My Father In The Mirror!!

Sunday July 27, 2008: 10:30am

Good morning my family and casual reader,

Thinking about my father this morning and losing him when I was very young. I was a junior in college, only 22 years old and my dad has a heart attach and dies unexpectedly. My dad was only 63, and now I am 70 1/2 and think now I have lived almost 8 years longer than he did!

I guess I took after my mom, who lived to 92, 40 plus years living without a husband. I continue to be puzzled about my life and this morning reflecting on all the things my father instilled in me as a child and a young man. I miss him even now, some 40 plus years later, sometimes like it was only yesterday.

But my dad was a wonderful father and gave me so many things I did not realize then, but are evident in how I have lived my life.

He loved his family, his wife, and his children and I try each day to immulate him.
He cooked and served his family breakfast and coffee to mom in bed. I do to.
He was handy with is hands, loved repairing things and making the most of thing.
He kept his family safe and guarded them in every way.
He knew the family of faith and kept us trained in how He wants us to live.
He was thrify, not knowing he was a Scot, and it came naturally.
He gave to others in need, but did not make them dependent on him, gifts not loans.
He handled finances well, knew good business practices and how honesty is a MUST.
He believed a man's word was his bond and a handshake was the only promise needed.
He loved pets, took in the strays, healed them and made them whole again.
He taught me the art of fishing and boating as a child, so I joined the Coast Guard.
He loved the military and instilled in me that this discipline early was essential.
He loved his Church, his ministers and served as I do when asked to.
He taught us boys all the disciples we needed and made us enjoy this order in life.
He told us he would love us always, even when grown, we would always be his children.
He loved openly, and unembarresed to show that love in his everyday life.
He discarded things that were negaitives in life, and made the positive our targets.
He taught us every skills in the importance of hard work and we grew to expect it.
He made work a love not just a means to an end and to do our best always.
He conforted us when hurt and gave us love abundantly to change us everyday.
He made friends so easily and everyone loved him in return.
He rarely showed anger, only when someone obviously wronged him, but soon discarded.
He was not a rich man in money and things but stressed the inportant things in life.
His wisdom kept us safe and helped us not to make mistates in our lives.
He read the Bible to us each morning or evening helping us understand the scriptures.
He loved the Psalms and we kept these to heart as they leaded each of us.
He was a good man and I know he is looking down on me and guiding me each day.

What a wonderful father Jefferson B. Nutter, Sr. was to his first son. They named me after him and even today I sign my name with Jr. after my name and think of him each time I sign something. Thanks dad for teaching me everything. I just told Karen I am not batting 1,000 in living up to him, but I try each day to be a better man and father. HE DID!

Jeff Nutter, "JR."

Old Age is a Gift!

Old Age, I decided, is a gift

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggyeyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love .. I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set .
They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)


MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!
MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER!


FRIENDS FOREVER!

Adrenalin Rush!!!

July 24, 2008: noon

Dear friend, visitor and casual reader,

This is a narrative about a trip we recently made, an emergency trip to Hickory, North Carolina, USA to visit my in-laws. 980 miles later and 2 days, I am still recovering from almost 20 hours behind the wheel of my car. Now how do I begin?

Last Thursday we got a call from Karen's mom that her dad collapes at home unable to get off the floor and an ambulance trip to Frye Memorial Hospital ER. Bob had developed a bad bladder infection that upon arrival was 104.5 degrees fahrenheit. He was a sick puppy, trying to fight this at home, but unsuccessfully.

The call was not, or did not seem like an emergency, yet how can you not worry. They admitted him, but Thursday pm, he developed pnemonia with a high fever and feeling really bad. Juanita discouraged our driving up from Birmingham, Alabama, assuring us he would be alright. But things have a way of changing.

Friday morning Karen called and he was having a tough time fighting these two infections and Juanita was staying until 8:00pm at the hospital. Karen called me and we immediately started making plans to hit the road. But I was in a vunerable mode, as my car had been in a Ford dealership for repair for 5 days and I was driving a 2008 Taurus rental. What now?

