Do you like my mohawk? Before you answer, remember that I know how to poop.

Here's a nice picture of the entertainment center without a half naked man on the screen.

2006-04-24T21:33:00.000-05:00

Mommy and I are taking a nap.

It's been a long day of playing with kitties and finding my feet.

This was my first easter basket!

You know my dad had NOTHING to do with this mess.

I learned how to eat from Uncle Pete at Christmas time.

Please disregard the spot on my forehead...that was an unfortunate byproduct of my high-speed prune puree consuption.

2006-04-09T20:59:00.000-05:00

I'm SUPER BUDDY!

Look, I can almost fly!

what are you looking at?

Oh! You are so ugly that it hurts my eyes!

How yoooou doin'?

At least daddy can keep me warm. He's not good for much else!

2006-03-26T22:53:00.000-05:00

entertainment center...it's finally done! I guesstimate that it took 100 hours. it was very fulfilling, and couldn't have been done without the help of my lovely wife. the center 4 doors have plexiglass in them. it is made of solid walnut with curly maple accents and birch plywood walls and shelves.

you can clearly see the man-boob on the tv. this was an accidental shooting. this angle just shows the cabinets a little better.

here you can see the interior of the cabinets

Ty really likes the taste of remote controls

He convinced me to try it. surpisingly, it tasted like plastic. i'll leave the remotes to him from now on.

2006-03-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

He looks happy now, but that's because I haven't started the interrogation yet...

I like to wear my star on my hat

and I like to eat my bumble bee too!

One hour later, I was still having fun with my star. I don't know how it didn't fall off, other than my fantastic balance!

I gave mommy a big hug after my playtime in the Tot-Rider.

I meant to smile, but daddy didn't tell me he was going to take the picture.

2006-03-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

VEGAS pictures...from the Bellagio

Both at the trade show...Me, Katrina (our wonderful booth model), John (father-in-law having fun at the show), and Jake (the other sales guy from Crushproof).

our booth empty

2006-03-06T23:03:00.000-05:00

new entertainment center in the basement. made of solid walnut, birch plywood, walnut burl veneer, and solid curly maple accents. it's obviously missing the doors, which will have the burl shown in the next picture. only the right side unit has shellac and shows the finished appearance.

4 book matched sheets of walnut burl with curly maple veneer strips above and below form the inset of the solid walnut door.

i love my duck tub!

if you don't like my tub too...well you can figure out what i think about that.

2006-03-02T08:31:00.000-05:00

ty in his new ducky bathtub

he really likes it

it's even more fun with a froggy towel!

i'm ready to get clean!

2006-02-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

new display for crushproof

2006-02-02T23:58:00.000-05:00

would you eat a mix of powdered rice and foul-smelling formula? i didn't think so...

but i'm trying to like it

i'm getting naucious

okay, i'm done.

i'm really big on grabbing my feet.

i like the taste of toe jam. it's far better than powdered rice, but does have about the same consistancy.

after playing with my toes, it was time to drink. that didn't go so well.

as you can see, heavy drinking can result in some pretty compromising situations.

this is not as bad as daddy and ryan when they used to drink a lot, but it's close.

2006-01-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

mr. orange, pete's cat

2006-01-13T01:30:00.000-05:00

Denver 1

Denver 2

Denver 3

Denver 4

Denver 5

Denver 6

Denver 7

Denver 8

Denver 9

Denver 10

Denver 11

Denver 13

Denver 14

CHRISTMAS

2005-12-28T09:58:00.000-05:00

Christmas at the Nickell's

Jodi opening some of Ty's bountiful harvest of clothes

presents galore!

tree

Ty playing with his favorite new toy!

Tad the frog is big fun!

Christmas at Aunt Linda and Uncle Tim's

Aunt Linda got her fill of baby Ty

Grant was AWOL on Kelley's Island

Most of the Grayson gen x crowd

Aunt Linda and Ty matched up well

Mommy and Buddy relax after a hard day of opening presents

Ty needed his plug re-inserted

Uncle Jonathan keeping Ty company

Mommy, Daddy, and Buddy on Christmas

Buddy is mad that he has to leave Grove City

Well, not that mad

No more giraffe mural in my room? I'm in shock!

