Military Reunions

 I'm writing this from Columbus, Georgia where I'm attending a reunion of graduates of Officer's Candidate School. These reunions are therapy for me. I'm surrounded by like-minded people who had similar life experiences 50+ years ago. We're VERY comfortable with one another so conversation flows freely, and is sometimes compelling.

To get here I entered the address of the hotel into the GPS and followed "Carmen the Garmin's" instructions. She did a great job.
Some several miles North of Columbus I ruefully smiled:
"Columbus, Ft. Benning... next exit."
With our new social conscience that sign, and MANY others around Columbus will be changed.
Fort Bragg. Fort Rucker. Fort Lee. Fort Hood. And how many other BIG road signs will be coming down?
At what cost?

But we'll all feel better, right?
RIGHT?

Well, It's a Good START To Your Collection:

 

The Coming Democrat Primary:

"But whatever you say about RFK Jr., he never drowned a woman, like his uncle. He never crippled one, like his brother. He never raped an underage babysitter, like another of his brothers. He’s never been accused of raping a woman, like one of his cousins, or beating a teenaged neighbor girl to death with a golf club, like another of his cousins.

Come to think of it, his opponent for the Democratic nomination, Joe Biden, has been accused of rape, by his former aide Tara Reade. And unlike Biden, none of Bobby’s daughters have ever written in their diaries that Daddy used to take long showers with them when they were 11 years old."
Howie Carr

This campaign will be mighty rough for "Average Joe". Republicans will enjoy it; democrats will squirm.

Pop the popcorn.

Anheuser Busch's Dilemma

 

I moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1974. The guy that lived in the apartment above mine owned the roofing company that had re-roofed the Anheuser-Busch brewery.
"Hey Greybeard... Come with me. I'm gonna inspect the work my crews have done at the brewery and we can drink all the beer we want while we're there."
At that time, (no longer), there were coolers of draft beer strategically placed throughout the brewery and workers could drink all the cold beer they wanted. Contractors could too.
We became "tipsy" roof inspectors.

We met one of the brewmasters and I got to ask a question I had been curious about-
"How do you make 'Light Beer?'"

"Basically we just add distilled water to it" was his response.
I stopped drinking Light Beer at that point. If I want Light Beer I'll add my own water, thank you.

This kerfuffle about the brand will be interesting to watch.
In my opinion, A/B has backed themselves into a corner with their customers-
Can they apologize? If they don't, they're gonna take a huge hit in sales. (Just ask "Kid Rock"!)
If they do, they'll lose the Trans community, and the apology probably will now fall on deaf ears to the customers that have been loyal to the brand.

Coca Cola realized their mistake with "New Coke" and changed course.
I don't think that will be possible for Anheuser Busch.

Once Upon A Time, This Was Farce:

I'm now surprised that it's still available on YouTube !

Jacoby

My wife was born and raised in Chicago. Her family still lives there... NOT actually in the City, but in various suburbs. When we chat with them they assure us they feel safe in their cocoons.
"Nimby" stuff.
A dozen or so kids die in the city every weekend. "Not my problem... all that stuff is happening several miles away"... in The Zoo-
Chicago's Southside.

And then comes the mass shooting in Nashville, and those same people get all up in arms about gun problems.
And I shake my head.
Yes, there is a problem. But the reason these kids are dying goes WAY deeper than just guns.
And government is at the heart of the trouble.

We don't have the time to discuss ALL the "Whys".
And we probably wouldn't agree anyway. Lefties "have my mind made up. Don't confuse me with facts."
SEVENTY PERCENT of Black babies are born to single Mothers. So those kids have no Father figure in their lives ready to tie a knot in their ass when they misbehave while growing up. They go out and find a "family" gang and that group establishes their value system.
And why does this problem exist? Our Government pays these Mothers to have babies!

We already know this 28-year old in Tennessee had a confused upbringing.
Just how "confused"? We'll find out when we learn more about the manifesto She/He left before killing a bunch of innocent Christians.
But still there is now outrage because our legislators are doing nothing about "assault weapons".
And "Jacoby" in Chicago will go out this weekend and shoot up a bunch of Chicago Southsiders.

How did Jacoby get his gun?
If you take Jacoby's gun away from him, how long will it take for him to find another?
What legislation would stop Jacoby from being an angry thug, capable of killing his fellow man at the drop of a hat?

Our world is angry.
Can we find a way to fix that?
I have an idea the left WILL NOT LIKE-
WWJD?
Let's learn.

Gun Violence Solution-

My bride is not only "movie star beautiful", she is also smart.
She has a solution to all this gun control controversy...
At birth, cut off baby's thumbs.
With no thumbs, no gun or rifle can be cradled with enough force to pull a trigger.
(Or just abort 'em. Aborted babies don't kill people.)

No charge for this "think tank" brilliance, folks.

Beauty.

On more than a few occasions I have been swept off my feet by a beautiful face.
The image above is just one example.
Can you identify her?

Anger. 10March23

She'll be angry if she knows I posted this, (so keep it to yerself).
I have a hiatal hernia. Sometimes, particularly when I'm eating fowl or fish, I swallow and that food makes it about halfway to my stomach.
It ain't comfortable. Sometimes the situation requires I excuse myself to the bathroom. (I'll leave it at that.)

Yesterday my beautiful bride brought me a Quesadilla made of turkey, cheddar cheese, and a light squirt of yellow mustard. It tasted great. BUT... About halfway through finishing the thing I had a "stoppage". And the fact I was uncomfortable caused Lewy Body Dementia to take control of my wife.

She got upset that the meal she fixed me caused me discomfort. MY discomfort made me less tolerant of her upset condition. Once again I forgot that at times the person that looks like my bride... is no longer the wife I married. I'm now married to this disease.
My problem is that I have not yet learned how to defuse the situation. And yesterday I failed completely.
Sigh.

Change DOES NOT come easily for me.
But for me to remain sane...
To care for her in the best way possible...
Major change is gonna have to happen.

If prayer comes comfortably to you, pray for me and all who are dealing with dementia and other terrible health issues.
Thank you.

Dominoes?

 Hope for the best. Plan for the worst. Silicon Bank in California just filed for bankruptcy-

We are on THIN ice.

Mother Nature's Pruning

We live on 2-1/2 acres with an adjoining 5-acre pond. We love our neighbors and MOST of the time love our homestead.
Until the wind picks up.
On our property you'll find Maples, Oaks, Paperbark Birch, Hickory and one Pecan tree. When the wind blows, as it has recently, Mother Nature does a natural pruning of the trees, especially the Maples.

It's been quite windy recently, so last week I decided to clean up the mess Mom Nature left for us. We have a "Burn Pile" down near the pond and I move the downed branches there. Weather permitting we let our neighbors know we'll be setting the pile afire and invite them to come roast weiners and burn marshmallows.
An hour into my cleanup task I realized a couple things:
I'm no longer a 27 year old, and-
I've got to get off my butt and resume walking again ASAP.

As we've said many times before- this "aging" business is no fun at all.

Big Brother Loves You-

BIG PHARMA wants nothing but the be$t for you. (Take your meds.)
Big government wants nothing but the be$t for you. (Vote for Joe!)
Pay NO ATTENTION to the man behind the curtain. He has your best interest at heart.

Bear.

Our neighbor..Two doors down.
On our daily walks we'd have to stop at his fenced-in yard and "give a little love" to this dog-
A 100+ pound walking mass of "give me some attention" canine named "Bear".
He wanted "some" attention, but after a few ear scratches and some "whatagoodboys!" he would have enough of that and wander away.
This was an almost daily experience.

