True love is to be given utmost respect equal to any religious icon. It is not to be trifled with nor ignored. Everything else is as fool’s gold in comparison and women are sadly often complete fools falling for everything but love. True love is the golden rule and the true prize of life as a human on this planet. Women who violate this by foolishly squandering their golden opportunities for true love are like greedy idiots passing up a pristine natural spring for a single bottle of Evian filled with rhinestones instead of the water they actually want. They wither and pass away wondering why nothing was really satisfying and why after having all of the material things they thought would make them happy, all of it was actually unfulfilling and the one thing they were really looking for they had passed on many times.

They had passed it up and traded it for an expensive handbag, car, or house, whatever it may be. Somewhere something is still missing and they don’t know what it is. They didn’t focus on love and the joy of a vibrant relationship; they focused on lifeless and inanimate props. It is so sad that it can and does make a grown man cry. Don’t be that man.

Who Is To Blame?
What came first, woman’s foolish lust for material objects and squandering of love in exchange for them or the historical patriarchy that gave potentially unfair favor to men in society? It is really a tough question. It is quite possible that women were eventually treated a certain way due to a tendency toward being foolish, manipulative, unpredictable, and mischievous. It is perhaps a result of this that man finally decided to protect society and women themselves by instilling some sort of restrictions on female participation in government and so on.

It is important to be wary of any tendencies your chosen spouse may have and protect both of you and your relationship’s happiness from any weaknesses she may have in this way. Make sure she is with you for love and not just for money.

Calculating the amount of sunlight your garden receives is very important. Taking shadows into consideration is equally important. By this, I mean, that you need to keep in mind the shade that will be coming from surrounding tree, shrubs, and even buildings or fencing. For some gardens this could be a benefit but for others it could be disaster.

In gardens containing lots of leafy vegetables shade can be appropriate. Do you have a nice section of land that gets full-sun but a small section of the area receives more shade than light? Then try planting your shade-tolerant vegetables in that particular spot. Vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, endive, and arugula grow very well in shady areas.

Be aware that most plants that fruit from a flower require a full day of sun. So to be on the safe side do a little research on the light requirements for the plants that you will be using. Something as simple as lighting can be the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy garden.

Another important aspects of proper gardening is the preparation of the soil. To make things easier on yourself you can add limestone to the area in the fall. But if there has been no preparation done to the soil you can add limestone when you are ready to begin planting.

If the area you have chosen for your garden is covered with weeds you may want to consider using a chemical to kill the existing plants. Be sure it is approved for gardens, or it may jeopardize the soil.

When the soil is adequately dry use a quality tiller to loosen and break up the top 7-8 inches of soil. Add lime and recommended fertilizer to the soil and run the tiller through the soil one last time to mix in the additives. Be sure to remove any large rocks you find. Finally, smooth the soil out with a rake. If the soil in your garden has a strong clay consistency and may allow water to gather then you may want to make ‘raised’ rows for water drainage. Do this simply by using a hoe to pull soil into rows that are 7-10 inches in width. This will allow water to flow easily from the mounds.

Begin your garden correctly and it will flourish throughout the entire growing seasons. Care for your plants and they will thrive for you.

One of the first things you’ll need to do is to get all your licensing information straight so that you can legally hunt in Alaska. This isn’t as difficult as you might think. In fact, you can get all of the information – and even buy your licenses – online through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Sometimes, people get too bogged down in the details and put off taking their Alaskan hunting vacation because of this; however, it’s not that difficult and a nonresident hunting license will run you less than you probably think. In addition, if you plan to hunt and fish in Alaska, you can get a combination license to do both online.

Something else you should take into consideration when planning your Alaskan hunting vacation is the game that you want to hunt and the area you’ll need to go. If you’re not a native of the area, you may need to do some research on the best place to go to find the game you’re hunting. Alternatively, many people in this situation opt to go on guided hunting tours, which are readily available and can help take away some of the frustration of planning the trip on your own. In fact, there are quite a few of these guides that work with lodges in Alaska to offer package deals. These deals are a great way to cut back on the cost of your vacation.