My room is bigger?

What do you think, Big Bird?

He said it will be cool with him

As long as he gets a bottle every few hours too!

What are you looking at, kitty? Can't you see I'm busy in my walker?

2005-11-26T17:32:00.000-05:00

our new house at 939 Bexley Drive:
http://www.realtor.com/Prop/1053389103

Single Family Property
Area: PERRYSBURG & TWP
County: WOOD
Subdivision: THREE MEADOWS
Year Built: 1975
4 total bedroom(s)
2.5 total bath(s)
2 total full bath(s)
1 total half bath(s)
9 total rooms
Approximately 2012 sq. ft.
Two story
Style: Traditional
Master bedroom
Living room
Dining room
Family room
Basement
Bathroom(s) on main floor
Master bedroom is 15 X 12
Living room is 23 X 12
Dining room is 11 X 11
Family room is 20 X 12
Kitchen is 14 X 12

2005-11-26T17:24:00.000-05:00

kitchen

dining room

front of house

family room

living room toward front of house

living room toward back of house

2005-11-26T17:17:00.000-05:00

todd and buddy

more buddy

buddy cracks a smile

see the nice puke stain on my shirt? daddy put it there, not me.

i'm so cute it hurts.

my new walker is big fun! now stop staring at my puke stain. remember, daddy did it.

2005-10-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

back yard 1

back yard 2

pond and strawberries

pond

fish

side yard

front yard

front yard 2

living room

living room from dining room

front entry from living room

built-in cabinet

stairwell

upstairs hallway

guest room

master bedroom

master closet area

master from hallway

third bedroom/nursery

nursery 2

main bathroom

main bathroom from corner

blue tile in bathroom

vanity and can in main bath

dining room

dining room 2

family room

out to patio

basement 1

basement 2

basement 3

desk area

laundry room in basement

kitchen 1

Kitchen 2--bar behind range

from basement into kitchen

2005-10-06T18:35:00.000-05:00

Ty in his holloween outfit. He's 11 pounds now!

Ohhh! Flying fuzzy things!

If only my arms were longer. The fuzzy things are laughing at me!

2005-09-10T11:57:00.000-05:00

that was yucky!

you want a piece of this? i didn't think so.

me, mom, and dad

I'm in my high chair. soon, I'll be throwing food from this location. don't turn around...

we sleep for a little bit...

then uncle pete started playing with my fingers.

and this was the result. he and daddy thought it was funny.

2005-08-24T20:12:00.000-05:00

Stinky in his scarlet and gray

"What do you do when someone says, 'M!@*#^!N'"

New table I built

drawer open, and there are two there

drawers closed

2005-08-11T17:39:00.000-05:00

Stinky and his binky

It tastes like chicken

I look like daddy, only smaller

The thought of looking like daddy made me gag a little.

My daddy is warm, and that makes me relax. Then I start to stink like dad.

I'm working on my bean borrito impersonation. What do you think?

This is my monkey face. Grandma Mary said that she would only feed me if I showed it to you.

I'm a lean, mean, fartin' machine.

2005-08-04T17:18:00.000-05:00

I'm ready to leave the hospital. This is what I think of the nurse who fed me wrong.

I burped, so Mommy cleaned it up. Later, I paid her back by peeing on the wall.

Mommy and Daddy have no idea...

I'm ready for my ride home now.

Now that I'm home, I can stretch out and relax like never before.

2005-08-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

re-designed family room

family room 2

family room 3

Ty's room finished from hall

Ty's changing station (yeah, I know the '6' is backwards. my bad)

new rocker and table for burping/feeding

crib and dresser

The animal cut-outs that I made with the band saw. (I made the numbers and shapes too).

2005-08-01T21:06:00.000-05:00

Mom and Ty get to know each other.