BIG dogs live, on average, about 10 years... 12, IF you are fortunate.
Bear is 14.
And tomorrow, he will be no more. Our neighbor has resigned himself that Bear's quality of life is just not there.

Tonight we went over to say our goodbyes. Bear paced the floor... he cannot get comfortable. He begs to go outside, then begs to come back in after a few minutes.
Several times while we watched- his back legs gave out on him and his butt hit the floor.
Trying to comfort his owner we assured him-
"Yes, you're making the right decision".
I cry...And feel somewhat stupid that I'm crying.
This isn't even MY dog. But it IS a friend of sorts.

Many times I have commented that we invite these fellow living creatures into our lives knowing from the outset that in 10-15 years we will suffer heartbreak that will make us miserable.
And still we do it- because the positives SO FAR outweigh the negatives!
Bear has been a now-and-then bright spot in our life.

And we will miss him.
 

AMC Theaters and Graduated Pricing-

My family went to see "Elvis" during a matinee showtime at an AMC theater about a month ago.
Great movie. Recommended, even if you are not an Elvis Presley fan.
There was one other person in the theater other than my bride, son, and myself. We obviously had our pick of any seat we wanted from which to watch the movie.

Now the powers-that-be at AMC are discussing applying "graduated pricing" at their theaters...
Seats in the middle of the auditorium will be priced higher than seats in the front rows, and maybe seats way back in the back?

Questions-
-Will you pay a premium price to sit in the middle of the theater?
-If you enter an empty theater having paid the lower price for "undesirable" seats, will you sit anywhere you darn well please?
-Will ushers become "enforcement personnel" and demand you prove you are sitting in the seat you paid for even if the room is virtually empty?
-Is this idea more or less likely to make you want to watch a movie in an AMC theater?

If AMC management is trying to increase profitability, I'm not sure this will play out as they imagine.

Trump's Financial Statements

I made the mistake of dialing NPR on my FM dial this morning only to hear a lawyer discussing the investigation into "Corrupt" president Trump. The DONALD apparently paid Porn actress "Stormy Daniels" $130,000 to keep her mouth shut. Yeah, he's a dirtbag.
So they are going over Trump's Business records with a fine-tooth comb.
Good.

Now I just hope these same folks delve into Brandon's financial statements from ALL his private businesses.
Oh, wait...
Nevermind!

Old Friends; New Friends

I may be the outlier.
I'm still in touch (via this magical invention we're now using) with the neighbor I played Cowboys and Indians with 70 years ago. And I'm glad.
...High School Classmates have seeped out of life's fissures.
Several of the guys I rubbed elbows with in Officer's Candidate School still pretty regularly converse with one another. These guys all meet at now-and-then reunions and hug one another without embarrassment.
Flight School buddies... Fellow Viet Nam Vets... similar situation.
On my search engine I frequently enter names of old girlfriends, friends, and acquaintances that have had an impact on my life. This is how I found (and was shocked by) my first wife's obituary.
My point is if you've been an important part of my life in the past, chances are I'd probably like to find out what has happened to you since we were last in physical contact.
So I admit to cruising FaceBook now and then, trying to find old friends... male AND female.

What am I noticing?
Something that should have been obvious, but took a 2X4 to my left temple to sink in...
Not everyone has the desire to stay connected with their past as I do. To some, I'm a considerable pest.
And that is simultaneously a revelation and disappointment. It requires a "reset" in thinking.

The "salve" that helps heal the dull ache caused by that reset?
My continued efforts to locate folks from my past continue to be successful.
And many of those contacts are actually glad to hear from me and share histories.

Life?
It's a wonderful way to pass the time, doncha think?

How Divided Are We?

So the Paul Pelosi video has been released.
I heard he and his assailant shared the hammer when the Police came.
I heard Paul Pelosi was in his skivvies and the assailant was likely a homosexual lover.
But now I've watched the video, and I am sickened by what I see.
I'm ashamed to admit I thought the rumors were true. I risked my life to defend this country because I loved it... still do.
But we are broken.
And we need Jesus Christ to lead us out of this hatred and chaos.
...Rant... OUT!

Playing With (120mm Smooth-Bore) Fire:

I graduated Officer's Candidate School at Ft. Knox, KY as a Second Lieutenant with the title "Small Unit Tank Commander". Then I attended the ARMY'S "Rotary Wing Flight School" as a Commissioned Officer.
I know just enough about the Armored Beast pictured above to be dangerous.
Brandon, our Fearless Leader, is sending 31 of those to Ukraine to kill Russians. They are, arguably, the "top of the food chain" in the world of tanks.
Thinking the U.S. had weak leadership, Putin assembled his troops on the border and invaded Ukraine almost two years ago. Lots of lives on both sides have been snuffed out since. Many innocent non-combatants in Ukraine have died.
It would be nice if PEACE would break out there. Will the addition of Abrams and (German) Leopard tanks there help that happen?
I don't know. I'm frightened.

I DO know this-
Putin WILL NOT give up Crimea. To do so would be a loss of face the "little man" cannot stomach.
In my opinion, this addition to Ukraine's combat capabilities is literally.... Poking the Bear.

How does this conflict end?
I'm not clued into any intelligence information. I hope those folks who are know what they are doing.
But it sure seems to me the way this comes to an end will be similar to the conclusion of our effort in Viet Nam and Russia's Afghanistan experience-
It will become politically untenable.
It seems to me that's the only way Putin backs down. (And is replaced?)

We are playing with fire.
I think the Russian people are the key to ending this tragedy.
I hope they're getting enough "News" to understand that.
And "sooner" would also be nice.
Please.

How Often Have I Said This?

(But he's MUCH more clear.)

Brilliant.

Water- The Good. The Bad. The UGLY.

We came home the day after Christmas to Niagara Falls in three of our downstairs rooms.
(If you don't know what I'm talking about, drop down a couple posts and catch up, you slaggard!)
I slogged underneath the house and got the water (mostly) shut off, then called our insurance company-
(Take into account... this was the day after Christmas at 2000 hours.)
"All our agents are busy. Your call is important to us and will be answered in the order it was received."
90 minutes transpire. And when I actually got a chance to chat with a real human being she was professional, nice, and sympathetic to our situation. We discussed our dilemma for an hour.

Next morning, trying to get in touch with a plumber I called DOZENS-
"This is (blah, blah, blah) plumbing. We are out of the office until January 4th. Merry Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
I knew these facts:
The temperature in our area had dropped WELL below zero. The likelihood that many (hundreds) in our area were dealing with the same problem we had was not gonna be in our favor.
We had no water for 48 hours. I suspect we've all been in this position...
Coffee! Go to the faucet with carafe in hand and reach for the faucet only to realize that's a futile effort.
This happened SEVERAL times before I went to (evil) Wally World and bought a few gallons of distilled water.

We don't realize how spoiled we are until we are deprived of certain things-
Flip the switch and illuminate the room so you don't bust your derriere.
Push the lever down to make that bad smelling stuff you just sat down and deposited go away.
(I won't sicken you and tell you what we reduced ourselves to doing while we had no water.)
Fortunate- we had a pro plumber show up about two days after our incident. And he didn't charge us an arm and leg to find and fix our problem. He even crawled beneath our house twice!

And how odd it felt... looking at the damage to three rooms in our (formerly comfortable) home, knowing what the future held with having to tear the place apart in order to get back to something like "normal".
But... we could take the carafe to the tap, turn the handle, and make coffee.

