Jackson wanted to help Daddy Paint the Garage

This way, I kept his Mother happy and made sure he didn't get clothes dirty.

If you think this looks bad, you should have seen it before the stitches.

Yesterday afternoon at school Jackson fell onto a railroad tie face first. There was a lot of blood we were told, along with some pretty stressed out teachers. Jackson kept a clear head through the whole thing. There was even a moment, his teacher (Dawn) told us, when she knew he realized the blood that was all over him was his coming from him. Dawn was concerned he might go into shock, but said he stayed focus and kept his head better than the room that was swarming around him.

Jackson went to the Emergency Room after Mom was called in. Dad was called from the hospital. The "gash" was about 1/4 deep, an inch long, and a little over an 1/8 inch wide. My son looked as if he had 2 sets of lips. You could see the fat tissue clearly - it was what protected the structure of his face after the skin gave way.

Jackson maintained his composure in the hospital and through the anesthetic. They soaked gauze in the local and taped it to his face for an hour to numb the area.

The stitches took about 15 minutes and were worst part. For children under a certain age, they use restraints (They look like a spider's meal when there wrapped). We placed Jackson onto a contour board, his hands down to side, and velcro straps wrapped his body. Now, if you could imagine this Kafka-like experience: Your completely restrained in a strange hospital room with your own father holding your hands in place, a strange man has you head held down, you've had your face numbed and the local had gotten into your mouth reaching your tongue, medical cloths get laid all around your head, and out of only one eye all you can do is watch as a strange doctor surgically alters your face.

Yes, he screamed. He begged Dad for release with a voice that will haunt Dad for years. He squirmed and shook and demanded to be let go right now!!!!!!!!!!!! Then we told him he could watch cartoons on the overhead monitor and all he cared about was that Dad's head was in the way. When the switches were finished, he popped out of the restraints, hugged Mom, demanded a piece of gum, and went back to watching cartoons. Then we went home.

Other than that few minutes, Jackson has been fairly oblivious to what has happened to him. Thank the Lord for that. His parents, on the other hand, after putting him to bed and calling family and teachers had a several stiff drinks.

He's going to be a fry cook on Venus

On Sunday, following our Mother's Day dining festivities, we stopped at the neighborhood Sutherland's store to purchase some whatnot for the yard and to walk around and window shop.

We took a spin through the planting area and passed a bulk display of water wands. These immediately caught Jackson's attention and he went over to check them out. Our son took hold of one just below the nozzle, pulled it towards his face, and yells into it:

Ladies & Gentleman...

Boys and Girls...

Presenting, ...the Circus!

(He then points to the additional customers entering the area. It was a scream.)

Lawn Mowing Ballett

After helping me mow our yard, Jackson wasn't quite satisfied and decided to help our neighbor (and his friend) Ron finish his yard.

You know your a Redneck when...

1. You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.
2. You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter.
3. Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.
4. You burn your yard rather than mow it.
5. You think "The Nutcracker" is something you do off the high dive.
6. The Salvation Army declines your furniture.
7.You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don't want it.
8. You have the local taxidermist on speed dial.
9. You come back from the dump with more than you took.
10. You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table.
11. Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat.
12. Your grandmother has "ammo" on her Christmas list.
13. You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.
14. You've been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
15. You go to the stock car races and don't need a program.
16. You know how many bales of hay your car will hold.
17. You have a rag for a gas cap.
18. Your house doesn't have curtains, but your truck does.
19. You wonder how service stations keep their rest-room's so clean.
20. You can spit without opening your mouth.
21. You consider your license plate personalized because your father made it.
22. Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
23. You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say "Cool Whip" on the side.
24. The biggest city you've ever been to is Wal-Mart.
25. Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.
26. You've used your ironing board as a buffet table.
27. A tornado hits your neighborhood and does $100,000 worth of improvements.
28. You've used a toilet brush to scratch your back.
29. You missed your 5th grade graduation because you were on jury duty.
30. You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65.

As Ward Shank would say, "This is just Bunk."

NCAA declines appeal on Chief Illiniwek

ASSOCIATED PRESS Friday, Apr. 28 2006

The NCAA's executive committee on Friday rejected an appeal by the University of Illinois to continue using its Chief Illiniwek athletic symbol but removed Bradley from a list of schools with imagery the organization deems "hostile" and "abusive."

The ruling means Illinois will not be allowed to host NCAA championship events unless the school drops its long-debated Indian figure, a fixture at the Urbana-Champaign campus since 1926. School officials criticized the ruling and said they would explore what to do next.

Bradley won its appeal to move off the NCAA's list of schools with banned nicknames. The executive committee noted that Bradley dropped its Indian mascot and logos more than a decade ago and now uses only the generic nickname Braves. The committee also said Bradley has demonstrated its ability to provide an environment of diversity, respect and sportsmanship.

The Peoria school will be placed on an NCAA watch list for five years "to assure that circumstances don't change," according to a written statement from the NCAA. Bradley is the first school in the nation to earn that distinction.

"Bradley University has used the Braves name since 1937 and we are pleased that the many generations of Bradley athletes to come will continue to bear that name, representative of the pride and tradition of our university," Bradley president David Broski said in a written statement.

Illinois officials said the university will review its options regarding the executive committee's ruling, which it says will make it difficult for the school to recruit top student-athletes and coaches.

"By branding an 80-year tradition `hostile and abusive,' the NCAA inappropriately defames generations of Illinoisans and University of Illinois supporters," Illinois board of trustees chairman Lawrence Eppley said in a written statement.

Last fall, the university persuaded the NCAA to drop "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" from its list of banned nicknames, but the university appealed again in January after NCAA said it still found Chief Illiniwek hostile and abusive. Illinois officials called the decision "arbitrary and capricious" and criticized the process by which the policy was created.

The NCAA's executive committee also rejected similar appeals Friday from North Dakota and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Friday's actions leave seven of the original 18 schools on the offenders list.

Schools such as Florida State, Central Michigan and the University of Utah were quickly removed after officials submitted written documentation from nearby tribes that demonstrated support to continue using their nicknames.

Officials at North Dakota, nicknamed the Fighting Sioux, initially said Thursday they had the support of the two major Sioux tribes to continue using the name -- an assertion later challenged by a tribal chairman. The committee said Friday it gave more credence to the chairman who said the tribal council didn't approve using the name.

Five schools have changed or agreed to change nicknames. Another school, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., nicknamed The Tribe, has been added to the list after submitting a self-evaluation in October. No decision has been made on that yet.

In the eight months since the NCAA sent the message about what it considered unacceptable American-Indian nicknames, mascots and imagery, nearly all the original 18 listed offenders have filed appeals.