And Little By Little, Life Slips Away.

He did odd jobs for us. We had much in common. We became close friends.
Trying his best to keep his wife happy he moved away, then moved again even farther.
We stayed in touch via email. He sent the message he had been diagnosed with a rare cancer...
It was traveling through his body via his nerves. It had found its way to his brain.

Our lives were better because of him. His "Handy" work was excellent. He was always smiling.
He had troubles with his family but never dwelt on negative things.

Today we got word he is gone.
He was 54.
And our lives are not as full today as they were yesterday.

But he would not want us focusing on that.
He was "right with God" and would want us thinking of the times we laughed, and there were many.

We'll focus on our blessings.
While we're alive, we will LIVE.
It's my hope you will too.

"Joe" would like that.

Huh?

I go to the bathroom and shut the door to "take care of business".
"Mumpf doddle henky blurp doah?" She asks.
"I'm sorry honey. I cannot understand you."

The bathroom is two rooms away. I wash my hands before dinner-
"Cortle beepin' strobe sink?"
"I'm sorry hon. What'd you say?"

I'm slowly losing my hearing. Much of my ability to converse with others is now done via lipreading.

I'm brushing my teeth-
"Poddo kibble bloat wuwu nurf?"

I laugh.
This situation is only gonna get worse.
Gotta see the humor in it, now, and later.

Top 40, News, Weather, and Sports

There was a time, back just after the "Horse and Buggy Days" that a car was well equipped if it came with "Radio, Heater, and Automatic Transmission". The car would be considered a "Luxury Car" if it came with Power Windows, Power Steering, and Power Brakes.
But the radio that came in all cars would be an AM, radio... "Amplitude Modulation". Most had a row of buttons on the face on which you could "preset" your favorite stations.

I had two favorite stations in my hometown of Indianapolis. Programming on both was dedicated to the top 40 hits according to Billboard (I think). On the top of the hour they'd feature the national news, followed by local news, the weather, and highlights of Sports... national and local.
One of my preset buttons was set to my favorite station, WIBC. The button next to it was preset to the local CBS radio affiliate, WISH.
My friends and I would listen to WIBC until we heard the latest tune we were crazy about, then when it was over, push the button for WISH to hear it there. (This was wonderful during the early Beatle years!)

Cars had one speaker in the center front of the dash.
The statue of limitations has expired, so I'll own up to having stolen a speaker from the "Meridian Drive-In Theater" so I could cut a hole in the deck behind my car's rear seat and install a second speaker there.
Hi-Fi sound? No.
It was better, but still stank.

All this is to point out how spoiled we are today.
But I sometimes yearn for "Top 40, News, Weather, and Sports.

The Lesser of Two Weasels-

Donald Trunp is a narcissist... an egotist, conceited, selfish, self-centered, and a jerk.
To ALL that I would agree. I'm glad he's not my next-door neighbor.

Biden came to us advertised as the man "...who made the wrong foreign policy decision at every turn" during his entire life.
So why is he now occupying the Oval Office?
Because Donald Trump is all the labels shown above.

I am thoroughly convinced that if ballots in the last election had shown:
D. Trump, Republican, and
A. Hitler, Democrat,
A very large percentage of the population would have voted for Hitler, just to vote against Trump...
The guy with the numbers that showed the country was turned around and headed in the right direction.
Yeah, that JERK.

In my life I've had several bosses that were jerks.
But had you asked me, I could say many of them were good managers.

It's important to separate the personal from the business.
Sadly, some cannot do that.
And THAT is why we now find ourselves the laughingstock of the world.

Not THAT Huey.

I'm a gearhead.
Being a gearhead is getting harder and harder these days because of the four-wheeled computers we're driving. They sure don't have the "soul" of the muscle cars of yore.
And that's why I love watching "Jay Leno's Garage".

Every week, Jay has a show devoted to REAL cars and other people that enjoy them.
A couple weeks ago he had Huey Lewis of "Huey Lewis and the News" on the show. Huey drove a DeLorean, (definitely NOT a muscle car!)

I didn't recognize Huey.
His scraggly beard made recognizing him more difficult, but my confusion was mainly because the man has aged.
Let me emphasize that: Huey is three years younger than me. But WOW, has he AGED!

When you feel good as I feel... when you can still get around better than most of your peers... it's difficult to realize you are no longer a pup.

Until you get slapped in the kisser by the appearance of someone like Huey Lewis!

C.R.S. Disease

 

 I used to marvel at the number of meds my Mother lined up to put in her pill dispenser.
Yesterday I refilled mine and noticed- I have become her.
Blood pressure. Blood sugar. Bladder. Prostate. Acid reflux. Cholesterol.

 

I'm also taking supplements to aid my immunity-
Zinc. Krill oil. Garlic. Niacin. Vitamins C&D. Dhea. And a low-dose aspirin every night.
The tote to carry all those pills is the size of an overnight bag. I have two weekly dispensers so one is full all the time. Filling the dispenser takes several minutes.

Mom reached a point where she could no longer remember if she had taken her meds.
I'm now wondering... "How long before that's me?"

I just want the pill that makes everything wonderful.

Remembering Genius

Charles Krauthammer died in 2018.
I was an AVID viewer of "Special Report" on Fox News mostly because of his input there.
When he died I felt I had lost a close friend.

Knowing this, my son bought his book "Things That Matter" as a gift for me a couple years back.
It's a compilation of his columns for the Washington Post, each of which can be read in a few minutes. It is a PERFECT book for the "Throne Room", and that's where I placed it.

I had read through about a third of the book when "the organizer" in my family decided it was taking up too much space in the bathroom and "organized" it... somewhere.
(I also have magazines in a drawer next to the throne, so I didn't immediately notice it was missing.)

I rediscovered the book just before we made our sojourn to Destin, and included it in my "books to read" during our six weeks here. It now resides in the thro... 'er... "library" here, and I intend to finish it before we depart on 15 December. "Organizing" it here would be impossible.

I still miss Charles terribly.
He was a voice of sanity in this crazy world.
And the fact his logic is no longer available to us might be part of the reason we now live in Bizarro world.

Mercury Comet- 100+ M.P.H. For 100,000 Miles!

I can still remember the catchy advertising jingle from 1964-
"A hundred-thousand miles at a hundred miles an hour!"
And it  seems like an amazing feat to this day.
Day. Dark. Hurricane/rain...
Forty days at speed!

Education(?) Today !

Grab a kid off the street. Any kid.
Ask him/her this question:
"You're working as a cashier at a store. The cash register is broken and you're making change from an open cash drawer. A customer enters, selects an item valued at $3.66, comes to your register and hands you a five dollar bill and 16 cents in coins.
What change do you give them?"

How many young people age 21 and under today could solve this problem?
(I could have done it at age 10, and DID, on my paper route.)

What the heck are our schools teaching our kids today, other than "the U.S. is an evil, racist, polluting nation"?

I Need To Chill !

We'd just finished shopping at Wally World when I saw it parked, snuggled up against the front of the building-
"Big Red Bus". A Bloodmobile.
Enter in the back; go through the tests, give blood, then exit via the front door.
"Wanta give blood?" I ask my wife. "Do we have any groceries that will spoil if we leave 'em for 30 minutes"?
"No", she responds. "But what about the fact we just returned from Mexico?"
She's got a point and I don't know the answer to that question. Maybe the rules have changed.

Approaching the rear door I see the sign-
"You MUST wear a mask to enter."
I'm instantly at 10 on a scale of 10. But at home most are ignoring the requirement... maybe here too?

We stand outside the vehicle to ask. An attractive (Nurse?) appears and we ask if we must don masks to enter. "Yes" she says.
"We're both vaccinated" says I, heatedly.
"I am in complete agreement with you" she says, "and I am arguing with my company about the policy. But it IS their policy!"

Sara Jean saves the day-
"We just returned from Mexico. Could we give blood?"
"Only if you've been back more than three months."
We've only been back a month, so we couldn't have been "heroes" even had we wanted.

But I'm taking the Howard Beale stance from now on-
"I'm mad as Hell, and I'm NOT gonna take this anymore."

Require a mask? Karen.

Go Coca-Cola! Beat Pepsi!

I'll try again-
Can someone, ANYONE, please explain to me why I should care whether the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros win that Pro baseball game?
Few to none of the players were raised in the towns they "play for".
They're virtually all millionaires.
They're "owned" by a team owner who is likely a billionaire, who probably talked the town the team hails from into giving him/her huge tax breaks to play there. Many towns actually build new, fancy stadiums for "their" teams with fancy skyboxes from which other millionaires can watch the game so they don't have to rub elbows with the folks that cannot afford the skybox lifestyle.
They are BUSINESSES. Pure, and simple.
Just like Coke and Pepsi.
Just like Chevy and Ford.

I don't understand the excitement. And I wish like crazy my tax dollars weren't being spent to make these folks richer.
But maybe I'm just ignorant?

Please... educate me.

Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen

I wanted to send a suggestion to the "Popeye's" restaurant chain, so I went to their website looking for a "Contact us" tab.
There ain't one. As a matter of fact, they have a statement there basically saying, "Thanks, but we're not interested in your suggestions."