Thinking of folks long ago who had to make coffee over an open campfire after they fetched water from a "crick"...
I said a prayer and thanked GOD for my many blessings.

Silly Question?

Like Forrest Gump, I know "I am NOT a smart man".
So I need an answer to my silly(?) question.
Thousands and thousands of "undocumented future democrats" are crossing our Southern border on a daily basis. I've been watching the videos of this chaos/fiasco, and it seems to me most of those crossing are solo, young, (military age) males. Here's my question:
If they are coming to the U.S. because they are dissatisfied with the conditions in their own country... instead of risking their lives to make the terrible, life-threatening, several thousand-mile journey here, why don't these healthy young males use their energies to CHANGE the conditions in their own homes?
Instead of making life better for themselves, that action would make life better for THOUSANDS of their countrymen.

It's a puzzle to me.
But I am not a smart man.

WWII Progaganda

 We are BIG fans of old movies. The old Black and Whites are by far our favorites. In our opinion they get no better than "Mrs. Miniver", "The Best Years of Our Lives", "The Mortal Storm",  "Watch On The Rhine", "Casablanca"... I could go on. If you are nodding your head and have not seen any of those I've listed you'll do well to look 'em up. (And if you have a favorite please mention it in the comments.) They reinforce the fact the country USED to be patriotic and is... different today.
(As if you needed proof, huh?)

Last week, after a "Feature" we watched, TCM played this "Short" starring James Cagney, Ann Sothern, and Margaret O'Brien.
Little Miss O'Brien has been a favorite of ours for years and I was thrilled to see her in this piece. As always, she's wonderful in it.

A little over 10 minutes in length, I think it's worth your time.
Your environment may even get a little dusty, so keep the tissues handy.
And remember how "we used to be".

"Bomb Cyclone"

The plan to head South to spend Christmas with our son had been in place for weeks. Our day of departure, (Thursday), weather was certainly a factor. I had to deliver meals in the morning and the forecast was for it to get "ugly with a capital 'U'" after Noon. Temps were forecast to drop almost 40 degrees in 12 hours with a rain/freezing rain/snow situation a possibility. I luckily finished delivering meals to our clients by 1000 hours and rushed home to "get outta Dodge" as soon as possible.


Knowing the situation our home would be facing during our absence I opened the doors to all the cabinets/sinks on outside walls and left the furnace set at 55 degrees to keep the house at a threshold temperature to avoid freezing. I considered leaving the most distant faucet trickling, but we were gonna be away for five days... did I want to leave water running that long?
No. (Don't get ahead of me here.)
Our trip South was uneventful. The car's thermometer read 34 degrees as we pointed our noses South, and temps rose to 45 degrees by the time we arrived in Northern Tennessee. Traffic was light.

Friday morning we got a call from a neighbor-
"My water pipes are frozen."
Uh-Oh.
Niggling worries began. But the guy with the keys to our home that I depend on to insure our house is okay was sick as a dog and I didn't want to bother him. Temps rose the next day and our "pipes frozen" neighbor reported that his water began to flow again.
I relaxed some.
Four days passed. We drove home in "still below freezing" temperatures.

We arrived home, opened the door, and Sara Jean exclaimed, "Water is running somewhere."
It was raining in my office. Raining in our downstairs bathroom.
Damn!
Quickly as possible I entered the crawlspace beneath our house. I had to crawl through snow to get there. It was raining under there too. I crawled 20 feet through two inches of water-soaked mud to reach the main shut-off valve.

The indoor rain continued for an hour. I realized there was a problem... the shutoff valve had NOT shut the water supply off. I crawled back under the house and forced the valve to close farther than I was really comfortable twisting it.
That act slowed the flow of water in my office to a "drip, drip, drip".
We deployed buckets to catch drips. I went to our outbuilding and grabbed the "wet-or-dry" vacuum.We sucked as much water up as we could and I got onto the phone to our insurance company.

Trying to contact a plumber after an event like this is disheartening-
"I have a week's worth of work ahead of you. I'll put you on my list and get to ya as soon as I can."

Today marks two days since we got home to find it raining indoors.
One of the plumbers we left a message with arrived this morning and started pulling out drywall. After "tearing up Ned" for an hour he found and repaired the leak.
We can once again bathe, brush our teeth, do laundry, run the dishwasher, and flush toilets.
We don't realize how much we take electricity and water for granted until they are gone, do we?

The process of returning to normal has begun. Being able to turn on the water tap is about 40% of that process.
Now the drywall, carpeting, fixing/replacing electronics, etc., process begins.

And thinking of those sleeping in the cold we once again realize how BLESSED we are.

"I Wanta Dance With Somebody"

We saw the Whitney Houston movie last night.
It was good, but succeeded in making me very sad.
Why do all these talented celebrities think "I can ingest that and the thing that has happened to SO MANY people before me won't RUIN my life!"?

She "danced" with Bobby Brown.
Bad choice of partners.

Yukon Cornelius!

Just to show you how STUPID our "Woke" world has become-
We arrived here in Tennessee Thursday night. After we had unloaded the car, grabbed a bite to eat and settled in, our son said, "Let's go watch a movie". He has a "media room" in his home here, complete with an 85-inch television and great sound system. I leaned back in my recliner and he punched the "Play" button, and I was surprised to see the credits for "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" roll.
"What the heck?" I thought. I have never seen the movie all the way through and it will help me get into the Christmas spirit!
The movie is about an hour long and is for kids... cute, but because you've heard the basic story via the old Gene Autry song over a million times, it's kinda boring.

Our son had purchased tickets to a "special event" at the "Gaylord Events Center" and wouldn't tell us anything about what we were gonna experience other than to say, "Dress WARMLY!"

We arrived at the Gaylord complex and entered the Events Center and found "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in ice sculpture was what we would see.
And it was amazing. The big facility was cooled to 9 degrees, obviously to keep the sculptures from melting, so all attendees were issued parkas for comfort. As you walk the pathway, the story of the old movie unfolds with help from signs in front of the characters.

And I noticed something odd-
The "Yukon Cornelius" ice character had no revolver tucked into his belt!
The Snowflakes that put this display together had disarmed Yukon, (I'm sure his piece in the movie was AT LEAST a .44 Magnum!) leaving him totally vulnerable to Polar Bears and "Bumble" Abominable Snowmen!
How cruel!

I asked several of the attendants about the oversight, (average age amongst 'em was about 22 I think), and they all just shrugged their shoulders. (I'm sure most of them have never seen the old animated feature.)

But you and I know what this is all about.
Carrying a gun is bad, ya know?

Being eaten by a white bear is preferable.

The Sky is Falling!

In Tennessee.
We "got outta town" up North just in time to miss the dangerous driving conditions. It was 34 degrees with light drizzle when we left home, and the car's thermometer steadily increased to 45 as we ventured South in light traffic. We encountered ONE slowdown along the way, but even that was just an irritation... never came to a complete stop.

We got word yesterday that a couple (relatives) back home have tested positive for the Wuhan Flu. One was the recipient of a new kidney some years back. Both are multi-vaccinated and multi-boosted. This is the second battle with the virus for both of them. He very obviously has a right to be concerned about his future, but I wonder-
What good did it do the two of them to get stabbed all those times? Sara Jean and I both have also tested positive for the disease and had cold/flu-like mild symptoms. She has now been battling a coughing/snotty bug for three weeks. Is she uncomfortable ? You bet. She has tested negative twice during this three week period, so she probably will not die from this.

