Random thoughts from oldmcgyver

                                        MY FIRST CAR       My dad made a deal with our neighbor who had a small farm he was not using to rent one of his fields for me to plant oats as a cash crop with one third of the proceeds for the owner and 2/3 to me who did the work.  So using dads tools and my labor I plowed the ground, worked the soil,  and planted the oats.  So the sun shined, the rain rained and the oats grew and ripened and were ready to harvest.        So dad and I made plans to harvest the oats, one bushel to the owner and 2 bushels to me.  When I sold my oats at the feed mill I had a grand total  of 650 dollars.  I spent 250 dollars on a 1949 ford with rusted out front passenger floor boards which I covered with old license plates.  More on that later.               ...

         When I was on the Stake High Councel for the Michigan Lansing Stake  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I was advisor to the Special Interest group in our Stake. Sister Flannery was the female leader of the singles over 30 group. We hade a male leader who never showed up. Sister flannery’s goal was to have a Saturday Special Interest group meeting inviting all singles over 30 in the Stake each year and they were well attended.      One year She was planning and got approved for a 3 day  conference to be held at Hillsdale College South of Jackson.  I was assigned by the company I worked for to go to Chicago for 3 weeks of training on some new equipment (laser printers) they were rolling out and I would be there until the Special Interest conference and I would be home just in time for the conference.  Sister Flannery was working with the church in Salt Lake to invite a General Authority to be the key note spea...

​This is in answer to ConnieB’s question “Which decade did I enjoy the most”?      That is a hard question to answer.  Short answer, all of them, they were wonderful times to be alive. I was born in June, 1939 in our house on a farm owned by Mr Tucker located on old route 127 South of St John’s. Dad was working his farm on shares. Two shares for dad doing the work and one share to Mr Tucker, the farm owner. I remember that dad said he liked it there and Mr Tucker was a good fair man to work for and with. I was born in June 1939 and Dad and Mom were preparing to move that summer to a farm that they purchased on Nims Rd at the intersection with Meridian Rd. I could say I helped dad and mom move that summer but I was probably more of a hindrance. Dad told me that after he got everything moved he walked to the back of the farm to look every thing over and thought “what have I done?  Before he moved he came down and planted oats and corn to have feed for the horses a...

​Why I Believe in Jesus Christ When I was young, I don’t think I could have told you that I believed in Jesus Christ. I was raised by good and loving parents who taught me right from wrong. My mom would talk about Jesus, but family discussions about church and God were not frequent in our home. My dad never went to church and my mom was a Christmas and Easter church goer. But I know they believed in Christ and every summer they would put me in Vacation Bible School. I would learn songs and have lessons focused on Jesus. And even though I didn’t know it at the time, I believe my young testimony of Christ started from that experience every summer.  As an adult, Rich and I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints as a young married couple. And my testimony of Christ blossomed from there. So now, I feel like I really can answer the question I was asked to speak about: Why do I believe in Jesus Christ? I could share reasons for my testimony for a very long time, but I don’t...

🌾 We Are the Generation That Isn’t Coming Back We didn’t have much. No smartphones to keep us busy. No internet to scroll through late at night. No endless toys lined up in our bedrooms. But somehow, we had everything. We had front porches where neighbors sat and talked until the stars came out. We had bikes that carried us across town until the streetlights reminded us it was time to go home. We had dinners where every seat was filled and no one reached for a phone—because there wasn’t one. We had parents who worked hard with their hands, who didn’t always say “I love you” out loud, but proved it in every meal, every repaired shoe, every light left on so we wouldn’t walk into a dark house. We are the generation of shared blankets, borrowed sugar, and front doors that were never locked. The generation of handwritten letters, of saving every penny, of fixing instead of throwing away. We didn’t measure happiness in things. We measured it in moments. And now, as we grow o...

Dino Potestio’s daughter Gege sent me a text to notify us that Dino passed away in June  His wife Mary a very good friend of Patti’s had passed away about two or so years ago.  Gege ask us for memories  so we put this together. Dino and Rich. (A short story - true life)     Dino and I met in San Francisco at the Army Base called The Presidio. I was back from a one year tour in Korea.       We became friends because of a shared back ground. Both farmers me from Michigan and Dino from Colorado - instant friends.  My family was dry land farmers and Dino’s family were irrigation farmers. We had enough in common that we clicked.  We shared a barracks room with 10 other guys and spent most of our free time together.         Patti and Mary met each other in high school in Mesa AZ. Patti was shy and Marry was very outgoing and they had some classes together in high school. Mary was very friendly she had many friends...