Morning Minute with the BROfessor

  I do not know about you, but I LOVE to eat!  Food is my hobby and my habit.  It is my crush.  It is one of the loves of my life…okay I am getting excited and a little "carried away."  I will calm down.  It is just that in my older age I appreciate the art of preparing food and the taste of well-prepared food.  It is a delight, comforting to the soul, and filling to the almighty belly! Now that the heat from summer is past and the fall, temperatures are making it where you actually want to be outside, I am eager to cook again.   I am eager to fire up the gadgets and pack the kitchen to the hilt and make sure I have plenty to prepare for up and coming trips.   My freezers are packed with almost all the meat I could eat in a year just waiting to be chosen for the next adventure.   One of the best things I have done is to upgrade my Vacuum Sealer.   I can purchase meat when it is on sale (and when I have extra money to burn), prepar...

  Many different things affect our mindset as we prepare for our Overlanding journeys.  How long will we be gone?  What food do we plan to prepare and will we need to eat out or replenish at some point?  How far are we going?  Can we bring firewood and have a campfire?  Is charcoal allowed or will it be propane only?  Many questions must be answered as we prepare for the setout of our adventure.  Another critical situation to consider would be weather… Camping and Overlanding involves all kinds of weather. If you have ever camped then you completely understand that you must be prepared for all of the elements that Mother Nature can throw at you.  People are paid to give a generalized prediction that may or may not come true so it is almost impossible to be completely prepared, but you can get close.  You know if it is November to February, it will be cold.  You know that if you are in the Midwest in June to August it will be unbeara...

  Mama said there would be days like this.   There would be days like this my Momma said.   I am not sure there would be a more fitting statement that rings true right now in this life for me.   For starters… I drove 3 hours to Artemis Overland in Springfield, Missouri last Saturday in order to install a couple Howling Moon Rooftop Tents and Awnings on my FJ Cruiser and Trailer.   It started out well as the first tent went on the trailer perfectly without a hitch.   The awning however, was a large 270-degree awning that was much heavier than my previous.   My brackets were not large enough to fit the lining of the bolt pattern on the awning.    Once we finally figured out how to get the brackets to work, we moved on to the FJ.   We finished the trailer and the next project was in line and waiting. We removed the extremely heavy FreeSpirit tent from the top of the FJ.   The previous awning had already been removed before arrival....

  Every day, while scrolling through Social Media, I see where someone has just purchased new gear and they are so excited they just cannot help but share with the world.   I guess in the old days, before internet, we had to get on the phone (called a landline phone that had a cord attached to the wall), call all of our friends, and tell them whatever we just picked up or opened for Christmas.   Even though times have changed, and ways of communicating have changed, things have not changed much when it comes to "This is incredible!   This is life changing!   I have to tell somebody!" The excitement can be all we can take sometimes.   If we keep it in, we will explode.   It is like the day a beautiful lady is asked for her hand in marriage.   It is like the day the announcement is made that baby is on the way and again the day the gender is discovered.   As a child, you cannot wait to tell everyone what Santa left you under the tree or how m...

  I was playing on the playground at Greenbrier Elementary School with my friends.   They year was 1981.   I was 10 years old and in the 5th grade.    I had never gotten into any trouble at school for I knew the second I got in trouble at school; it would be double when I arrived at home.   We were playing around the basketball court just having a good time when a ball bounced just past me.   I reached down to pick it up, and turned around to give it back to whomever was playing with it.   I did not even get turned around good when my face was met with a flying fist of fury.   Apparently, this kid thought I was about to steal his ball instead of give it back.   My nose exploded, blood gushing everywhere.   The teacher rushed me in to see the nurse and another rushed the other MMA wanna-be into the principal's office.   It was not long sitting there; trying to hold my nose closed and stop the bleeding, that I heard several paddl...

  There is an old adage that states, "buy once, cry once." It is a term to describe the purchasing of an expensive item, of excellent quality. Implies that the owner will initially, have reservations or guilt for  buying  ... Yes expensive, but of great quality.   That is the concentration.   I have struggled for years, as most do, with discovering there is a huge difference between what I want and what I can afford.   What I want is the best.   I know I will never be satisfied with anything less.   I do buy the less expensive and sometimes it works out.   Most of the time I am swimming in a sea of regret, realizing patience and doing without, saving up for the best would be so worth it.   Yet, here I am again, on the edge of the cliff, wondering if I should jump or not.   Not really, but that is how it feels when you are faced with a decision.   Many items of purchased gear are end up posted by joyful owners throughout...

  Mine!  Mine!  I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree.  My daughter grabbed at her doll and held onto it like it was the last one in the world, just like I used to hoard my Matchbox Cars when my little buddies would come over.  There is a time in our lives when all we are concerned with us me, my and mine.   Whatever affects me is all that matters.  When I am hungry, I want to be fed.  I could care less if you are hungry or not and what trouble you have to go through to get me my food.  All I know is I want food and I want it now.  My toys are my toys and you better keep your grubby hands off them.  There is no "you break it, you buy it" slogan around me.  You don't break it because you keep away from it and do not touch it.  It is mine and when I go over to your house you can be the same way with me. I do no care.  All I am concerned with is right now and my stuff. I am not sure at what age I started...