I was in Birmingham at a company breakfast and called Ford and said I was on the way to get ready. I got there about noon and fortuately they had made the necessary warrantied repairs and 'they' felt my car was OK for a 1,000 mile roundtrip to NC. The cars engine I found out, had a recall on the computer/engine/transmission sensors that was causing the car to break down. The advisor went to the shop and it started and all the 'new' on board sensors said it was OK. Both the advisor and my salesman gave me their personal cell phone numbers in caase it broke down. Was that a vote of confidence? I was doubtful.

I dashed home and Karen had the bags on the bed and she was packed and I was in 30 minutes. We packed light, loaded the car, and started the 460 mile trip through Georgia, north through South Carolina to their home in 7 1/2 hours. Juanita was still up when we got there at about 11:30 EDT. It was a short night and we were up at 7:00am, and off to see about Bob.

The next 4 days we were in and out of the hospital everyday spelling Juanita as she was beginning to show the signs of wear. We had our meals in the cafeteria, but it has much room for improvements on the menu. It was pizza Saturday night and hitting the sack again, an another short night. Sunday we were there at 8:30/9:00am and Bob had gotten out of bed, pulled his IV's out and was dressed at 2:00am at the elevator to go home. Bad reaction to a sleeping pill they gave him.

Sunday his temperature hovered above normal, with antibiotics piggybacked trying to beat back the pneumonia and infections. We stayed each night to nearly 6:00pm, and Karen cooked Sunday night making for us one of our favourite dishes, a nice treat for the weary.

Monday was a better day, but they had again gave him the sleeping pill we told them to put NO on his chart? But Bob's temperature now was normal and had been for over 24 hours, a good sign. The doctor came in after lunch and said we could take him home. Yeah!

Monday afternoon after getting him settled, we got all the shopping lists from Juanita and Karen and I set out in their car. We filled it with much needed gas, shopped for groceries, picked up him prescriptions, and bought some fresh vegetables like homegrown tomatoes and peaches to help his diet.

We had warmed over Karen's dishes with some veggies she fixed and all 4 of us had dinner together for the first time. Bob slept fitfully Monday night but still no fever. We slept a little better, slept a little later, and had a great breakfast Juanita made, one of her delicicies and a pot of fresh ground coffee, strong in my favor. Bob ate fairly well but getting him to hydrate with H2O is a battle.

Karen put some clothes in the washer and did 2 runs as we had only packed for 3 days and were wearing the cleanest dirty clothes. Our medicines too we running out but we both packed an extra day or two just in case. We planned to get away by 9:00 but it was 10:00 before leaving. We bid them goodbye with hopes this time for Bob now has him on his way to being whole again.

Our drive back home was almost terrible, hitting bad weather, accidents and finally I detoured off to sit this out and have dinner at a Waffle house somewhere west of Atlanta, Ga. We did do some needed shopping at Commerce, the factory outlets north of Atlanta, and a needed break in our long trip.

It was 8:30pm CDT before arriving at home and 9:30 before getting unpacked, baths, and finally rest and bed. Almost 8 hours going up, and 11 hours coming back, a much tiring time with me driving the entire trip. Surprisingly the car did fine, even at times getting over 31 mpg, a surprise running the AC the entire trip up and back. The temperature was always over 90 degrees and a code orange making our days hot and sweaty. The fresh clothes we had on felt good, now not offending anyone!

I am off today, the second day after this driving trek, my legs and body aching enduring the restrictions of driving the whole way. I have called Juanita and Bob both yesterday and today and he is doing well, getting stronger everyday. They said they were going to the library today, another good sign Bob is back to himself again.

I share this with you, and maybe lets me know Jeff is a pretty good husband and as Bob said "a strong addition to the family!". Thanks Bob, that made everything now just a little easier!!! Have a blessed day....