I referred earlier to the fact we recently patronized a "Chipotle" restaurant. Sara Jean and Big Bubba ordered regular burritos while I ordered a bowl and had it filled with the lowest-carb stuff they offered.
That was kind of a complex task..
No rice. No beans. No queso. Careful with that sour cream!

As an early Baby Boomer I wonder-
MILLIONS of us are gonna be retiring and frequenting places like Chipotle.
My favorite of the fast-food places is "Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen".
My family prefers their chicken sandwich to "Chik-fil-A's", and Chik-fil-A serves a fantastic chicken sandwich!

Many of us aging Baby Boomers will be facing Type II diabetes. Wouldn't fast-food places do well to consider adopting a few low-carb items on their menus to take advantage of that fact.? We won't be patronizing Chipotle again until it is easier to purchase a more Keto-friendly menu item.

I titled this post in a way I hope will attract attention of Popeye's. I'd love it if they'd be a trend setter and set the example for the rest of the industry, because there WILL be money to be made by serving the coming blast of diabetics.

POPEYE'S... I tried to chat with you directly, but you weren't interested. I hope my title here attracts the attention of someone in your chain of command!

Stupid Impulses

Sigh.
I now own seven motorcycles.
Why do I have the urge to buy another?
It's a sickness.

Driven By An Old Lady Only On Sundays-

 

"Carvana" has a store visible from I-65 South of Nashville. We drove past on our way here to Destin, and the carousel had THREE cars in it.
Kinda sad.
And it surely must take some of the excitement out of shopping for a car there, wouldn't it? At a time when used cars are bringing premium prices, they have almost no inventory to offer!

Destin, FL, November 2021

We are safely in our new digs for the next six weeks.
Since kids are back in school it's quieter here this year than last.
Weather and view are perfect. Now bring on the airshow from Tyndall, Eglin, Pensacola, and Ft. Rucker!

We've owned this 1997 3/4-ton extended cab Ram Diesel truck ten years now and I have never really nailed down how it does on fuel. Last night I ran it nearly dry on kerosene to get a firm idea of the numbers. It's a pretty big truck. I know the engine alone weighs just under half a ton, so the truck itself probably is in the area of 7,000 pounds. Add to that weight a 500-lb scooter and our "necessaries" for six weeks stay here. The "extended" part of the cab was also full of stuff, so I suspect this rig going down the road probably came across the scales at close to 8-grand.
30+ gallons of diesel came in at $106 in Andalusia, Alabama. And the mpg result?
21 mpg.
For the weight and size of this truck I think that's pretty extraordinary, and makes the exorbitant price of diesel fuel a little easier to swallow.

And there's something about the sound of the thing that I love... until I try to order something at a drive-up window.
(So let's just do away with those!) :>)

228->190

Climbing the stairs at the Statue of Liberty it hit me square in the face-
I had to stop several times to catch my breath. I'd been in denial about what the scale was telling me. I'm a little over 5'9" and I weighed 228 pounds. Ashamed of myself, I refused to look at my naked body in the mirror. Somewhere at about Ms. Liberty's larynx I promised to get this crap under control.

We started walking.
Two miles daily at first. Then as it became easier... three. Then five.
We walk at almost 3 mph. Three miles per hour is a QUICK walking pace and it takes over an hour to walk five miles. Just walking at that pace was an accomplishment in itself.
Even though I had not changed my diet, the "lubs" started coming off. My pants were literally falling off my hips. I had to buy a belt.

And then at this last visit to the VA my Doc "hit me square in the face" again-
"I'm prescribing insulin for you."

No.
I don't want to do that injection thing.
I have the ability to get this under control.

Thank GOD for YouTube.
There are thousands and thousands of videos there about diabetes and how to manage it. I had heard of the "Keto" diet but never paid much attention to it, thinking it's just a twist to the "Atkins" diet.
And in fact it is. Atkins suggests you limit yourself to 20 grams of carbohydrate daily. Keto would like you to eliminate carbs entirely while admitting that's impossible, but suggests ways to change your eating habits so you don't miss the carbs. The recipes they suggest use Almond flour, Almond milk, Coconut flour, something called "Xanthum Gum", and other, (what seem to me) exotic ingredients. Cauliflower and parsnips are substituted for potatoes, and do a surprisingly good job of keeping cravings for them away.

My scale today reported 190 pounds. I may have to buy another belt.
Sara Jean is beginning to complain about loss of weight in my face. As much as I hate the idea, Botox may be in my future.
(Nevah hoppin, G.I. !)

I'll be 75 on my next birthday. I look at folks scooting around in WalMart on those electric carts and think to myself "I'll bet that guy is younger than me!"
I feel good. And my glucometer is now smiling at me. No injections so far.

And I wish I had paid more attention long ago.

Swaying With The Wind

I'm watching this Virginia Governor's race closely and I'm pleased with the big change in the polls there.

You KNOW that McAuliffe is looking at these polls and his head is spinning. He MUST realize that he stepped on his poncho when during the debate he took the stand that parents have no say in how schools teach their kids. He no doubt wishes he could turn back the clock and erase that comment.

But I wonder... and this is the thing that most bothers me about politicians today:
What are his real feelings on the matter? When he made those comments did he mean them, or did he just make them because his advisors told him at the time they'd be popular?
What are his principles?

I fear his "principles" are poll driven.
How many times these days do politicians say one thing, then later contradict themselves because they want to say whatever will get them elected?

Our Founding Fathers were willing to die for their beliefs.
Today's warriors willingly take an Oath to defend our Constitution with their lives if necessary.
Politicians today are willing to say whatever it takes to stay ahead in the polls. Constitution? It's a "Living Document" that says whatever makes us comfortable today.

Folks like Will Rogers used to hold pols feet to the fire.
Media today just wants to get in bed with lefties.
And our country slowly but surely sinks into Marxism.

I'm just glad I'm not gonna pay for this crap for years and years and years.

Build Backward Better !

The Biden administration is now being compared to Jimmy Carter's disaster. And by the time Biden is no longer occupying the Oval Office we may wish he had been as (in)competent as Jimmah.
Reagan asked, "Are you better off today than four years ago?"
Help me.
WHO is living better today than when SloJoe took office?
Maybe our Public School teachers?

Korea is a problem.
China is now a problem.
Iran is a burr 'neath our saddle.
Our Southern Border no longer exists.
Everything made with petroleum is more expensive, and Putin/Russia, whose number one export is oil, is absolutely LOVING the increase in oil prices.
And our staunch allies have lost faith in the U.S..

Biden's "Build Back Better" campaign is a stupendous failure.
And he's not nearly as entertaining as Orange Man.

Ants And The Grasshopper, Again.

Medicare, Medicare, Medicare!
Free dental. Free vision. Free transportation.
And get $144 added to your Social Security check!!
All you have to do is call and give us your Zip Code.

I'd like to have an additional $144 per month, so I called.
And as you might expect, my income is too high to receive these benefits.
IF I had not PLANNED to be comfortable at this stage of my life, I could get all this free stuff from my Uncle Sam.
Free?
I'm one of the ants.
That $144 is coming outta MY hide.

What, me worry?

 

He's from a small midwestern town so I had high hopes he'd be normal.
He ain't.
(And I wonder how old ya have to be in order to understand my title?)

Alec Baldwin

We peons will be getting gun safety advice from Alec Baldwin in 5...4...3...2...

"Diabeet-eez" Or "Diabeet-us"?

"If you don't change your diet you will be a full-blown diabetic when you return for your next visit", said the VA dietician.
Our local VA has been VERY thorough about poking, prodding, and investigating what is going on with my "possibly" Agent Orange tainted body. They draw blood, command me to pee in a small container, check my height, weight, blood pressure, and O2 saturation, then analyze all that stuff and send a readout on everything to my consulting physician. She's a VERY thin Pakistani lady. (Don't tell her I said so, but she reminds me of Margaret Hamilton in her most famous role, only she's not green.)
She's also very thorough, and is quick to chastise me for not taking proper care of myself.
"How many alcoholic drinks do you consume per day?"
"Three or four."
"WHAT?!", responds the Muslim woman.

My most recent visit to the VA proved the dietician was prescient. And Margaret Hamilton quickly prescribed insulin injections, (which I have so far avoided using because I'm in denial.)

But Sara Jean and I HAVE now been looking at ways to dramatically change my diet. We've been watching "Keto friendly" foods on YouTube to see what stuff I need to buy to lower my/our carb intake.
Some of the stuff sounds mighty exotic-
Guar gum?
Xanthum gum?
Maltodextrin?
Sugar alcohols? (Wasn't alcohol one of my problems?)

I MUST change.
The thing that scares me most is loss of my eyesight, which has been almost "hawk-like" my entire life.
Loss of the ability to read or do work on small objects would destroy me.

I've always been a disciplined guy.
Making these changes will be expensive, and an interesting journey.
Stand by. I'll keep ya posted.

And if you have any constructive suggestions, I'd sure appreciate them.

Let's Go Brandon!

Cargo ships stacking up in our ports-
Our president(ish) is trying to destroy China's economy.
Yeah. That's the ticket!

"Unifying" Our Nation

Racist.
I may be called a racist by some reading this post.
I don't care. It IS my truth.

