I have heard from some people that I don't leave the front page up long enough.  So what I'm going to do is take it off after 1 week and then post it here for another week.  This will give everyone 2 weeks to read it.

 

19 Jul - 25 Jul

Sunday
25 Jul

I only have one thing to say, next time I have to listen to the weather more closely.  The temp the other day got in the mid 90's with a heat index of 105.  After checking I found that the weatherman had said the current temp was in the mid 80's.  Saturday was even warmer but the picnic came off without a hitch.  Geri is the social chair for the HOA and did a great job, as usual.

Received the following from Tim Skeens and have made all the corrections as needed, for your pen and ink change here's the email.  Thanks for the update Tim.

Barney:

My new email change is taskeens@q.com due to changes made by Qwest Telephone Company.
I won't be able to attend the reunion but wish a good time for all!
God Bless!

Tim Skeens

We're having some folks over this afternoon and will more than likely go out for supper tonight.  Have to get to mass so this is going to be fairly short.  I do have one article that might be of interest, to someone you know if not yourself.

Release No. 07-06-10
July 23, 2010

Tricare coverage available for some ‘gray area’ retirees

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AFRNS) -- Tricare Retired Reserve, a new program being launched in the fall, will allow certain “gray area” retired National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are not yet age 60, the opportunity to purchase Tricare health coverage.

Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010 provided retired National Guard and Reserve personnel with new Tricare health coverage options before they reached age 60. Under Tricare Retired Reserve, Tricare Standard and Extra coverage will be available for purchase to “gray area” retirees.

Other details involving specific eligibility rules, coverage and costs are still being coordinated and finalized. Potential beneficiaries who would like to be among the first to know about final details for Tricare Retired Reserve are encouraged to sign up for e-mail updates from Tricare.

Visit www.tricare.mil/subscriptions and sign up for “Benefit Changes” for “Retired National Guard and Reserve Member.” (Courtesy of Tricare)

Here's another of those canned articles I've saved over the years.  Actually I forgot all about it until receiving it again the other day.  It does have a message in it and I'd like to share it with you.  If you've read or seen it before it's up to you what you want to do.

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things "in order," she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she
would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young
woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

"There's one more thing," she said excitedly.

"What's that?" came the Pastor's reply.

"This is very important," the young woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.

That surprises you, doesn't it?" the young woman asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the Pastor.

The young woman explained. "My grandmother once told me this story, and from
that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. ‘In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming.....like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'”

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder "What's with the fork?" Then I want you to tell them: "Keep your fork, the best is yet to come."

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman
good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge.  She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, "What's with the fork?" And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

Show your friends how much you care. Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more, for you never know when it may be their time.  Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share.  Being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility, and remember "Keep your fork."

Best to All, Take Care and

Have a Great Day
Pray for Our Country, Our Troops and Our Extended 707th Family
GOD BLESS AMERICA

Friday
23 Jul

Looking for a job or know someone that is?  I received the following the other day but didn't have a chance to check it out until last night.  The website has a lot of helpful information on it, that is if someone is interested in working for AFCS.  For those that don't know that's Air Force Civilian Service.  When I worked at WPAFB in Retiree Affairs my office was directly across from there's.  They were always posting job's but didn't have enough folks to fill them.  I'm sure that's a different story now but nothing ventured, nothing gained.  Read the article and maybe you can find or help a friend find a job.

 Release No. 07-04-10
July 21, 2010

Air Force Civilian Service website reveals depth, innovation to federal employment

by April Rowden
Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs Office

RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFRNS) – Jobseekers unfamiliar with the civilian employment opportunities within the Air Force now have a new online resource that defines the numerous career fields and outlines many of the benefits of being a federal employee working side by side with uniformed Airmen.

The site, www.afciviliancareers.com, contains practical information for those interested in applying for a federal job within the Air Force Civilian Service, or AFCS, including various hiring authorities, base locations, career field descriptions, employee benefits and application procedures. There is also information specifically geared toward hiring veterans and disabled veterans.

“The Air Force has always relied on the civilian work force to meet the mission. With new organizations standing up and an overall net gain in civilian positions, we hope more people will look at all the benefits we have to offer and consider applying with us,” said Michelle LoweSolis, director of civilian force integration at the Air Force Personnel Center.

One of the highlights of the website is a Job Match Machine. By entering educational background or specific skills, the Job Match Machine will generate a list of possible career choices.

“We think this is going to be one of the most popular applications on the site,” said Mike Brosnan at AFPC. “People are often unaware of the breadth of Air Force Civilian Service careers and we’re hoping this will aid them in their job search.”

