50 Caliber Sniper Rifle

IF YOU READ THIS, THIS IS A RESPONSE TO THE FACT THAT 50 CALIBER SNIPER RIFLES ARE BUILT AND SOLD EVERYDAY TO THE PUBLIC, MAINLY THE BARRETT 50 CALIBER SNIPER RIFLE MADE IN MURPHYSBORO, TN. SUNDAY MAY 29TH, 2005, CBS "60 MINUTES" RAN AN ARTICLE ON THE MANUFACTURE AND CAPABILITIES OF THIS RIFLE SOLD TO THE ARMY AND TO THE "GENERAL PUBLIC".

THIS GUN WILL PENETRATE 1/4 TO 1/2 INCH ARMOR PLATE AT 300 YARDS OR MORE AND HAS A KILL RANGE OF UP TO 2,000 YARDS OR 20 FOOTBALL FIELDS. I UNDERSTAND THE ARMY OR OUR WAR DEPARTMENT BUYING THIS WEAPON BUT SELLING IT TO THE PUBLIC IS A CRIME UNTO ITSELF. THE OWNER OF BARRETT INDUSTRIES ACKNOWLEDGED HE COULD NOT STAY IN BUSINESS WITHOUT THE SALE TO THE PUBLIC?

I ASK MYSELF LAST NIGHT AND AGAIN THIS MORNING, WHY IS THIS GUN NOT BANNED FOR SALE TO THE PUBLIC. CALIFORNIA RECENTLY BANNED IT'S SALE IN THEIR STATE! I WOULD WAGER THAT EVEN POLICE DEPARTMENTS DO NOT HAVE THIS GUN IN THEIR ARSENAL.

IF YOU THE READER, FEEL THIS NEEDS TO BE STOPPED, PLEASE WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND TELL HIM SO. I HAVE BEEN A PAST MEMBER OF THE NRA, BUT NOT CURRENTLY, AND I AM TOTALLY AGAINST THE SALE OF THIS WEAPON TO THE PUBLIC, TOTALLY DESIGNED TO BE USED BY TERRORIST TO BRING DOWN AN AIRPLANE AT 1,000 TO 2,000 YARDS AWAY.

IF YOU WERE ATTACKED BY SOMEONE WITH THIS WEAPON, YOU WOULD NEVER HEAR IT!

JEFF NUTTER, JR.
3281 TYROL ROAD
VESTAVIA HILLS, AL 35216-4268

ARICLES ABOUT THIS WEAPON AND ONES LIKE IT....READ ON.



In March of 2005, Kyle Harness of Marina del Rey, California, was arrested after being pulled over on a traffic stop and found to be in possession of a stolen Armalite 50 caliber sniper rifle. Harness was stopped for having a broken taillight and false registration tags, and was on parole for armed robbery at the time of his arrest. (“Officer Finds Rifle in Parolee’s Car,” Daily Breeze, March 15, 2005)


In June of 2004, Marvin Heemeyer of Granby, Colorado, plowed a makeshift armored bulldozer into several buildings in response to a zoning dispute and fines for city code violations. Heemeyer armored his 60-ton bulldozer with two sheets of half-inch steel with a layer of concrete between them. He methodically drove the bulldozer through the town of Granby, damaging or leveling 13 buildings before taking his own life. Heemeyer mounted three rifles on the bulldozer, including a Barrett 82A1 50 caliber sniper rifle. ("Man who plowed armored bulldozer into seven buildings in Colorado is dead, authorities say," Associated Press, June 5, 2004; "Armored Dozer Was Bad to Go," Denver Rocky Mountain News, June 25, 2004)
Slide show of the interior of Heemeyer's bulldozer from the Denver Post


In February of 2004, Donin Wright of Kansas City, Missouri, lured police officers, paramedics, and firefighters to his home where he shot at them with several guns including a Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle. Authorities discovered at least 20 guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and the makings of 20 pipe bombs inside Wright's home. ("Body is Identified in KC Gunfight, Fire," The Kansas City Star, March 30, 2004)
Slide show of the crime scene from thekansascitychannel.com


In June of 2000, Robert W. Stewart of Mesa, Arizona, a convicted felon, was charged with felony possession of firearms for being in possession of Maadi-Griffin 50 caliber "kit guns" he was selling from his home, along with other firearms alleged to be in his possession. Stewart has become a folk hero among hard-line gun advocates and 50 caliber enthusiasts. He was distinguished, among other things, by his assertion that convicted felons have the right to possess firearms: "I don't care if he's a mass murderer, he killed 50,000 people. He still has a right to have a gun. A gun is just a tool." (MSNBC transcript, "The .50-caliber militia," http://msnbc.com/news, May 15, 2001)