Someone got up at 4:00 am to see Ty arrive.

My ICU visit sucked!

I'm showing you how to suck on a towel here. Trust me...everyone's doing it.

"Bloody murder! Bloody murder!" his Mom taught him that one.

I got stabbed in a bar fight. You should see the other guy.

2005-08-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Jodi and Todd before surgery

Jodi resting up!

Am I having a baby, because I don't feel anything...

That was mean! Put me back!

Ahhh, the power of good meds...

Getting cleaned up a little...

My head was 33 cm round

Stop staring at my stuff!

I look like my daddy. You win some, you lose some.

Proud Grandpa John

Aunt Amy wants one too!

Grandma Mary was all over me...Grandpa V decided to watch

It's bright out here!

2005-08-01T14:21:00.000-05:00

TY KRAMER GRAYSON!!!

2005-08-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

2005-07-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

new house color and shutters

new house color

far view of house

front door area with new blue color

living room in blue

from front door into living room

the pond is finally clear, and you can see our fish, too!

there's a little boy hiding in there somewhere!

Ohhh, the media...

2005-06-29T07:24:00.000-05:00

Direct quote from Neal Boortz website...

THIS IS AN OBJECTIVE INTERVIEW?

I heard a TV news anchor this morning questioning a Republican Congressman Robin Hayes about the president's speech and our efforts in Iraq. Here are some of the questions the anchor asked Hayes:

"One of our listeners wrote to say that Bush should really be making this speech at Arlington National Cemetery, Not at Fort Bragg. Was it appropriate for President Bush to speak there?"

What? Did a journalist actually ask a politician whether or not it was appropriate for the President of the United States to make a speech about a war before the very people who are fighting that war? The very people who are expected to put their lives on the line in that war? Did I really hear that?

"Isn't he in part using Ft. Bragg as an appropriate backdrop to cheerlead the war in Iraq?"

Oh ... Arlington National Cemetery wouldn't be a backdrop? And stating the reasons we're at war is "cheerleading?" "Gimme a W! Gimme an A! Gimme an R!" Gimme a break.

"President Bush in his speech said that we're there to fight terrorists, but he failed to explain how a war to remove a dictator who was bent on using nuclear weapons has turned into a fight against Muslim militants. Doesn't he owe us an explanation?"

It's been explained, over and over again. That dictator was, himself, a Muslim militant with access to massive destructive power. Doesn't a news anchor owe us a little more intellectual diligence?

"But there is no evidence that Saddam Hussein was connected in any way to Al Qaeda."

Sorry ... factually wrong. That evidence does exist. The 911 Commission itself reported on efforts by Saddam Hussein to make contact with Al Qaeda for the purpose of providing support and training. At least Congressman Hayes had the guts to say "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken."

"I know of no evidence connecting Saddam Hussein to Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda, and also there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."

Wrong, Wrong. Wrong. How can she say that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. What in the hell did Saddam use to gas hundreds of thousands of his own people? Cheese Whiz? What about those implements used in the creation of nuclear weapons that were found buried in the back yard of one of Saddam's nuclear scientists? That's not evidence found in Iraq? What about the artillery shells containing sarin gas? That's not evidence? What about the documents detailing Saddam's weapons program? Not evidence? What about the statements from Saddam's scientists that they were ready to reinstitute their weapons program the very moment that UN sanctions were lifted and the inspectors were gone. Not evidence?

It was an amazing segment. Both a Republican and Democratic congressman were interviewed in this segment, but the argumentative interview style was saved for the Republican. The Democrats was not challenged .. not once. Remember, though ... there is no bias in the media.

