Hazards of home repair

There's a saying "Make a plan and God laughs," a corollary to that statement is any time Jamie does household repairs, God rolls on the floor and laughs his ass off. The runner on one of my shower doors needed to be replaced. So I carefully pulled the shower doors out of the shower, unscrewed one of the wheeled runners, took it to Orchard Supply Hardware. I got the correct replacement. Came home used my Swiss Army knife to open the package, and started screwing the runner wheels on the shower. It was then that I discovered that the knife is very sharp by running my index finger across the portion of the blade. The cut, "not so deep as a well nor so wide as a church door," twas a trifle but it served. It served. Bleeding, blasphemy and bandage then followed. Rested. Took Bella to the Dog Park, and came back and rehung the shower doors which I completed without further bloodshed. Now I feel ambitious, like doing some re-wiring or unclogging my garbage disposal. What could possibly go wrong?

 Capitano Tedeschi

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Hazards of home repair copyright 30 March 2013 by Jamie Jacks

No good deed goes unpunished, or so it seems

According to a Feb. 27 Article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Founders of Angel Food Ministries, a Christian non-profit, that acted as a wholesale grocer, buying and distributing food boxes through churches and charities nationwide, have pled guilty to federal charges. The charges included, "conspiracy, wire fraud, theft from an organization that received federal funds, interstate transportation of stolen property, tampering with witnesses, and obstruction of justice," according to and August 2012 post on the blog Charity Watch .

I mention this because in 2009, as an act of community service, I helped distribute Angel Food groceries at a Compassion Christian Center 1030 Fourth St in Bakersfield. At the time, I was proud of my participation in the event.  Later in 2009, federal authorities shut down Angel Food Ministries and indicted its founders. Pastors Joe and Linda Wingo, their son Andy and a business associate Harry Michaels.

They will be sentenced on May 29.  Like so many, I feel disappointed and used. Four years ago I felt I was doing a good deed, while the Wingos were using the money the skimmed from their non-profit to "
According to the indictment, the Wingos used Angel Food funds to make a $280,000 down payment on a Beechjet 400A aircraft, make other down payments on real estate and buy a $65,000 classic car. And they took more than $1.48 million from the nonprofit by giving bonuses to themselves and to others," according to a Dec. 9, 2011 article in The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Capitano Tedeschi,

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 sources: Bill Rankin and  Shelia M. Poole spoole@ajc.com  Friday, Dec. 9, 2011 Angel Food Ministry benefited founders, feds say Kickbacks, cover-ups, lavish purchases in indictment retrieved Mar. 20, 2013 http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local/angel-food-ministry-benefited-founders-feds-say/nQPNL/
By Christopher Quinn - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 Founders of Angel Food Ministries plead guilty retrieved Mar. 20, 2013 http://www.prod.myajc.com/news/news/local/founders-of-angel-food-ministries-plead-guilty/nWbyw/
You Can't Have Your (Angel Food) Cake and Eat It Too August 2012 issue of the Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report retrieved Mar. 20, 2013 http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/Angel_Food_Minist

21 minutes into the ride

I was smiling.
21 minutes into my bike ride
I was smiling

Why?
I hurt
knees aching from athritis
right calf hurting
from a blood clot 10 years ago
lungs gasping for air
because I look
like Bradley Wiggins
in a fat suit.
hands numb from white spot
on an MRI

I should be home drinking
diet 7up and watching
television
instead my legs are pumping
a silly  rictus
on my face.
the bicycle seat
is irritating
the skin of my 'taint

The sun hurries west
sinking into the slopes
of the Temblors and Coast Range
the street lights have come on

I'm going down a slight slope
in a low gear
my quadariceps defying
arthritis and age
as I balance on my bike
defying time, physics and gravity

I was smiling.
21 minutes into my bike ride
I was smiling
It was the only thing
I could really do.

Capitano Tedeschi

30

21 minutes into the ride copyright March 2, 2013 by Jamie Jacks
Photo: Sunset Seven Oaks copyright March 2, 2013 by Jamie Jacks