What do you want for your birthday??

    Well got my birthday out of the way yesterday was my 50th and saw and heard from all the kids.All of them wanted to know what i want for a present.After 50 birthdays and 50 Christmas's and father days there isn't much that i can think to tell them.I don't want anything that sits on a shelf or wall and has to be dusted most other things like tools  i have.Camping gear i am in good shape, so i have a few dinners out to collect on,  a tune up on my jeep was asked for from my son in law.I think the last one is going to fill our tank before we leave for the Smokey's.Now i did kinda traded my son out of his new 12x12 Coleman canopy he has a 4 man tent so i took his canopy and gave him my 10x10 .But i did smile and point out it was my 50th birthday
     My taste are not extravagant and most things i need i have. Every year it gets harder to tell them something i want.My mom says it gets even worse.I am tired of being a slave to my stuff, it cost to store clean repair and use what i already have i would like to get rid of a lot but that's another posting or 5.
   PS. I got 12 cupcakes    1 carrot cake  3 dozen chocolate chip cookies  1 Oreo pie and a 6 pack of hard cider{woodchuck cider is great}now i love all the sweets but I'm diabetic so I'm still on a sugar high.Do my kids love me or are they trying to kill me.JURY IS STILL OUT.

How we pick our trips and cost

   It may be our age but the hassle of Air travel no longer appeals to us.Our teardrop sits ready and fits our style of travel and budget.Most trips that are on this years agenda are less than 400 miles away.For us that's about a 6 hour max drive{takes us 8 with stops and meals}and we tend to arrive around noon.I like to leave at 4am on Monday mornings and return late Thursday nites or Friday morning.The reason for returning on Friday is 1 BBQ 2with 7 kids there is always a crisis 3 parks get crowded on weekends.
      Just for fun grab you a map and a piece of string measure the string to say 350 miles from your home and draw a circle.Now look at all the places you have meant to visit, events that interest you that is in that circle!Frugal travel is possible you just have to look for it
700 miles round trip
25 miles to the gallon
3.25 a gallon X 28 gallons=91$
campground 3 nites at 25$ =75$
166$ for 4 days and 3 nites
    For me and my wife we are able to get to the gulf coast the smokey mountains  Memphis  New Orleans.If we stretch it a little Orlando/Disney world is only 550 miles.Where could you go and what you can do.Hit the road have fun.

Why we dont want to fly anymore

    Me and the wife in the past took a few vacations that required flying.The last trip was to Las Vegas{a must for anyone at least once}now departing from Birmingham was hassle free.The return trip was a nightmare the scans took time i had bought a snow globe less than a 100 feet from the gate they tossed it out.It was sold in the airport shop but violated the liquid rule our shoes kept setting off the metal detectors.When we got home we swore it was our last flight maybe we are to thin skinned may be we  was feeling that we had paid a fortune to be treated like they were doing use a favor by allowing us to board.I  will never pay to be treated like cattle again.I am glad the airlines can survive without my fare but how many fares can they afford to lose?

     This morning i was watching the news and they had a piece about summer air travel.The man interviewed said TSA was having cut backs that would prolong boarding times ,fuel prices were at an all time high making fares go up, delays longer because of reduced number of flights.The number of passengers due to pricing was expected to be down 5 to 10 %.Now here is an example of how distant cooperation's are from reality.
      After that trip we didnt go anywhere for about 4 years then we got into camping.Now road trips take longer but we see more do more and meet more people.As people skip flying and drive for vacations i dont see them returning to the air.Even flo working at the truckstop is better than a TSA person groping you before a flight.

Spring fever to travel

 The sun is shining and the grass is growing yard work is going to be a constant fight and here i sit checking the weather for next week in the Smokeys.I love the mountains in any season!The spring  and fall is my favorite cool nites and warm days perfect time to let the roof down and cruise the mountains.
      My wife is between jobs right now so i want to go before i drive her nuts and back to work.Its only 320 miles trip to the Smokeys so for a weeks stay we wont have to waste a full day in getting there.So this week i have to get 2 weeks worth of BBQ supplies,cut the yard and trim it out, do a brake job on 2 cars.The only thing i don't have to worry with is the camper it stays packed and ready to go.

What are we working for?

      Sometimes when you work you need to know ahead of time what that money is for.All to often we just do it for the money cause we all need money.For me i work at things for specific things.I have a rental trailer it pays most of the utilities but the BBQ  pays for gas insurance and travel.Odd jobs is for the emergency fund .The wife has a part time job and buys the groceries and her mad money{she stays mad}.We tried putting all income together it didn't work for us so far this has been doing good for us.Some times you got to know what your sweating for.Today my wife asked if we could go to dinner tonite.I said sure you buying{yea right}.She plead broke but i feel like Logans so i asked her to help me load an old freeze that had crapped out on the truck.We loaded some other odds and ends from around the yard for the scrap yard.Well the load was over 400 lbs and brought just over 50$.Looks like we go to Logans for theirr 2 for 20 special.It was nice getting the wife to help clean up some of the yard.
    Today was a good example of working for your dinner.