2005-06-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

full extension super cabinet

stove wall

Sink wall

Super cabinet loaded up

Right of sink

About the pond

2005-05-31T21:45:00.000-05:00

We have some goldfish and some Coi in the pond. The wood posts on my side are going to come down soon, but I have to pound them in as far as possible first. I don't have a sledge...
The water runs through two pumps; one works the waterfall side and the other powers the fountain. The waterfall splashes against some rocks, then you see a stream of water flow down over the rocks and into the pond. The sound is as much fun as anything, but seeing the stream is pretty cool as well. I was able to snag many large rocks from the local creek that runs next to my neighbor's house. I was pleasantly surprised at how many smooth and richly colored rocks there were in there, and at no cost to me! If I felt like that creek was anything other than a toxic runoff stream, then I might not have taken them, but I don't think crayfish are dumb enough to live in that thing.

2005-05-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

Pond from behind in my yard

Pond from side in Jay's yard

Pond close-up from Jay's yard

Wide shot from Jay's yard

EXCELLENT ARTICLE

2005-05-31T08:20:00.000-05:00

http://boortz.com/more/commencement.html

The link above will take you to a fake commencement address written by Neal Boortz. It is full of the truth's of life, and is a longer, but enjoyable read.

New post

2005-05-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

test post

2005-05-22T16:37:00.000-05:00

Jodi's progress

Half of pond...this part is in my yard and has the waterfall portion.

Wider view of the pond complex. The big pond is in my neighbor's yard.

Close-up of pond

2005-05-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

iris in yard1

iris in yard 2

A great article about our buddy Kofi at the UN

2005-04-28T08:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/4/27/214503.shtml

2005-04-25T11:11:00.000-05:00

Maily and Marshy pretending to be cute.

2005-04-21T01:06:00.000-05:00

Maily on the love sack

Maily 2

Maily 3

Marshy and Maily

Mistint looking important

Marshy in her favorite spot on the sofa.