There are people around us that LOVE being frightened. It's the reason Halloween Horror Houses and scary movies make money. And there are some EVERYWHERE that are secretly enjoying being frightened that death is just around the corner because of this disease:
"Wear your (useless paper) mask! And two of 'em are better than one!"

Don't get me wrong- There ARE people who must be concerned about this bug. I sure as Hell hope they have access to and wear an N95 mask because anything else will likely do more damage than good.
But at what point will we realize that lots of people are afraid someone will jump out from behind a bush and shout BOO! at them?

As I recall, the chance of dying from this disease- rounded to the nearest whole number, is ZERO.

Men Are Stupid

"...ain't nothin' in the world
Like a big-eyed girl
That makes me act so funny
Make me spend my money
Make me feel real loose, like a long necked goose
Like a girl, oh baby, that's what I like!"

I'm a VERY happily married man.
But I ain't blind.
Let some cute/beautiful female flutter her eyes at me and I'm reduced to jelly.
"Can you do THIS for me?"
And I'm not the only living thing with XY chromosomes for which that's true.
My problem? OUR problem?
The humans with XX chromosomes know how to manipulate us. And they're smarter than we are.
Do I/we mind?
Not really.
"As it was, and forever shall be."

Ain't nothin' in the world like a BIG EYED girl!

"Toxic Masculinity"

"It's better to be a WARRIOR in a garden, than a GARDENER in a war."
Jordan Peterson

Thank You Dr. Peterson.

There are people in this world who think in a different realm than most of us.
Michelangelo was one.
Dr. Jordan Peterson is another, opening my eyes to this comparison:

Same As It Ever Was.

 Nixon was more honest.

Home For The Holidays?

We're back home in "The Great White North" after our 30-day stay in Destin. Our visit there this go-round was not the best... the condo we stayed in was newly remodeled and we were the Guinea Pigs that had to find all the little glitches and call to get them fixed. (Ground floor condo with NO window coverings when we arrived? Sheesh.)
Weather too was a bit of a disappointment this year. Cold, rainy, and blustery, the guests we invited to spend time with us were not, I fear, very impressed with the Florida Panhandle.

One of the great mysteries of life-
Try as hard as we might, I always have trouble jamming all the STUFF we have accrued into the truck for our trip home. Junk that can be damaged in rain always goes into the Extended Cab while impervious stuff can reside in the bed.
Not this time. Too much to fit in the Cab.
I bought "contractor strength" garbage bags and many items went into the bed this trip.
Contractor bags? We learned the lesson the hard way some years ago. Normal trash bags blowing in the wind back there fatigue and get holes in 'em pretty quickly. These heavier-duty bags fared quite well.

Driving-
I like to drive. "Back when", road trips of 10+ hours were no problem. That's no longer true. Part of the reason for that, I'm sure, is the vehicle- Our 25 yr-old 3/4 ton Dodge Cummins diesel is... a TRUCK.
Noisy. And it rides, even when pretty heavily loaded, like an old log wagon.
First "leg" home, picking up the dog from my Sister's in Pensacola then pointing the truck Northbound to our son's home, was 12 hours. (Rest areas, fuel stops, restaurants.)
I can't do that trip length anymore. Future trips will require overnites after 6-7 hours or so.

Our final leg home was 3 hours.
Exhausted, we went right to bed. Next day we continued to spend lounging around, mostly watching TV, trying to recharge our batteries.
Feeling better today, we can start the unpacking/organizing stage of our arrival home.

"Be it ever so humble..."
It's wonderful to be safely home.

Climate Cooling... Err, Warming... Err, "Change"-

 Our "betters" want us to ride our bicycles to work.
They care enough about the issue that they flew their private jets many miles to a conference to emphasize that fact.

I could be convinced the climate may be changing. My question to the statement is always, "When in our history has the climate NOT changed?"
"Climate change people" aren't really stupid, so they have no answer to my question.

But the more frustrating questions?
What's the population of the U.S.?
What's the population of China?
What's the population of India?
What are those countries, (orders of magnitude in population BIGGER than ours) doing to lessen their impact on poor Gaia's climate?

We are stupid.
Beyond belief.
And we are deserving of the screwing we are receiving.

Call It "Mental Illness". I Won't Argue-

 (That ain't him, but it sure might be a close relative!)

We leave Destin tomorrow morning after a stay of 30 days. Weather, (as usual in the Florida Panhandle), has been UP/DOWN. We've experienced SUN, rain, and temps ranging from 40-ish nights to 85 degree days. There's no question of Season change here. We've had a nice stay... except...

We made our reservation for this Condo February of this year. That was about the same time the little Chihuahua-mix dog that looks like the above photo decided we were HIS. We gave no thought at all to the fact our reservation here was in a "No Pet" accommodation.

As the date for our stay here approached it hit the two of us like a ton of bricks-
"We have to figure out what we're gonna do with Chico."
Boarding at a Kennel? Expen$ive. And how would he react to being with strangers for 30 days?
So that option was dismissed.

My Sister lives in Pensacola, about an hour's drive from Destin-
"Sis, we have a little problem..."
She has three adopted canines of her own.
"Of course he can stay here!"
And so we relaxed, knowing he'd be loved, fed, and comfortable.
What we did not consider was how accustomed to him being a part of our lives had become.
I've missed him lying next to me in my recliner. But Sara Jean? She's actually been in tears more than once missing the little guy.

So the trip tomorrow will be Destin-> Pensacola-> Northbound.
We're excited by the thought of having the ENTIRE family reunited.

Much of the world thinks we're crazy to get so emotionally involved with our pets
Crazy?
The way we have felt without his presence here?
They may be correct.

Come Fly This Thing!

Doin' a lot of reflecting on my life in retirement I'm acknowledging how blessed I have been.
Fifty-two years of looking up through a spinning wing. Fifty of those years trying to teach others to control that nearly uncontrollable machine and survive the experience.
The people who were not only interested in what I had to teach but also had the wherewithal to afford my services were... often interesting.

One of the guys that came to me wanting to learn to fly a helicopter was a man that owned his own "Learn to Fly" business. He owned several Cessna 172's and had a staff of instructors to teach people in them.
He also owned an FBO... a place on an airport where pilots could land and expect to refuel and get other services... charts, refreshments, a phone to call for weather and file a flight plan, and other incidental things.
A Certified Flight Instructor in Airplanes himself, he was a few years older than me with a LOT more letters following the "CFI" on his pilot's license.

Done with my "lesson/torture session" we had landed the helicopter and finished debriefing the lesson when one of his mechanics approached- "'***', the Hawker needs a post-maintenance test flight".
My student was the only person in the county qualified and current to fly the airplane so his services were required ASAP.
"Hey Greybeard, how'd you like to fly the Hawker?"
It took a fraction of a second for me to respond!

Checklist followed. Taxi to (and hold short) of the runway...
"I have to start the takeoff roll because I have directional control of the airplane with this little steering wheel until the rudder becomes effective. After that... YOU HAVE THE AIRPLANE!"

Your humble helicopter CFI did (most of) the takeoff, the climbout, and the level-off procedure. My student impressed me by demonstrating how this powerful airplane would press you against the seat when the throttles were pushed forward. (And my mind boggles at the power Fighter Pilots must feel!)
Test Flight complete, my student gave me hints about not killing the two of us as I landed the airplane, with him once again controlling the nose-wheel with his little steering wheel when I no longer had positive rudder control.

Yeah, it's a great memory... another in my book of reflections.
And after my student passed his Private Pilot Helicopter practical test he admitted-
"There is NO FLYING more fun than flying a helicopter."

