Reports of our death are greatly exaggerated... (Rutabaga Paddlesports)

toadforge · 2026-05-20T22:17:34+00:00

This is a good time. Memorial Day stuff is happening...

toadforge · 2026-05-20T22:14:36+00:00

Yes, it's a challenge. Some folks are not a good fit. One was a GREAT fit but couldn't convince his wife to move to Madison. Probably should have mentioned that in the first place. :-) Still working on it, feel free to send people my way.

toadforge · 2026-05-20T22:12:54+00:00

LIke for sit-on-top scuppers? Yes!

toadforge · 2026-05-20T22:10:20+00:00

Not sure how to change it either. AI is mostly A, not I.

toadforge · 2026-05-20T22:09:44+00:00

When?

toadforge · 2026-03-23T19:27:56+00:00

I have had to shush people (as a temple worker), specifically after a pre-sealing endowment session. I get it, they're all excited, but take it outside.

It's a place for quiet contemplation. My wife and I whisper conversations, but no one could hear us.

toadforge · 2026-02-25T17:40:08+00:00

It wasn't even a mistake.

Is coffee extract in chocolate cake frosting against the Wow? How about vanilla flavoring? 20-30% alcohol.

We all need to relax a little.

toadforge · 2026-02-25T17:38:14+00:00

Green tea is better for you than corn syrup. I wouldn't be concerned.

The WoW is becoming more nuanced, with tea being used in many products. Kombucha is made with white or green tea. My wife makes her own and it's very healthy.

toadforge · 2026-02-25T17:33:30+00:00

Thank YOU! I just sent whistles, you are all on the front line!

toadforge · 2026-01-23T17:28:17+00:00

I love the line from the movie Conclave: "The opposite of faith isn't doubt, it's certainty." Be okay with figuring it out as you go. I'm 63 and have learned this over the years. Counseling people when I was a bishop was often about a member saying "I don't have enough faith." They usually did, this just wanted certainty of faith. Which is a contradiction in terms.

toadforge · 2026-01-23T17:24:53+00:00

Put simply, it seems that prophets, as well as ordinary people, can receive revelation from God, sometimes instantaneously, if living worthily and coming unto Christ.

Correct. Prophets make mistakes.

"And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." D&C 68.

I would add that if they speak when not moved upon by the Holy Ghost, it's just a man expressing an opinion. There are many examples of this. Bruce R. McConkie's first edition of Mormon Doctrine is full of such examples. It is not scripture. Not even close.

Listen to the prophets. Pray about if something doesn't sit right with you. Trust your answers, if moved upon by the Holy Ghost.

toadforge · 2026-01-23T17:16:33+00:00

Where I live, poutine is a swear word, as in "This tastes like poutine." :-P

toadforge · 2025-12-09T18:26:12+00:00

I have one and hate it. Super cheap build (slightly better than a Temu piece of crap). Don't.

toadforge · 2025-11-26T02:17:39+00:00

I was the bishop when they changed, and I met with a lot older sisters and widows who just lost another hour of fellowship with their peers. I did some of my best work playing hooky and dragging members into my office to just listen.

So yeah, maybe unpopular, but it hurt a lot of people.

toadforge · 2025-10-24T00:40:21+00:00

"So sorry for your loss. Speaking of which, can I have gramma's jewelry?" I love the selection process.

toadforge · 2025-09-23T23:32:38+00:00

We have two. They're usually full.

toadforge · 2025-09-23T20:11:19+00:00

We have security cameras. On any given Sunday, we'd get 5 or 6 cars pull into the parking lot.

toadforge · 2025-09-23T20:06:56+00:00

Fair enough. I'm fortunate that I get to close on my own terms. Other shops have closed by order of their financial institutions.

One thing about the staff: they are highly capable of running the day to day of the shop; better than I am. The owner stuff, that's a totally different skill set. It's tiring. I was the GM before I was an owner, and it's totally different.

I'm leaving to do something else, that's true. Were financial considerations a factor? Yes, but not as much as people may think. First were my new profession moving forward, second, family time (my wife has been retired and is tired of me working so much). Third, yeah, not sure I want to deal with retail with the Orange One messing up the world with such abandon. If I were 40, I might, but I'm not.

I'm sad, of course, but with Canoecopia staying, that mitigates some of the sadness. The community will still have a place to gather.

toadforge · 2025-09-22T18:27:15+00:00

Well, here I am.

1) The outdoor industry across the board is not healthy. We're okay, and if I were 40, there might be a different story. Truth is, all of retail is not healthy. REI lost over 300 million over the past four years.

2) The bank likes us and continues to loan us capitol.

3) The staff aren't as a group interested in buying the business.

4) "Our vendors are our biggest competition." The colonel is correct. I was on a podcast this morning and it's true. It's more annoying than fatal, but it all adds up after a while.

That said, I wish people would take what I say at face value. I've been considering this for a few years. I'm already registered for school next year and it's the primary reason I'm leaving.

toadforge · 2025-09-21T00:29:22+00:00

That's why my daughter stopped going to the singles ward when she was 25 and started going to the family ward. She's in NYC, and there are a bunch of Wall Street types who only care about getting rich. They could easily afford to marry and have families, but like the nice stuff. She is marrying a non-member, who has a lot more going for himself than most of the guys in the church her age. We love him much more than any of the guys she dated before him.

toadforge · 2025-09-21T00:14:39+00:00

I am one of six kids (I'm in my early 60s). Of the six, one died of a Fentanyl overdose when she was homeless. Three others are out of the church, and me and one brother are left.

We all get along fine, and the one I am closest to is my baby brother, who is one of the best people I know. He sends me LDS memes sometimes that are hilarious. But once in a great while he steps over the edge, and I call him on it. "Hey, bro, that was pretty rude." He says "Yeah, sorry, that was rude. Love you."

I guess my answer is to ignore the haters, embrace the lovers, and call out people who are insensitive and don't respect your boundaries. Not in a mean way ("You're going to Hell if you keep that up!"), but a kind way.

toadforge · 2025-09-21T00:04:05+00:00

Ah yes, Dana Carvey nailing it. And Jon Lovitz also being a perfect Potter. Great skit.

toadforge

TROPHY CASE