The site also has a Resume Coach that walks users through some of the most frequently asked questions: How do I get my resume to stand out? Do veterans or current federal employees have different application procedures? What should college graduates include on their resumes?

The site also features a faster-loading HTML version, or the more interactive Flash version. Look for the “underground” extras on the site for special downloads and video clips.

When visitors are ready to search for an AFCS job, clicking the “apply now” button on the home page will give them access to Air Force jobs listed on USAJOBS.gov. There, they can build their resumes, search for job vacancies, and submit their applications.

For more information, Air Force employees may call the Total Force Service Center at (800) 525-0102 or DSN 665-5000.

Related Links
Veteran Hiring: http://www.afciviliancareers.com/careers/hiringopportunities/veterans/
Job Match: http://www.afciviliancareers.com/apply/jobmatch/
Resume Coach: http://www.afciviliancareers.com/apply/resumecoach/

Good Luck and if you or a friend gets a job let me know.

Today being chore day I have quite a lot of extra running to do.  Need to go to Staples and get some supplies, have to pick up meat and snacks for a party Saturday night, and have to stop at my favorite gun store and pick up some ammo.  Geri hates when I go in there as she knows I've been looking at another coyote gun.  I know my limitations and I'm not as fast with a bolt action as I use to be.  I've been looking at another M16 or possibly a Ruger mini M14.  I already have an M16 but my son has it out in Washington, and putting it to good use.  Both the M16 & M14 are .223 caliber and both are accurate to a fault.  Being as I've already got the M16 why do I need 2 of them.  Then again I'm more than likely never going to see that one my son has so why not.  The Ruger is less money but I sure do like the M16, guess I'll just have to hope the devil gets behind me.

Ryan gave me a hand last night and I can now download pictures from my camera to my system.  It always use to work but all of a sudden it was like my USB ports didn't work.  I'd tried in vain for about 2 weeks to figure it out, thought that something had happen to my camera or the USB cable.  He tried a few things and then lost me in a blur of removing some things, adding in others and within 20 minutes it was fixed.  He tried to explain what he'd done but it was lost on my little mind.  Sure do appreciate his taking the time as I'm going to need this feature in the coming days. 

I'm in the midst of making photocopies of all our important papers etc.  I wasn't too sure about using this camera but I mean to tell you it's great.  I would imagine just about any of the new ones can do this type of work but I'm really happy with the results I'm getting.  I was reading an article about keeping duplicate copies versus photo copies and it said that this is becoming a much safer way of doing it since copy machines often have memory of what you've copied.  I touched on this quite awhile back and stated that I only use copiers that aren't capable of doing that.  Since I've got the feature on this camera I figured why not use it and save all that time running and cost involved.  You might want to give this some consideration.

So far not too many folks have let me know if they are or aren't listed on the right list for the reunion.  I'm hoping those that haven't are on the right one as were getting close.  Only 8 days left in this month, and Judy would like to have all the registrations before the last week of August, so that gives you less than 30 days.  It's only 55 days till the reunion.  We are going to leave home on the 15th and take 2 days to get there, don't know if I can ride that long but hopefully with stops it'll be alright. 

After the reunion were going to take a week or more to get home.  We plan on traveling  through the UP taking Rt2 from GPZ to Mackinaw City.  We just spent some time in the UP but it was all on the eastern side now we want to see the whole thing.  I'm certain that we'll take another trip out to Mackinaw Island as we only scratched the surface last time we were there.  Just way too much to see and do in UP.

As usual I'm starting to ramble and it looks like I can head out.  It's a nice day and actually suppose to only get in the high 80's today.  We had a real nice rain last night but the winds really gave us heck, which reminds me I've got to work on my flag pole sometime today.  Speaking of flags, I had occasion to buy some stick flags for the association, which we display on special days.  I bought 170 of them for 99 cents each they are 12" x 18" sewed edges and mounted on 30" poles with spear top and secured to the pole with 4 staples.  I was really happy with them and would highly recommend this company, United States Flag Store a division of Online Stores Inc.  You can see their selection of flags at http://www.united-states-flag.com/

OK now I'll let you go.  Best to All, Take Care and

Have a Great Weekend

    

Wednesday
21 Jul

Before I go too far let me recant a statement made the other day when listing businesses that give discounts to veterans. I'm speaking of this one - (All Federal Employees are able to get a 15% discount on their personal cell phones by calling their carrier and mentioning the ("Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 - Discount to Federal Employees Past and Present") - this is in error.  I contacted the FCC and found out that this discount is offered by the individual providers on a voluntary basis, it is not a gimme.  Now I know why my carrier was so reluctant to give it to me.  Anyway still call and beat on their door and even go so far as to say you might change service, as I recall that's what I did.  I'm sorry for misleading you on this and hope it didn't cause any problems.  From what I've been told AT&T is one of the hardest to deal with and that Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and the rest are a lot easier to work with.  Let me know how you make out.