I was a little uncomfortable when Don Cornelius' "Soul Train" hit my TV screen back in the 70's..
The program was devoted virtually entirely to music put out by black performers.
Bill Cosby had just started his "Black is beautiful" campaign and I fully understood that. So Soul Train didn't rankle me too much. I didn't watch it. I watched programs that featured both black, white, and mixed groups and performers that produced music I enjoyed. Art is in the eye and ear of the beholder, and I could enjoy The Temptations AND Three Dog Night without being reminded of race.

But things are different today, aren't they?
"Black Lives Matter"?
Of course they do. But folks carrying signs that "All Lives Matter" were ridiculed and sometimes beaten up.
Black Lives Matter.
We MUST make that point.

Now... we have the Congressional Black Caucus.
The National Negro College Fund.
The NAACP.
Black Entertainment TV.
The Black News Network.
Affirmative Action.
I cannot remember its title, but there's a cable channel devoted to movies devoted to black people.

I'm torn.
On one hand I can understand the pride in the accomplishments of Black people. But on the other hand I fully understand that what we now accept as normal is driving a wedge between people.
And that scares me.

Tell me please what I am missing here, and comfort me.
Because I now really fear for my country.

The "New Normal"

Stopped at one of our more local McDonald's last week. The interior of the store had undergone a minor reorganization. There was no one at the front counter. Three new two-sided kiosks had been installed in front of what used to be the front counter "for our convenience" so we could place our order without having to deal with some contaminated human being.
I stood and waited for someone to help me. A young woman of High School age finally asked if she could, then acted insulted when I wanted to place my order with her.
I guess I could have submitted my order ahead of time on my smart phone... IF I had one.

I DO NOT like the direction this is headed.

Global Warming, er... Global Cooling, er... Climate Change!

I need someone smarter than me to answer these questions:

How do we get China and India to stop screwing Gaia? They need to stop building/using coal-fired powerplants.

How do we get lefties to quit flying all over the world to scold us about the carbon footprint while they add to the problem in their big, personal jets?

When will we start doing away with unnecessary 4-way stops on our streets so traffic can save fuel by proceeding unhindered?

Perspective

Our world is swamped these days with abbreviations. I was reading one of my favorite news sites and the headline contained the letters RW.
And I immediately thought, "Rotary Wing".

I'm sure you did not.

Compression Ignition

Starting my Ram truck with its Cummins diesel engine was getting to be an "ifffy" proposition. This engine requires a lotta juice and requires TWO BIG batteries to get the job done. The last few starts have been... interesting.
Getting my son moved into his new digs required use of the truck. When I arose on Columbus Day in Tennessee the truck would not start... turn the key to start... and all ya hear is "CLUNK".
I assumed bad batteries. (And we all know how to spell "assume" don't we?)

I removed both big batteries, put them in the trunk of son's car, and started for the auto parts store to have them checked. A mile and a half into this trip the engine in my son's car quit.
Just died. And would not start.

I walk the 1-1/2 miles back to his home and call AAA. They need us to be present at the car with keys and ID in order to tow it. The truck is kaput, so the only option to get back to the car (with my truck's batteries in the trunk) is via my son's motorcycle. We try to start it and find he has left the bike's ignition in the ON position.
That battery is also dead.

And then?
Sara Jean drops a pipe on her foot, lacerating it badly, gushing blood all over the brand-spanking-new carpeting in the closet.

I force myself to remember that Job had it worse.

"California Dreamin'" Is A Nightmare?

So the Crazy State is outlawing landscaping equipment powered by internal combustion engines in order to reduce pollution, forcing everyone to replace that stuff with electric powered apparatuses?
Don't they already have "rolling blackout" problems because they can't supply their citizens with electricity now?
How's that gonna work?
And this doesn't even address the issue of what fuel is used to produce the electricity.
I'm gobsmacked.

Living on that left coast sure makes you think differently.

Drafted. And Served.

I graduated High School in 1965.
It was a different world then.
(I think today we live in "Bizarro World", actually.)
I wanted to be a pilot. None of the services would consider me for a flying job without a college education, except the ARMY.
The U.S. Army offered me something called the "Warrant Officer" program.
I didn't want to be "almost" an Officer. I wanted to be a full-fledged, Commissioned Officer.
So I waited to be drafted.
And after drafting me, the ARMY saw the error in its ways.

What a different era that was! Viet Nam was exploding. Those of us in the ARMY knew the likelihood of us serving in Viet Nam was high. Those of us going to Rotary Wing Flight School knew the likelihood of going to Viet Nam was overwhelming.
But we accepted that fact with a smile.

And stood in line for our vaccinations.
In Basic Training I cannot tell you how many times I stood in line so some Specialist E-4 that had SIGNED UP for ARMY service, used an air gun to inject chemicals into my upper arm.
But it was a LOT. And I was drafted and a slave.
So I had no choice in the matter.

And the funny part?
At the time I actually thought my government had my best interest truly at heart.

Yeah, it was a different world then.

Unconstitutional.

Does the word "Unconstitutional" have any meaning these days?
Obama said he could not pass the DACA bill because it was unconstitutional. Then a few weeks later, under political pressure from the left, added his name to the bottom of the bill.
The result?
Crickets.

Our Constitution was written to severely limit the power of government over us.
But now? Karen says we must do these things because the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". And many of our military and Law Enforcement leaders are not willing to face the political opposition necessary to stop this socialist progress.

"A Republic madam, if you can keep it", said Benjamin Franklin.
To which "Karen" replies... "but I want"...

I fear the tree of liberty will be refreshed, soon.

Fright Nights!

I'm sure it's true where you are too-
"Spook Houses" pop up this time of year here. Some of them are really major productions and attract large crowds.
We like to be frightened.

In my hometown of Indianapolis while I was growing up we had competing hosts showing horror and science fiction shows on our local TV stations-
"Selwin" on our CBS affiliate, and "Sammy Terry" on our independent channel. Both shows were broadcast late-night on Saturdays. As a kid, they sometimes actually scared me.
And I loved 'em.

"Svengoolie" is a similar show to the ones I watched as a kid that started in Chicago some years ago and, now syndicated, is broadcast nationwide. I record and watch them because they're campy and make me feel like I'm ten years old again.

But as adults we seem to have other things we like to be frightened about:
Y2K.
SARS.
Covid-19.
People without masks.
And people wearing red hats.

I'm hearing School Board meetings might be worthwhile too.
I'll let ya know.

Redundancies, and Pet Peeves-

Listening to my local radio broadcast I hear the small town Mayor say, "We're meeting at 9 A.M. in the morning."
(I guess that's to clarify the meeting is NOT at 9 A.M. in the evening!)

Another irritation I used to hear over the radio during my EMS flying:
"He has a past history of..."
(As opposed to his future history I suppose.)

Yeah, my feathers are ruffled WAY too easily.

Passing That Law May Be Easy. But Enforcing It?

It's one of my favorite stories:
General Douglas MacArthur was Governor of Japan following WWII. During his tenure there one of his Aides came to him and asked-
"General, the Japanese men are upset because the Japanese women are dating GI's. Our GI's have money to spend, and the Japanese women are glad to help them spend it.
Don't you think it would be a good idea to forbid our men from dating Japanese women?"
The Aide was surprised when the General responded, "Absolutely not. Our men will ignore such a regulation. Ignoring an unenforceable regulation will lead to ignoring other regulations. That's not a road I want to travel."
Smart man.

Seems to me the Biden administration has started down a road passing laws the people will ignore.

How's that "War on Drugs" goin', Joe?

Spinning Wheels

Life is full of surprises, isn't it?
And dealing with Covid has added many.

Retired Army.
My bride and I both carry government issued ID cards. We must present them when we enter a military facility to patronize the Post Exchange, Commissary, or Medical facility.
They have an expiration date and, like your Driver's license, must be renewed periodically. Sara Jean's ID card expired 30 September. So yesterday we made the trek to the closest facility that can renew it for us, about 60 miles distant. It's not a bad drive... it's just a little over an hour. With fuel and other expenses these days I calculate a drive like this in overall cost: fuel, and wear/tear on our vehicle.
I estimate this 120 mile round-trip probably costs close to $60 total.

We set off early so we could get the card renewed, then go for a leisurely lunch before shopping at the Exchange and Commissary.  We arrived at the proper office to a surprise- The place was packed with people.
We walked to the reception desk and announced what we needed.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, we do not."
"Would you like to make one? We can see you next week at..."

So we went shopping.
And we were glad the trip was not TOTALLY wasted.

In Vino, Veritas:

"These government programs are popular with the American people."
Juan Williams

"Morbidly obese people like ice cream and candy bars."
Greybeard

"Do You See That Dog?"

Returning from my potty break at 0230 hours she quietly asked me that question.
I've been watching every new video on Lewy Body Dementia I can review and knew that at some point shadows might be a problem.
I bought a small lantern to light up her side of the bed in hopes that would help. But in this case the shadow of the sitting chair with decorative pillows on top cast a shadow on the wall that DID resemble a small terrier-type dog sitting on the chair.
"No sweetheart, that's not a dog. It's just a shadow."
And thank Heavens that was enough to satisfy her. She went back to sleep.
But then she started talking... no, "muttering" is the term that fits better, in her sleep.
She's always had "restless leg syndrome, and she has a lotta leg to move around when she's having a bout with that problem.
She's also beginning to fidget a lot while she sleeps.
She's not sleeping well at all, and it is likely that problem will worsen for her, and for me.
This is not a fun ride to be on. So can we stop it and let the two of us get off now?

