Rant from my side of the street

I have been a person that has had to change my ideas a lot in the almost 60 years I have been here. In my earlier years, couples of mixed races were really shunned in the Oakie & Arkie infested neighborhood I grew up in. I have come to understand that color has no boundaries to people that are in love. I have grown to accept it and moved on to newer things.
Now, I have the subject of Same sex Unions/Gay Marriages to deal with. I would hope that those out there that need, want or desire some form of legal union for same sex couples can grow to understand that it is the word "Married" that upsets the conservative right. I think what is wanted is some legal term that establishes the rights to same sex couples that the rest of us have. I fully understand that desire and need. I would hope that out there some smart person can come up with a mutually agreed upon word that will fit that bill and give that most needed protection to their rights. I have no desire to know what goes on in the private lives of couples of either/same sex. Your privacy is not something I want to violate. Here is a short list of some of the terms I would start the list with: Civil Union, Common Law, Love bond, Same Sex Contract. Add your own terms on the end of the list but understand that the word Marriage for same sex couples is just as volatile as the "N" word in our language.
those that know me know that I have gays in the family and as friends. I love them as much as my straight friends and respect them for who that are.

Monday, the Laundry Chair Day

Today is Monday and it is the day I have normally set aside to do laundry. It will be a strange day as I will also have to do some serious house cleaning also. I have neglected my duties in favor of riding and now must pay the piper. We are set for some house guests on Wednesday and I am ill prepared.
The picture I have posted is a photo of a Wildcat from the K-State Campus. I would love to be able to bring some of the large bronze works to Topeka but will settle for driving there to see this beautiful art work. To make up for the lack of bronze kitties, I can generally go out and have a lap full of all the kitty I want. Tiger has learned to accept that I mean no harm and will let me pet him while I nurse a cup of coffee. He does have a couple of bad habits that I wish would go away but hey, I won't change him any more than he can change me. Cats often flex their claws as you pet them. Tiger's are sharp as they can be and he often gets right on the edge of hurt with them. At least once a day he gives me a love bite that never breaks the skin but again is on that ragged edge. Oh well, I don't understand cats, I will just tolerate it, or not!
Barb and I talked with her Mom last night. Mom had taken a tumble earlier in the weekend but is ok. She was just on the return side of a trip to Jack-Pot, Nevada so I guess she wasn't injured too much. My father-in-law has won over $100.00 two weekends in a row and Mom was a little envious. After all, she's the one that actually gambles. Dad's favorite pastime is to go to the Coffeeshop/restaurant and get treated like a king. The staff there know what a great guy he is and treat him better than the owner. (He tips pretty well also) In fact, he has been invited to graduations, weddings and all sorts of events of the lives of the staff there.
It was nice to send Barb off to work during the daylight. The flip side of that is it will be almost dark by the time she gets home. Can't have everything. Better run and get on with the kitchen. It will take at least two loads in the dishwasher as I let the dishes pile up. See Ya!
MUD

This is a Test Post

Mongolian BBQ

Last night Dave, Da Barbs and I went to a new restaurant in Topeka. We were celebrating Dave's 31st Birthday. The Mongolian BBQ format is one where you go get your ingredients and then watch as it is grilled on a circular grill. There is a team of cooks that go around the grill preparing the grill(Cleaning it between customers), placing your food on the grill, stirring it and then serving it. Last night there were five workers. They had a pretty organized system where they went in a circle and the guests went in a circle going the other direction and it seemed to work as everyone got the food they picked out. It was an all you can eat place so you could go back if you didn't get enough the first trip.
Yes, I went back but the second time I focused on vegies. Grilled tomatoes were the best. They also had a nice selection of oils and sauces to make it good. It was a little pricey but anyone that went away hungry do so because they wanted to.
After dinner we took Dave over to Michaels and set up a couple of his pictures for new frames. Barbara had a coupon for a 50% discount but even with that the cost for the frames exceeded the cost for the print.
The weather here is beautiful. I intend to go for a ride shortly and it will be 75 by noon. I went 8 miles yesterday and will double that today. I wish you all could ride one of Putt-Putts bikes and see what it is like to cruise down the street on a comfortable recumbent. Bike riding is just one of those things that put a smile on your face and takes you back to your youth. You see so much on each trip that it makes you smile inside and out. Better go reset clocks and get ready for the ride.
MUD

Go Cards!