Some of the different animals you can hunt while in Alaska include brown bear, caribou, and moose. However, most people who visit Alaska with the intention of hunting do so for the brown bear. The brown bear isn’t a common hunting allowance in many states, so hunters find it to be a thrilling experience. Once again, if this is the hunting experience that you’re looking for, you’ll want to be sure that you have all of your information together so that you can legally hunt in the state. Some people try to get around these costs, but if you’re caught hunting without a license, the fees and prosecution can be extremely expensive and burdensome. In the long run, the risk of getting caught far outweighs any financial gain you may experience by hunting without a license.

Once you know what kind of game you want to hunt and what area of Alaska you plan on hunting in, you can easily find a guided tour that operates in that area by searching online, checking with fellow hunters who have made the trek or by working with a travel agent that specializes in Alaskan getaways. By going online, you can check out the status of these tour operators and compare prices until you find the package that’s best for your needs.

Check with the Campground

Not all campgrounds allow pets on the premises, so you’ll need to call ahead to ensure that your campground is fine with your furry friend. If the campground doesn’t allow pets, don’t risk it – defying the ranger’s orders can put a damper on your whole vacation. If you are caught, you’ll likely be forced to head home early, and if you’re not, you’ll spend the entire trip worrying about whether or not you’ll be discovered. If the campground does allow pets, find out what rules they have for visiting animals. You may be required to clean up after your pooch, and there may be areas of the campground that are off limits to you.

Packing for Puppy

Even if your dog was descended from the wild wolf, today’s canines are a bit more accustomed to the comfortable indoor lifestyle. If you plan to take your dog camping with you, there are a few things you’ll need to pack to keep him or her healthy and safe.

First, pack a large water bowl for the campsite or a portable version if you’ll be hiking during your trip. If the weather is warm or if you spend more time running around and playing than usual, your dog could dehydrate quickly. Take plenty of drink breaks and keep your dog out of direct sun during the hottest parts of the day.

Your dog may also be upset by the change in accommodations, so consider bringing a blanket or toy from home. Give your dog its own corner of the tent and allow him or her to retreat there whenever necessary. The noise and activity of a public campground can be overwhelming for some dogs – allowing your dog to seek out his or her own space will help to relieve some of this stress. Maintaining your regular feeding schedule with the same food you use at home will also prevent any stress-related digestive issues from popping up.

Safety First

There are a few safety precautions you’ll need to take when your dog accompanies you on a camping trip. First, no matter how well behaved your dog is at home, keep him or her on a leash at all times in the campground. This will prevent Fido from running after children and squirrels, into the path of oncoming traffic throughout the campground. Also, keep your dog firmly tied up whenever you have a campfire going to prevent serious injury from occurring.

It’s also a good idea to take down the name and number of the 24-hour emergency vet closest to your campground. Even if you keep your dog on a leash at all times, you may still have to deal with bee stings, allergic reactions to local plants or injuries caused by rough, unfamiliar terrain.

But like any other type of camping equipment, you must think about maintenance to your pop-up each year so it will store safely during the down months when you will not be camping.  Many ask, “When is the best time to winterize my pop-up?”  The obvious answer is, “before winter”.   The primary goal of winterizing your pop-up is to prepare it to survive the cold winter months without damage.  But this annual ritual is also necessary to perform routine maintenance and to be sure that when you open that pop-up for your first camp out of the spring, it is ready to go.

The “when” question is more pertinent to your camping plans than to the weather.  When you have completed your last camp out of the fall and are ready to store the pop-up, that would be the ideal time to winterize your unit.  If you wait until the first freeze, procrastination or distractions may prevent you from getting the job done in time and if you miss it, you could see damage to your pop-up and the costly repairs that would come with that damage.