2005-04-20T23:53:00.000-05:00

mural 1

mural 2

me painting mural

2005-04-18T21:18:00.000-05:00

wainscot close-up

more molding

hand-made wainscotting, by yours truely

2005-04-17T22:21:00.001-05:00

dresser top

dresser side

2005-04-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

mahogany dresser

Great Tax Article from Neal Boortz

2005-04-15T22:39:00.000-05:00

Today's Nuze
Friday -- April 15, 2005 TAX DAY
WISE WORDS FROM A FORMER IRS COMMISSIONER
What better day than Tax Day to bring you some words of wisdom from a former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service:
"Congress went beyond merely enacting an income tax law and repealed Article IV of the Bill of Rights, by empowering the tax collector to do the very things from which that article says we were to be secure. It opened up our homes, our papers and our effects to the prying eyes of government agents and set the stage for searches of our books and vaults and for inquiries into our private affairs whenever the tax men might decide, even though there might not be any justification beyond mere cynical suspicion.
The income tax is bad because it has robbed you and me of the guarantee of privacy and the respect for our property that were given to us in Article IV of the Bill of Rights. This invasion is absolute and complete as far as the amount of tax that can be assessed is concerned. Please remember that under the Sixteenth Amendment, Congress can take 100% of our income anytime it wants to. As a matter of fact, right now it is imposing a tax as high as 91%. This is downright confiscation and cannot be defended on any other grounds.
The income tax is bad because it was conceived in class hatred, is an instrument of vengeance and plays right into the hands of the communists. It employs the vicious communist principle of taking from each according to his accumulation of the fruits of his labor and giving to others according to their needs, regardless of whether those needs are the result of indolence or lack of pride, self-respect, personal dignity or other attributes of men.
The income tax is fulfilling the Marxist prophecy that the surest way to destroy a capitalist society is by steeply graduated taxes on income and heavy levies upon the estates of people when they die.
As matters now stand, if our children make the most of their capabilities and training, they will have to give most of it to the tax collector and so become slaves of the government. People cannot pull themselves up by the bootstraps anymore because the tax collector gets the boots and the straps as well.
The income tax is bad because it is oppressive to all and discriminates particularly against those people who prove themselves most adept at keeping the wheels of business turning and creating maximum employment and a high standard of living for their fellow men.
I believe that a better way to raise revenue not only can be found but must be found because I am convinced that the present system is leading us right back to the very tyranny from which those, who established this land of freedom, risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to forever free themselves..."
T. Coleman Andrews. Andrews Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service for three years, from 1953 until 1955.
Now ... with those words in mind, let's move on ......
TODAY'S THE DAY
Twenty-seven hours. That's the revised figure on just how long the average person in this country spends filling out their tax return this year. That's three working days. What do you make a day? Two hundred bucks? So, if your time is worth about $200 a day that would mean that you can add $600 to your tax bill ... $600 being just part of your cost of compliance with the Internal Revenue Code. Add to that any other expenses you incur for record keeping and tax management during the year ... and it adds up. What's the total nationwide cost? Try $500 billion, and that estimate might be low. But that's money. You can't really get a grip on $500 billion ... so let's try to put it in terms of people. It takes people to do the bookkeeping, maintain the records, and fill out the forms that are necessary for tax compliance on both the personal and business level. How many people? You'll be shocked to learn that tax compliance in the U.S. takes the combined work effort of about 2,700,000 people working eight-hour days five days a week just to make sure that individuals and corporations comply with out tax laws. What a hideous and unforgivable waste of human potential.
There is a way to spend zero hours a year preparing your federal income taxes. It's called the FairTax. You would pay taxes only when you spent money and never have a dime withheld from your paycheck. The rate would be 23% and would be reduced to 15.6% after your rebate for necessities.Just imagine...no IRS, no forms to fill out and no tax day. April 15th would just be like any other Spring day.
I've been spending my "spare" time the last few days doing the final edit on The FairTax book before it heads to the publisher. I'm lovin' it. As you'll read in a moment, The FairTax has found some new momentum with a ringing endorsement from a letter to Washington policymakers from 75 economists. Add these voices to Alan Greenspan, Milton Friedman and others ..... and we're looking at a something more than a legislative pipe dream.
Speaking of editing ... perhaps this would be a good time for a tease. Here is a short excerpt from the book, taken from a chapter on the history of our federal income tax. The class warfare and wealth envy aspects of the federal income tax are nothing new ... they were there from the very beginning. Isn't it time for a system of funding our federal government that isn't based on class envy?
[Excerpt from "The FairTax Saying Goodbye to the IRS and the Federal Income Tax", soon to be published by Regan Books.]
Now here's where things get really depressing. After the idea of an income tax was declared to be unconstitutional the politicians in Washington chose sides and drew their battle lines. On the one side we had Democrats who were eager to spend the money that would come from an income tax. The Democrats included a platform calling for such a constitutional amendment permitting the income tax in both their 1896 and 1908 platforms. Republicans were opposed.
Those who favored the income tax scheme met with considerable success in capturing public sentiment with promises that the tax would "soak the rich" and would leave the vast majority of Americans alone. Wealth envy was every bit as alive and well in the early 1900s as it is in the early 2000s.
The history timeline now brings us to Texas Senator Joseph Bailey, a conservative Democrat, who cooked up a scheme to humiliate congressional Republicans. Bailey introduced a bill calling for an income tax. Even though Bailey himself was opposed to an income tax, he thought that the Republicans would rush in to kill this legislation. This would further the image that Democrats were trying to cultivate of Republicans as hostile to the poor and concerned only about protecting the wealthy. Wouldn't you know it; things didn't turn out as Bailey had planned. Liberal Republicans, backed by Teddy Roosevelt, came out in support of the bill. Passage seemed all but certain.
Conservative Republicans needed a way to derail the Bailey Bill and the growing threat of an income tax. In one of the worst examples of legislative play-calling in the history of our Republic, Republicans came up with the brilliant idea of announcing that they would support the idea of an income tax, but only if that income tax came about as the result of an amendment to our constitution. This group of conservative Republicans felt that while there might be some chance the proposed amendment would actually make it through the House and the Senate, there was just no way in the world that the legislatures of three-fourths of the states would vote for ratification and make it a part of our Constitution.
Oops.
Sail through the House and the Senate the amendment did. The vote in the Senate was 77-0 and the House approved it by 318-14. It was off to the states for ratification. Conservative Republicans were certain that the effort was doomed. They were wrong.
Democrats launched a massive effort to convince the people that any income tax would only be directed at the wealthy, and that ordinary Americans would be left unscathed. Conservative legislatures in the West and the South convinced their constituents that the adoption of the income tax would have little effect on them, since incomes high enough to be taxed were rare in these areas. The people, thus anesthetized, raised little objection and the 16th Amendment was ratified on February 12, 1913 . This date should be added to December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001 as dates in American history that shall forever live in infamy.
The FairTax (c) 2005 John Linder & Neal Boortz
GOOD NEWS FOR THE FAIRTAX
As I said, there is good news for the idea of replacing our income tax with a consumption tax. A letter signed by more that 75 economists has been delivered to the House, Senate, Treasury tax reform panel and to President Bush. Copies of the letter have also been sent to virtually every tax policy maker on Capitol Hill. The letter praises the FairTax plan. Click here to read a copy of the letter [pdf] ... complete with the name of every economist including one Nobel Prize winner, who signed on. The FairTax plan is viable, my friends, and it can become law. If the people of this country get behind the plan it can become law. Reforming our tax system is nothing compared with what a small number of Americans did over 250 years ago.
Congressman John Linder will join Neal at 10:30am ET to discuss the Fair Tax and take your callsI want to address negativism here. I've been talking up the idea of a national retail sales tax for nearly 20 years on talk radio. Things are different now. Now people hear my words and recognize that this might actually become a reality. Most listeners are thrilled ... but there seems to be a class of listener, or caller if you will, who feel compelled somehow to come up with a reason why this just won't work. As soon as the FairTax topic comes up on the show callers get in line to give me all of the reasons why the plan is going to fail. There's nothing new in these ideas. They generally focus on the idea that people will try to get around the tax by operating underground. What's new about that? The underground economy is alive and well today under the income tax! This idea isn't perfect! No idea is! But it is certainly one helluva lot better than what we have going now.
Our society has always had its share of people who are eager to come up with a reason why something can't be done. Thankfully we've also always had a good number of people who chose to spend their time trying to figure out how to make ideas work. These are the innovators whose combined efforts have brought us the incredible standard of living we enjoy today, and who have made America the destination of choice for people around the world who want a better life.
The FairTax will undoubtedly come up again today on the show. After all, it's Tax Day. And the nay-sayers will be there ... ready to tell us why this idea won't fly. That link above will display a letter that shows you you're wrong.
Let's get it done.