I'm pleased to have flown that Hawker.
But I sure would not have wanted to fly one for a living.

Mastadon?

Twitter.
Snapchat.
Instagram.
Parler.
I know I'm probably missing several Social Media venues.
I use NONE of the above.
Hearing that I'd be able to reconnect with lots of old acquaintances I signed up on FaceBook, and that experience has been...
amusing and useful in many ways. It HAS been pleasant to get back in touch with old friends, schoolmates and military associates. But being warned my comment "doesn't meet our community standards" for a thought I considered to be pretty harmless has been simultaneously humorous and irritating.

Now a thing called "Mastadon" is in the news. I guess it's a sort of "Quiet Room" for snowflakes that have their knickers in a knot over the fact  Elon Musk is allowing comments on Twitter pointing out the Emperor has no clothes.

I've never Tweeted in my life.
I don't think I'm interested in Masticating either.

We Need The Reminder Now And Then:

A former (M.D.) student called.
"'Greybeard', Les ****** is dead."
Les was an overachiever in life-
Eagle Scout. Boy Scout leader. NRA instructor. Volunteer Policeman. Scuba diver. Teacher of other medical personnel.
And in addition to many other things, MY STUDENT... and Private Pilot (Helicopter).
Ten years my junior.
Boy, do I suddenly feel old.

A VERY SMART nurse, member of my flight crew once told me:
"If you want to avoid cardiac problems, pick your parents carefully."
Put that quote in your memory book.
R.I.P. Les. You made my life better.

Agent Orange, or "C Rations"?

On advice from friends because of possible Agent Orange exposure
I registered with the Veteran's Administration a few years back.
Now I get a pretty detailed semi-annual  physical... pee in the bottle, blood work, and "lemme have a close look in those eyeballs". The close watch on what's happening to my body is comforting.

On Facebook I've signed up for a couple Viet Nam Veteran sites-
A UH-1 Crew Chief/Door Gunner/Pilot site, and a Viet Nam Veteran site. On both there is considerable discussion about all the problems my VN Vet brethren are experiencing due to Agent Orange. Seems Agent Orange is the cause of ALL problems my 75-85 year old brothers are having.
Sigh.

Not wanting to "stir the pot", I DO NOT voice my concerns there-
Those of us old enough to remember "C Rations" will remember that the "accessory pack" included a little four-cigarette pack of cancer sticks. Since I was a non-smoker I always donated my cigs to a smoking friend. MOST of my friends smoked. It was easy to find someone that wanted my gift.
It's surprising now to realize my government was supporting the addiction of many servicemen.

But to me it sure clouds the issue.
How can we determine how many cancers and other illnesses were actually caused by Agent Orange since so many (MOST, probably) VN Vets would respond to the call "Smoke 'em if ya got 'em"?

Agent Orange was a toxic substance and I have no doubt many people are now suffering because they were exposed to it.
But nicotine and tar didn't make anyone healthier.

The Paradise That Is Cuba

"I left my heart... in San Francisco".
Many would say S.F. is (WAS!) one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Today? Watch out for the feces and syringes.
I don't want to live there. Heck, I don't even want to visit there!

Or Cuba.
Or, for that matter, Chicago.

Am I too old to pick up a firearm and fight for my country?
Nope.
My Oath had no expiration date.

Election Denier?

Damn right I am.
And I will continue to question the results until someone can adequately explain to me why the windows in the Detroit polling place had to be covered as shown. What happened behind that "wall"?

God, Grant Me Patience And Serenity.

Our continuing dementia journey-
The changes are gradual... and incremental.
Short-term memory is slowly failing.
Anger bordering on rage presents itself frequently.
I have to remember NOT to react to it.
She cannot help it.
I can. And I don't need to react in kind.
I must remember to insure she stays "on her feed".
Aricept is a miracle Drug.
I'm still praying for a cure.

"I Don't Watch The News."

How many people in your circle say that?
Several in mine do, and I have no problem with it. Sara Jean and I watch several news broadcasts daily and neither of us ever have the urge to put a gun to our temples. But we certainly understand that some people might need a trip to "Mother's little helper" after watching a broadcast these days.

My problem is with the people that make the statement with pride.
Then these people walk ignorantly into the polling booth and vote !
"My Daddy voted democrat. My granddaddy voted democrat. My Great granddaddy voted democrat".
And that is the reason we now find ourselves being governed by demented (or stroke impaired) idiots.

Do us all a favor, PLEASE-
If you don't watch the news, and therefore don't know what is going on in the world around us all (and WHY)-
DO NOT VOTE!

Destin, Florida. November 2022

We are, once again thanks to the grace of GOD, spending November domiciled in paradise. Beautiful weather and FRESH seafood.
The complex we are staying in is at the top center of this photo, along the "Emerald Coast Highway".
I have a stupid question I cannot answer- maybe you can help?
The sand here is made of quartz and is the color of sugar, or maybe snow. (In fact they use "snow fences" to control the sand blowing in the wind just like snow is controlled in the North.)
The sand is PURE WHITE. So why, walking barefoot in this condo, do the soles of our feet turn black?
It's a puzzle.

Scavengers

On a quiet road in the Van delivering "meals on wheels", from half a mile away I can see the big bird squarely in the road's middle feasting on something dead there. There are a LOT of Turkey Vultures in our area and this bird is the right size for that.
But as I get closer... "Is that an Eagle?"
I hope so. We're seeing more and more of 'em in our area. But sightings are still infrequent enough that seeing one is a minor thrill.
Sure enough... White head and tail, he/she is pecking at some unidentifiable red mass. Buzzards will spook and fly away from their dinner temporarily here when you approach within about 1/8th mile. This bird persisted eating until I was MUCH closer, making me fear for other traffic that might pass by.
On my return trip across the same path, both bird and its meal were nowhere to be seen.
He/she apparently took her meal "To Go"!

When they swoop down on the fly and catch a fish, they are majestic.
But I think Ben Franklin was correct-
Eating dead possum in the middle of the road?
Not so much.

Oil and Filter Changes-

EXTREMELY poor prior planning on my part-
I delayed preventative maintenance on all my vehicles until my oil change schedule was slightly overdue on all.
For various reasons I have always taken the SHO to the Ford dealer to have this job done. For $60 they change oil and filter, top off all fluids, check tires, brakes and various other systems on the car. First time I had considered doing the oil change on this car myself I took one look beneath the car and saw- what IS THAT... A heat shield?.., covering the complete underside of the engine compartment. That, coupled with the fact this car sits VERY low to the ground, made the $60 charge from my dealer seem quite reasonable.

"When can you do 'The Works' on my SHO?"
"I can get you in on November 14th."
Needing it done yesterday, that's obviously unacceptable.

The oil change on the Ram/Cummins Diesel is not complicated but the doggone thing takes a LOT of oil-
Ten quarts of specific diesel oil. People "in the know" also recommend adding two containers of STP. So the job is kinda expensive.

I've had the filter for an oil and filter change on the Piaggio MP3 Scooter on hand for some time. It takes only a couple quarts of oil so that job is easy-peasy with the correct tools on hand.

So I attacked the big Cummins first. On it I change the oil every 5,000 miles and the filter every 10K. This time was the intermediate service, so all I had to do was pull the plug and drain the old oil out, then add the new oil and the two containers of STP.
All this was done in half an hour or so.

