Random thoughts from oldmcgyver

​     I was about ten when dad bought his first combine, it was a used one and I will delve into that in a minute or ten.      Prior to that (as far back as I can remember one of our neighbors, had what was known as a threshing machine). Back to that in a minute or five.      Dad had a machine called a binder, it was pulled by two horses and it would cut the grain close to the ground (oats in July and wheat in August).  It would cut the grain and bundle it and tie it with binder twine. When it had four bundles dad would kick a lever and drop the bundles to the ground. My brothers and I would go to each group and stand three bundles upright and lay the forth bundle across the top to protect from rain or dew.      Dad would make an appointment with the neighbor to bring his threshing machine and four or five neighbors would come to help with wagons and horses.  They would go to the field and load the bundles of grain to thei...

​     Thoughts for ministering from Elder McKay      In three words:  Just Show Up      In four words:  Give Help When Needed      In five words:  Bring The Spirit With You      In six words:  Be A Blessing In Their Lives      Home is more than four walls and a front door      It’s where my parents were      It’s where my wife and children are      It’s where my God is       Elder McKay: “Some believe in the idea of God but not God Himself. To believe in God is to know that all the rules will be fair and that there will be wonderful surprises. We are like small smooth stones, warm and cradled and sure. No matter what happens He will not let go.”      Elder McKay: “Revelation is not something grand and overwhelming. It is a soft and quiet understanding. It comes in many ways, feelings, thoughts, angels, dreams ...

​     So, coming back from Korea the Army gave me 30 days leave and and a plane ticket home. Leaving Korea we landed in Japan to change planes for the trip to Travis Air Force Base in California.  In those days we crossed the Pacific ocean in a two engine passenger plane with 30 men on board and 2 stewardess. I felt really bad for the 2 stewardess because some of the guys didn’t know how to act like gentlemen but the girls knew how to handle their remarks and put them in their place. We stoped in at the island of Guam and Hawaii for refueling.  We landed in Guam at night, looking down from the air all we could see was a single light and they didn’t light up the landing strip until we were lined up to land.  We were not allowed off the plane and as soon as it was refuled we were off again to Hawaii where we were allowed off the plane but locked behind a chain link fence and then back on the plane to Travis AFB where they gave us a plane ticket home, 33 hours in t...

​     We arrived at the port of Inchon, on the West side of the Korean Peninsula about mid day and it took us the rest of the day to get off the ship and into some barricks.  Then, the next morning we got another round of 8 shots to protect us from various diseases. I was assigned to ORD 55 an ammo dump about 80 miles South and a little East of the capital city (Seoul). I had to wait for 2 days to catch a ride to my new assignment. It was a fenced in (8 foot high fence topped with razor wire) compound.  A small Village had grown up around outside the main gate and there was a lake just outside the compound from which we drew our water and the people used for bathing and washing their clothes. They would take their clothes and a washboard down to the lake and clean clothes and diapers. It was so dirty they had to really treat the water that we drew from it with a heavy dose of chorine, it was almost undrinkable. Got used to it after a while.       ...

​     In basic training I forgot the worst part, KP. Kitchen Patrol, during the 8 weeks of training I was assigned KP 3 times.      They get you up at 2 AM to report to the cooks at 2:30. The first time I was the last one in line and got the last and worst job. They had  seven assignments, two people for the dining room, two cooks helpers, two for washing and drying trays and silverware and a pots and pans man. Well, I got pots and pans man. From 2:30 AM until 11:00 PM I washed greasy pots and pans and while learning how to do it right I had some do overs. When you are feeding 200 people three times a day you have a lot of pots and pans, big ones.       So the second time I got KP I was the first one in line and hoped for a better assignment.  I walked in the door and was met by one of the cooks and he asked me if I had been there before and I said yes looking forward to, mabye a dining room assignment.  He asked me what job I ...

When I signed up for the Army, they wanted my High School transcript, gave me an aptitude test and a basic physical test and asked me what I wanted to be trained for. I asked to be trained in electronics. They told me to come back next week and we would talk again. Next week they sat down with me and told me they could get me into electronics school right after basic training. They said basic training is a tough 8 weeks and you don’t want to fail because that record will follow you the rest of your life. If you make it thru that then it’s unto electronics training, are you sure you want to sign up? I said yes. They said the only thing I could bring with me was the clothes on my back and a shaving kit. They gave a bus ticket for the Detroit induction center leaving that Friday. We arrived early afternoon. They met me at the bus station and took me to the induction center, and there my life as I knew it ended. Over Friday and Saturday: I had to remove my clothes and t...