In April of 2000, convicted felon Wayne Frank Barbuto of Salt Lake City, Utah, was charged with attempting to sell two 50 caliber sniper rifles to undercover federal agents. The government believes Barbuto manufactured the guns himself. During a search of Barbuto's home, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents discovered more than 32 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition. ("Sandy Gun Dealer Charged by Feds," The Associated Press, May 5, 2000)


According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), 50 caliber sniper rifles have been found in the armories of drug dealers in California, Missouri, and Indiana. A federal investigation in 1999 was "targeting the movement of .50 caliber semi-automatic rifles from the United States to Mexico for use by drug cartels." ("Weaponry: .50 Caliber Rifle Crime," GAO Office of Special Investigations letter, August 4, 1999)


On March 19, 1998, following an undercover investigation, federal law enforcement officers arrested three members of a radical Michigan group known as the North American Militia. The men were charged with plotting to bomb federal office buildings, destroy highways, utilities, and public roads, and assassinate the state's governor, senior U.S. Senator, federal judges, and other federal officials. All three were ultimately convicted. A 50 caliber sniper rifle was among the weapons found in their possession. ("Prosecutor: Hate Was Motive Behind Plot," The Associated Press, November 18, 1998)


Wisconsin father and son James and Theodore Oswald were sentenced in 1995 to multiple life terms for armed robbery and the murder of a Waukesha police captain. The two had "a small armory of sophisticated and expensive weapons, including two custom-made .50-caliber rifles powerful enough to assault an armored car—which the two were considering doing," according to the Waukesha county sheriff. ("Possible Links Between Robbers, Far Right Sought," Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1995)


In the summer of 1995, Canadian officials in British Columbia found a Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition, and enough explosives to fill a five-ton truck at a remote site. It is believed that members of a Texas militia group planned to set up a training camp at the site. Although at least one convicted felon was identified as a suspect, the investigation was dropped due to difficulties in prosecuting across international borders. The incident prompted one Texas Constitutional Militia official to observe, "We are not all raving maniacs. I'd kind of like to keep our lunatics on our side of the border." ("Arms Smugglers Won't Be Charged," The Vancouver Sun, October 26, 1996)


On April 28, 1995, Albert Petrosky walked into an Albertson's grocery store in suburban Denver, Colorado, and gunned down his estranged wife and the store manager. Armed with an L.A.R. Grizzly 50 caliber sniper rifle, an SKS Chinese semiautomatic assault rifle, a .32 revolver, and a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, Petrosky then walked out into the shopping center parking lot, where he exchanged fire with a federal IRS agent and killed Sgt. Timothy Mossbrucker of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. Petrosky, who was known to his friends as "50-cal Al," fired all four weapons, including the 50 caliber rifle, during his murderous rampage. ("Authorities Investigate Gun Sale: Rifle Used in Albertson's Slayings Wasn't Illegal," Rocky Mountain News, May 1, 1995)


Branch Davidian cult members at a compound in Waco, Texas, fired 50 caliber sniper rifles at federal ATF agents during their initial gun battle on February 28, 1993. The weapons' ability to penetrate tactical vehicles prompted the agency to request military armored vehicles to give agents adequate protection from the 50 caliber rifles and other more powerful weapons the Branch Davidians might have had. Four ATF agents were killed. ("Weaponry: .50 Caliber Rifle Crime," GAO Office of Special Investigations letter, August 4, 1999)


On February 27, 1992, a Wells Fargo armored delivery truck was attacked in a "military style operation" in Chamblee, Georgia, by several men using a smoke grenade and a Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle. Two employees were wounded. ("Two Armored Truck Guards Shot," The Atlanta Journal Constitution, February 27, 1992)


In 1989, two members of a church in Gardner, Montana, who were part of what ATF has described as a "doomsday religious cult," were arrested and charged with federal firearms violations. The two suspects had purchased hundreds of firearms, including ten 50 caliber semiautomatic rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition, using false identification. ("Weaponry: .50 Caliber Rifle Crime," GAO Office of Special Investigations letter, August 4, 1999)

Coalfest at Brilliant Alabama

I have a friend I saw friday and he told me he was going to a 'show' this next Saturday and sell some coins and jewelry he makes. I have bought several pieces from him and they are nice. They are the older silver american coins where he has used his tools and skills to display the eagle or lady or whitehouse. He has attached silver chains and these are unusual pieces of jewelry to wear.

He told me the show at Brilliant, Alabama was about an hour and 1/2 drive from Bessemer and was just north of a town called Winfield. I looked at this on his map and told him if Ms Karen wanted, we might make the show. He said the show was free and his was only $20.00 for a booth or slot to display his jewelry.

