Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Issues on my mind today



Critical issues in today's news and my thoughts.

Gays in the scouts.
I think they should form their own scout organization. I don't object to their existence, but do object to an organization with long standing traditions of honor, respect and loyalty to be subject to other's views of what stands for these tenants.
Let them form their own Gay Boy Scouts of America or Gay Girl Scouts....GBSA or GGSA.
Please stop trying to change what has existed proudly and honorably for so long. Form your own and quit trying to take what belongs to someone else. You think it shouldn't matter, but damn it, it does and always will. Whether it's stated or not, it matters.

Gay Marriage....
I have no objection to gays having all the rights afforded to any other couple or individual. However, when you call it a marriage, it speaks of biblical principals, and if it speaks of those principals it would follow that the church and God almighty sanctions this event. Not so. That will never be the case. I realize that some churches have lent their approval to this issue, but know this.....God hasn't, nor will that day come. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was due to similar behavior.
So much of it is semantics. Call it a civil union  and you have my vote. All rights afforded to any married couple will be given to this union.

Immigration
This is a very difficult issue. I don't blame anyone for seeking the freedom and liberty of this great country. It is strange though that by bending and ignoring the laws and regulations of this great country, it tends to threaten that freedom and liberty for citizens who have fought,  bled and died to protect those rights. It doesn't seem right to turn a blind eye to the law.
Now to the existing situation, but wait it's not just an existing situation, it's a continuing situation. Therefore the fact that it continues tells me that we must stop this flow of illegal's from crossing the border. We must enforce the existing laws and make the penalty severe enough to discourage anyone from attempting to enter the country illegally in the future.
For those existing illegally in this country, a path should be set to grant citizenship if that is what they desire.
I hesitate to use the term amnesty because that would intimate that all is clear and like a baptism they are washed clean of all transgressions. There still needs to be a cost. Mainly because they have stolen something that doesn't rightfully belong to them and in doing so, they denied another person who followed the rules the same opportunity.
Some of these individuals have actually fought and died beside us defending this country and what it stands for. That is an example of and proof of their willingness to give back for what they have taken. There could be some guidelines of community service or some gestures of contrition for having taken something that did not belong to them.
There is much more to this issue and each case would have to be addressed on the  individual circumstances.
And under any circumstances, a person should at least apply for citizenship and take whatever steps are necessary to accomplish this.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Thinking about my Mom today. She had Irish and German roots and always enjoyed St. Patrick's Day.
Dad had some Irish too, but just a little. Anyway traced Mom's ancestry back to old Ireland and a James Gallagher born about 1793.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Swedish Carpenter


Thinking about one of my first employers this morning. I am remembering Carl Johnson, Carpenter contractor from Fontana, Wisconsin... Carl would pronounce his name Yoewnson. Fun memories. 1.50 an hour. Wow, that was 60 dollars a week. I was 17 and strong as a bull. I remember Carl had sent for another bride from Sweden because he had lost his first wife a few years before. She was a very nice blond lady but spoke no English.
There was fellow named Stanley working for him. Carl did a lot of work for S.P. Beers Lumber Company from Walworth and we did a lot of work along the South Shore of Lake Geneva.
Carl drove a powder blue, 1959 Ford pick up. Stick shift and Carl would ride the clutch so much that he would go through a clutch about once a year.
I can still hear his voice the day we were unloading some roofing tear off material. He was just flinging it out of the back of the truck when a piece of shingle caught me in the shoulder. Carl jumped back and said "Yeesus Yohnny, did I hurt ya." Still amuses me to think of it.
Then there was one of my first days and Carl says, "Yohnny yer gonna have ta carry dem shingles and dat feldt on da roof cause Stanley here's got a vooden leg." Well, I laughed and then Carl reached his hammer handle over and tap tapped on the wooden prosthetic that Stanley wore. Stanley had bummed around a bit when he was young and fell under a moving train. Think he use to tip a few back too.
Just a fun memory ya know. Yah, sure you betcha!

