Funk.

The VERY DAY I departed for Viet Nam in 1968 President Johnson stopped the bombing of North Viet Nam trying to show good faith to our enemy.
And on 1Nov68 those of us trying to make the world a better place? We suffered. Some of us died.

I have long been a student of world happenings. When I woke that morning the first thing on my mind was "I'm headed to a land where people will really be trying to kill me."
And that was okay. I had trained for that possibility for months.

But here's the deal-
I was born and raised in central Indiana in a conservative neighborhood. The first presidential election I can remember having any interest in was the Nixon/Kennedy bout. It didn't go the way my parents wanted it to go. (We've since found out that Mayor Daley of Chicago had his thumb on the scale.)

Nevertheless, at that time I didn't think President Kennedy didn't have the best interest of the country at heart. He was a WWII hero after all.
Then his head got in the way of a projectile and Lyndon Johnson took the reins.

Johnson was an ass.
But even taking that into consideration I never thought he didn't love the country and want the best for it.
After all, his wife was making a TON of money with her Bell Helicopter/Textron stock, right?
And in one of those helicopters I went to war to protect my homeland.

There's a point I want to make here, and it is this-
At NO POINT during my seven decades on this earth have I felt the country was being lead by an incompetent.
Until now.
This Commander in Chief is incompetent.
And our wonderful country is at risk.

I do not believe Joseph Robinette Biden will be the Democrat nominee for president in November.
But what terrifies and dismays me is that I do not see anyone with a "D" behind their name that I think really has the country's interest at heart.

I often say, "I'm glad I'm old."
But my son is now 40, and I feel I have failed to leave him a sane world.
And for that reason I feel I will die feeling like a failure.

The Salvation of Internal Combustion?

Alchemy?
Pyramid building?
Wormholes, (for heaven's sake!)

This sounds too good to be true.
But I sure hope it is.

Dream Scenario

We are in Tennessee visiting our son, the movie buff.
He has a library of THOUSANDS of movies and as you know, (if you are a regular reader), we love movies old and new.
We just watched "Dream Scenario" with Nicholas Cage. It's a worthwhile expenditure of your time.
But one of the points of the movie is that the College Professor played by Cage experiences something that troubles him:
While terrible things happen in his presence, he does nothing. He's kind of a "non entity". An observer.
And I realized...
My life has impacted the lives of others.
I am not a non entity.
And that made me feel proud.

 

The Cost of Nostalgia

My Dad supervised several crews of power company line-crews at work.
"Sonny" was on one of those crews. He was a single guy and when going on vacation had no place he could safely store his only vehicle... a WWII Willy's Jeep. Dad agreed to let him leave his Jeep at our home for a week.
And I had access to it.

Three speed manual transmission with "high and low" gearbox it had a top speed of about 50 mph, and was just a hoot to drive.
They were sold "surplus" after the war.
Have you checked on the prices to buy one lately?

Early 1960's-

"Ask not what your country can do for you... Ask what you can do for your country!"
J.F.K.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
M.L.K. Jr

What the **** happened to my country?
(Happy New Year everyone. Pray for us all.)

"The Long Goodbye"

My "Cousin-in-law" wrote me three days ago-
"Ron went to be with our Lord last night".
Ron was my first cousin; three months my elder and the only older cousin on the Paternal side of my family. In many ways we were like brothers.

Dementia runs in our family. My Paternal Grandfather spent the last couple years of his life sharing his life with an imaginary person in the room. The stories he told that person may as well have been on an endless loop tape-
He told exactly the same story in exactly the same way over and over and over.
His daughter... Ron's Mother, similarly died of Alzheimer's a few years ago. Ron's Mother's brother, our Uncle Bob, died of the same disease six or so years ago.
Me and all my cousins in that branch of the family are acutely aware that we might have memory problems in the future, so cousin Ron's problem was no surprise.
My sister and I are fortified that my Father and Mother made it into their 80's with their mental faculties intact. But that fact comes with no promises.

So when Sara Jean's sister came down with symptoms indicating some form of dementia we knew what the progression of the disease would look like:
Her sister became combative and paranoid- accused her husband of having an affair with anything with a skirt. She slept with a butcher knife 'neath her pillow. Her husband eventually locked her in her bedroom for his (and her) protection.