Karen and I got up early Saturday morning and I really had forgotten about the show. About 10:30am we had just finished some things around the house and I ask Karen if she felt like getting out for a maybe 200 mile roundtrip to this show. She beat me into the shower! We were into cargo shorts, polo shirts and hats with wide brims in a heartbeat. Karen packed a small box with bottles of water we knew we would need if away any time on this hot day.

You head north on I65 through 'malfunction' junction, then west on I59 for about 2 miles until you get to the Arkadelphia exit. This takes you to 78 West toward Jasper. We drove through Forestdale, Summiton, Dora, Jasper and through Jasper continuing toward Carbon Hill. 20 miles west of Carbon Hill is Winfield and just east of Winfield is highway 129N. Once you make the 129 highway, I was told it was about 5 miles from Winfield. Jimmy's directions were right on the money.

There were signs on the side of the road with arrows indicating to turn right off of 129N. They closed the road about 1 mile in and you had to find a parking place up one of the side streets. We got our hats, our water, and took off to see what we can see. The first thing we saw was antique cars, restored and almost show room conditions. There were 55 Chevy pickups, 65 Ford pickups, Corvette stingray, 1934 Ford coupe, 1978 Chevy hardtop, 1955 Ford Crown Victoria, 1976 Chevy Chevelle 396SS, 1958 Chevy Sedan, 1966 Plymouth Sedan, and I am sure others that don't come to mind right now. The paint on some of these cars was impressive, much better than anything that was on them when new.

Jimmy's stand was almost across the street from the cars and Karen got to meet Jimmy for the first time. I bought Karen another coin on a chain and 3 sterling charms for her bracelet. She and Jimmy had a good time meeting each other but Jimmy was closing up soon as he had been there since 7:00am and it was after 2:00pm and the heat was getting to him. He had an umbrella and a wide brim hat and water but the heat and humidity was tough today.

We walked the entire length going down one side and coming back on the other. We stood under some huge trees and listen to some rock music for a while but soon we too headed back toward our cool air conditioned car and home. Karen wanted a funnel cake! Don't ask me what a funnel cake is except it looks like pancake batter cooked in strings that is fried fast and hot and turned and then drained and covered with XXX sugar and cimnamon. It is tasty but not on anyone's diet regimine.

We decided to take the long way home to go north on 129 past 'natural bridge, intersecting 278e and through Jones Chapel and Double Springs and into Cullman, Alabama. Cullman is on I65 giving us a straight shot back into Birmingham and back to Vestavia Hills. It was a nice outing and the car did nice getting almost 29 mpg on this trip after filling up at my Chevron in Hoover. The A/C home and the big glass of cold tea felt good going down. We bought some homegrown tomatoes in Brilliant but that is another story...Jeff

May Sundays with Midgie and Church

Yesterday was the 4th Sunday in the month of May. I know this as I am ushering this month and have to be at Church early to greet and seat. If you have not done this, you need to do this part of service just a time to two to realize things are not just automatic, but take planning and execution on an exact timetable.

My mom is called Midgie. Where did Midgie come from and why do I still on occasion call her Midgie instead of mom or mother? She was the second oldest of 7 children and the story goes her younger siblings could not say Mildred and it came out Midgie. I grew up with her younger brother Jim and sister Bobbie and they called her Midgie, so there I am calling my mom, Midgie!

Mother has dimensia but has not been diagnosed with Alzeimers fortunately. It is sad though, her now not remembering all those special times in our lives together growing up. She remembers selective things and this has become only the things she is confident repeating to anyone who ask her about herself. Fortunately she remembers all her family and her picture albums help remind her daily of where she fits into the scheme of things. But her career, her working 31 years for my company, are all apparently lost.

When caring for someone like my mom, you have to be open minded and cherish what she does remember and who she is today and be glad we still have her with us. She was 90 her last birthday and really is doing well for someone at this age. She is fun to be with and enjoys visitors and rides in the car and of course, her beauty shop and friends. But she does not initiate conversation like she used to but they all now understand.

Sunday is ushering and doing the SS and Church for sure each Sunday this month. I have to leave SS early, sometimes before the lesson is over, so I sit near one of the doors so I can ease out without disturbing the class. Yesterday Dr. Holt and I both had to leave about 10:40am to make sure we had greeters in the nathex of the church and bulletins in each hand. Rita Chandler is head usher this month and I was recruited by her as she knows I don't tell her no.

May is a special month with no only communion but the children's Sabbath where the children fill in with us as ushers and with other parts of the service. It still amazes me the things these young ones will do that would scare me to death at there age. I am proud of these moms and dads that have instilled that much confidence in them.

