Our retired neighbor that lives across the street is starting to get to work on his backyard swimming pool, since it won’t be long until people are wanting to take a swim and cool off from the heat of the day. He was looking at new swimming pool liners to use this season as well as a new pool cover. I haven’t talked to him in a while to see if he was successful in finding all the pool supplies that he needs and if he needs any help with anything to get it ready. He is a really nice fellow and always extends an invitation to the neighbors to come and enjoy his pool, which we have done a few times a years since he had it built. It is a very nice pool that he takes much pride in and he certainly deserves it after working hard in the E.R. in town for so long. We are certainly blessed with good neighbors.

Having grown up wearing itchy scratchy wool, and being told that wool comes from sheep, I never would have thought that any sheepskin products would feel so terrific. But they really are soft, and add some cushioning to the seat that can really spoil you. In years past I have bought a variety of other kids of seat covers, trying to make the seat more comfortable, and to protect the seat from being ripped by kids and pets, but those have always been very utilitarian in nature. Now that the kids have grown, however, maybe the next time I’m in the market for a new seat cover I’ll take another look at sheepskin.

I should be getting a decent amount of cash back in the next couple of weeks from doing my taxes and I could use some of that money to buy a new wetsuit, but there are so many other things that I really need and want. So I think I should start watching what I eat and get off of my butt and get some more exercise, it seems to be the best idea all the way around.

We spent most of our childhood summers playing in that wonderful river water, swimming, diving, boating, fishing, water skiing, tubing, crabbing and any other type of water activity that we could think of. The only problem was the darned jellyfish that would come out towards the end of July, all most every year. Getting stung was a real bummer and we would go to great lengths in order not to get stung, but it was inevitable no matter what we did. The only real way not to get stung was to go to the private pool that my folks paid the hefty membership dues for so that we could be in the nettle free water that we so enjoyed whenever possible.

Back in the real world when we were not down there by the river we would nag our parents endlessly to please buy a pool for us and our friends to use in the back yard, but they were not having anything to do with that idea. They really were not interested in finding and purchasing all of the pool supplies and all of the numerous pool accessories that go along with owning, operating and maintaining your own residential pool, besides the liability issues that kids just don’t understand. Instead of a pool in the area that would have been perfect for a pool we ended up with a garden that kept us busy with all the weeding and all the other hard labor that a good sized vegetable garden requires. At least we learned the value of a home garden full of all kinds of wonderful fruits and veggies that we enjoyed all year round thanks to my mother’s large freezer in the basement that was always over flowing with the fruits of our labor.

She worked so hard going back to school while raising her twin sons and getting her degree in nursing. She never planned on working, but when her husband suddenly passed away leaving her on her own with the two boys she had no other choice and we are all so proud of her. The whole family pitched in to help her get this far, but that is what family is for. The twins were passed around from relative to relative for a good while there, but actually I think it all worked out for the best since the twins are now so very close with many relatives that I really don’t think they would have been if not for all the baby sitting duties that were necessary to get her where she is today.

I know that she reads this blog from time to time, so I’d like her know how proud we all are of her and to let her know that we will all be there for her and her kids when ever she needs us. Being an uncle is more fun than I ever expected and I look forward to teaching the boys football, baseball, soccer, what ever they want and need from me, anything other then changing their diapers!

They all ready have had Direct TV for some time now and we were all in a state of shock when we went over there to find Dad kicking back watching one of the many sport channels that they offer their subscribers. He finally threw away the old rabbit ears and joined the billions of people that are now be offered more channels than they could ever want or need.

Now they are looking into finding a good home security system to have installed in their home. There have been a rash of home break ins in their neighborhood and it has got them a bit spooked. Of course Dad is sure that his shot gun can take care of anyone breaking into the house, but Mom has talked him into using more modern and legal methods. So they went online and typed in “home security huntsville” and came up with a few options that they are now seriously looking into.

These are all good positive things that are going on with them and I’m really proud of both of them.

There are so many reasons to switch to Satellite TV these days. A good site to find information like this can be found at Alliedsatellitetv.com. I’ve bookmarked the site in order to show my folks all the pluses that will go along with their new subscription that comes with free equipment for them to use in the various rooms that they have their TVs in. I’m sure that once they get used to it they will appreciate all the qualities that Direct TV has to offer. It’s not getting any easier to find gifts to give them for all the gift giving holidays that come throughout the year that they will use and enjoy in their “golden years”!

I am currently recording every episode of Friday Night Lights on my DVR. This season is the final season of FNL, and I want to be sure to catch every episode. I’m constantly re-watching old episodes, and my DVR helps me to do that in a convenient way. It is user-friendly, and it helps me keep track of all my recordings by the name of the show and the date on which it was recorded. I record FNL on Wednesday nights on the 101 Network via my TV Sports in HD.

Friday Night Lights is constantly rejuvenating itself. It has graduated the entire original cast of high schoolers, and it’s still as interesting and entertaining as it ever was. During the past two years, it has introduced several new and exciting characters. Vince Howard and Becky Sproles are my favorite new characters. Vince is a tough kid from a tough neighborhood. He started out running from the law, and now he’s a star quarterback being recruited by top universities. Becky grew from an annoying character at the beginning of last season into a likeable girl with true-to-life problems. Her pseudo-romance with Tim Riggins was believable, and it made me sad when he went off to prison last year. Now she’s being romanced by Luke Cafferty, another guy I can’t help but root for.