Now let's attack the Ford-
How the heck do I lift this thing up high enough to work under it?
I searched for several minutes and finally found what I felt were the safest points to apply my floor jack.
But doing that job will require removing that infernal heat shield. It's held on by four attaching points that are actually easier to detach than I thought, but required a long reach under this very low car to get to 'em. Done... and the shield is pulled out from under.
I then lifted the car high enough to get underneath and applied my jack stands for safety's sake.
The rest of the job ain't hard. Oil drain plug and filter are right there pretty much in your face. I removed the drain plug and the old oil flowed into my catch container. I removed the filter and allowed the oil inside it to drain into the same container, then filled the new filter and slickened the rubber gasket with oil and put it in its place.

The SHO owner's manual recommends Full Synthetic oil. This stuff is not cheap. I open the five quart container and poured it into the hole marked "Engine Oil", and I'm feeling pretty proud of myself-
I've changed the oil in the Diesel truck AND the Taurus in less than two hours!
Wait-
What's that?
I notice LOTS of new oil creeping across the floor behind the right front tire.
Damn.
I failed to re-install the drain plug. WHAT A MESS! What an idiot!

Another trip to Wally World.
Another BIG container of 10W-40 Fully Synthetic oil.
Oil installed and heat shield reattached.

Dismayed with my boneheadedness I put off doing the Scooter oil and filter change until tomorrow.
While doing the job I promise I'll check and DOUBLE CHECK my work.

Christmas In October

Our "Security System", Chico the Chihuahua-mix that adopted us, starts barking like crazy. Investigating the cause for his noisy outburst we find the FedEx truck parked in our driveway. The driver delivers his package and returns to his truck.
Before he can pull out of our drive Chico again throws a fit. The UPS truck is paused on the street, waiting for the Fedex driver to vacate our drive.
I'm expecting a delivery. Both these packages are for Sara Jean.
Our cheap security system is primed and ready for their return.

" Your comment didn't meet community standards."

Found out I was in Facebook jail for my comment about Hitler and his "Big Lie" philosophy.
Farcebook didn't like the fact I educated folks there.
I also found out I had been in FB jail once before and didn't even notice.
I'm crushed.

Cruise Recipe-

Backward plan what's necessary to get the job done.
Load the car.
Drive to the train, hoping traffic behaves. (It didn't, but we had allowed for that eventuality.)
Take the train to the airport, hoping that system functions as advertised.
Fly to the departure city after a connecting flight in Chicago.
Uber/Lyft to the Port and board the ship.

All these puzzle pieces (thankfully) fell into place.
Our view of the inland passage was, for the most part, restricted by fog. It was interesting hearing the ship's foghorn sound every two minutes when our visibility was seriously restricted.
We missed our Port of Call to Ketchikan due to high winds. (Read the Wikipedia reports [Norwegian Escape!] of some of the disasters these big ships have experienced.)
The food on this "Norwegian Bliss" was BY FAR the best of the 7 cruises we've now experienced.
The shows we saw were top drawer... Broadway quality.

Now it's time to get back into making our own bed and cleaning up after ourselves.

"Time to spare? Go by AIR!"

On my FaceBook page I commented we'd be home by about midnight, barring any "Glitches".
We arrived at the airport 90 minutes prior to time to board.
Surprise!
Have you ever been to Disneyland?
The labyrinth at Sea-Tac would make Disney blush as pikers!
Two hours after our arrival our flight departed while we were still waiting for TSA to insure we weren't dangerous. Thankfully a quick call to our airlines found another flight that had had a couple cancellations.
We departed two hours after our originally scheduled flight; still in time (thank God!) to make our Salt Lake City connection to St. Louis and catch up with our luggage.

My advice for people I care about:
Avoid the Seattle airport as if it had a virulent case of Covid-19.

Tributes

"The Beatles Experience" is a band from Argentina, (believe it or don't!)  playing on "The Norwegian Bliss"  this cruise. We've seen three of their shows so far this week. The first show was from the Beatles' early years- "I wanta hold your hand". In their second show they played the complete "Sgt. Pepper" album. Last night's show was mostly "Abbey Road". These guys are really, REALLY good. Close your eyes and you'd have difficulty telling you're not hearing Paul, George, Ringo and John.
Earlier this week we saw "Jersey Boys". My family all commented that in some ways we thought this group might even be better than Frankie, Tommy, Bob, and Nickie.
Tonight we hope to attend a concert put on by "American Idol" contestant Ashlie Amber as she performs a tribute to Whitney Houston. I'm betting we'll be impressed.
Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, right?

It occurred to me, in the past we have attended tribute concerts by groups doing the repertoires of:
ABBA.
The Beach Boys.
The Beatles.
The BeeGees.
Chicago.
The Eagles.
Queen.
And I'm forgetting some, certainly.
Our 39 year-old son has attended many of these events with us and, knowing all the words, sings right along with us during the performances.

Solid Gold Oldies-
At the risk of sounding like my parents- I prefer them to the "junk" I hear being produced today.

And how many gainfully employed musicians around the world would agree wholeheartedly?

The "Bliss" of Cruising

As I write this we are "at sea" between Seattle and Juneau, Alaska aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line's "Bliss". We've previously cruised with Princess, Azamara, Carnival, and Celebrity Lines, and have had mixed feelings about those experiences. (The food on ALL of 'em has been plentiful, but a BIG disappointment.) Catering to an obese customer base most of the line's food has been VERY mildly seasoned, low sodium, low fat, low sugar, and in the words of a friend, "fills a hole"...
Not exciting.
Food on the Bliss has been surprisingly good so far. Sara Jean and Big Bubba have eaten well. To the extent possible I'm staying close to Keto. The salad bar on the Bliss is also the best we've experienced while cruising.

This machine is BY FAR the biggest ship we've sailed on-
Four thousand guests and 1700 crew. She is 1094 feet long, and walking from one point of interest on the ship to another might involve getting lost. There's little need to worry about exercise on this cruise-
We'll get enough of that just seeing what we want to see onboard.

I'm continually amazed at how efficiently these companies handle the numbers of people that get aboard. We showed up at the port at 1300 hours and were aboard and in our Stateroom by 1400. Our luggage was outside our door. Our room attendant, "Angel" from Indonesia soon came by to introduce herself and committed our names to memory. She has since addressed us by name every time we encounter her.... nothing short of amazing considering she's responsible for 14 Staterooms and their occupants.

Last night in the theater we saw "The Beatles Experience"; four guys from Argentina that sound EXACTLY like George, Paul, John, and Ringo, and even look somewhat like them, gestures included.
(The "Paul" guy unfortunately did not play his bass left handed. Listening to him, we forgave him.)

Right now this big liners is making 20.2 knots Northbound. That's about 25 miles per hour. Quietly. Smooth and comfortably.
Food. Accommodations. Entertainment. Wait staff catering to make our experience wonderful.

Life is tough.
We are blessed, and aware of that fact.

Helicopter Gunship Evolution

Take a "B" or "C" Model UH-1 helicopter. Add rocket pods and mini-guns to the hard points on the side of the bird. Give your Crewchief and Gunner an M-60 machine gun with 1500 rounds of ammunition and seat them where they can provide protective cover to the side and rear of the helicopter. Load that machine with enough fuel to complete the mission, knowing that it will be so overloaded it probably won't hover and you'll be forced to do a "running takeoff"... slide the skids on the ground until the rotors can reach out into undisturbed air to gain enough lift for the old bird to fly.
These first gunships were proof of the value of arming the helicopter, and were the first machines I flew in Viet Nam. Big, slow, and underpowered. So how do we improve the concept?