OK so I had another goof on Monday, when I said it was the 20th, in fact it was the 19th and that has been corrected.  Keep me honest folks and thanks to those that pointed it out.  Without a doubt I'm getting old and tired when I do dumb things like these.  I think it's time we consider having someone take over this endeavor, any volunteers?

I checked with the Sawmill Inn on rooms and found that they still have some available.  We blocked a small number this time so as they fill up we'll have to ask for more.  Not trying to rush you but getting your reservations in might not be a bad idea.  Don't forget that Judy would like to have your registration by the last week of August.  As I said before I'm sure she'll work with you but lets try and get them in before hand.  Thanks.  You know it might seem like a lot of time before the reunion but in reality there are only 57 days left.  The last week of August is only 30 days so it looks like a good time to make your move.

We had this problem a few years back, so let me say again, RESERVATIONS are at the Sawmill for rooms.  REGISTRATION is with Judy for attending the reunion functions.  I know it gets confusing especially when they are used in the same sentence.  Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-235-6455 and you can send your Registration to Judy Johnson  723 NE 7th St  Grand Rapids, Minnesota  55744.  A printable Registration Form is available at the link above under Reunion 2010 and titled the same.

We got hit with another storm Monday night and during the day Tuesday.  Just a short distance from us they received 7 inches of rain in less than 4 hours.  Now we needed rain but not like this.  We need a nice steady rain, lots of folks in the area call them a farmers rain.  In that drive the other day we saw a lot of fields with standing water and that's going to do as much damage as no rain.  Just hate to see the farmers lose a crop to any natural cause.  Least ways when there isn't any rain they can irrigate but really no way to drain the fields.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and as usual more blood test.  He's going to leave my meds at the current level for another 2 weeks and then wants to reduce the dosage on the Prednisone.  I really think I'm at the lowest I can go because of how I'm moving and feeling pain.  Don't know how I'd function at a lower dose but I guess that's what he wants to find out.  Said that he will let me know in a day or two, after the blood test results, as to what dosage he wants me on.  He's concerned about the blood counts and that they are rising too rapidly.  If he cuts the Prednisone back then he has to put me on other meds to try and do the same, but says there really isn't anything that good.  My cardiologist doesn't like me being on it at all but when I told him how much better I'm doing he said "OK, but lets get you the hell off it as fast as we can."  Needless to say this has caused me some concern, since he didn't go into the long range details of how it was impacting my other problems.  I also didn't mention the fact that the other doc's said I'm never going to be able to come off it.  VA is going to have a kitten when they find out what has been going on. I've got an appointment with then on 2 Aug.  Now that is going to be interesting to say the least.

Well our grandson made it back to China alright and has been busy since he got there.  He's working on a major project for his company and I sure hope he pulls it off.  All I can see are big things for him if it works out.  They've put a lot of faith in him, and to head up a project this size at his age and level of experience, is a real feather in his hat.  I guess 10 million isn't really that much but when you think that the potential is for 100+ million, now were talking a sizeable amount.  I know he's good and will pull it off but on the shoulders of a guy that hasn't even graduated yet, now that is one heck of an internship.  When it all works out he'll be offered a permanent position with the company, upon graduation, and it will entail living and working in China and in Europe.  All I've got to say is Good Luck!  This would be as close to his dream job as he can get, only thing missing is the intrigue and mystery.

Before I forget Jim Clough has a new email address.  It's jtclough1@comcast.net the Master Roster and email list have been updated.  My thanks to Jim for letting me know.  If anyone else has any changes for themselves or know of any for other's please get in touch with me.

There have been some changes to the reunion attendance list.  You might want to check them out and make sure your listed where you should be.  Some might want to see who's going to be there and change your mind about not attending.  Believe me we're going to have a great time.  Things are going to be different this time and I'd sure like to see you there.  There have been some changes to the memorial and I think you'll appreciate all the work HQ folks have been doing.  See you there.

From the looks of things I'm not going to get the rest of the RAO Bulletin on here.  I found a way to do it but I doubt if anyone will take the time to get to the attachments, plus the fact I have to create some extra pages to do them.  Sorry, but as long as I get the main body of it posted I think that will have to suffice.   

