Metal Dad - Hardcore for Life

One More Great Weekend

It was pretty laid back here. #2 Son and his fiancee came up Friday night for the weekend. On Saturday they took a walk with The Twins along one of the walking trails nearby. I passed on this opportunity. Mrs. Metal Dad mad a killer pot roast in the crock pot which we enjoyed for dinner that night. We had a delicious razzberry pie for dessert. It was made with fresh razzberries by The Twins' brother and his wife. 

I had spaced out about the UFC event scheduled for Saturday night. Back in Illinois I would generally pop for the UFC PPVs and our sons would come over.We would get some dinner, eat, and watch the fights. Since I am a cheap bastard I don't buy the PPV if the boys aren't around. And "since the laborer is worthy of his hire" I don't scour the net for a stream I can watch for free.

So I ordered it and #2 Son and I settled in to watch. The preliminary bouts were pretty good although I was sad to see Tonya Evinger have a disappointing night. I've always enjoyed seeing her fight. And she'll always get props for taking Cris Cyborg into a third round when they fought.

The main card was fun to watch. We were glad to see Michelle Waterson get a hard earned decision in her fight with a strong Felice Herrig. The Lewis/Volkoff looked like it was going to be a dull, lifeless bout. Derrick Lewis rose from the dead in the third round to KO his opponent. His post fight interview in the octagon was hilarious. The main event was interesting. McGregor was fairly ineffective with the exception of some good moments in round two. He was taking a real pounding and seemed to have no answer for Khabib's ground and pound. In the fourth Khabib was able to score another takedown and maul McGregor some more until he put him in a rear naked choke and Conor tapped out. To my eyes it did not look like the hold was under McGregor's chin but he tapped. Then all the mayhem started which was unfortunate. It marred a good night of fights. I'm curious to know where the final total of PPV buys ends up.

Oh yeah,ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat did not die this weekend. But it got beat up pretty good.

A Very Nice Surprise

 We were pleasantly surprised when #1 Son showed up yesterday morning. The Other One had been down in Illinois for a couple of days last week and was able to spend a little time with both of her nephews. She returned to MN Friday night but didn't let on that #1 was coming up. We've had a really nice visit and he helped us find a really good Mexican restaurant in our neck of the woods. I was all set to have a big bowl of menudo but they had run out. We'll have to go earlier next time. I heard tell #2 Son and his fiancee are coming up next weekend. Life is good.

The Sea Ain't Got No Back Door

 

The title of this post is a Barbadian saying which means the sea is a dangerous place and one needs to be careful. The news about the approaching hurricane reminded me of a trip to Barbados years back. My employer at the time arranged a junket for about a hundred employees and spouses/significant as a reward for participation in a company wide TQM initiative. The week of the excursion I had been in Mexico City providing training to representatives of firms in Central and Latin America who sold our products. The 3 or 4 days went well. I enjoyed strolling the neighborhoods near my hotel on Paseo de la Reforma. Everywhere I went people attempted to engage me in conversation in Spanish. I just smiled and said "No se." I flew home on Thursday then Mrs. Metal Dad and I flew to New York in the afternoon. We spent the night in a hotel. I think it was around Noon or so on Friday when we met our traveling companions and flew to Barbados.

We got settled into our hotel rooms then got together to review the planned events. We were divided into teams for a road rally/scavenger hunt which was lots of fun. We had a nice, informal dinner and then were free to hang out or go into town. The next day we spent on the beach. Beaches is more accurate. Jet skis and paddle boats were available for our use. Half of the day we spent on the Atlantic side of the island moving over to the Caribbean side. That day was the only time in my life I sunburned. I didn't actually burn, I just turned black and started peeling later that night. We were there until Monday when we flew back in the late morning. We had a great time.

Back to the hurricane. I don't usually take a big interest in weather but I have family in South Carolina who may be affected the upcoming storm. We're keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.

How's My Bike?

That was my sister-in-law's first question when she regained consciousness in hospital after a collision with another cyclist sent her ass over tea kettle during one of her rides awhile back.

A couple of weeks ago the Twins were riding along the Mississippi River Trail near our home when The Other One hit a patch of sand on the trail. She tried to unclip herself from the pedals but could not get her feet out quickly enough. The bike went down and she reflexively put her arm out to break the fall. I've been told you are supposed to curl up in a ball if you start to go down with the bike. But I guess reflexes get the better of us some times. Mrs. Metal Dad got her to hospital and she's been tending to her. Surgery was performed this past Friday to pin everything back together. This is only the fourth break of that arm she's had.

I'm here to tell you they the toughest gals I've ever known.

Notes From The Above Ground

It's been another nice weekend here up-country. The Twins drove down to Madison to visit #2 Son and his fiancée yesterday morning. They came back last night after a nice visit. Mrs. Metal Dad is visiting with The Light of My Life while I'm keeping an eye on the patient.

Oh yeah, The Half of the Twins to Whom I'm Not Married took a fall off her bike the other day. She's only broken that arm three times already. She will have to have surgery in about a week.

Earlier today I received a phone call from an old friend I haven't seen or heard from in almost forty years. It was great catching up. He was unaware that I have moved out of Illinois. He and his wife have moved back into the area and he got my number from a mutual friend. He was calling to see if I was up for getting together for coffee. He was one of my best friends back in the day so it was good to get hear from him.

