Mind Boggling.

It simply makes my head swim.
I won't ask for explanations, 'cause there ain't any.

Almost anyone who attended College/University took some of the "101" courses-
Sociology. Economics. Psychology.
I took 'em too. But apparently I paid more attention, and the lessons learned in those classes sorta soaked in.
YOU GET MORE OF WHAT YOU REWARD.
And less of the things you "punish".

I know... I'm "preachin' to the choir" to almost all who come here to read.
And if I ask, "How are we rewarding our citizens these days?" I know I won't get an answer.
There'll just be a bunch of head-shaking and nodding out there.
And the thing that angers me most?  (And most of y'all fall into the same category)...
By squirreling, skimping, and saving virtually all my life, I have eliminated myself from these "rewards" being passed out by my Uncle Sam.
Who's the idiot here?'

Don't completely misread me-
I feel blessed. And despite all the stupidity and craziness going on around me, I still don't want to flee to Australia 'cause I think things actually may be crazier down under.

Are things crazy enough for us to fear we live in "End times"?
No man can know.
But if you can read signs all around and you're not getting squirmy-     I'll take what you're havin' next round.

"I'm sorry. I can't understand you!"

Fifty-two years of assault by various helicopters.
One summer professionally operating a chain saw with the (company removed) muffler missing.
Born into a family with age-related hearing difficulties.
I didn't stand a chance.

Load me onto a ship with LOTS of wonderful service people-
Filipinos. Indonesians. Eastern Indians. And more.
Add an intermittently NOISY environment.
Now... insure ALL these folks have their mouths covered with protective masks.

Yeah, I've done TONS of asking others to repeat themselves this week.

"Jesus, The SON!"

These are the sorts of folks you meet on Cruises.
This is the top of the mountain at "Puerto Plata" in the Dominican Republic.
Nice place to visit, but...

"Car Folks"

In our "Carnival Ecstasy" Stateroom watching an old Ronald Reagan movie- "Night Unto Night".
In one of the first scenes, he drives up to a big home in a car similar to the one pictured, (a 1939 Buick), and I thought:
"Wow. How beautiful that thing is! How nice it would be to own one like that."
And then I remember-
-It probably got about 15 miles per gallon when on its best behavior. (And needed "Ethyl" gasoline.)
-In the rain, going uphill with the throttle depressed, the (vacuum operated) windshield wipers would slow, or come to a complete stop.
-It needed an oil change about every 2000 miles.
-Terrible brakes that would virtually cease to exist if used heavily, as in steep downhill grades or "spirited" driving. Drive through high water? Don't try to stop!
-Tires? They might last 15,000 miles if you were careful with tire pressures.
-And that bar in the center. How wonderful it was when "wrap-around windshields" started appearing.

At "Cruise Nights" and other car shows I always show respect to the folks that restore or keep these old beauties in great shape. They ARE Art... and history.
Keeping one around is a VERY expensive labor of love.
 

The Queen is dead. Long live the King.

Sara Jean is a Royal watcher.
Me? Not so much. But I will admit to enjoying the military participation in this ceremony. It's been SO impressive I have to wonder... How long have they been practicing all this?
I'm sure they have special details to attend to funerals of dignitaries of VIP's in the U.K., just as we do.
But the numbers of troops involved getting the Queen to her final resting place!
Amazing. Beautiful.

We are on board the "Carnival Ecstasy". My wife has been glued to the TV since the old gal died, interested in every detail of what is going on over there.
"Look how beautiful Kate is!"
"Megan tugs Harry around like a puppet. They both look absolutely miserable!"
She was upset, thinking she'd miss some of the ceremony while on the ship and whined until I would purchase the Wifi package so she wouldn't miss a moment.
$$$$$ !

This morning we woke to find ourselves docked in Key West. So far, CBS has done a fairly good job of carrying the feed from Great Britain, so while in our room she's been watching there.
Sunbathing at the pool, her nose is stuck in her phone.

This is day 3 of a 10-day cruise.
And all is well.

I love flying, but no longer want to fly.

We are in Pensacola, Florida. Today we'll drive to Mobile, Alabama to board the "Carnival Ecstasy" for a 10-day cruise to the Western Caribbean.
I chose this cruise specifically because of the departure from Mobile, and the fact we could drive, not fly, to catch the boat.
Flying has become a pain in the arse. The harassment we are subjected to in order to get on an airliner today is stressful and irritating. I will avoid it as much as possible in the future.

"Goodwill"

We're in Clarksville, TN at our son's home preparing to leave for Mobile, AL to catch a "Carnival Cruise" ship to go on a Western Caribbean trip. (Maybe more on that in a future post.)
Clarksville is a nice little town-
Small enough to be intimate. Big enough to have most "conveniences" within an easy drive. And for us, it's a hop/skip/jump to Ft. Campbell if we need to use our retired benefits.

When Big Bubba bought this house one of the very first items we bought to outfit our part of the new "digs" here (obviously!) was a coffee pot. Bought at Wally World, it was a brand name but cheap... I think I paid $15 for it.
It lasted 8 months. Then something about the heater element went haywire and it would only fill the carafe 3/4's of the way, leaving a mess of coffee grounds and water still in the filter basket.

"No coffee, No talkee" in the morning.
Gotta have coffee, doncha know?
Replacing the failed unit went to the top of our "must do's".
Buying new from Wally World was a possibility. But was there a better option?

We saw the big sign on the front of the store that said "GOODWILL".
Let's check it out.
Big store. Clean. Lotsa stuff.
Some of it older; dated; but still utilitarian.
Much of it looks brand new. 
We found a "like new" looking Proctor-Silex unit. The price tag said $4.99.
We loaded it into our shopping cart.

At the cash register I sheepishly ask, "Do you give a military discount?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact we do."
And the price got reduced by Fifty cents!
"Would you like to 'round up' your total cost to donate to Children's Hospital?"
What're ya gonna say when you're walking out the door with a seemingly new coffee pot for less than five bucks?
"Absolutely!"

There is also a "Salvation Army" thrift store here across town. It only takes us 10 minutes or so to get there.
If you have access to either store and have never patronized them, you're missing a bet. Walking through them is not entertaining, you may also find some REAL BARGAINS.

If you do, agree to "Round Up" your total to donate to charity!

"You want to fight against the country, you need an F15!"

"Darth Brandon" didn't serve in Viet Nam.
If he had he'd be quite aware of Ho Chi Minh's comment about how to defeat America in war-
"The same way you eat an elephant. One bite at a time."
And they consumed the elephant, didn't they? :>(
We are being "lead" by idiots.

Remember in November.

Was "Corn Pop" A Neighborhood Hero?

I hadn't considered this possibility.
Tim Pool suggested maybe president(?) Biden's encounter with "Corn Pop" unfolded for a totally different reason than we imagine-

We've seen photos of him sniffing children's hair.
The above photo makes me uncomfortable.
And that ain't all-

"Kids brushed the blonde hair on my legs."
What if Corn Pop knew something weird was going on and was simply protecting kids in his neighborhood?
Corn Pop apparently died in 2016, so he cannot be asked about his motivation to threaten Joey.

Could Tim Pool be correct?