Category: Old Dog – New Trick

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How My Woodworking Hobby Began

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I spent more than 55 years of my life without a hobby, for several reasons. First of all, having an attention span of a gnat, coupled with very little patience for detail and most of all I didn’t have time for such things. I started doing various woodworking projects almost by accident. Here’s how it happened. We have a very unique table that we got from Madeline’s mom, Maxine, many years ago. It was a coffee table brought back from Venezuela by Maxine and Ted in the 1960s. It’s not just a regular coffee table, it is huge. It’s made … Continue reading How My Woodworking Hobby Began

Crazy Times, Old Dog - New Trick4 Comments

The Double Tailed Quarters, The Whole Story

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There was a time in the 80s when times were really good in the construction business. I was flying high, as was Kenny and our friend Coy. We all had our own businesses but we worked together at times, hiring each other’s companies to help out on projects. Kenny & Coy had a lot more in common with each other than with me. During that phase of their lives they each were without the benefit of a wife at the time or at least they acted like it. They worked hard and partied hard as the old saying goes. Now … Continue reading The Double Tailed Quarters, The Whole Story

Crazy Times, Old Dog - New Trick, On The JobLeave a comment

The PreCast Concrete Venture That Exposed Me To A Ponzi Scheme

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The year was 1991. I had spent 20 years digging ditches and I thought enough is enough. The economy was in the crapper. The great real estate boom of the 80s was over and all the big water and wastewater lines had been constructed to the far reaches of the city and beyond in Austin. The future didn’t look so swell for our business. I needed a break. I thought it was time for some new scenery, so to speak. I had two groups of employees by that time. The old and the new. It was time for the old … Continue reading The PreCast Concrete Venture That Exposed Me To A Ponzi Scheme

Old Dog - New Trick, Thoughts and MusingsLeave a comment

I Was A Kid With Few Talents

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In fact I think I could only do approximately two unusual or amusing things. One of those I tried out while sitting in the barber chair a while back. Now mind you it wasn’t the first time I’d tried a barber out on this but in memory it’s the first time I ever got a real reaction. As this young gal started to clip the ear hair, I started my ear wiggling routine. Of course I could see her look as I could see her in the mirror, so as she’d get close with the clipper, I’d let my big … Continue reading I Was A Kid With Few Talents

Amazing Things, Old Dog - New Trick, Thoughts and Musings5 Comments

I Love Technology

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I got ahold of the computer thing pretty early on, I guess it was 1985. We had bought the kids a Commodore I think a year or 2 before that. It was a box you hooked up to the TV for play games and learning aids. We set it up on Madeline’s sewing machine cabinet using a spare TV we had for the monitor. It didn’t take long for one of the boys to turn a box of straight pins over on the keyboard and fried the whole thing. But in 1985 I started working with a Compaq Portable Computer … Continue reading I Love Technology

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On Thinking About Fighting Yeast Infections….

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I’m not fighting a yeast infection, mind you. But I was on some strong antibiotics just a little while back. One of my wife’s crazy friends told her I needed to drink probiotic milk to get everything back in sync. Low N Behold she brought me home this stuff. It was a carton each of Strawberry and Blueberry Buttermilk. Wow, that’s a strange sensation in your mouth. Actually I’ve taken to it. When these are gone, I’ll have to decide if I want more. Continue reading On Thinking About Fighting Yeast Infections….

Old Dog - New Trick, The Early Days, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Learning How To Dance

lewisotr

I never did really learn how to dance when I was younger. It just always seemed like something odd to be doing. I was kind of shy about getting up in front of a bunch of people and gigging around. Besides for ever so long the girls were all taller than me, and I figured that would really cause me to stand out. Anyway along about the mid 1980s my wife said we needed to go take dancing lessons. I went along with it, anything to make the little woman happy. She signed us up for private lessons one morning … Continue reading Learning How To Dance