This month means staying late after the service is over and neating up the sanctuary and gathering up all the bulletins and notes and paper left behind by the kids. We also have an attendance pad in each pew, and these pages have to be collected and placed in the secretary's office. We also take up the offering and this is put in a deposit bag and locked in the office. The church then, if no other activity is going on, has to be locked up and secured and the security system turned on. It is terrible for a church to have a security system and we waited until someone broke in and stole several TV's and VCRS. We were just thankful they did not vandalize the church or take some sterling silver vestments that have great meaning to us as Christians. We were lucky.

I mix in my visits to my mom, sometimes going before SS and fixing her breakfast and get to SS by 10:00am. Then back with mom after church and pay bills and caregivers and visit with her until maybe 2:00 or 2:30pm. So you see Sunday is a full day and I don't generally get back home until 3:30 or so. That is under the best conditions.

But my life is great. I manage mom's care and keep a semblance of a normal live working around mom's needs. I have a wonderful wife Karen, now married to this wonderful lady for 14 years. I could not do any of this without her support! Saint John was in prison and somewhere in his writings he tells us, "be happy where you are!" So many of us spend time and money looking for happiness and fail to look around them for the people who love them and they are where God wants them at this time. Be Happy!

Gardenia Bush

What does an over 7' high Gardenia bush look like in May! It is putting out new sprouts with buds just waiting for the right time to bloom. This is an amazing bush and one with some great and varied history.

I once had 3 gardenia bushes down the left side of my drive way in between my home and my neighbors. They were small in 1976 but bloomed every year about this time. The ice storm of 1983 changed everything.

I did not know that these a almost tropical in nature and cannot take extended sub freezing weather. The ice storm we had submitted us to temperatures at or below zero for several days and the bushes were covered with ice that January. I did not know until spring, how bad the damage was.

The bushes did not come out in the spring, not at all. All I had was dry sticks where the limbs of the bush used to be. I looked closely at all 3 of my bushes and only one, the one I have today, showed any green around the base of the plant.

I called a local nursery and he said to cut all the bushes back until I found green or live stems. Two of the bushes did not make it at all. But the one, that one, began to put out new sprouts that spring of 1983 if only to be a foot or so off the ground that year. I nurished the plant, turning the soil around the base and added potting soil and covered with pine straw.

The next few years it grew like nothing else I had in my yard. I guess it knew it was loved and we all missed the spring gardenia blooms to the man. Three or four years later, the bush granted our wish and out came the beautiful and sweet smelling blooms. I remember working customers and cutting some blooms and putting these in a wet paper towel and placing them in the floor board of my company car. My buyers secretaries all got a nice personal flower to put in vase on their desk and the offices smelled just great.

The one bush survived another ice storm of 1993 after Jeff covered the bush with plastic during the night and left it open for the sun during the day. It knew it was loved and continued to thrive and produce the most beautiful of bloom each succeeding year.

It is now almost 25 years since it was cut down almost to the ground. It is over 7 feet tall and walkers and joggers take blooms with them each spring. It is funny as I know she or he has off spring now growing in someone's yard as we speak. I have done the same and now have 3 new plants ready to put in soil that have been growing in my kitchen window since last year.

I have a second bush now that is a hybrid and it is planted by the mailbox. I now have one gardenia bush that is called a perpetual that blooms several times during the summer. It is only a year old and it will be two or three years before maturity and I am granted it's blooms to grace my yard.

You see Jeff loves anything that blooms and adds color and fragrance to my life and my home. I have put out 3 hydrangia's and hopefully these will thrive on the other side and at the top of my driveway. I know they like some sun but not a full sun, so they are in partial shade and where they will get plenty oof water. These too will add color to the yard at 3281. I hope my joggers and walker will enjoy these too!...Jeff

Jeff $200.00: Plumber "ZIP"

I have decided I have a head on my shoulders and two hands just like my plumber. That said, I decided to take on some fixture upgrades in the main bathroom and I did it myself. It was not easy and you don't always have the right tool in your tool box, but with one trip to a neighbors house and one trip to the hardware store, I am home free.

If you ever think about taking on anything that has the name 'tile bath' in front on it, you had better be ready for some w.o.r.k. The hall bath has a tile shower and tub and the cold water faucet has dripped for a time and Jeff got tired of this. I made arrangements for someone to take care of mom that morning as I knew this was going to take a while.

The first thing to remember is that when the fixture was put in, a tile man came behind the plumber with no regard to the fact that someone one day would have to change the gaskets and reseal this. I take off the chrome covers and all that is sticking out is the stem with all the base covered with hard grout. I had borrowed a tool that fits this base but the grout will not allow me to get to it. I have a small chisel in my tool box and it is a slow tedious process of digging this out to expose the base so the tool can reach in and I can remove the whole stem. One was bad and other one was worse!