So, as a rule, plan your annual maintenance right after your last camp out of the year.  You have the fun of that camp out to use as incentive to be sure the pop-up is ready to store.  Now, where the pop-up will pass the winter might influence your decisions as you step through your winterizing check list.  But even if the pop-up is going to pass the winter in a garage, its best to perform a full winterizing ritual so you have peace of mind that you have been a good pop-up owner.

Your winterizing schedule includes performing needed water removal and replacement to the interior water systems as well as necessary annual maintenance to the pop-up in general.  You will no doubt customize this list to your particular pop-up but here is a good starter list.

• Perform a thorough exterior cleaning washing down the unit and inspecting for rust or other damage from the year of camping.
• Perform exterior repairs as needed.
• Perform a thorough interior cleaning making sure you get all food residue up from the floors and beds to keep rodents out and so you don’t open the pop-up next spring to the smell of aging food crumbs.
• Perform interior repairs as needed.
• Remove all nonpermanent items including fishing gear, children’s toys, coffee mugs, pillows or sleeping gear to be cleaned and stored indoors until next year.
• Remove all appliances including left over electronic devices the kids might have forgotten.
• Remove all coolers and food either left out or in storage and discard.
• Remove all garbage and litter.
• Remove any aerosol cans that could rust or rupture due to changing temperatures.
• Lubricate all motorized moving parts.
• Inspect and maintenance wheels, breaks and electrical connections.
• Inspect the underside of the pop-up and repair any holes or other damage from travel.
• Remove and store the battery.  Keep the battery charged all winter so it is ready to go when camping begins in the spring.
• Cover any vents with plastic wrap to keep the pop-up airtight and keep insects or other visitors out.
• Inspect the anode rod and replace as necessary.
• Drain all water retention systems including the fresh water tank, the water heater, holding tanks and toilets.
• Drain all pipes by opening the faucets and letting as much water out as possible.  Some people will go so far as to blow out the pipes to clean the moisture out as thoroughly as possible.  A small amount of water retention is ok but you don’t want the water pipes and tanks full as they could freeze and cause damage to connections.
• Implement hot water heater bypass systems as instructed in your owner’s manual.
• Put nontoxic RV antifreeze into all water lines that you just drained.  Be sure you purchase nontoxic antifreeze that you can buy at any camping or RV retail outlet.  Do NOT use automobile antifreeze as it is highly toxic and will contaminate your water lines and create a risk to your family the next time you use the unit.

A thorough maintenance and winterizing session will take some time to complete so set aside a Saturday to do a good job performing proper care for your pop-up.  Another good reason to perform this maintenance early in the fall, as soon as you are done camping is it gives you time to get any repairs done before the cold weather comes and you can do this work out doors while the temperatures are more tolerable.

You will thank yourself for doing a good job going through your pop-up maintenance and winterizing check list when you open the unit next spring to prepare it for the first camp out of the new year.  Your careful attention to he care and storage of your pop-up will assure that it will continue to be a fun and valuable resource for your family’s camping needs for many years to come.

Leave the valuables at home

Obviously, a camping trip isn’t the best place to bring your jewelry or expensive furs.  However, when you’re doing your packing, ask yourself if it’s really necessary to bring along the nice watch you always wear, your laptop computer or the iPod that’s permanently attached to your ears.  Whether or not you believe that camping should be about leaving modern society behind, it’s pretty difficult to secure these items in a tent or camper.  If you absolutely must bring them along, remember to lock them up in the trunk of your car whenever you aren’t using them.

But do bring along your cell phone

Of course, the one exception to the “leave your valuables at home” rule is your cell phone and charger.  Although most campgrounds have pay phones available for use, they’re frequently out of order and you may not be able to get to them in the event of an emergency.  Keep the cell phone with you at all times – whether you’re spending the day on the beach with your children or sleeping at night in your tent.  If you have an injury or drowning scare, or if you feel threatened at your campsite, call for help immediately.  And since most traditional campsites offer electrical outlets, remember to keep your phone charged so that it’s available in the event of an emergency.