"Rum And Coca Cola"

Showing my age again-
The song in my title was written by Morey Amsterdam.
Bet you don't know him. Look 'im up!

On day three here in Cabo we made a trip to the local WalMart, happy that they even have one.
The experience is... interesting. We bought stuff to fix to eat at "home", and a little alcohol to use that didn't cost us a fortune at the outlets in the resort.
I searched in vain for my beverage of choice... Canadian blended whiskey. When I finally gave up I settled on Rum. I bought a Fifth of a brand I had never heard of.
And now, not wanting to waste anything we spent good money on, we're trying to consume everything in our 'fridge before checkout tomorrow, including my "Ron Rico Antillano" rum.
So, please excuse any misspellings and grammatical errors you find here.

Still having a grate time in Cabo. Wish you were hear.

"30 Things"

I ain't that smart.
But I sensed almost all these things at the beginning of all of this, what I call FARCE:
Have they been bleeding the patient to get rid of poisons?

Covid Testing

Farce.
"The world is all a stage."

In order to board the airplane on Sunday, similarly to what we had to do to come down here, we have to have a test to insure we are virus-free to board the airplane. The test must be done within 72 hours of our flight.

We received a slip of paper telling us where to be and when. We showed up 15 minutes early. By the time the testing was to be accomplished there were almost 40 vacationers lining the walls of the ballroom where the Q-tip would be jammed up our noses.

Time for the testing to begin-
People que'd up at the first station to present the paperwork showing they had paid for the testing...
Wearing useless paper masks...
And ignoring the "six feet" social distancing rule.

Rumor has it the Mexicans don't like positive test results because it impacts the $$$$ flowing into the country, so it is likely our test will prove negative.
If it does, it won't be because of any "precautions" we have taken.

Farce.

Codex

Stupid me.
Until recently I didn't know what the word meant.
Now? I have a couple books I have finished and would like to pass along to someone who would enjoy them. But...
Who reads codex(s) these days? I fear mine will one day end up in a landfill.

And a second thought-
When the EMP happens, what then?

Britain's Second "Titanic"?

 I've been reading "The Airmen That Would Not Die". It suggests the possibility of life after death.

Britain launched what it hoped would be the largest, most luxurious Airship in the world in October of 1930. The plan was for the ship to make a regularly scheduled trip from England to India.
Like the Hindenburg, her lifting gas was hydrogen.

On her maiden voyage she made it as far as Northeast France where she crashed and burned, killing all but six of her 54 passengers and crew.

The book discusses the instances of deceased crewmembers "contacting" their loved ones via clairvoyants.
The story of the airship is interesting. The stories of the crew "coming through" via mediums is just as interesting.

Cabo, Day Four-

Pumpkins don't exist here.
Listening to streaming radio from home here, (we Americans are fat and spoiled in SO many ways!), WBBM radio out of Chicago is reporting pumpkins in every way are once again taking over the nation.
...Glad we are here.

It takes a while to acclimate to the fact "We're not in Kansas anymore Toto".
Believe it or don't, many people here in Mexico don't speak 'Murican. The first morning in our suite, which is beautiful, we found a coffee pot that was foreign to us. Failing to figure out how to make it work we called one of the attendants to our room-
"No Ingles".
Phone. Front Desk. New dood to help.
Much gesturing, pointing, Espanol.
We never did get the damned thing to work. They came and hijacked that machine and brought us a Proctor-Silex almost exactly like the one we have at home.
Comfort Zone.

MORNING TWO-
The rains came. The rain was almost as heavy as I remember from Viet Nam.
They don't get a lot of rain here unless it comes with a hurricane.
In this new, beautiful room, a stream developed from 'neath the refrigerator trying to make its way downstream to the sliding glass door. It also leaked from the (adjacent) weight-supporting wall in our bathroom.
"No Ingles" speakers came with mops and towels and dried us up. I'm assuming they also reported the fact that the roof leaks.
We'll survive.

MORNING THREE-
They DO have a WALLY WORLD in town!
An attendant at the reception area told us if we want to use Uber instead of a cab, we'd have to walk to the security gate to meet our ride. Walking to that gate is UPHILL about a mile, in 90F. temps. When we got to the Gate the attendant there told us the reception guy had lied to us. (Is he maybe getting a kickback from the taxi guys?) We've been sorta lied to more than once here... disappointing.

But... positive-
We got a ticket for a "free Mexican Party" upon arrival. At this party there was a raffle. First ticket for a prize was drawn...
"Greybeard?"shouted the emcee.
We won a free Fifth of "Jose Cuervo Especial" Tequila! They also fed us great Tacos for appetizers and all the Coronas I could drink.

My attitude about this vacation is improving.
Wish you were here.

The Fall of the Empire

This may be some fuzzy thinking this morning, but...
"Bayou Renaissance Man's" Blogspot post lead me down a path:
One of the first things Hitler did when he assumed power was to begin controlling folks who disagreed with him. Eventually he censored others by burning books.
His control efforts ended up with millions dead.

Mao Tse Tung did much the same. He took smart people out of cities and put them behind a plow.
People starved.
Those that continued to disagree with his thoughts ended up dead, in the millions.

Right now I'm "analogizing".
Our media censors.
Facebook censors.
Instagram censors.
And our "Cancel Culture" thrives.

Is this so different than burning books, and worse?

I don't think so.
And that scares me.

I Don't Know Mexico

I've never spent "quality" time in Mexico, so my initial impression about the place may be worthless.
But...

I'm beginning to feel the people here are a lot like the folks I met in Viet Nam-
If "face saving" is necessary, it's perfectly okay to lie or prevaricate.

We're in what is supposed to be a "top drawer" resort here in Cabo. And we've now been lied to on more than one occasion when the truth might have been embarrassing or uncomfortable.

If you asked me right now, I would suggest you avoid the country.
We'll be here six more days.
I hope my opinion changes.

Coming Home From Mexico

We were warned we'd need to have a Covid test prior to coming home from Mexico.
"Don't forget, or you won't be able to come home!"

I responded:
"If I'm refused re-admittance, can I not just walk across the river at Del Rio, Texas?"

She didn't respond.

The Sales Spiel

During the signing-in process here at Hacienda Del Mar we were offered perks-
$100 in certificates to use at restaurants and bars here on the complex.
A card that gives us a 15% discount at these restaurants.
A free breakfast the morning of the sales promotion.
And an invitation to a "Mexican Welcome Party" on the Tuesday night of our stay.
All we had to do to receive these wonderful gifts was to attend a 75-minute sales talk to show us the wonderful benefits we'd receive if we bought a Timeshare with the organization running this resort.

We just bought a recreational vehicle. Our intent is to use this camping trailer to tour the U.S. and check off  items on our "bucket list". We have no interest in purchasing a timeshare, even if we can use it anywhere in the world, including the U.S.. When the agent asked us how we felt about the possibility of being able to come to Cabo or some other resort at a very low price, we told him about our RV and the fact we were only listening to his talk because of the perks.
But he has a job to do. And he did it very well.
For almost 90 minutes.

We got the free breakfast. It was wonderful but he rushed us at the end because he had another spiel to administer to another client and I was taking too long to eat.
We toured beautiful suites overlooking the ocean. We were driven through the complex here. All of the wonderful benefits we could enjoy here were pointed out.
Then came the closing-
"We can offer you all this at (this price). Surely you cannot refuse that!"
"We're not interested."

"Okay. We can finance this at THIS LOW RATE and reduce your monthly payments to (this lower price).
How does that sound?"
"Wonderful. But as we mentioned up front we just spent a ton of money on an RV, and I still have things I need to purchase to be able to use it as we want. We're not interested in your offer. But thank you."

No?
It meant nothing to our guy.
Three more "closings" ensued. He was VERY good at his job. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and guided us to another room and introduced us to "Mariel", who would gives us the perks they promised.
And Mariel had a really great deal for us... "What if I offered to sell you a membership for (this lower price)?"
Three more sales closings. Three more "no, it's a wonderful offer, but thanks anyway", and we walked out with our "gifts".
This whole affair took almost two hours.
Sigh.

So I figure Sara Jean and I got about $25 each per hour for our trouble. I've been through these things before and they are always stressful. You end up being "friends" with the salespeople. You know this activity is the way they put money in their pockets... and feed their families.
So you hate to say "NO!"
They know that and use that fact to great advantage.
We watched dozens of families walk in and out of this sales presentation and wondered...
How many of them, at the end, had the strength to say "No. Thank you"?

I bet they sold a bunch of memberships yesterday.

Hacienda Del Mar

We find ourselves in Cabo San Lucas, at the "Hacienda Del Mar" resort.
It is beautiful.
The resort is new. Our quarters are wonderful. The beach is a four minute walk. There are rocks scattered along the strand and the surf pounds like a big bass drum. We can hear it from our balcony. We imagined we'd be able to see the water from our room. We cannot. And that's the first irritation of a few.
Whining follows:

We were told we would need to pass a Covid-19 test prior to boarding the airplane to come here. We were in Nashville, TN at the time we learned this and had to call home to find out who would do the test within 72 hours of our departure and what time we had to be there to get it done. We coordinated all that, tested negative for the virus, and got paperwork in hand.
It was still dark when we arose on the day of our flight. We showered, bundled our luggage to the car, and made our way to parking and the airport. We checked our bag and got our boarding passes. No one asked for our Covid documentation. They DID want to verify we had our passports.