Now we're pretty sure Sara Jean is in early-stage Lewy Body Dementia. She still functions ALMOST normally, spoiling Big Bubba and me as if we are Kings.
But we are noticing some slight changes-
She is MUCH more forgetful of simple things.
She imagines she has told us things that neither of us remember talking about.
When we deny she has told us these things she is instantly VERY angry and the anger is, quite frankly, a little scary.
She sleeps A LOT... several hours during the day. Then she doesn't understand why she awakens at 0300 hours and cannot get back to sleep.

At this point the situation has not required much change in my personal life. I do wonder if her sleep habits are going to begin to require a change in my sleeping too. (And of course I worry that eventually she'll bring a butcher knife to the bedroom. And then there's that little Ruger automatic within reach just beneath her side of the bed that I am beginning to be a little concerned about).

Cousin Ron's wife and I have been in contact as his disease progressed. There was a point where she wrote, "He no longer recognizes me".
Therefore... "The Long Goodbye".

Sad.
Cruel.
Unfair.
We are being realistic, but praying for a miracle.

Tribute Bands

This was one of the bands playing during our cruise aboard "The Norwegian Bliss".
Excellent entertainment!
Their performance set me to thinking-
A couple months ago we drove three hours to see a "Chicago" tribute band called "Leonid and Friends".
Over the last couple years we've seen tribute bands doing the music of the "Beach Boys" and "Earth, Wind, and Fire".
A friend has tickets in hand to see an "Eagles" tribute soon. (We cannot go due to a previous commitment.)
"Baby Boomer" music is SO popular... seen in movies and on TV.
How long will it continue to be, seemingly, the most popular music of the land?

Archduke Ferdinand?

Many government schooled young citizens will see my title and say, "Who? What?"
And isn't that scary?

This cruise through the Panama Canal will take two weeks. I'm not sure whether it's the cruise duration or (like me) the fascination of passing through this historic piece of geography, but there are a LOT of people on this ship speaking a language I don't understand. (And some like the guy I chatted with yesterday from South Africa that my damaged ears can only understand with considerable difficulty.)
He was interesting. Born and raised in England, he has worked as a mechanical engineer in South Africa since 1970. So he's seen some **it unfold there. He's VERY worried about the election that is upcoming in a year and thinks it likely the several black tribes there will go to war with one another over control of that country. Asked why South Africa has not gone the way of Rhodesia he said, "Mandela... he was so admired, the people were willing to be patient for change. Now his influence is gone".

With all the actual "hot" spots and potential hot spots popping up around the world and here in the U.S. it's easy to see the boogeyman behind every bush. But when you're on a boat with interesting people from all around the world and (unprovoked) conversation gradually slides into the possibility of Civil War, it's easy to fear the shadows behind those bushes. And this ship is FULL... I can't help wondering if a lot of folks are now sailing to "eat dessert while it's available".

Wars have started over Soccer games.
Does anyone remember why that Serbian Dude shot Archduke Ferdinand and what happened afterward?
Sadly, few do.

Turkey Day?

Thanksgiving Day 2023-
We are in Port in Manzanillo, Mexico on the "Norwegian Bliss".
In the Cruise Director's initial welcome talk we were informed just over half of the 4000 "guests" here are U.S. Citizens. When we booked this trip we figured there'd be some semblance of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and that assumption was correct. The daily newsletter that tells us what activities to expect on the ship says there'll be plenty of Turkey and trimmings.
(Sara Jean will be looking to see if there are Deviled Eggs... one of HER family's Thanksgiving staples. ;>) )

As always I'll point out that we need to thank GOD for the folks out there at work, away from their loved ones on this day.
Lots of personnel at Niagara Falls will be hard at work today.

To my like-minded readers-
I've come to know and care for MANY of you. I hope this holiday leaves you smiling.

To those who are not like-minded-
Look at the world you are voting for. What the HECK is wrong with you?

Where's My Toolbox?

The first day on a cruise ship is almost always frenetic. There are 4000 guests and 1600 workers on this boat, so when it left the dock it was like a small town sailing away. The "Norwegian Bliss" feels HUGE. Finding your stateroom, then getting a feel for "lay of the land" on the ship is disorienting and takes awhile. By the time you're ready to hit the hay you're tired.

I needed a shower. Our bathroom is fabulous... LOTS of room.
But the shower itself has two knobs- the top one is a multi-position thingy that allows you to direct spray from four different places in the stall. The bottom lever selects the water temperature and how much pressure you want directed to your body.
To say the least, it was confusing.