Soil Or Sand, Pass It On

A great song from the criminally overlooked Lone Justice

 

 

A Really Nice Weekend (And It's Not Even Over Yet)

 

As I noted in the previous post. #1 Son came up from the state which seems hell-bent on bankrupting itself for a visit. Yesterday he and I went and had Que Viet egg rolls and Pho soup for lunch. I've never had either but he's been telling us for some time how good Pho soup is. And it is quite tasty. The egg rolls were pretty good as well.

A bit later, Mrs. Metal Dad, #1 Son, and myself took The Light of My Life shopping to stock up on some sundry items to take back to her residence later today. Then He and I went and saw the latest Mission Impossible movie. I'm not a big fan of the franchise but had to admit that it was entertaining. Even with reference to the previous installment with which I was not quite familiar, a convoluted narrative, the mandatory suspension of disbelief. and a second half which started to bog down I generally enjoyed the movie.

Once again, I must state: Nothing beats family.

This And That

So #1 Son decided to drive up here and arrived early this morning. Had a laid back day then went to Elk River to have  dinner at a really good Sushi place. Came home and puttered around then went for a walk along the Mississippi River Trail. There's a path to it from the development in which we live.The Twins are going to pick up The Light of My Life early tomorrow morning for an overnight visit. #1 Son returns to his home late tomorrow night. It's been good to see him and spend some time watching old Sci-Fi movies. Click on a picture to see it full size.

The Family Is A Sacred Covenant, More Than A Contract

  
"God is the author. Not the State. Not the Church. Not even the family. Rather, God's family is trustee of a five-part sacred covenant." - Ray R. Sutton, Who Owns The Family? God or the State?

We had a splendid time, enjoying good food, good company, and an absolutely beautiful day.

Nothing Beats Being A Dad

 I realize I am not the best Dad in the world. I am all too aware of my shortcomings in this area. Nonetheless, being a father is the best and most important thing I've done in my life. I had wasted so much of my life seeking my own gratification yet God graciously allowed me to redeem my later years helping the most remarkable woman I've ever met raise a family. For many men what they do becomes who they are and is from which their identity is derived. I have learned that any ethical occupation of is no less as high and holy as that of a preacher or missionary. It is not what we do but why we do what we do and how well we perform the tasks life sets before us that is important.

We had a great weekend with our daughter. She changed our lives in profound ways and I am grateful to God for allowing us to be her parents.

Family

Being alone often leads to bouts of morbid introspection. Fortunately, this is not one of those times. But on this Father's Day weekend I had some random thoughts on family.

We would have had a houseful of children but it just didn't work out that way. I think that I can speak for the Missus when I say we are very happy with the children we have. We are very proud of the young men our sons have become. They are kind and caring men who(usually) act responsibly. They work to support themselves and don't come running to Ma and Pa because they've spent themselves into a hole and need help getting out. We do like to help them from time to time. We do this as an encouragement and because we can do it now and might not be able to do so in the future. #1 Son usually makes a protest, telling us he is doing good but we make him take what is being offered.

Sunday is The Light of My Life's birthday and I am so grateful that we are up here and will be able to have her over Saturday night and spend Sunday with her in our new home celebrating her birthday. We did not think twice about relocating so she would have access to the kinds of resources she can access in Minnesota. We are so grateful for the residence which accepted her into their program. She is so happy there and we are relieved and grateful she has transitioned so well. It is also great to be up here in such close proximity to so many of Mrs. Metal Dad's family and friends. It definitely made moving here much easier. I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

I'm going to drop the editorial "we" now since the following are my opinions and I would not want anyone to ascribe my opinions to the Missus. Listening to the news have heard much about families being separated from their children when detained while trying to enter the country illegally. Children being separated from their parents can be a horrible tragedy which is one of the reasons I have never entertained the thought of entering another country illegally with my family but did not hesitate to become a foster parent even though this involves children being separated from parents. You know what else is a real tragedy? Children being separated from their parents when they're blown up by US drones. It would be nice to see some real outrage over this.

Paul Bunyan, We Are Here!!

This past weekend we moved into our new home in Minnesota to stay. We had lots of help from our two sons who drove up with us to help unload the truck.
#2 Son getting ready to drive the truck from Illinois to Minnesota. Mrs. Metal Dad followed him in her car. #1 Son picked me up and we drove up about 3:30 the next morning.        The guys helping their Mom get the kitchen in shape.

The next day we all had a great visit with The Light of My Life

"Just Because I Like Being Alone Doesn't Mean I'm Lonely"

That's something #1 Son said to his mother once. When he was a young boy he was happiest with his head buried in a book or teaching himself a programming language on the computer or watching Kurosawa films (I do not exaggerate) on VHS. 

One summer day his mother encouraged him to go outside and enjoy the nice day. A bit later he was spotted inside the tree fort in our back yard engrossed in a book. Mrs. Metal Dad sighed, "At least he's outside." I tried to encourage her by telling her of the summers I spent in the local library reading anything I could get my hands on and "I turned out all right, yes?" This did not assuage her fears. I know she was concerned about his lack of interest in social graces along with the possibility of his turning out to be just like me but I figured he would find his way in time. 

And he did. It has been a joy and an answer to prayer to see how much he has matured in the last few years. He is so much more at ease with himself and others. He has been quite considerate of and tender towards his mother for which I am grateful.

Just as #2 Son inherited his mother's empathy, concern for others, and friendliness his older brother inherited, whether by genetics or osmosis, his's father's penchant for misanthropy, cynicism, skepticism, and a fondness for solitude. It is good to see how he has modified those traits, which can be so destructive to one's self, and become a mature, balanced young man.