Our stopover was in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Ever been there?
It's a BIG airport. To get from one part of the place to another you must take a shuttle train. We used the train and got to our departure gate.
No one asked for our Covid documentation.

We land at "Los Cabos International Airport", get our bags and make our way through customs... not a big deal. We wend our way outside the terminal to find the shuttle for the resort.
We're stressed and tired. It's HOT outside. Thirty minutes we stand waiting for our ride.
But the ride is in an air conditioned van. Cold water is offered and accepted.

Arriving at the resort is a flurry of activity.
And here is where my main problem begins.
After check-in, a young lady escorts us to a private area and gives us a spiel-
If we sign up to hear a sales pitch we get 15% off all our meals in the resort, a free breakfast, and $100 credit in the resort's restaurants and bars.
I'm nearly deaf. She's speaking in heavily accented English, through a mask. I might as well be TOTALLY deaf. Thank Goodness Sara Jean can hear. But she's only understanding about half of what she is hearing.

Prices for everything are in Mexican Pesos. Initially it's a shocker to look at prices-
Gasoline at one station we passed was listed at $21.44/per... whatever. So we need to do a mental calculation to determine if we want to buy something.

The coffee pot in the room may as well be a radio. It appears brand new, but its function is a mystery to us.
We call the front desk for help. The maintenance guy shows up and explains how it works... in Spanish.
He leaves. We figure out we can boil water in our kitchenette then pour it through the grounds, cowboy style.
Brand new, worthless-to-us coffee maker.

TV-
We found Fox News on it last night before turning over to sleep. When we woke and tried to watch it this morning the screen said, "Press select to view". I press "select".
Nada. (That means what I did had no damned impact).
We call the front desk again. A different maintenance guy shows up. Remote in hand, he repeatedly presses "select". He gets the same result I got. He punches keys on his cell phone, then hands it to me. On the display it says, "Signal is down. Will be back up at 9 A.M.".

So our first day in this beautiful resort has been... unsettling.
-Stressful planning.
-Hectic travel.
-Language difficulties.
-Currency exchange.

Give me 24 hours of watching this surf while reading my book.
I think I may survive.

Not Smart

I've been self-centered and WRONG my whole life.
Early on I learned of my IQ number and thought it indicated fairly high intelligence.
But I'm not smart enough to figure out how being "oohed and ahhed" over while slamming "The Rich" at a $30,000/plate fundraiser is not the height of hypocrisy.
In my stupidity all I could think of was, "Well, she does have a nice butt".

"Hecho En Viet Nam"

In an earlier post I touched on the fact that a beloved Uncle, who spent almost a year in a German P.O.W. camp, bought an "Anglia Ford" in the early 1960's as a second car rather than a VW because he could not bring himself to put money in the pockets of any German. I could fully understand his reasoning.
My Father fought in the Pacific theater. In 1973 he bought a Datsun Pickup truck. I was proud the had rejoined the world. (He put over 200,000 miles on that ugly little thing.)

My son has purchased a nice home in the bedroom suburbs of Nashville, TN. The home is large enough that if/when Sara Jean and I come to visit, we will not be walking all over one another.
Rather than move a bunch of stuff from Phoenix, he sold much of his home furnishings there prior to his move. So now he has to buy NEW here, and we've been running all over town looking for stuff that pleases both he and SJ to furnish this home.

Loaded into the back of "Grouchy", our 3/4-ton diesel pickup, printed clearly on most of the boxes of furnishings were the words, "Hecho En Viet Nam".
Further inspection revealed the words: "Frabique En Viet Nam" and "Made in Viet Nam."
I went to Viet Nam to protect our country while trying to improve the lives of Vietnamese citizens.
Looks like I may have succeeded after all.
By the way... I have NO qualms whatsoever about buying a quality product, reasonably priced, manufactured by the grandchild of someone who might have been trying to kill me over 50 years ago.
That world is LONG GONE.

The Cruise Diet?

Prior to departing for our cruise I jumped on the scale. I wanted to see how many lubs I would put on because I knew we'd have all we could eat of anything we wanted for the nine days we'd be on the boat.
I was a bit surprised to find I had broken the 200-lb barrier for the first time in several years. That made getting on the ship a little sad, 'cause I knew I'd have to struggle once again to get below that mark.

On the ship I DID try to eat mostly protein and veggies. But MAN!, that dessert section had some fabulous selections to choose from. "Tres leche dulce"? "Raspberry Red Velvet"?
Pastries are always my failing. When the "Hot Donuts" light is on at Krispy Kreme, my car always goes into automatic pilot and finds a vacant parking spot.

This morning Sara Jean asked, "Have you gotten on the scale?"
"No." (I really didn't wanta know.)
"You're beginning to look like a scarecrow. Come up. Let's see how much weight you've lost."
Lost? is she kidding? We just returned from the land of endless peanut butter cookies!

Up the stairs and onto the scale.
The digital numbers spun like a wheel of fortune, then settled on...
192 pounds.
What?
How is that possible?

I can't explain it. Maybe I picked up a worm somewhere along the line?
Or maybe cake and ice cream are now a part of the South Beach diet?

Whatever... I'll take it.
Now, keeping it off is always the difficult part.

Magic Carpet Ride, 5Sep21

I go back to this theme frequently-
I'm reading James McDonough's "William Tecumseh Sherman, In the Service of My Country". In the mid-1800's, when Sherman needed to communicate with his superiors from San Francisco, it could take THREE MONTHS to get a message to them, and another three to get a response.

We departed Ft. Lauderdale, Florida last night at 2000 hours Eastern. We landed in Nashville, Tennessee at 2200 hours, picked up our son's car, then drove home, arriving at 0400 hours, (again Eastern time zone.)
I haven't calculated the exact distance FTL> our home, but I "swag" it at about 1400 miles total...
Sherman would be boggled by the thought of such speed and convenience.
We are spoiled rotten, and need to say thanks for our blessings continuously.

Big Bubba is buying a house in the Nashville area and we will be helping him to make it a home, starting tomorrow, so a trip back to Music City is necessary. I don't know much about Nashville, but I really like what I am seeing so far.

We are still getting our "land legs" beneath us, unwinding from the whirlwind we've been caught up in.
I'm sure Sherman frequently had situations he had to unwind from, even at a horse/donkey's walking pace.

Have a great day today everyone. I fear we are about to have major changes in our lives.
(Buy a BUNCH of your favorite brand of coffee. Ours has been "out of stock for two weeks now.)

5Sep21-Back In The USSA

We're off the boat in Ft. Lauderdale. We'll be back in our beds at home late this evening.
After 9 nights on the boat it begins to feel like home, and we always hate to leave. Neat stuff is everywhere within a short walk on the boat... food, entertainment, (both fun and educational), and an endless supply of cookies and ice cream.
Last night we sailed for a few hours just off Cuba's East and Northern shores. I trekked to the highest point on the boat hoping to get a glimpse...
No luck, Castro's land was just over the horizon.

This cruise has been enjoyable. They seem expensive, until you consider you're getting a nice room; plenty of good food; a pool, view of the ocean from your private balcony; Las Vegas or Broadway-quality entertainment; a Casino; and servants EVERYWHERE catering to your every wish.
Sumptuous breakfast in bed, sir? Coming right up!

This ship had been idle 16 months. I think this trip was a "trial balloon" to get the ship and crew back running on all 8 cylinders. We saw VERY FEW indications of any problems.

We're glad to be back on terra firma.
I'm sure our grass needs mowing.

ABC, Easy As 123-

We are docked in port at Bonaire. I had heard the term "ABC Islands", but naive as I am, never was curious enough to ask what "ABC" meant.
Now I know it means "Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao". We've now visited them all, but in the order of "ACB".
All are beautiful. Curacao is apparently the hilliest of the three. All deserve more than a 12-hour visit, which is the one thing I dislike about "Cruising".
Maybe we can come back and spend some time exploring without a deadline some day.

I was worried how Sara Jean's L.B.D. would react to be in a strange bedroom, in completely odd surroundings. The bathroom in our Stateroom has a very nice nightlight. It basks our entire room in a comfortable blue light if we leave the shower/toilet door open when we go to bed. She has had NO hallucinations at night, thank GOD. (We were worried if she screamed at night our shipmates would call security. We've escaped that so far.)

This ship is run by "Celebrity Cruise Lines". We've now sailed on lines operated by Princess, Azamara, and Celebrity. Sara Jean and Big Bubba have also sailed on Royal Caribbean. We all agree the food on this line has been better than the others. But Azamara still ranks #1 because of their unlimited alcohol policy, and their excellent WiFi package. (It has been frustratingly difficult to keep a signal on this voyage.)

We leave Bonaire this evening, headed back to Ft. Lauderdale. That'll be two days "at sea", so we'll be carousing the boat to find ways to pass the time.
Hope all is well with the readers who stop by.