Use LOTS of existing, proven reliable components but make it smaller, faster, more accurate, and more powerful so it can carry heavier loads.
The "HueyCobra" or just "Cobra". "Snake" to those of us that flew them. This is the machine I transitioned into when we replaced our Huey Gunships. An improved platform in many ways, it had its initial teething problems. The tail rotor and gearbox were stress fatigued and would break off, resulting in a serious center-of-gravity situation. A personal acquaintance had this happen while he was on short final to landing. The resulting crash broke his back resulting in him being paralyzed below the waist. First machines in country had no air conditioning, and sitting beneath that greenhouse was... uncomfortable. They DID have a system that blew hot air down your spine, but on the really HOT days that system just made you feel like a roast in the oven.
When the ARMY started flying "Nap-of-the-earth"...flying the machine just above tree tops at slow, (sometimes walking speeds) to avoid the danger of shoulder-fired enemy missiles, that rounded plexiglass canopy was replaced with flat panes because the curved surface reflected the sun from every angle and flat panes would only reflect it like a mirror from certain angles.
So it wasn't perfect. How do we improve it?

Let's try this thing:

The "Apache".
Tank killer extraordinaire.
The evolution came too late in my career for me to fly one.
But I'm proud to have been part of the process that got us "from here to there"!

Canary in the Coal Mine

Some random thoughts, mostly to get a post published 'cause it's been awhile since my last-

January 6.
I would NOT have participated in those festivities, but...
Do the "Powers that be" not see that that "riot" was an indicator of trouble and the next time it could be MUCH, MUCH worse?
If coming elections are bungled as badly as 2020 was, the January 6th D.C. stuff could look like child's play.

A Vermont High School has banned a girl's Volleyball team from their locker room because the biological XX's don't want to undress in front of an "XY" teammate? (This IS a GIRL'S team!)
What a mess. I think this "confusion" is soon coming to a head. Biological females are beginning to see the writing on the wall-
Their sports will be destroyed by "I identify as female" athletes. There's an easy way to resolve this but the politically correct don't want to do it-
Have sports for Male, Female, and "Other" athletes. That's fair. But we're not quite there yet.

Russia threatens to go Nuclear. Will they do it? (I suspect NO ONE thought any country could kill 6 million people back when, so I sigh and just hope sanity prevails here.)
IF the Russkies go Nuclear, Russia (and maybe the world, but certainly Russia as it exists today) will change in ways we cannot imagine.

Hurricane Ian will dramatically change the insurance industry. Storms in the past forced companies to insure ONLY ONE PROPERTY in Florida some time back. I suspect Floridians are gonna see even more radical changes coming down the pike, hiked premiums being the least of it.

We watched Season One of "Night Sky" with J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek this week.
That's nine hours of our time I wish we had spent in a more enjoyable fashion.

We leave to board the "Norwegian Bliss" the end of the week. This is our second Alaska cruise. We enjoyed our first, and our son motivated us to do it again, this time with him coming along.
I lost two pounds on last month's Western Caribbean cruise with mostly "Keto" eating.
Let's see if I can do as well this time.

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?

The Damage Done

Some years back, two special FBI agents knocked on our door seeking information about possible drug activity (and other stuff) going on in our neighborhood. We invited them in, poured coffee, and had a nice visit with fellow Law Enforcement personnel.
If that same scenario happened today I would NOT allow the agents to enter my home.

Watching this fiasco unfold at Mar-A-Lago, knowing how politicized leaders of the FBI have become, I cannot help but wonder-
What's the likelihood the FBI would plant classified documents to be found during their "investigation"?
They are DESPERATE to keep Trump from running in '24.
That we even have to consider the possibility is... horrible.
But there you have it.

How does the FBI EVER recover its reputation?

River Valley Campground, Cherokee, North Carolina

 (That's a photo borrowed from the WWW, but it's representative of the sites against the river.)

We just returned from a week's stay along the river in the photo... the "Oconoluftee" in Cherokee, NC.
The water there flows fairly rapidly across rocks. It ain't no "babbling brook"... the "white noise" it made was so loud Sara Jean could not sleep in our bed, which pretty much hung over the bank of the river. She vacated our bedroom and slept in one of the bunkbeds in the garage of the toy hauler to deaden the sound.

This was our second stay in our new RV, and we're still trying NOT to screw things up too badly. I'm surprised and pleased that the 28' trailer follows behind our 3/4-ton truck like a shadow. It reduces our fuel mileage from 21mpg to 14, but that number surprises most, (including me). The only disconcerting thing about towing the trailer is being passed by 18-wheelers...
As they are abeam the rear of the trailer the "Venturi Effect" sucks trailer and pickup toward them. Then when the tractor gets abeam the cab of our truck the wake of the semi pushes the whole shebang toward the road shoulder. This phenomenon keeps me on my toes.

We initially planned to take the most direct route to the campground from our home. That drive would have taken us through Knoxville, then Gatlinburg and the Smokey Mountain National Park. We've driven that route in our car in the past and found it beautiful. But in one hour at work two friends separately cautioned, "Have you considered what it will be like to pull that RV over that road?"
One of 'em even commented that he had seen rigs pulled to the side of the road with brakes SMOKIN'.
I thought about it, then decided on a different, not direct path. I'm glad I did. The route we took was still hilly and turny, but there were no uphill hairpin turns. We arrived without incident.

My sister and I rode the scooter half an hour to Maggie Valley and walked through the "Wheels Through Time" museum there. This was a "Bucket List" item for me.
I'm glad we went, but for me it was a bit of a disappointment.
I should have remembered that the founder of the museum was, for years, a Harley Davidson dealer. ALL of the motorcycles on display were American made. Virtually all of 'em were Harleys.
No examples of my first Harley... an Italian made "Sprint" by Aermacchi Harley-Davidson were to be found.
No Triumphs. No BSAs. No Italian scooters. No Japanese bikes.
Oh well.

We attended a showing of "Unto These Hills", a portrayal of the Cherokee Nation from their encounter with DeSoto, through the trail of tears, and up to fairly recent history. I was surprised that much of the play was devoted to the fact that SOME white men tried to avoid the tragedy that unfolded.
I felt the portrayal was more than fair.
Recommended.

We met my sister and Bro-in-law there and had a nice visit alongside the river. The campground is beautiful; the bathhouse is clean; and the campsites are more than adequately sized.
If you want to stay I suggest you make reservations.
If VERY LOUD white noise bothers you, pick a site AWAY from the river!

Camp LeJeune Lawsuit

Sara Jean's brother was a Marine. He spent some time at Camp LeJeune. He died a couple years ago due to Cancer involvement in several of his organs. He did get decent care through the VA, and his wife continues to receive a check because of the ongoing water situation there.

Every time one of these ambulance-chasing Attorney commercials appears on TV now it is like she's being stabbed in the heart.

Shakespeare had it exactly right.

Speaking English

"Buick" is "BYOU-ICK".
Shouldn't "Quick" be "QYOU-ICK"?
(Sorry. More 3 A.M. thinking.)

"The Nest"

Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus.
And we have differing views on what's best for our kids.
Women are natural nurturers.
Men? "Rub it off! You're okay."

Our son was 39 on his last birthday. While he lived in our home I used to emphasize to my wife that the most important goal for us as parents was to insure he could "spread his wings and fly"... survive in the cruel world as an adult.
She coddled him.
I wanted him to "toughen up".
For the most part, she won that battle. (I won a few.)
But...
He had a Mother AND a Father (parents!)  living in the same home he grew up in.
And I think today that speaks VOLUMES.
He's turned out pretty well. (He's politically conservative!)