So I'm standing in the stall trying to figure out what to do with each lever, wishing I had an "on/off/hot/cold" system. Symbols on the levers were impossible to read without my glasses so I grabbed 'em. They immediately fogged up from previous attempts to make the system work for me.
And then my glasses fell off my face and the right lens popped out onto the shower floor.
This is "slapstick comedy" stuff, except I'm pretty useless without my glasses these days so I ain't laffin'.
I grabbed the lens from the shower floor and held it in place while I finally sorted out this Rube Goldberg shower system.

Ya have to have the glasses off your face to study them-
Is that tiny screw still hanging on them? It's hard to tell.

In the morning I go to the med clinic hoping someone there can help.
No luck.
In Filipino English - "Go to the Gift Shop. They may be able to help you there."
I ask for Scotch tape and tape the lens in place.
I look like a Goober :>) but that's okay. I can SEE.
The Gift Shop won't open until 1000 hours so we go upstairs for breakfast.

Sitting at the table Sara Jean says "Let me see your glasses".
"The screw is just sitting there on them!"
Then "Oops, I dropped it!"

What are the chances we'll find this tiny screw on a multi-colored carpeted floor?
It's literally "A needle in a haystack".
Seeing Sara Jean on hands and knees 'neath our table...  the gentleman in the table adjacent hands her his phone, flashlight on.
One of the attendants cleaning tables joins the search beneath our table.
"HERE IT IS!" he shouts, holding the tiny piece of metal between thumb and forefinger.
Unbelievable.

Now all I have to do is find a jeweler's screwdriver.

Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel-

"I'm sittin' in a railway station, got a ticket for my destination..."
And yet, even with ticket in hand, we stood on the platform and sadly watched as our train departed the station.

In 1987 our son was 4 years old and he was enthralled with trains. EVERY TIME he saw a train he forced us  to stop and watch until it completely passed us by. When I had a school I needed to attend in Los Angeles we thought, "We have to make the trip anyway. How thrilled would he be if he got the chance to ride ON the train?!" I reserved a "Deluxe Bedroom" car, and we had everything we needed for the trip-
Room, board, and transportation to our destination. We made some wonderful memories on that trip. The food was nothing short of fabulous. The scenery out West was also wonderful. We met some very nice people who quickly got on a first-name basis with our son. And we ended up with many stories to relate.

Now it's 36 years later. We're taking our son on a cruise through the Panama Canal as a birthday gift. He only remembers the long ago train ride through the photos we took along the way. Why not repeat that trip on the way to board that big boat?
The First leg of the trip was on an Amtrak commuter to Kansas City to meet the train headed from Chicago to L.A..  After a long day we were overjoyed to hear our transport to L.A. had arrived. We were anxious to hit that bed. Standing on the platform ready to board our first indication of trouble was the shake of the head of the conductor looking at our phones displaying our tickets-
"Someone canceled these in September."
"Is there another bedroom available?"
He replies, "I'm sorry. No."
So the three of us stood dejectedly watching the train and our bed disappear down the tracks.
Now what? We have three days and two nights to spend in a town we had no intention of visiting.

Kansas City is a nice town. It's NICER if you have wheels.

Abortion

Safe. Legal. Rare.
The abortion issue MAY have the country divided almost exactly in half.
So politically, discussing it really is a NO WIN situation.

I'm "pro life". To me that means I am anti- "baby killing".
To the day I die I'll try to keep "tissue" from being thrown into the trash.

But the thing that pisses me off most?
I think the last statistic I saw indicated that more black babies were aborted than born in NY City last year.
How many of those were at taxpayer expense?

This is evil.
I don't want my tax dollars being spent for what I consider an EVIL outcome.

We Said "Never Forget !"

THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE DIED on 11Sep 2001.
The blood of all those innocents is on the hands of 19 killers and the Muslim leaders that planned this attack.
THREE THOUSAND!
They were in plain sight in our midst and we ignored the evil they presented.
Nineteen evil people.

How many of the "Gotaways" that have crossed our Southern border are equally evil?
How many of those equally would love to see the destruction of our country, our freedoms?
We have NO IDEA how much Cancer is now growing in our towns and cities.
The thought of it scares anyone with a lick of sense to death.
And I am irritated with my neighbors who voted for "Open Borders" Biden.
To me, they'll all be COVERED in the blood of our neighbors when (not IF) the next event happens.

I'm glad I don't live in a major city.
Be a good Boy Scout.
To the extent possible, please be prepared.

Cute Butts-

Why are we so attracted to them?