More later...

Aruba-

It's amazing to watch them maneuver these huge vessels against the dock. Ship's speed is reduced from 16 knots to zero over about a 20 minute period. Most of these gigantic pieces of machinery have thrusters to do much of the job, but generally there are a couple big Tugboats to assist, even if they are just a sort of insurance policy for possible failure of some system.

Aruba is beautiful. We've been here previously on our way back to Ft. Lauderdale after we had passed through the Panama Canal. There's a wonderful cafe/bar on Main Street here that has GREAT WiFi. I thought I might disembark here and have a couple beers there while getting away from the absolutely lousy signal we have here on the ship. BUT... the announcement was made after the ship came to a stop that in order to disembark we'd have to wear masks, indoors and out here.
Aruba will get none of my greenbacks.

The "Celebrity Equinox" has plaques with interesting quotes posted above all the urinals to educate all us standing pee-ers. I read one I liked last night:
"Farm land grows crops. City land grows taxes."

I promised myself I would not gain weight on this cruise.
Right now I'm irritated with myself.

Tomorrow? We'll be either in Bonaire or Curacao, I cannot remember which.
I'd like to be able to get off the ship and get my "land legs".
Let's see if they punish us with masks.

Cruise Ships-

This ship is HUGE. It is by far the largest cruise ship I have sailed on.
It's 15 stories tall. I was surprised to hear that it drafts 27 feet. How in the world does it not capsize, even in a gentle turn?

Keep My Head In The Sand?

We're docked in Nassau. Our journey will last ten days. When news broke of what is going on in Afghanistan I was conflicted-
I'm heartsick about our humiliation. How can we be SO STUPID?
But there's not a damned thing I can do about it. I voted my heart last November, fearful of exactly this scenario unfolding. Would things be different with the "Evil Tweeter" in office? I cannot help but think our enemies would fear him.
Now? EVERYONE around the world is laughing at us.

But here I am in the Bahamas. For a while I thought I simply wouldn't turn to the news. But I'm a news/political junkie, and I couldn't resist flicking over to see how CNN and MSPMS were trying to cover SloJoe's ass.
I was surprised. This screwup is so flagrant even they are criticizing his handling of it. And it will get worse when the magnitude of how many hostages the Taliban and ISIS have under their control.
Disaster is impossible to camouflage.

I went to the Boat's library to grab something to read and keep me , as much as possible, from watching the Boobtube. Amazingly, the VERY FIRST book I focused on was "William Tecumseh Sherman, In the service of my country. A life".
The book is dedicated "To my former students at Lipscomb University, Pepperdine University, and Auburn University, who understood and appreciated the significance of history".
If young people "understood and appreciated the significance of history", we WOULD NOT be in the disastrous situation we now find ourselves experiencing.

We'll be visiting Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire.
I just wish I could fully be enjoying this experience.
That's impossible while my brethren and fellow citizens are at risk.

The Wisdom of A Navy Corpsman

When I got drafted my closest friend in High School joined the Navy and asked to be trained as a Medic.
... Ballsy, considering the conflict in Viet Nam was growing, and Walter Cronkite was showing videos of that conflict every night on his broadcast. He came home from the war a dramatically changed man.

I've kept the relationship with that friend alive and reasonably well all these years since.
For some time now he's been saying "the country is lost", and I've argued that he is wrong. But everywhere I turn and look now I see things that make me either sick to my stomach or at least uncomfortable. (If you don't know who Megan Rapinoe is, do the research.)

We face trying times.
The difficulties we face will change our country, for better or worse.
And I'm not sure I want to live in the country that emerges.

Damn, I'm glad I'm old!

Only Yesterday.

 

The "Karen Carpenter Story" has haunted me for years.
Thinking she was FAT, she apparently "pinched an inch" at her waist until her body was so diminished her heart stopped. Nothing anyone said to her could change her behavior.

Today I heard this song on our "Classic Rock" station and really listened to the words.
Heartbreaking.

We must always remember-
Although they look normal, others around us may be living lives of quiet desperation.

20 August Request for Help:

A friend from Chicago will be visiting Sara Jean today.  The visitor will be here most of the afternoon.
My request?
Do you know any tool I can use to insure she NEVER votes again?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

GB

Ashamed

I was ashamed of my country when we abandoned our allies in Viet Nam.
I'm ashamed today because we learned absolutely nothing from that experience.
What happened to "Duty. Honor. Country."?

Courage!

 Look at all these able, military-age males running around the airport at Kabul, Afghanistan, looking for an AK-47 or AR-15 to use in defense of their country against the evil Taliban!

It's From France

 

Volkswagen's invasion of the U.S. started in the late 50's. At that time the average price of regular gasoline was about 25-cents a gallon. It was difficult for me to understand why anyone would want one of the noisy, uncomfortable little cars. Now I understand a little better-
As a second car they were somewhat like a motorcycle, only you could use one in the rain or snow and not be wet and miserable.

The car in the photo is a Renault "Dauphine", France's answer to the Beetle.
A friend's Father bought one for her because he had fought in the European Theater during WWII and could not bring himself to buy anything made by Hitler's minions. Dauphines were TERRIBLE little cars. They broke down
A LOT, and Renault had little to no logistics chain set up to support the car.
My friend's car sat for weeks waiting on some part. While the Beetle just got more and more popular, Renault got run out of town on a rail until they reappeared in the U.S. with the AMC/Renault "Alliance", (another raving success of an automobile).

Renault. Citroen. Peugeot.
What is it about French cars in the U.S.?

August, 2021- A Great Idea!

Now that Afghanistan is once again falling into Taliban hands-
Why don't we just release all the Guantanamo prisoners?
That would resolve ALL our present-day issues, wouldn't it?

What was it that wise man said about history?

Getting Jabbed

Since my Sara Jean is apparently in the early stage of going down the Lewy Body Dementia path, we've accelerated our list of things we'd like to do before we assume ambient temperature.
She loves to cruise. So we scheduled a 7-day Caribbean cruise which leaves in a few days. Our son will accompany us on this voyage.
We've already been "jabbed", but our son has not. When we scheduled the cruise he specifically asked, "Will you require proof of vaccination in order for me to board?" And the answer was "Negative".
So everything was in order. Until two days ago.
Change One to Plan B...
"You must have proof that you have been vaccinated."
Scramble time.

I know just enough about the vaccines to be dangerous. I've seen the frantic posts about mice that have received the MRNA vaccines. So to be safe, Sara Jean and I got the Johnson & Johnson/Jansen vaccination. (We're all gonna die soon anyway, so what the heck?)
We recommended the J&J vaccine to Big Bubba and did some research to find out where he could obtain one.
Everyone is "Out of Stock".
Panic time.

We call around... "Do you have ANY idea where the J&J vaccine can be found?
"No. You might try Googling it."
Duh.

Yesterday we called and asked that question to our local Health Department-
"Yes we have it. Come tomorrow between 8 A.M. and 4:30 P.M.".
Our son now has his proof and can board the ship.
Time to relax.
Now, ask me how soon we'll be getting on a Cruise Ship again!
(Snerk.)


Our accelerated timeline-
Cruise.
Then a week in Cabo San Lucas.
Then a trip back to Indiana for a couple days in Madison, overlooking the Mighty Ohio River, followed by my High School reunion.
Then I think we'll run up to Shipshewana, Indiana so Sara Jean can shop 'til she drops while I run over to visit the Auburn/Cord/Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana.
Then we'll come home and prepare for our six weeks in Destin, Florida.
Interspersed in all this runnin' around we hope to spend some time in our new RV trailer.

Time flies when you're havin' fun.
I hope we can savor every moment of what we have left.

The "Single Point Failure" Of The U.S. Constitution:

Are you as sick of this as I am?
Watch this video. And if you want change, and you're not already a member of Billwhittle.com, get your butt over there and throw some money their way.
We MUST start fighting back!

Backing Up

 

Trying to make the most of the years we have left, (hopefully MANY), we decided to buy an RV.
I wrote about loving truck campers because they are compact, you only have to license one vehicle, and you can pull a trailer behind them.
Well, best laid plans...

We went shopping and I made the mistake of taking a look at this thing.
It has a "garage" in the front with a ramp. You can drive a motorcycle up that ramp with room to spare for other stuff. The slide at the rear accommodates a full King-size bed. At the campsite you can pull the bike out of the garage and there are two bunk beds up there in front.

I've been terrified of maneuvering this thing behind our 3/4 ton truck. So today I took it out to a BIG empty parking lot in our neighborhood and practiced.
Surprisingly, after two or three shots at trying to hit my target I got to the point I was no longer terrified.
(Ain't sayin' I was great at it, but if/when I need to put it into a campsite, with a little ziggin' and zaggin', I'll get the sucker where it needs to rest.)

Now? We're outfitting the thing.
LOTS of nickels and dimes.
Stay tuned. More to come.

In The "Good Ol' Days"-

Back in the good old days I could-
-Turn on "Headline News" and get news headlines 24-hours a day.
-Click "The Weather Channel" and find out what was happening in weather all over the U.S. at any time of the day.
-Check out "The History Channel" and learn me some history, instead of watching people lose money at a Pawn shop in Las Vegas, NV.
-Tune in MTV and watch the latest music videos, NOT some idiots on the Jersey Shore.