How many of these drug-addled, "triggered/woke" young people today had the luxury of a Father who could tie a knot in their ass when they got out of line?
How many Fathers were strong enough to do it?

Broken homes...
I think it might be the MAJOR problem we have in the country today.
And I don't see the problem getting fixed in the near future.

Regular readers know I am a fan of "Svengoolie"... the syndicated show out of Chicago that mimics the old Saturday night horror shows of my youth in Indianapolis.
I LOVED the stupid/silly movies they shared, and the stupid/silly antics these hosts used to entertain those of us watching.

Some weeks ago TCM broadcast "Plan Nine From Outer Space" and I recorded it.
Sara Jean is away visiting family in Chicago, and it seemed a good time to "enjoy" the campy old flick.
How can I describe my reaction to this viewing?
Have you ever watched something so ludicrous you asked yourself why you were wasting this precious time, yet realized SOMEONE thought this was important enough to share with others?
"Vampira", the female featured in the Promo you see above was reportedly paid $200 for her part in the movie! (1957).

Can I recommend you take the time to watch this thing?
Does watching bad acting/listening to horribly written dialogue amuse you?
Then watch it.
Maybe once.
Like me.

Fentanyl

You thought you were buying Percocet?
But instead you got a fatal dose of fentanyl?
Why were you buying Percocet?

Winston II ?

 

"The Fog of War".
No question, there IS such a thing.
We cannot know what is actually happening in Ukraine. But it sure seems to me this is a "David takes on Goliath" situation. And we need to be on the side of David.

You may have already seen this video. Good.
If you have not be aware-
The destroyed airplane you see in the background in some of the shots was a "one of a kind" that I was truly fascinated with. This unique machine was intended to carry the Russian version of their Space Shuttle into the air.
Now it is GONE.

This is war.
War is expensive; destructive; and frequently stupid.

I am with Ukraine.

Contempt of Congress

"The criminal offense of contempt of Congress sets the penalty at not less than one month nor more than twelve months in jail and a fine of not more than $100,000 or less than $100."

Contempt of Congress is a crime.
Doesn't that make the MAJORITY of U.S. Citizens criminals?

Phil

I want to talk about "Phil".

Some years ago I lived in an apartment complex that was more or less dedicated to housing young adults- singles and marrieds. Management organized a monthly get-together- rock band, Las Vegas party, etc. Alcohol was provided. (I lived there three years. The parties ceased after one... fun while it lasted!)

I came home from work one evening and while parking my car I noticed a car with its hood up and a gawky man standing, looking at the engine with a puzzled look. I walked over and inquired about the problem.
"It won't start" says he.
"Hop in, turn your lights on and honk your horn" says I.
When he honked his horn his lights dimmed dramatically.
"Let's clean your battery cables", says I. We did. And his car started, no problem. Phil was amazed. I lived on the ground floor. Phil lived two floors above me. We became friends.

Phil was one of those people that was SO SMART he was weird. Phil had trouble making friends because his interests were... odd. He knew serious details about stuff you and I have no interest in at all. But if you gave him a chance to go into the details about the stuff that interested him, you could get interested too.
I'm a curious type. I thought Phil was neat.

Phil had been a Chemistry teacher at a local High School. During summers he had free time on his hands and took a part time job as a cook at a "Denny's" restaurant. After a while Phil used his tremendous thinking power to do the math and realized if he worked a regular shift at Denny's, then worked a little overtime at Denny's, he could make more money slamming together "Grand Slams" at Denny's than he could make trying to teach kids Chemistry that had no interest whatsoever in the subject.

This was true in the late 1970's. I don't know if it is still true.
But I have a suspicion that THIS is why our education system is in the shape it's in today.

Comment, plz.

The "Weimar Republic"

Many are not familiar with the subject of the title. And that's a shame.
I know what happened, but I DO NOT know how long the process took to collapse.
Research is necessary.
It would be a good idea for you to also do research.

Women Republican Candidates

"The key to taking majorities in Congress is women republican candidates".
That's the latest theme.
Liz Cheney. Olympia Snowe. Susan Collins. Lisa Murkowski.
I guess I'm just stupid...
How is electing women improving Congress?

This Political Circus

Lookin' into my Crystal Ball-
Barring something totally unforeseen happening prior to the November elections it looks as if republicans are a shoo-in to retake our House of Representatives. It also looks like it is entirely possible republicans might take power in the Senate. IF that happens, one of the first things I think will happen is the investigation into this Hunter Biden laptop catastrophe will accelerate. And IF the connections to our president(?) that appear to be there come to fruition, "Joey" is in trouble. I think his impeachment is a near certainty.
With a republican House AND Senate, he could end up being the first president ever to be tried and convicted of "high crimes and misdemeanors" and thereby removed from office.
Like Richard Nixon, I suspect he'd resign rather than have that fact end up in the history books.

That leaves us with Kamala Harris in the White House. And although that would be disastrous for our country, her administration will be interesting (and entertaining?) to watch.
Maybe there's a real skeleton in her history too? If so, how soon can the "revenge" impeachment of Kamala happen?

With a republican House of Reps we won't have to worry about president Pelosi, thank GOD.
It's even possible the new Speaker of the House might be a conservative.
... Nah.
Nevah hoppen G.I. !

We are living in "interesting times".

Big Holes-

Some would suggest this post is a mistake.
Maybe it is.

I own a few firearms. Out of all I own, my favorite is a .45-cal. Colt Combat Commander.
With it, I can shoot a flea off a gnat's ass. (And that is sayin' something for a round that large!)

My second favorite is the .357 Caliber I carried while I was a Deputy Sheriff. (Department regulations forbid me from carrying my beloved Combat Commander).

Remember me? The old FART?
A year ago we left home for a trip South and I hid both guns in a "safe" place during our absence.
When we returned, I could not remember where that "safe" place was and could not find my two favorite shooty thingies. So I had to fall back on less-loved shooty thingies.

Today Sara Jean shouted from upstairs... "GUESS WHAT I FOUND!"
My readers are smart.
They know EXACTLY what she found.

Second-best is okay.
FAVORITE is better.

Huge Numbers-

I think I have made this comment before. The stupidity of others forces me to try to "break through" again:

Population of China-
1,500,000,000. (Yes, that's ONE BILLION, Five Hundred Million.)
The country produces electricity by burning coal.

Population of India-
1,400,000,000. (Yes, that's ONE BILLION, Four Hundred Million.)
They burn DUNG to cook their food and produce heat for their homes.

Population of the U.S.A.-
325,000,000. (And granted, that's growing every single day.)
Nevertheless, that number is 1/10th the total population of China and India combined.

Can someone tell me again why I need to lower my thermostat and turn light switches off to save Gaia?
We truly are idiots, ya know that?

The Anal "Root Canal"

My bride and I are undergoing "formation colonoscopies" tomorrow.
Over 50 years of age?
Have you had one?
You must.

The procedure RUINS two full days. The "prep" for the procedure requires you to drink a gallon of nasty-tasting fine plastic goop that is indigestible. By the time you finish the final few glasses of what is euphemistically called "Golightly", you MUST be close to a commode because that stuff is gonna be in your body for just a few seconds.

But this discomfort is important. During the probe, the Doc finds stuff (polyps) in your colon that might cause future problems, and "nips them in the bud", negating future problems.

So RIGHT NOW I start drinking this horrible liquid. And our next 24 hours will be devoted to "heading off at the pass" cancerous bad stuff.
It's horrible.
But necessary.
And at 75 and in great health, I'm glad our medical technology is there to improve our future.