“To set before mankind the common sense of the matter, in terms so plain and distinct, as to command their assent”
Thomas Jefferson

“To see if somewhere there isn’t something left in life of charm and grace.”
Rhett Butler

I was born in Jan. of 1950. I have seen half of one century and a tenth of another. I have seen the strong survive and the weakling go to the wall. I have seen the strongmans’ strength fail and the powerless, against all reason, prevail. I have had both feet in the grave, several times, and lived on. I have had the thing that I feared most come full upon me, and leave me with nothing left to fear. I have learned the difference between trash and treasure, and how easily one can pass for the other. I have acquired a fundamental philosophy of life: God is perfect, NOTHING – ELSE – IS.

I have worked most of my life as a carpenter; it is a trade I learned on my father’s knee. I like to say that I’ve eaten more meals off a pile of lumber than I have off a table. Construction has taught me one lesson among many; before you knock a wall down, you’d better know what it’s holding up, because that is coming down with it.