Money ruins everything, doesn't it?

Stupid People

I think somewhere in the Bible it says:
"There were stupid people in the past. We live amongst stupid people today. There will be (hopefully fewer) stupid people in the future."

Stupid people are now asking liberal, privileged, White Folk to not enroll their children in any of the top 50 schools rated by U.S. News and World Report so less qualified kids can take those slots.

And I still wonder if, when he played golf, Barack Obama hit his Tee Shots from the women's tees.
... Affirmative Action, doncha know?

Pooping A Pineapple-

Okay, so I've started with a title that will attract a few readers.
And Lord, I hope my wife never reads this post.
If discussion of what comes out the exhaust makes you uncomfortable, NOW is the time to stop reading.

Twice... I've been married.
Both times I have been married to women who seem attracted to carrying around extra weight in the form of something solid that oughta be flushed.
Number 1 wife has gone on to be with our Lord. But she had a continual problem with constipation. And man-oh-man how I wish I could now communicate with her or someone in her family about the last years of her life!

Number 2 wife has had a constipation problem forever. She goes days, until she's really uncomfortable, and then pops pills to try to make her bowels move. These pills call themselves "Natural Fiber", but reading their ingredients I find they are mostly "cellulose", which means trees.
I'd certainly rather see her take these than a pill containing some exotic chemical that appears nowhere in nature. But her diet is a big part of her problem...
She eats almost no vegetables. French Fries don't count. In the disassembly line that is our gastrointestinal tract, potatoes of any sort don't help much to move the finished product toward the finish line.

Lemme get to my point here-
"Lewy" has become a major focus in our life now. And by that I mean "Lewy Body Dementia", the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's.
EVERYONE has heard about Alzheimer's. Few have heard about our new acquaintance, Lewy.
But you're gonna hear more and more about Lewy in the future. He kills much more quickly than AL does.

I've been poking around doing the thing Doctors hate-
Researching the information available on Lewy Body disorders.
One of the connecting links seems to be constipation.
L.B.D. patients are frequently constipated.
Well.... DUH! My wife has been constipated since I first met her. And it turns out, there are Lewy Bodies in your gut... lots of 'em.
Is there a connection between constipation in early years and Lewy Body Dementia or other dementia, in later years?
More research is necessary.

But...
If you're young and frequently constipated, Doc Greybeard suggests you go an buy a bottle of Prune Juice. Take a big enough dose to move things along on that assembly line.
And repeat as necessary.
Seems to me the old saying, "Can't hurt much... might help A LOT" applies here.

More on all this in the future.

Don't Leave Until The Job is Complete.

It was still twilight outside.
Windows open, the wail woke me. And then it got louder. And louder. And louder.
No question, they're coming down our street.
I listened as the sound of a big truck passed our house.

And then the sound of another siren approached and passed.
And then another. Something really BIG was going on down the street.
I got up, slipped on sandals and a light jacket, went downstairs, opened the garage door, and sat in my lawn chair to watch this event unfold.

Soon, the sound of another siren. This time it was a pumper from the community immediately South of ours. So many emergency vehicles! This is a BIG deal!

An hour passed. Coffee brewed, I sat sipping in my chair and watched the parade of vehicles retreat from the scene:
Three pumpers from our town. Two from nearby communities. Three command vehicles.
What an alarm clock!

Later in the day I boarded my scooter to go investigate.
A house down the street exploded and burned. The new owners had not yet moved in, and it was unoccupied. They were setting up a yard sale in the front yard to sell goods from their old home they didn't need.
Obviously, everything was in disarray. The home was still smoldering.

The next door neighbor, an old acquaintance, came out to chat.
"That's smoking so much, with this breeze it's gonna rekindle" says I.
"I think you're right", responds my old acquaintance.

And in an hour I heard a siren once again. Several hours later they have to return to finish the job they didn't complete in the early hours.

Afghanistan.
We're tired of war; pulling all our troops out while the Taliban moves right in behind us.
It's smoldering.
How do you think this turns out?

Greybeard, Dandelion Farmer?

Yeah, that's a possibility.
You may become one too!

I got trapped in the "Youtube surfing vortex" again this morning.
(When will I learn this is a thing to avoid?)
One of the videos I watched educated me about the possible coming "Rubber Apocalypse". I had not previously heard about the disease in Southeast Asia attacking rubber trees. This is bad for several reasons:
-That's where the majority of our raw materials for rubber come from.
(I knew this already because of the Michelin plantations in South Viet Nam), and
-The trees are virtually all clones of one another. So when one gets the ailment, it rapidly gets transferred to all its brothers.

I was surprised to learn that ALL airplane tires are made from natural, not synthetic, rubber.  And natural rubber apparently is the only choice for several other products used around the world. If this disease spreads rapidly, these products will face critical shortages soon.

But there is a glow rising on the horizon, and it also surprised me:
Dandelions are a possible solution to the problem. They also produce a natural rubber, and can be grown almost anywhere in the world. With them, the U.S. might become "rubber independent" in a couple years.
I'm thinking even I can grow 'em, and I don't think our pesky deer population will be interested in my crop!

Now?
Watch for the Biden administration to find a way to restrict this move to independence.

Water. WATER!

My son moved to Phoenix Arizona. I had never been on the ground there for any length of time.
Shortly after he moved there we went to visit him for his Birthday in July. On his birthday the car thermometer read 123 degrees Fahrenheit. Rear windows in cars were exploding. Sara Jean and I decided the pool was a good idea. It was not. The only way to be comfortable was to be completely submerged. Any body part exposed to the sun was... miserable.

The distance between home and Phoenix was 27 hours drive. I began to pay attention to water levels in Lakes Meade and Powell, and began to worry about my son's life. If the "SHTF", several million people are gonna be searching for water for their families. I expressed my concerns to my son.
He's no fool. After a while he saw that his old man wasn't stupid.
He sold his home in Gilbert, AZ for more than twice what he paid for it 7 years ago, thanks to Californians realizing their stupidity, wanting to flee crazyland and move. And they are moving to a city that is going to ration water soon... it's just a question of WHEN.

With Sara Jean's health questions, Big Bubba wanted to be closer to our/his home, but not so close that we are on top of him all the time. He decided he'd like to move to Texas or Tennessee because of those State's tax structure. Nashville TN is a "chip shot" of a drive from us now, so he started concentrating on that area.

We drove down yesterday and looked at three homes in the Clarksville, TN area. Entering one, we all immediately decided, "I could easily live here".
Big Bubba submitted an offer on the home.
Today we gathered documentation to prove we could afford the loan.
And mid-day today we got word that the sellers had accepted his offer. It's a "Red Letter Day" for us all.
The Cumberland River is within walking distance from this home. "Land Between the Lakes" is a short drive. My son WILL NOT be dying of thirst.
I like that. And I like that he's now a comfortable drive from our home.

I still think trouble in the future is a question of "when", not "if".
And now the "When" is not such a threatening thought.

Trump Said-

Trump said hydroxychloroquine would work against Covid-19.
Stupid, until...

Trump said the virus was created in a laboratory in Wuhan China.
Stupid, until...

Trump said building a wall on our Southern border would stop thousands from coming to the U.S..
Stupid, until...

Biden says he knew/knows absolutely nothing about son Hunter's business activities.
And who is stupid?
We are.

Change Two To Plan "B"

My Dad was a Wizard.
"Jack of all trades"... I've written before about how he could do MANY things, and do them well.

In 1963 he bought a new Chevrolet "Corvair Greenbriar" Van, bought a bunch of plywood, and turned the thing into a really neat travel camper. In it, our family of four took many camping trips, including an unforgettable trip West from Indianapolis. We headed West via a Northern Route... Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and into L.A. to visit kin.
Returning home we passed through Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Painted Desert. As a 16-yr old with a freshly printed driver's license, I drove most of the miles on that trip.
My folks then later graduated to a pickup camper mounted on a 3/4 ton Ford Pickup, then a 27-foot Winnebago motor home. My memories of those camping trips are some of the fondest of my life, and I thank my departed parents for them.

About ten years ago, after much study of the market, I bought a Dodge Ram pickup with the 5.9 liter Cummins diesel engine. My intent in buying the truck was to eventually mount a camper in the bed and set off with my wife to check things from our "bucket list".
It's likely now that I am slowly losing my bride to dementia. So the idea of buying a camper and starting our Nation-roving trek has been accelerated. I've been perusing YouTube videos to get an idea of what's out there and how to proceed.
And HOLY COW... are there a bunch of things to be considered!
But maybe the biggest thing to be concerned about is something I never heard my Dad consider, although I know he probably did:
WEIGHT.

Many of the newer model campers are aluminum framed, (as opposed to wood, which rots when it is continuously wet), so they are lighter by design and better maintenance-wise than in days of yore. But then on top of building them lighter they add "options"-
Microwave ovens. Awnings, (or two or three of 'em). Pop-out sliding rooms. Queen sized beds. The list goes on and on.
And if you add a bunch of these "accessories" you can easily increase the weight of the camper to a figure that will eventually break the back of the truck. In addition, I'm now finding out my beautiful Cummins diesel engine weighs approximately 700 pounds(!) more than it's gasoline-eating brother.
I've always dreamed of the luxury of being able to go, at a moment's notice, to sights we want to see with our home (and STUFF) on our back.
I like the idea of not having to make hotel reservations, (though I know staying in a dedicated campground is likely to be about as expensive as a motel room.)
But this venture has sure turned out to be more complicated that I thought it would be.
And of course, $$$$$ will be flowing outta my pockets.