Have you made a spring to-do list

    It has been a weird weather week around here.First of the week was clouds of pollen blowing everywhere then rain followed by 2 very nice sunny days{the  BBQ sold great }now its rainy and cold again.When you don't have a regular job the weather plays a big part in what you get to do for income and play .The first of the week i finally modified my smoker by adding a grill to the front of it.I had a 250 gallon steel tank that i got at the scrap yard for 30 cents a pound last fall{still was 90$}.Got the doors cut and hinges and the whole thing mounted and welded in place for a 100$.Now if it sounds like a lot you should see what a 5ft long 3 ft wide grill trailer mounted grill sells for on E bay or Craigs list. I have a 8 ft 3ft wide tank that i think i will be working on in a month or so{mabe more}. I may sell it just because i need the money{a profit of 1000 or more}in the emergency fund.Been looking around the yard at all the projects i have half finished and some that just need to be done.Some are just my labor so they go to the top of my list others require funding to complete.The ones that need money spent will be costed and prioritized by weather they make or save money or will get the wife to leave me alone.Guess which one goes to the top of my list?After the list is made I'm looking at it thinking it would be easier to get a job and pay some of it to be done but i wont ill get it done in time.One example i use to motivate me is why pay anyone 75$ an hour to work on my truck.I have never made over 16$ an hour why work for 5 hour to pay a man for his 1 it may take me 3 but still a bargain even with scraped knuckles a lot of cursing . I always learn a little more about the truck.Right now i better get outside and help plant some tulips for the wife if i don't she will plant them in the middle of the yard to spite me.If its dry tomorrow i have to bush hog a lady's back yard. Already have a project for that pay a front walkway to the cars.NO JOB IS A LOT OF WORK.:}

    

I found AMMO !!!!

      Sunday me and the wife went to a local flea market .MT Top is an every Sunday event but  you have to get there early.We got there about 8.30 and it was already full.The place is laid out rows A-K up the hillside and each row is 500 ft long so it is a workout to see it all.The lower part is the regulars and the upper rows are for irregular vendors.The wife decided we would work our way up the hill a row at a time.I prefer to go to the top and work my way down.Even the wife said we should have gone top down when we finished.
     
      WE looked at this and that but i didn't see anything that i wanted till we hit the upper rows.As i hit row H a man was sitting at a table with boxes of ammo 38s .223 and .40 .He had 20 round and 50 rounds a box.  I could not believe the prices over a buck a round on the 20 counts and just under a buck on the 50 boxes.Asked him if he had any 22s he said a guy down the row did so i moved on hoping to pick up a 500 brick of 22s.What i found was shocking to say the least.A box of 50 thunderbolts was 8$ a brick was 68$ he had about 10 ammo boxes of them in his truck and they looked to be pre Y2K.  I PASSED !!!!  Saw a total of 5 men selling ammo and 3 selling silver coins.cheapest ammo was 7$ for 50 22s and silver was going for 32$ on silver dollars.

     Who says prepping is crazy? I think a normal person getting 1.50% on a CD is crazier.Have you been to a flea market and seen what your area prices are?

Sorry for not posting

 The pollen count around here is off the charts.On the news they said we are second or third wost in the nation this year.I can believe it for a week i have been suffering all the symptom's .Today i had to be out and every breeze made a cloud of pollen out of the trees .Went over to my buddy's house and his lake had a bright yellow skim covering the whole thing.
   I was lucky i had a supply of clarion generic all the stores near here are sold out.This is the first time in 3 years that allergy's have kicked my a^%.Every prepper needs to keep a good selection of over the counter meds on hand.Even if its not the end of the world store seem to be running out more often than they have in have in the past.Also when you need it its nice to go to the closet and not to the drugstore. her is a hint for all the men DO NOT WRITE THE 'B' WORD ON THE WIFES CAR in the pollen.She failed to see the humor.I had to cook dinner for her for it.Hope the rain get here Thursday like they say.
   

Is the price worth it. NO

   How many times have you ever looked at something anything really and gone wow i would love to have that.Even when you have something that works just as good?Maybe not as new or pretty and fewer bells and whistles but it does the job.We have all done it,even me.A few weeks ago i went to the RV show that was in town.I was slobbering like a Saint Benard in a Texas heatwave.

 the R POD $16650



the T@B was $16636

    Now these are nice but are they that nice? I like to look as much as the next guy got some good ideas for the future.All i could think was if i buy this id be to broke to travel.This is what i have now and it works

jeep and homemade teardrop $1600

  How many places and how many miles will $15,000 dollars not spent take me?I plan on finding out!!!

Pills as we get older

 Now i only have 1 prescription that i take.It is a small lo-dose blood pressure pill.Now my blood pressure has always been 138/89 ever since i was a teen and still is but agreed to start taking this one.A few years ago i had to take a diabetes pill but quit  new doctor says i seem to be doing fine with just diet so I'm off that.
    Here is the rub i can barley get all my pills in my reminder holder.
1 ea  blood preasure pill
         baby aspirin
2       aleve for my knees
          multi vitamin
          glucosimin for my knees
          fish oil
          mega B
2        vita  C
  Kinda hard to swallow but i do.I am healthy i take 1 thing from a doctor.The glucosimin and the aleve is for Arthur in my knees  so i can stand up after i sit down{it works}.The rest is vitamins to reverse my gray hair{its not working}.If i was like my best friend {he takes 12 prescription's } I would have to skip a meal.Is it just me or do you feel full at pill time to?When you sort your pills does it look like you robbed a Walgreen's.I hope my health stays good id hate to give up my bacon eggs an biscuits to swallow pills!!

First weekend of the season for me!!

   The first weekend of april kicks off my summer bbq season.The weather is going  to be clear sunny and mid 70s.If the weather is that nice i will be selling like crazy.Wensday is shopping day this week for me.Looks like i will be cooking 12 pork shoulder 6 slabs of ribs and 5 chickens.The smoker is going to be packed.I got to go to lowes for a new sign  going to make it 4ftx4ft for higher visibility.I will try to post a pic of the smoker full and going this weekend.I do love this work there is something about pulling in on the lot and having people waiting on me that lets me know i am doing it right.When i started doing this at my old gas station i sold a lot to men headed home to hold them till dinner.Now my main customer is women they swing in grab a whole butt or 4 plates mabe 10 sandwiches.Women dont like to cook on weekends ok they dont like to cook period but thats a post in itself.Smiling customers make my day.