:>)

When We WANTED To Win -

The year 1863 was a big turning point in our Civil War. In the West U.S. Grant realized shutting down the South's ability to use the Mississippi for resupply would cripple them. To that end he laid siege to the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, using artillery to continuously shell the town. That resulted in Men, Women, and children digging caves to survive, denying the Rebels ammunition,  and forcing soldiers and civilians to go hungry for seven weeks until they finally surrendered.
Of course there was wailing and gnashing of teeth from civilians in the North because of how inhumane this treatment was...
NAH, forget that!
The North wanted to win! They rejoiced when Vicksburg surrendered.

Tecumseh Sherman used a "scorched earth" policy in his "March to the sea" in the East, making life as miserable as possible for the enemy stating "War is Hell", bringing an end to hostilities.
WINNING was the goal.

In World War II, Allied forces in Europe used incendiary bombs to annihilate the town of Dresden, killing (hundreds of?) thousands.
The firebombing of Tokyo yielded more deaths than dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
And then there ARE some questions about the necessity of using "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" to end the war, (although most of those questions are now "Monday Morning Quarterbacking"). 
Few questioned our actions in 1945.
Back then we WANTED to win.
What has happened to us since?

In Korea we fought with one hand tied behind our back.
Same thing in MY WAR, Viet Nam.
It seemed we didn't want to hurt our enemy "too badly".
Result?
Our military actions now seem to drag on forever, likely resulting in more casualties on both sides of the shooting.

Our weak "leadership"... our country is now being tested all around the world.
Why?

It's time for BIG change.
Remember in November.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman !

"Let's get your height and weight" said the Physician's Assistant.
"Okay", says my beautiful wife.
"You're 5 feet 7 inches" says the P.A..
"That's NOT POSSIBLE!" exclaims my spouse.
"Well, let's check it again".
And the numbers didn't change.

When I met her 43 years ago she was 5 feet 11 inches tall, blonde, and all legs. In MOST stores she was easy to find because she was taller than the goods displayed in the aisles... all I had to do was look for that blonde hair over there across the store.
No longer.
Somewhere along the way in that four decades she has lost 4 inches, (mostly in her neck).

Apparently this is not unusual.
Now I'M frightened to get on the scale and be measured...
I was a little "vertically challenged" to begin with!

Lifeboat Theory?

I'm trying to imagine the horrible situation Israelis are now facing. They're now realizing the only way forward is to eliminate HAMAS as a threat, but that means the almost certain death of many innocent hostages being held by these barbarians.

I'm reminded of the Lifeboat reality-
When your Lifeboat is at capacity and another survivor appears needing to be saved you have a horrible decision to make that is really no decision at all-
Letting another into the boat will result in losing all.
So unfortunately, the latecomer must drown.

Protecting their homeland, Israelis will have to accept the fact many hostages will be murdered or will be killed while the IDF bombs make the world safer for everyone. Watching this unfold will be heartwrenching.

Our world is upside-down.

Fear and HOPE, for Israel and Our World:

With so much beauty in our world, can we not overcome the hate?

The Coming Surprise?

Knowing what was "Possible", some time ago I started reading what happened in Argentina when the economy collapsed there, and I can actually begin to see similar events happening here.
One of the things our Marxist/Socialist/Communist brethren don't realize is this:
When the Zombie Apocalypse happens here and we are shooting at one another, what will happen to Social Services?

IF...
Your family is threatened by blood sucking parasites, will you stay at your job?
No. We used to talk about this at work:
If my family was threatened at home, that EMS helicopter was gonna be unstaffed.  I will be home putting rear sight behind front sight.
The sick and injured that need the helicopter?
So sad. Too bad!

And do you think the folks that provide water when you turn the tap...
Electricity when you flip the switch...
Think they will be there when their families are in danger?
(Consider Chicago O'Hare right now. How long will those "undocumenteds" remain calm if they start getting hungry?)
We are stepping into uncharted territory here.

Pray for the best.
Prepare for the worst.
And watch ALL the news to know what is unfolding around you.

Preparations-

"Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst."
My preparations may be for nothing because against Zombies my home is likely indefensible. I've taken the attitude that before I die I intend to make the world a better place by taking out as many brain-dead people as I can before I'm taken out.
I'm just glad I don't live in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, etc..

"Prepper!" has been a term used in a derogatory fashion by people smarter and better than me...
Until recently.
I'm hearing it used much less frequently these days.
And I smile.

Water.
Food.
Shelter.
A currency with which you can barter with your neighbors.
And a means to keep Zombies from stealing your preparations.

Hope for the best. But be a good Boy Scout.