Jeff the Knutt in the Ham (BirmingHAM), Al, USA

Ford Recall 2004/05 V6 24 Valve Engines

July 17,2008

Subject: A CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) 2004 Taurus Ford

How do I start telling about somewhat of a problem vehicle I bought in April 2005, a 2004 Taurus Ford V6 24-valve DOC (Double Overhead Cam) engine. I have now owned this car just over 3 years, putting 35,000 miles on it. But let me tell you the bigger story.

The car was beautiful when I bought it, paying $13,995 for a 9 month old car with 18,100 miles. It was pristine in appearance, looked just like the $21,000-$22,000 brand new ones sitting on the lot. It appeared to have owned by someone who took good care of it, garage kept, beautiful throughout.

I only had one early problem, and that was sensors giving me erratic alarms from time to time that I addressed with the dealer. They checked everything, reset the on-board computer and everything worked great. Still no big problem until maybe a month later, I noticed some transmission fluid on my garage floor.

I called them, they said drive it slowly, about 20 miles, back to the dealer and they again said they could not find a leak. The next months, this was leak would come and go and again each time takng it back to the dealer. I voiced my concern over this telling them this was there problem!

It was about a year of going back and forth that a new assistant service manager found the defective transmission valve that needed replacing and the problem now seems to be solved. But more problems seem to pop up. Now I am getting the error messages and alarms and even a dead battery causing a wrecker to take my car to the dealer.

The drain on the battery, I am told was a dead battery, and I paid about $130.00 for a new battery Christmas a year ago. But again and again, I am finding my car with a dead battery and again a day lost and towing my car to the dealer. If my records are correct, the car as of today, has been towed to the dealer and it now has the 3rd battery (NC) in the car.

Monday I am dressed for work and a doctor appointment and it is dead AGAIN! Even with all the work they have done, and replacing batteries and checking all the electronic, it is dead a door nail. I am dring a new 2008 Taurus, my 6th or 8th rental over this car being in the dealership. One time they had the car 9 days and tomorrow will be the 5th day on this downtime!

Now they tell me, "Jeff, there has been an electrical-computer recall on all 2004/2005 Ford and Mercury automobile with the V6 24 valve engine". They have changed out and/or reprogrammed everything on board but want to check the car repeatedly each day that it will start and do they have the problem(s) solved.

They, my saleman, and service advisor, has called me repeatedly to let me know they are working on my car but keep the rental until they are sure it is NOW OK! Now can I trust this car to take vacation trips of 1,000 to 1,200 mile round trips into the Carolina mountains with they hanging over me.

I have the 1 to 2 inch file of all the receipts and checkups and wreckers and rentals and do I want them to NOW finally replace my thought dependable car?
Comments are welcome and I will post news as we speak.

Jeff the Knutt in the Ham (BirmingHAM), Al, USA

OUR USA HONORED

 
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Independence Day to ME!

July 10, 2008

It is now 6 days after we celebrated our independence and celebrated the lives of all those who served and preserved the freedoms we all enjoy. I come from a military background with great grandparents who fought for our independence, fought in our revolutionary war, fought with Mexico, WWI, WWII, Korean Conflict, Vietnam, and now in Iraq.

Dad was a 'flying seargent and test pilot in WWI. Dad was notified to serve in WWII but worked for Purina Mills deemed a 'critical service' to our war effort and was given a deferment to help supply beef, pork and chicken to our troops.

Uncle Bill (Navy), Enoch (Army), and Walter (Navy) fought in the pacific and Enoch in Europe, and Enoch was a POW (Oflagg 47) for 13 months during our war with Hitler's machine. He escaped on a death march when the allies were pushing the Germans back into Germany. Early on his return home, he told me stories to this child of his being wounded and cared for by his comrades in arms and finally the German doctors.

Bill and Walter served on troop ships and on a destroyer in the pacific, keeping Nippon off our western shore. They too were bombed and shelled and spent may a day and night under fire in the Pacific. Bill made 1st Class Petty office and Walter 3rd
Class.