It's Tax Day!!!

2005-04-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

Okay everyone, time to get out those checkbooks and give more money to Uncle Scam. I really have no faith in the Federal Government, even though I think those working for it mean well. My money is hard earned, and i don't like parting with it for foolish reasons. This is where the FairTax plan comes in.
There is a bill in both the House and the Senate, HR25 and S25 respectively, that would eliminate the IRS. This is not a joke and is currently endorsed by over 100 leading U.S. economists, including a Nobel Prize winner. It would create a 23% national sales tax and eliminate all write offs and deductions that the current system uses to play the role of Robin Hood. There would be a rebate on all money spent at the poverty level to every citizen, meaning that until you make more than $17,000 a year, you would pay no taxes. The more you spend, the more you pay, but you keep 100% of your paycheck. Social Security is already funded with general revenue, so nothing would change there. The interesting part of all this is that approximately 22% of the cost of manufactured goods goes toward taxes and tax compliance. That means the real effect of the tax would be 1%, and you would be able to use all of your paycheck to cover it. This would also mean that U.S. companies manufacturing goods marketable overseas, would be able to drop their prices by an average of 22%, making them extremely competitive in the global marketplace. The number of manufacturing jobs would increase dramatically buy all forcasts, and everyone would be paying their fair share. I could go on for hours, but it would be best if you visited www.fairtax.org to learn more about the plan and to see charts on how it would effect you.