Keep an eye on small children

In a perfect world, children would have a free run of the campground, darting from the beach to the playground and back to the campsite at will.  However, in today’s world, you have to accept the fact that not everyone has your children’s best interests at heart.  In the daytime, make sure you know where your children are going to be and encourage them to go out in pairs or small groups.  Also, make sure they know what to do if a stranger approaches them or if they feel threatened in any way.  At night, require your children to wake you up if they need to visit the restroom, instead of having them walk through the dark campground alone.

Brush up on basic first aid

Bumps and bruises are a normal part of any camping trip – whether from setting up your “oh-so-easy” pop-up tent or from children running around playing capture the flag.  Therefore, when you’re packing your camping gear, be sure to toss in a package of band-aids and some anti-bacterial cream.  Make sure that any scrapes or cuts are washed out in the bathroom, treated with the cream and covered with a band-aid to prevent any debris from entering the wound.  If a cut looks deep and won’t stop bleeding, ask a staff member at the campground office to refer you to the nearest urgent care center.  Of course, in the event of a true emergency, use the cell phone you have on hand to call 911 to seek immediate treatment.

Marriage Differences

In the generations before us, people rushed into marriage at a very young age. It was just the “thing to do”. Society has gotten more complicated and people’s needs have grown to generally be a little more complex. Quite frankly, it’s harder for two people in today’s world to happily coexist than it was years before.

Marriage is much more of a risk for guys in today’s society than it was for our grandfathers. Relationships are much less patriarchal today. Decades ago, it was common for guys to effectively “acquire” a wife whose chief responsibilities were cooking, cleaning, and raising babies. If you haven’t looked around lately, women aren’t happy with this role any longer.

It’s All About Control

Marriage used to be an outlet for men to possess power in life. Even the most replaceable blue-collar worker could still come home from his job and have a family unit over which to exercise control. This is no longer the case. In fact, oftentimes the opposite tends to happen: the man loses much of the control he had over his life prior to getting married.

There’s a fascinating book called “Stumbling on Happiness”. It’s written by some elitist Harvard professor, but he did a good job putting everything in layman’s terms. The point of the book is that basically people aren’t that good at truly knowing what makes them happy and that, in general, having control is the best recipe for happiness.

Since guys have less control in marriages nowadays, married guys tend to be less happy than in previous generations. I’m not going to win any political correctness awards for saying this, but my advice is to only get married if you can control the woman you’re going to marry. Guys in today’s society are becoming increasingly feminine and lame. It’s gotten to the point that the women usually have  more power in marriages than men!

You don’t have to take my word for it, take the author of Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert’s word for it. Control is the key to happiness.

Red Flags

In closing, here are a few “red flags” to look for when dating. If these warning signs are in place, I would strongly recommend not marrying the girl:

Mom is overweight; Girl on the verge of being overweight.

It’s hard to escape from one’s genes and upbringing. If the girl you’re dating is two hotdogs away from being a fatty, and her Mom is fat, I’ve got news for you: the future Mrs. You is going to blow up like a balloon once she gets that rock on her finger. After all, she made her sale. Why bother to keep the goods in top shape?

Propensity to be demanding.

Your life is going to be a living nightmare if you marry a demanding, ungrateful girl. There will always be another demand waiting in the wings once you satisfy her current complaint. If she can’t be happy now, then she’ll never be happy. Again, look to the Mom on this one. If the Mom is a bitch, good chance the girl becomes one too.

Isn’t as interested in sex as you are.

To some girls, sex is a mere chore that she must do in order to keep the guy around. There’s a saying: “Every time you have sex in your first year of marriage, put a penny in a jar. Every time you have sex in the years thereafter, take two pennies out of the jar. There will still be pennies in that jar until the day you die.” Heed this warning, fellas.

In closing, I would strongly advice against marrying a girl unless she’s: thin with a hot Mom, completely cool and non-needy, and very sexually adventurous. And even if all those things are in place, you should still ask yourself, “do I really need to get married?!”

To happiness and beyond, my redneck friend!