I would guess it was 2 hours and I finally get the second one out. I also have the tool to reach in and remove the seat so the new valve and stem will make a good seal. I had searched out my local hardware store the day before and took these pieces down to his store with confidence he would have the replacements. It did not happen.

I looked at the side of the base and there was the PP on the side. That stands for Price Phister. I make it to Home Depot and a confident young lady helped me find the right replacement. I also bought the tube of sealant to close the threads and 2 small tubs of plumbers putty to make the finished job waterproof.

I get back home and get one in with no problem. The second one took a little more grout removal to get this at the right angle to go in cleanly. I then went to the street and turned my water back on and bingo, nothing leaked. I operated all the vales and they turn off and on with little to no effort and with the new valves and seats they are quiet and effortless.

I then opened the tub of plumbers putty and closed this opening so no water will leak in from the shower overhead. I removed all the old grout and putty around the spout and all the fixtures before replacing the chrome covers and the PP handles. It looks great and it has now been about a week and no problems. I took about 4 hours with the trips to the hardware store(s) and digging the old grout out. You can only guess as to what Jack the Plumber would have charge me for that time. I would guess somewhere around $200.00 and that may be low. Now let me got take that shower!

3:15am...That Is NOT The Alarm!

Ring.......Ring......Ring......"What the hay is that noise?" I reach for the alarm and pound the nooze button, but nothing happens. I hear Karen on the phone," Yes mam, we can go and check on her, and will call you from her house!"

My mother has pushed her Medic Alert Alarm she had around her neck and the alarm company cannot get her to pick up her phone? Karen made the last run about 3 weeks ago when this happen, so it is Jeff's time. I am now washing my face with warm soapy water, rubbing my eyes and trying to get my body working at this unearthly hour.

But within 10 minutes, it is jeans, a clean T-Shirt, tennis shoes and grab my keys and wallet and kiss Karen good night again. It is nice to have the Ford in the garage and clean and I can get right in and hit the up botton on the control in my console and drive that mean boy out into the night. The drive to Bessemer, about 40 minutes was uneventful that time of morning except for a rain shower about 3/4 the way there. But I pull up in mom's driveway and the lights are on in her bedroom? It is 4:00am?

I let myself in and the speaker on mom's Medic Alert unit is howling? Now why can she not hear this? Another story? I check on mom and she is asleep in the green chair in her bedroom and it looked as if she had never gone to bed? I woke her and she appears OK and I then go to the den and tell the alarm company who I am and they can reset the unit as mom is OK. They ask if I needed any assistance, but I told her no, it appears mom has gotten her days and nights confused and all I needed was to get her to bed. They said thanks,and hung up.

I got mom into her pajamas, turned off all the lights in her bedrrom and got her into bed. I sat in the green chair in her bedroom for about 15 minutes and soon she was asleep. I eased myself out through her hallway and back to the den and left Peggy a note that mom may be a little sleepy this am as I do not know how much "real" sleep she got last night.

The drive back home was like the one there, the road pretty deserted that time of morning. Karen and I have made the last 2 runs to take care of this so brother, the next run is yours. Get a good nights sleep! Bro Jeff

Plumber $780.00: Jeff $00.

Now open wide! This is going to sting a little but soon you will be numb. Now let me put an additonal painkiller back here so you won't hurt! I'll be back in about 8 minutes after giving this painkiller a chance to work? He came back in a few minutes and stuck something in my mouth and said "Can you feel that? No. Good, so now we can drill!"

Wait a minute! I was talking about my dentist! The plumber did not give my anything, only the bill for $780.00 for about 3 hours work and a new hot water heater and replacing a main tub trap in the basement ceiling. They need to give the plumber something to give you so you don't give a s*** when he puts in less than $300.00 worth of equipment and charges $480.00 labor? But what else do we do, that is, without the plumber? He is literally free to charge you anything he chooses?

My dentist went to medical and dental school and has several sheepskins hanging on the wall qualifying him to charge you that $750.00 for a crown or root canal, or $1,500 if you need both. The plumber has some shop training and can cut and sweat pipe and solders like a champ. He charges you twice what the appliance cost him, a 2% markup. Then he can charge $50.00 to $75.00 an hour for his time. Nice racket, and he is legal.

Oh, I don't blame him for charging what he does as that is what the market will bear or pay. I have talked to several others since this water heater was installed and most of their estimates were more than what I was charged. I just wish now I had taken plumber's training rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars for college. I am trying hard to rationalize how this craftman can charge more than what I make? The wonders of our capitalistic system is "The market dictates, always!"