2005-04-14T22:13:00.000-05:00

front of tub in Mom's bathroom

Quotes from Jalen Rose of the Toroto Raptors

2005-04-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

Provided an insane amount of comedy over these past few months, including these classics:
"There's always going to be criticism when your name is Jalen. You have to wear a bulletproof vest and be ready for it."– Jalen on himself
"Was it for Richard Jefferson?" – Jalen after hearing that Carter had been traded to New Jersey
"I'm a GM in fantasy basketball and I'm a GM on PlayStation, so on PlayStation I probably would have got a little more, but this is real life, so I don't know."– Jalen on the Vince Carter trade
"He probably was a little tired from All-Star Weekend. While he was running up and down the court throwing it off the backboard, I was laying on the beach drinking a fruity drink with an umbrella. So I probably gave myself an unfair advantage on that one."– Jalen explaining why he outplayed Carter two days after the All-Star Game
"I've got to stop this. My entourages are getting entourages." – Jalen on the trouble of finding tickets for everyone when he returns to Detroit
(And my personal favorite ... )
"Like I told the guys earlier, once he turns 21 and is able to drink, it's over."– Jalen after LeBron scored 56 on the Raptors

More on Social Security

2005-04-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

I pulled the article below from Neal Boortz's website. I have been concerned about this garbage program for years, and it's finally in the lime light. My biggest problem is that people who don't have a clue about basic economics or the power of interest are calling their congressman/woman and telling them how much SS means to them. The other issue is that senior citizens are taking money out of my check for their retirement, but won't let me change the plan to improve my future retirement...all without changing their benefits one bit. That is the definition of selfishness, and it's being done by our own parents and grandparents. Most Americans would tell you that the government A: doesn't do much right, B: shouldn't be trusted with our money, and C: will do just about anything to get elected. Then you ask them if a government run program that confiscates 14% of your income so that you can get a monthly stipend that won't even feed your dog when you retire is a good idea, and they will tell you it is, according to most poles. We need to teach economics, saving, and retirement planning from grade 6 on. This is just rediculous.

BUSH FINALLY SAYS IT
President Bush, on tour promoting his seemingly doomed plan for Social Security reform in West Virginia yesterday, finally came right out and said what most politicians won't: there is no Social Security trust fund. The plan is broke, the fund is empty.To illustrate this, he looked inside the filing cabinet that contains the Social Security "trust fund." Do you know what is in there? Is it piles of cash, enough to sustain benefits for decades, as the AARP and Democrats would have you believe? Nope....what's there is $1.7 Trillion in IOU's....treasury bonds indicating that the money has been raided and spent by politicians.To repeat the facts here: there is no trust fund, there is no promise to pay benefits by the government...the lockbox is empty. You would think that people would be jumping up and down demanding private Social Security accounts, because those accounts would not be managed by the government and could never be taken away.Would you depend on an incompetent and fiscally unsound government to put food on your table at retirement? Apparently most people do.

Odds and ends...

2005-03-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

Well it's Tuesday and March is almost over. I hope that March rain brings April flowers because the precipitation is getting old.
I'm going to win my friend Ryan's NCAA pool if Illinois wins the tourny, and I'll finish with at least third place so long as Louisville doesn't win it all. I'm happy about that, because I actually tried to fill out my bracket right this year and it paid off. I had Utah beating MSU in the elite 8, and that was a game I waffled on. If only I'd picked the Spartans, I'd have this thing wrapped up...
Work is going well, and spring selling season is winding down. I need to have a good April to finish out the first four months over budget.
Jodi is doing quite well, although she is a little sick with a cold right now. The baby's room is moving along, slowly, but I'll get it done by the end of the month. We have a mural on one wall that's pretty cool looking so far, and it's almost finished. I'll post a picture as soon as I'm finished with it.
Gotta run...

2005-03-23T13:01:00.000-05:00

second office copier wall area

second office desk

overhead

desk a

desk b

main office long wall

second office copier wall

second office desk