Monday, March 11, 2013


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ro_ASHev4

This is a song I wrote and recorded a number of years ago. Thought you might enjoy it. It's difficult to put this video on this site, but I can provide a link to my YouTube page. Hope you enjoy it.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

about me



This was a trip my brother and I took this past September.
This is my very most favorite Great Granddaughter "Super Girl"
Anamosa, Iowa to the JPcycle museum

South rim of the Grand Canyon
I am sending a few messages out and wanted to give anyone a chance to view a profile more in depth. And to post a few recent pictures.

Profile

I love my home

I am a retired carpenter.... Have done a lot of interesting things in my life.

Worked in broadcasting in  the 60s and 70s, worked as a telephone lineman for Illinois Bell, as a television analyzer, union and non union carpenter, retired from carpenter's local 1 in Chicago. In more recent years I worked part time as a pick up and delivery guy for a local motorcycle shop. I am a songwriter and musician and still spend a great deal of my time on my music. I love my Ultra Classic but don't know how many more years I will be able to handle that big machine. Sad but "a time for every purpose under heaven". 

 

These good years I do have, I would enjoy spending with someone special.

I have been so very blessed in my lifetime. Though I have been divorced for 25 years, I still have good relations and am friends with my ex wife and I have been able to enjoy she and her husband's fellowship at family get togethers. I guess I always thought that God would bring that someone special into my life. I have always refused to date anyone younger than my children. The oldest is now 49.  It is not getting any easier. 

CD produced 1994

 Tom Gary and Self kickin it in Nashville 1995

I did spend a year in Nashville and tried to get something going with my music. I have never really stopped trying but I guess the Lord is not ready for that either. You can check out some of my more recent videos on YouTube.    Johnny B       

On the other hand maybe she has been there all the time and I have been too stupid to see, so open the eyes of my heart Lord. 

I really love life and am a Born again, spirit filled believer. And, if the Lord continues to bless and we aren't taken, I may be able to enjoy another twenty or thirty years. It would be great if there was someone I loved close, and able to share all the travel, all the plays and shows, all the time with grandchildren and great grandchildren and friends. 

Guess that's all I have to say for now....Hope you find me and look forward to your comments.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Haven't felt like saying much lately. Still deep in thought about what's next. I have been a little busy picking up some new guitars. I decided that that would be a good hedge against inflation or a devalued dollar. So anyway here's a couple of pictures of the latest.
This one I just picked up at a pawn shop for $60.00. It sells new for $279.00 retail but usually sale priced at $179.99. Still picked it up and fixed a loose connection. Also came with a gig bag and strap.

Some of these I have owned for a while and some I have added recently.
I had a BR-9 amp that I bought years ago. That amp originally came with a lap steel guitar. I recently purchased the lap steel that goes with it.
This Gospel Gibson is the same as my J-45 or could be compared to the Gibson Hummingbird. 
Have never owned a Fender Telecaster so I picked this Fender Highway One Tele up the other day.
Here is the group with a few others and missing a couple of others.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

I have been busy this past week looking up family and tracing my roots. A person can get lost in the search. One name leads to another and another and so on. What a treasure to find some of these people. It is so very good to know where we came from and the kind of people from all walks of life. Early on, so many farmers, mechanics, soldiers, doctors, carpenters and being able to read through a lot of old letters from before 1900 that I consider myself very fortunate to have. Using websites like

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
http://www.genealogy.com/
http://www.ancestry.com/
http://www.findagrave.com/
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hallhistory/mchenry_county_history.htm

Just mind blowing if anyone is interested in the history of family or the community we grew up in.

Finding old pictures and documents to let us know what a family had to do to survive. Just looking at the diversity of origins of who they were, going back to Germany, Ireland, France, England and that's just scratching the surface. I have added almost two thousand names to my family tree, covering  a time span from the 17th century to the present, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, the Civil War,WWI and WWII.