Now let me take that hot shower and get ready for work. I have already had "one bath" this week! I am just glad I had the money to pay for this!...Jeff

Mother's Day and Mom's Deck

I have a full day today, Sunday May 8th, 2005. It is a balancing act between taking care of family and SS and Church and duties as usher this month of May. Sunday morning it is coffee and reading the Sunday paper with my sweetheart of almost 15 years. Her mother's day is a little sad, the first one without her son lost a year ago. I cannot imagine the pain with this. But she is doing OK and soon I told her I had to get ready for Church.

Karen opted out of going to SS and Church today. She chose a little down time, some private time she told me she needed. I offered to stay with her but she insisted I go and keep life as normal as possible.

I made SS a little late, but not too late for coffee with about 20 friends during the SS lesson. We are studing the book of Galations and Paul's dealing with the early Christians and the Jews during these times of the early Church. Jesus taught 'all' in is 3 years of his earthly ministry and this offended the converted Jews who felt, as they had been told for a 1,000 years that they were the chosen ones. You can imagine Paul and Silas and the Barnabas problems in diplomacy in getting these various and skewed factions to accept each other in the early Church. He had to be a good salesman. A good lesson given by Jim Byrum, one of our elders who rotates with 3 others in teaching once a month.

I had usher duties and had to excuse myself about 3/4 the way through his lesson but there were several who were either ushers or greeters that had to be outside the Church at 10:45am. We each got our boutiners pinned on and soon we were looking for members without bulletins or guest who needed to be welcomed. Once we take up the offering about 2/3's the way through, I put this in the secretary's office and we could each return to a pew and enjoy the sermon. Not hard work at all, but it keeps things running smoothly. We had about 100 at the 11:00pm service and I believe about 30 at the contemporary service at 8:30am or what is called "Early Church". We do not have to usher for this service as it is usually members who know what to do and after SS, they can leave at about 11:00am to have an early lunch with their family. It works.

I ran into a young lady who's son is in the service, currently in Germany but slated for 18 months in Irag in 3 months. Earnestine said he was anxious to go as the daily training each day in Germany is getting old and he is looking forward to getting this Iraq duty behind him. Earnestine is Irish like Karen's side of the family and she too is an amateur geneologist and she said she needs to call Karen as they are definitely on the same page in wearing out the libraries and trekking through cemetaries here in the Southeast. We had a great talk and I looked at my watch when we left and it was 12:30pm. Wow! We stood at the bottom of the Church steps and talked over 30 minutes and had no idea, no idea, about how much time had passed.

She shared one sobering thought. I taught her in Primary Sunday School Class, 6 to 8 year olds. I remember I was about 26 when they needed a SS teacher for these kids. She said she does not remember all her SS teachers but she remembered Mr. Nutter. Boy is that a sobering fact to find you taught people who now have grown children serving in the military. I don't know whether this was good news or bad. I told Karen about this and she laughed. Now that made it worth it all.

Sunday afternoon I spent some 2 or 3 hours sitting on mom's deck and opening her Mother's day cards and pinning a boutiner on her lapel. I got her checkbook and paid all her bills from this last week and balanced her checkbook all the time carrying on an antimated conversation with my mom of 90 years. I ask Ms Rebecca if anyone had called or visited and there were none she was aware of. This ommission is sad for me for mom. She is our mom and a southern lady that is so loveable and loves visits and cards and letters. But others have their priorities but they would have a hard time convincing me of how they don't see their mom, grandmother, aunt, or sister on mothers day.

I had a great day with mom and spent the afternoon with my sweet wife and we watched rented movies and had lunch and dinner together. She is OK and we told stories and laughed and remembered Jason in special ways. I hope your mothers day was as good as ours....Jeff Nutter in Birmingham, Alabama.

Karen's First Mother's Day Without Jason

We lost Jason Chrisawn almost a year ago, June 18th, 2004. He was a depressed and troubled young man that at his darkest hour, chose to take his own life. He was 33. His mom misses him this special day, the first Mother's Day without her one son, Jason Chrisawn.

Karen is made of pretty tough stuff and has weathered the emotional storm of this tragic lost sometimes better than I have. I only knew Jason for 15 years but saw him grow up from graduating from Fishburne High School to an accomplished businessman and welder, working all over the US. We thought he had found his niche even though he had bouts with depression that warranted us driving or flying some distance to get him to a doctor and get him on antidepresants.

I don't have or truly understand what they call "chronic depression" except that it is bad and you have to take something for it all your life. The downside to Jason was he would get to feeling better or OK and then get off his medication. Then he would make the slow descent back into that dark place we would find him where he literally could not take care of himself. That is the nature of depression as I understand it and when we found him a year ago, we could not find any bottles where he had refilled his prescriptions or the ones we sent him in the mail.