But that's what retirement is for....
Isn't it?

Karen Is In Control?

Several months ago I got a notice from a legal firm in Florida that my parents had left some some unclaimed funds while retired there.
I'm always suspicious of stuff like this, but I called to see if it was legit. The respondent indicated that all I had to do was fill out some forms they'd send, and the unclaimed money would be mine.
So I punted the project to my son to pursue. And he did.

Four months have passed. Yesterday I got a check. The check is for four figures... not an insignificant sum.
From my checking account I wrote a check to my son for the indicated amount, then endorsed and tried to deposit the (Florida) check to my checking account at our local bank.
"What's this money for?", asks the bank person.
Thinking to myself, "That's none of your damn business!" I lied...
"It's an annuity payment."
I watch as she plinks around on her keyboard. Soon, a puzzled look comes across her face.
She calls her superior to her work station. The superior also gets a puzzled look on her face, then asks, "Is this an annual installment, or a monthly one?"
Now alarm bells go off in my head. I'm trying to make a deposit. The bank will make money on this deposit. They can put a hold on the funds I'm depositing. There is three times the amount of money I'm depositing already in the account. Where is their risk exposure?
I've now reached my tolerance for "Karen".
I say, "If there's a problem with the check, give it back to me and I'll take it to another facility and they'll take it without a problem."
"There's no problem with the check. This is just our rules."
"Then the rule is stupid. I understand you have no control over this stupidity, but I'm VERY close to closing this account and taking my money somewhere else. Take the deposit, or give me back my check. And tell your leadership that they are stupid."

At this point she clicks the keyboard in front her her, prints out the deposit slip; puts the slip into the tray and slides it out to me.

What the hell is going on? The only explanation I can imagine is that this is further information gathering.
Control.

And I like it not at all.

Catalyst

 VROOOOOOOM!

Sleeping in, it woke me. My neighbor drives for the local "Meals on Wheels" organization and he came home to pick up something he had forgotten when he went to work. The noise was so loud it was obnoxious.
Seeing him later I asked, "What the heck happened to your truck to make it so noisy?"
"Someone stole all the catalytic converters off our trucks last night!"

Four handicapped-accessible buses.
Three 3/4 ton Vans.
All purchased with tax-supported funds.
Re-equipping them with new converters is gonna cost big $$$$$.

We live in a town of 7,000. Like virtually all towns across the nation, there are "Help Wanted" signs in ALL businesses, big and small, in our town.
Staying home, collecting unemployment, and little odd jobs like stealing Catalytic Converters off vehicles owned by public assisted operations is apparently a perfectly comfortable way to live these days.

And like most of the rest of our government's mistakes these days, the costs will be passed along to others.
What a country.

The Most Difficult Thing In Aviation?

  

"If you can drive a car, you can learn to fly an airplane."

As a helicopter flight instructor, I've made this statement for years.
I still believe it is true. I fly helicopters AND airplanes, and the only thing I ever found remotely difficult about flying the fixed-wing was landing with a strong crosswind.
(Manipulating the controls of the helicopter automatically adjusts for crosswind landings. Having first learned to fly helos, crosswind landings in fixed-wing aircraft seems totally foreign and uncomfortable to me.)

But there IS one task in all of aviation I believe may be more difficult than learning to hover and do a perfect normal approach in a helicopter-
And that task is landing an airplane on a pitching, rolling, moving deck of a ship.

This video is 27 minutes in length. If you have any interest in aircraft carrier ops or in the history of how we got where we are in Naval Aviation, I think it is worth your time.

And I'll now be searching for a copy of the original "The Fighting Lady".
Neat stuff.

11July- Bristol Tennessee

We wake in Bristol,TN. Within sight just down the street is a stop light that resides right on top of the Virginia/Tennessee State Line. Today we intend to drive down "State Street" and try to find the brass marker marking the VA/TN line and get a photo. That done, we want to drive a short distance out of town to the Bristol Motor Speedway and see the racetrack where so many NASCAR events have taken place.
Then, on the way home, we'll stop and view any attractions that catch our attention...
"World's largest ball of aluminum foil"?

This road trip we once again committed the cardinal sin-
We tried to pack five pounds into a 3-pound bag. We didn't properly consider the amount of driving we'd have to do to get to the things we wanted to experience.
I like to drive. And that's a good thing. Because my two companions on this trip have spent much of the drive time sleeping. While awake they have their noses poked into their Smart Phones.
Me? I've been loving the passing scenery. I've now and again enjoyed the feeling of being pressed into the seat after pushing the "Go Pedal" of our Taurus SHO to the floor, marveling at the fact that this quiet, comfortable car still gets over 25 miles per gallon of fuel while going up and down these mountains.
Trees alongside the road are tall enough to cause gaps in reception of our Sirius/XM radio...
Beautiful, and simultaneously irritating.

Many will feel the same way as we-
Maybe the BEST thing about a vacation is that it makes you realize how comfortable you are in your own home; your own recliner with your own remote control at hand; your own bed.
We'll be there tonight.
Thank you Lord for safe travels.

Dateline- Raleigh, NC

Long day in the car yesterday-
We spent the night in Petersburg, VA. Elsa was acting up as we went to bed, and the forecast was for "partly cloudy" the following day. With all the ground we needed to cover to do what we wanted, we hoped for sunshine. And by the time we rose Mother Nature was cooperating with a "partly sunny" day.

We've decided we LOVE this part of the country. Grass and trees are GREEN. And the tree-covered mountains are absolutely beautiful. Roads we have used have been in great repair. And fuel prices here are not horrible.

We toured the "First Flight" memorial at Kill Devil Hills. Nice little museum there, and walking the same hill where Wilbur and Orville learned to fly using their gliders gave me great respect for the brothers.
(By the way- In the telegram Orville sends to his sister to tell her of their success on 17Dec, he signs his name "Oreville". Have we been spelling his name incorrectly all these years?)

We departed Kitty Hawk and drove South on North Carolina highway 12, down the Hatteras peninsula, stopping first at the Bodie Lighthouse, then the Hatteras Lighthouse. Both beautiful. The peninsula is extraordinarily narrow in many places, making me wonder how it has survived the many hurricanes it has been exposed to. Sand dunes in spots are 15' tall on both sides of the road, making you feel as if you are driving down a pipe with no top. With the (Wright Brothers) wind that blows here most of the time it is obvious road crews must be ready to frequently clear the road of encroaching sand.

We drove back Northwest-bound last night through scattered showers, arriving Raleigh, NC about Midnight. We're meeting friends for Brunch here today, then plan to drive to Bristol, TN to spend the night.

We'll be home Sunday.
Prayers for safe travels are appreciated.

July 2021 Road Trip

We won't have a diagnosis of Sara Jean's condition until mid-month. But we are noticing changes in her thought processes and both of us now think the news will be bad. To that end we have decided to check off some of her bucket list items as quickly as possible.

She has always wanted to see Cape Hatteras.
We are in Lexington, KY this morning, surrounded by Blue Grass and beautiful fenced-in pastures. Today we will drive to Petersburg, VA to spend the night and be ready for a drive to see the rocky coast.
Before the day ends we hope to also check off one of my bucket list items- The Wright Brothers "First Flight" memorial at Kill Devil Hills.

Beyond that we are making things up as we go along. Headed back home I think I want to put one leg in Virginia and the other in Tennessee at Bristol.

If you have ideas about what you think we'd enjoy seeing/doing, please leave a comment.

The "C.T.O.L."

Since retiring, I have been struggling somewhat to find constructive things to do with my life. I feel...
Unfulfilled.
Today I realized I've had a valuable job all along, and just didn't fully realize it.

Some time ago I had a friend who, upon arriving home from work would shout, "I HOPE WE HAVE STOCK IN THIS ELECTRIC COMPANY!"
And then he would make the rounds in his home, turning off all the lights in unoccupied rooms.

Me? I probably DO have stock in several power-producing companies via the Mutual Funds I own.
Nevertheless, I have also become an environmentalist. Waste troubles me. Burning unnecessary electricity pollutes our environment, doesn't it?

Therefore I have taken on a new, vital job in our household-
I am now the "Chief Turner-Offer of Lights" in our family.
Sometimes it seems like a full time job. At the end of the day I am physically and mentally taxed.
But I'm saving the environment.
And I am proud.

Hatred

 I've been re-watching Ken Burns' series "The Civil War", and came to the realization that the South must have felt about Abraham Lincoln much as Marxist/Socialist/Communists do about Donald Trump.
Did Southerners quietly, or even exuberantly, celebrate the death of the man most people feel may have been the best President our country has ever had?

The Right To Bear Arms

 "The first battle of the Revolution was fought over gun control. The British government wanted to seize the lawfully owned firearms of the colonists. If British troops could disarm the militia, there would be less of a threat to their control."

"Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it."

On this Independence Day, please-
Don't be ignorant of history.