I didn't sleep well and got up early, real early that is, and have been rambling along here.  Finally realized that I feel asleep in my chair and might be able to go back to bed.  Just as well as I don't have any other news to write that's of interest, like you where interested in a lot of this!  Best to All, Take Care and

Have a Good One     

 

Monday
19 Jul

It's early, hot and humid.  Went out to get the paper and sweating like a hog by the time I got back in.  The humidity is so thick you could cut it with a knife.  As always this time of year we're under the threat of sever thunderstorms.  The flash floods took 2 more lives yesterday and many trailer homes were lost.  One park wasn't but 4 miles from here and the whole lower section was washed away.  I'm not for sure but I think one of the guys from the lodge lived there.  It happen at night so I know he would have been on patrol then.  It's always a bummer to come home from work and not find your home. 

I hate to keep harping on HCR but it is something that has become dear to my heart,  and I just love it when I'm right about something.  Back when I read the entire bill I mentioned that this was nothing but more taxes.  Now that 20 states have challenged the HCR, the government is defending it as a TAX.  Remember in the law it is called a "penalty" rather than a TAX.  The president in 2 separate interviews, that I know of, has stated the mandate is "absolutely not a TAX."  I read part of the Justice Departments brief on line and it says this is a "valid exercise of Congress power to impose TAXES."  So if it isn't a TAX but yet it's defended as a TAX what would you call it.  This mandate of "minimum essential coverage" starts in 2014 and brings to question that if Congress can do this, which area of individual decision-making isn't beyond the reach of federal power.  Just another thing to remember come November.

With any kind of luck I'm actually going to get that windshield changed this week.  I've got an appointment and the Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, well I've heard that before.  Somehow there is a 4 hour window in this weeks schedule and it fits with the glass shop.  Got to strike while the iron's hot as the saying goes. 

We took a ride down river yesterday to check out the hotel that we'll be staying at for a wedding.  I'd read some reviews of it and heard some stories so wanted to make sure it was alright.  It's a Ramada so I really didn't think it could be as bad as the reviews.  If you know anything about auto racing, you know the fans can get a bit rambunctious and celebratory.  So I think there negative statements came because of a big race at the track that weekend.  We found the place to be clean and well managed.  Just happen to be the owner was working the front desk and he let us look at rooms and showed us around the place.  I got to talking with him and asked if I could beat the room rate he offered for the group.  I always ask for the government/military rate and for once it wasn't cheaper.  The group rate was $2.00 less. 

This is a great benefit for us and I encourage all that are eligible to take advantage of it.  I don't know how much I've saved over the years asking for the military rate but it's a bunch.  Doesn't matter where I'm at, if they offer a discounted price or such I'm going to take it.  Just like with that deck and dock we built at the lake, I saved over $500.00 on the price of materials at Lowes.  Here are some of the places I know that offer the discount.  I know there are more but I just can't remember all of them off hand.  More than likely you have many local merchants that also give discounts,  check them out.  It never hurts to ask.

A&W - AFVC - Airlines - Amusement Parks - Arby's - Auto Zone - Bass Pro Shop - Bath and Body Works -Blockbuster - Burger King - Busch Gardens - Captain D's - Carnival Cruises - Car Rentals - Choice Hotels - Denny's - Dunkin Donuts - Footlocker - Home Depot - IHOP -Jiffy Lube - KFC - Lowes - Major Hotel Chains - Meineke - Movie Theaters - NAPA - Old Navy - Pep Boys - Pizza Hut - Princess Cruises - Sea World - Oh yea, don't forget Cell Phone Providers (All Federal Employees are able to get a 15% discount on their personal cell phones by calling their carrier and mentioning the "Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 - Discount to Federal Employees Past and Present.")  I had to argue with mine as they didn't think that a member of the military was a federal employee.

On that ride down along the Ohio yesterday we got a first hand look at the how the river has come up due to the rains.  Lots of the low lands were flooded and much debris headed downstream.  Some of the tugs were having a hard time around the locks because of all the trees etc.  We saw the largest tug on the river yesterday and I was impressed, it had 15 barges.  I've never seen more than 9 until then, take that back, did see 11 one time.  Most of the barge traffic is coal and I've never been able to figure it out.  We've got coal coming up river and going down river, sometimes passing each other.  Some of it is going to power plants and factories along the river but, where it's coming from is a mystery.

Well I've got to get some running done before noon so I'm going to post this and hope for the best.  Best To All, Take Care and

Have a Good One