Jason was working in NC for Catapillar and we really thought he had found a true home with less travel involved. He had rented a house and had a room mate to help him with the expense and we visited him a time or two there outside Old Fort, NC. But people with depression can deceive you and pretend to be OK when they truly are not. They talk just like you and I are talking right now and you would never know the low place they had reached when they truly wanted to assure you they were OK. That was Jason's ilk, and he was the best at it.

The day he took his life, he called all of us on his cell phone and talked for a time, and with me about his truck and getting it fixed with the money I had sent him. He talked of work and what he was building for Catapillar, building a new type work station at each of the points on the assembly line and how happy the people were with his ideas about how the work stations should be. He (like his father in law) could build anything if they saw it once. It was truly a gift!

But one day his house of cards came crashing down when he got a ticket for a moving violation (which we found later) and we feel he was just afraid of the consequences and the possibilty of having missed a court date, of having to pay a big fine and/or some time in jail. We will never know the real answer!

He chose a day to call all his friends and family and talked about everything he was doing and how rosey his life was. This was his own way of deceiving himself and of course us, of how he really was. He then made the pain go away. He was 33.

Jason, we love you and miss you this Mother's day. We have a memorial for you Saturday June 18th, 2005 at Northminister Presbyterian Church in Hickory, NC. We will remember you again in this way. "We Love You!"..."And miss you!"
Dad Jeff and Mom Karen

Caring and What a Day is Like!

I am the primary caregiver of my 90 year old mom and I sometimes wonder about what all it takes and does anyone know or really care. I guess as long as I do this, no one has to care or think about her? Do they think their mom, grandmother, sister, or aunt is still taking care of themselves? They can rationalize all the reasons for not visiting or caring but they would have a difficult time convincing me. If you have read this far, let me stress that I do this because I WANT TO! I read somewhere that if you live long enough you are an adult once, but a child twice. Well said.

I will use this last Thursday as a typical day. I have a pm paid caregiver that comes in about 2:00pm to relieve me each day, but she is not their mom nor is it their house. So, that said, things go undone or unseen? I drive 52 miles roundtrip and back in the driveway so if we do get to go on a trip, the car is at the base of her ramp so she can get in easily. I look at the front porch and there are not one but two newspapers. I walk to the mailbox and there are two days of mail as I had to work all day the previous day and that is the one day I did not go to moms.

The garbage had picked up and I pulled the garbage can to mom's rear deck and opened the rear door to her home and got a trash liner to go in the can. All the lights are out in the house this morning and the first two lamps I tried would not work? The one in the kitchen had a bulb out and the one on her desk was unplugged from the wall. Humm? I wake mom and put some water on for her coffee and check on the linen closet where the bulbs are kept. The door is inoperable as someone has pulled the knob off and the inside knob has falled into the closed closet. Luckily I have enough larceny in me to able to 'loid' the door open and with my swiss army knife, put the handles back of the door. After replacing the bulb in the kitchen, I checked both of mom's bathrooms and wipe down everything with clorox cleanup and make sure she has plenty of TP paper she calls it, and change out her towels in each. Time flys when you are having a good time...

I check the mail and she has three bills to pay and SS has direct deposited her check, so these need paying plus balancing her checkbook. I get the eggs, bacon, bread, margarine out and set the table for two and start her breakfast. Mom is moving around but a little slow this am but I talk to her while I work and encouage her to come and watch Judge Joe's Justice on the 13 inch color TV in her breakfast room. I have to hunt for a clean apron as that is a must for her to do anything! Soon she is sitting at the table and looking for a place to put her purse which is her 'comfort blanket'. I soon have hot breakfast on both our plates along with hot coffee and OJ. But we always say the prayer my dad said when we were kids growing up at that very table so many years ago.

I soon finish my repass with her and get her checkbook and the bills and clear my side of the table to work while sitting with my mom. I paid the bills and luckily the checkbook balanced to the penny. I needed that. Mom had not finished her breakfast but I talk to her about taking her to the beauty shop at 1:30pm. I went to her closet and Peggy (caregiver) had washed a gray two piece suit for her to wear. I put all this out on her bed to remove any confusing about what to wear. I talk to mom about what she was to wear and I had placed it on her bed. I then made a grocery list and left to get her groceries and be back at least 30 minutes before we needed to leave.