Enoch was a commissioned reserved at the onset of the Korean war, and volunteered, and served in Georgia and Kentucky as a gunnery officer training our recruits going to Korea. So my father and Uncle Enoch served in not one but TWO wars. Uncle Jim G. went to Korea at age 17, went all the way to the Yalu River in North Korean and withstood the onslaught of the Chinese went they pushed the US and our allies back almost into the sea. He then fought all the way to the 38th parellel and was on operation Wineglass, a hold at all cost operation where he and one other were the only survivors.

Yours truly volunteered for the Coast Guard in the early peace time of the early 60's, serving here at multiple bases from Yorktown, Va, Cape May New Jersey, the CG cutter Unimac, and finally advanced training school in Groton, Conneticut, across from the Norfolk, VA submarine base. During the 2nd Berlin crisis and the blockade of the Russians putting ballistic missiles in Cuba, I served at an Air-Sea rescue base in Corpus Christi, Texas. Then as a reservist serving here in Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama as a port securtiy petty officer 3rd Class.

The Vietnam War came and I had a family and they were early on only sending single Coast Guard regulars and reservist to pilot our Marines and Army combatants up the rivers into Vietnam. I lost several of my unit who were killed as pilots on these boats that went repeatedly into hostile territory, exposing themselves to hails of enemy gunfire muliple times. My best friend moved to Pensacola and his unit was activated and he too was lost in the Vietnam War.

A close friend I graduated from high school with went to flight school in the Navy, did an 18 month tour flying fighter planes off an aircraft carrier in Vietnam. He came home, reenlisted and was shot down on his first sortee off the same carrier. He was wounded, captured, and was held captive in Hanoi for 5 1/2 years of torture.

So you see my albums and pictures I tresure are adorned with ribbons, badges, insignia, collar and hat pins, from several different wars. Which do I treasure most or mean the most to me. My father's pictures from WWI and his collar and hat pin signifying a 'flying sergeant'! Uncle Enoch's 'collar pins and captain's bars' and even his 'olive handkerchief' he carried as a soldier in Europe and as a POW.

My connections are real. My connections have names and places and faces and stories of these men sharing thier 'real stories' of what fighting for our INDEPENDENCE is all about. There is more, lots more but this tells you, my gentle and kind reader, of this man and what our INDEPENDENCE is and what it means to ME.

Jeff the Knutt in the Ham (BirmingHAM, Al, the United States of America

Central Coast Evan

July 8, 2008 pm

Dear kind and gentle reader,

Can you say you may know someone you have never met? Can you say you may know someone you have not even talked to him on the phone. I am in the southeastern part of the US and Evan lives in Californina. Worlds apart, yet I feel I know him or at least call him my friend.

This website is all the hardwork of Evan, creating all the characters designed after one picture I sent him and he went from there. All the features of my side, the site counter, color, tabs are all due to Evan. How can you never meet someone and they do this all for you.

He did it because he wanted to. I met Evan stickly by chance, where it was clicking from blog to blog, looking for something of quality and imagination to read and enjoy. His blog captured me and I did what most do if they like something and that is tell the owwer so.

Evan and I began to email each other and shared our lives and stories. Soon I was looking forward alway when I logged on, to find a post from Evan and there he was. He challenged me to write, to post pictures, and to share stories of my life. I did not know Jeff the Knutt in the Ham was capable of doing some of the things you may find or read on this blog.

Evan's ideas, his beliefs, his faith, his family, all was shared good and bad and we each welcomed the others email or post. He sent cards to my now passed mother, sent her artwork in the form of greeting cards, remembering birthdays and holidays and my mom loved me flipping through her album and showing her these unusual and thoughtful gifts.

Lately Evan took some real interest in upgrading my site and he ask if he could make further changes. He asked what features I might enjoy and when you open my blog, all that is Evan! All Evan! Oh, I take credit for a few post, but not nearly as insightful and yes not where I agreed with him but loved the spear making me think or examine my belief.