I am back with her groceries within an hour but know to check where mom is in the process of dressing. It did not happen. She was asleep in the chair in her room across from her bed. I waked her and reminded her about the beauty shop and soon she was moving toward getting dressed. I finished getting the groceries out of the car and put them in her cabinets. I check on her again and she has picked out another top out of her closet. I help her get the right top on and she soon finishes on her on. While she is dressing, I get her medicine out of a lock box I put in the house and fix her day keepers of each medication she takes after each meal. I put these in a secure place the other caregivers know about so mother will get her Rx on a regulated and timely basis.

I help her out of the house and down the ramp and into the car and put her cane in the rear of the car. She loves the ride and remarks about how blue the sky is, or how green everything looks this spring. We have a 15 minute ride together and I turn off the radio so she and I can talk. We get to the beauty shop and she has short wait as they are as busy as ever. Two hours almost to the second, she is finished and ready to go. I pay Janet and make an appointment for her for next week.

I always call Peggy's cell phone when we leave the beauty shop or just before so she will be there when we get home. We get back home and I again back up the driveway and help mom into the house. She always looks better and seems to feel better after one of these outings. We all sit in the den and Peggy had done the dishes and mopped the kitchen so mom did not need to walk on a wet floor. This gave me a chance to give Peggy an update of how mom was doing, if she had had her medicine and when she ate last and how much. This too gives Peggy to tell me of any concerns she has observed the last day or two taking care of mom in the pm.

The best part of this adventure is when I tell mom goodbye at about 4:30pm, she always ask "when are you coming back?" "Tomorrow mom, and I will call you and fix your breakfast". She always says "Tell Karen I love her and drive carefully going home!".....That was my day, and it was a good day! How was yours? Jeff

May 1st Children's Sabbath

If you visit my site you know the 1st Presbyterian Church in Bessemer is my home church and plays a big part in my life. This last Sunday was special, very special in building some very nice memories and reminding me of memories of too long ago. I raised two boys in this church and Sunday was the "Children's Sabbath".

The youngest to the oldest all took part in the entire service. The children's choir opened the service accommpanied by our 5 octive handbell choir. Their little sweet voices rang out not the least bashful in standing before the congregation. It began with two children lighting the candles on the alter table. Then a child lead the congregation in an opening prayer. Two other young people did the annoucements sharing this part of the opening of our service.

I am an usher the month of May and we had 4 young people with us to mentor as they served as usher. Two other young men in the cutest suits served as greeters welcoming everyone into the church. The young usher handed out the bulletins and each wore the buttoniers that the adult ushers would normally wear. I was fortunate enough to make that decision and what a good one it was. You should have been there to see their faces when I pinned that red carnation on their shirt, sweater, or suit. They were so proud.

The four assigned ushers stood behind the youngesters when we went down to take up the offering. The had watched this done before and all I did was stand behind my young man and give him support and guidance. They did fine and at the end walked ahead of us to the alter table to dedicate these offereing to God. They returned to the rear of the church just as instucted but were glad it was over and they ran to the pews were they joined their family.

It was a nice experience to be there that Sunday to be a part of our future church. The young people are so important to train and teach as God instucted all of us to do. He also said to be careful not to let one of these little ones to stumble. I hope HE is smiling right now at our effort this last Sunday. I can only hope so!
Jeff

I Can See Daylight In My Garage!

My phone rang yesterday afternoon about 5:15pm. "Darling, where are you?"...My reply "I'm at home, are you on your way?".."Yes, but where is your car?...(long pause).."Jeff, it is in the garage, you DID IT! The first time in 13 years a car has been in the garage, how nice!..I'll be right in."

Yes Jeff finished the garage cleanup and neat up it has needed for over a decade! I was determined to sort through years of 'stuff' no one had looked at or will miss in over 10 years. This is not an easy task as the kids did leave some toys and memoriabilia that I do need to save for them. I had to go through numerous packing boxes and make a determination as to what they might want to save.

I still have several boxes of my sons Jason and Chris to go through. These have some toys like matchbook cars, star wars figures, and high school papers where they both wrote articles at different times at Vestavia High School. Jason discovered early that 'girls' worked on the VHHS newspaper so this was a good way to learn some social skills that only come with experience. It was nice to see him (and Chris) during these times in HS and working with young ladies on the paper. These Newspapers and Newsletters I am trying to sort and save for them.

The car looks good in the garage and I don't have to worry about tree sap or someone damaging it especially at night. I turn on the perimeter alarm on the house and can now forget about my newer car. And it will be clean and dry when I leave for work this morning. We will enjoy this too this summer as the car will be cool when we leave on a trip or just driving here in town. And come winter, frost and ice will be forgotten.

OK, OK now close this 'bugger' and get on with an interesting story. But you don't realize what an accomplishment this is or was for me. To see the car in our garage gives me a nice feeling I have not had in a long time..But that is ME!