Ev now says he is retiring from writing on his blogspot and as to why, I am not the one to tell you. He closed out his blog with a disappointing story about how we, the world,and/or readers and writers are and in most cases, in some degree, I am guilty. But I trained men in my work and soon I found a tool that made them think about who they are and who they want to become. Like Evan, I challenged these men's beliefs and practices and if they really thought those traits were helping them on a path of success.

If Ev did one thing for me as I hope he did for you and that was to make us think. Not follow the path following someone else's footsteps, but blazing a trail all your own. I believe life is truly an adventure and so many things we are challenged with do not have easy solutions nor come with blueprints.

Evan if you read this, know this. Karen ask what I was doing and I brought your last post up and she read it. She too, will miss you but we certainly respect your decision. Karen said "Tell Evan I send my love". (Ev, she does not tell anyone that unless she means it.)

I did not use last names or even the name of your blogspot as that is yours. I just wanted to post something to let you know these Knutts in the Ham will truly miss you. Good luck Evan!

6.2 Neuton Battery Lawnmower

Tuesday July 1, 2008: am

Good morning friends and family,

I got something I purchased the first of June Friday, a fully capable, cordless, battery powered 19" lawnmower. I read about this and did my research and thought I would give this big boy a workout.

It is about 2/3 the weight of my 4.5 Briggs and Stratton gasoline mower it is replacing. I removed the 36 Volt battery and charged it 18 hours before Karen
and I attacked my yard Saturday morning.

Quiet, light weight, powerful, 36V 6.2Amp = 223 watts of power, and hums like a top.
The mower has great safty features with runs only when you depress the two releases below you fingers on the handle. Not like a gas mower that runs all the time pumping carbon into the air, the DC engine only runs when you need it or actual cutting grass.

It is advertised to mow for 45 minutes to an hour, running a 19" blade and collecting all the clippings into the discharge bag you attach. I have a 70 foot front, leading back about 100 feet, measuring 130 across the back. This, I guess is a medium size yard, or maybe average and cuts it without so much as a hiccup in about an hour.

Real time, or mowing time is when the motor is "actually" running. When you make your turns or run off the edge onto the drive or walkway, you release the handle and the motor stop immediately. If you know anything about the engineering of a DC powered motor, you get instant power upon starting.

The mower is well designed, low profile, light and as I have said quite powerful. It has a battery life indicator on the handle reading left to right in red/yellow/green with the indicator at full charge at the far right of the green area. In the hour or so I actually mowed the yard, it never got into the yellow! After finishing the front and side yards, I took it to the back and trimmed around my walkway and into a 200 ftx2 area approaching my deck and walk. It never even
got into the yellow when I finally finished almost 2 total hours of working in the yard, mowing maybe 35 to 45 minutes in real time.

I dusted it off. Pulled it into the garage. Attached the charger and now ready to do some more mowing in the back yard and edging the driveway and walk when Jeff recovers from this exercise last Saturday.

The Neuton mower did or better than advertised, and I now do not have to buy $4.00 plus a gallon gasoline and I think I will park my gas mower at the curb for the first taker or the garbage man. The gas one I bought before I moved here in 1976, with a briggs and stratton engine that performed like a champ for over 33 years and i guess time to retire.

I have some attachments for the new mower coming, a trimmer, edger, extra battery and blade, and a sharpener. The Oregon manufacturer told me they were 6 to 8 weeks behind filling orders so I was lucky to get just the mower and bagger as early as I did. I think it was about $350.00 and with all the other I bought, comes to just over $450.00 with free shipping.

It has a 6 months money back guarantee so I kept the box, broke it down, and stored in my garage. I will give it a further test and lets see if Jeff can outlast just one charge on the battery? When I get the 2nd battery, I may go into the lawn care business!!HA!

Jeff the Mower in the Ham