What else needs to be said? Can you feel the love? I will leave well enough alone!
MUD

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! This is the poor skinny creature that started showing up at our house a while back. One day he came over and let me pet him. He was so skinny that he was pitiful. After feeding him a couple of bags of cat food he is finally looking like he may last out the winter. I am feeding him a dry food that is a little higher in protein than the normal stuff and he is responding with steroid like growth. He would like to come in and sleep in the sunshine but the cathouse is all his for now.
I would like to congratulate Putt-Putt on the win by his favorite team. Yea Cardinals! The World Series is finally over and Football is mid season. Can Basketball be far behind? Only the J-Hawks could have their starting center get suspended and still get ranked third in the National pre-season poll. They are tall and talented for a team. In fact, their starters from last season had better keep their act together or they won't get to play much.
Barbara and I have spent the last few Halloweens with the Reimers and will miss the Trick-or-Treating with them. Barb said we should put on costumes and go visit all the adult friends we normally don't get to see. I think we should get K-State sweatshirts and go as Fans. They are a little lacking in that category so we might be able to help. (OK, KU is 0-4 in the Big 12 so far) Barb thinks this is the one time of the year we should be able to just drop in on people. If you are reading this, look out! I think our lunch with Rhonda Grahm prompted her to think she has so many good friends we just haven't seen lately.
My eye is healing nicely and as soon as the redness goes away you won't even be able to tell anything was done. I wanted a big red scar so I could tell people I fenced (no not bob-wire, you know, with those skinny swords) in Germany. Perhaps if I wore a monocle on that eye and put some eyeliner on it. I know, an eye patch made out of some material I can see through. I can be a pirate.
OK, enough Halloween ideas. I had better get on with RWS (Real World Stuff) and go shopping. See Ya!
Dennis

Busy Friday

Hi there sports fans. This is a picture from my baseball days. I played first base because I could catch and that lasted until they found out that I could also throw so I moved behind the plate and was a catcher. We had the best battery and one of the worst records. You must be able to score runs and defense on the rest of the field. Oh well, it was fun.
Today was one of those days that started early and went by fast. I had an appointment to have the stitches removed in the morning. At noon Barb and I met with one of our friends for lunch and this afternoon I took Mom to the Doctor's office for a visit. She has been feeling kind of poor and we went in to discuss it. First of all Mom stopped taking one of her pills that she thought was a blood pressure pill. It turned out that it is a pretty important pill that helps regulate her heart beat and not taking it let her heart not beat well. Poor heart beat with a bad heart and it is no wonder that she didn't feel well.
Tonight is game five of the World Series and many of us are hoping that the Cardinals can finish this whole thing before the first snow starts. Actually it is supposed to be near 70 tomorrow and 75 on Sunday. I think the series will move back to Detroit if it doesn't end today.
With a break in the weather, I hope to be back on the bike some this weekend. Sunday for sure.
Yesterday was Dave's birthday. He turned 31 and boy does that make me feel old.
MUD

FOOF

For those of you that haven't seen "Flags of Our Fathers", I would like to talk about one of the lead actors and the role he plays in the movie. Adam Beach is an Indian Actor (I would say American Indian but he is Canadian) and his portrayal of Ira Hayes. For those of you that have seen Code Talkers about the Navaho Marines in the Pacific that were radio operators and confused the Japanese, Adam played the main "Code Talker" assigned to the Nick Cage character. It didn't take any time for my mind to get around the actor's portrayal of Ira Hayes. He was a Marine, assigned to do what Marine's do.
The main point I want to make about Adam Beach is that as an actor he can fit in many roles and like the actor he is, you don't see him, but the character he plays. Lets face it, Clint Eastwood and John Wayne were themselves and played in movies. Adam became the characters he portrayed in the two movies I have seen him in. As a recovered drunk (Alcoholics go to meetings) I really felt a bond with the Ira Hayes character. It is very easy to feel bad and slip inside the bottle to escape. Having escaped that problem I felt bad that such a fine Marine died without escaping that situation. To survive the war and die in a drunken pile of humanity was a waste. Adam Beach is the fine actor that took you there to The Battles of Iwo Jima and as Ira died as just another drunk Indian. I can't express the sadness I felt as his body was viewed by the kids that found him. The finest thing you can say about an actor is he became the part. If nothing else, go see Flags of our Fathers (FOOF) to see this fine actor, Adam Beach, become Ira Hayes.
MUD

Flags Of Our Fathers

Today I went to see the new Clint Eastwood Movie, "Flags of our Fathers" How could the baby boomers "Cowboy of all Cowboys" not make a great War Movie? I knew what to expect and knew it would be intense and it was. It made me think about all the brave soldiers, sailors, marines and other Service members were all willing to fight the fight they were given. To make the whole event more meaningful, after the movie I went to the cemetery and visited the grave of my father. It was a dark and drizzly day and that just added to the somber thoughts in the cemetery. It was deserted and I had only the light breeze to accompany me to the grave.
In the movie, the Doc (Sailor, corpsman assigned to the Marine Unit) died at the end of the movie and apologized to his adult son for not being a better father.
I guess that caused me to think about my relationship with Dad. He was not the best Dad when I was growing up but at the end we really had some nice chats and I would like to think we bonded. At least as good as we could. I'm not sure I gave him much room in those early years. It does take two to tango. I do know that when I took the General over to the VA, as I was promoted to Colonel, Dad cried. I think they were tears of pride but hey, who knows?
I am not sure the movie will hit home with all the young people of today because of the fact that a lot of them are tired of hearing about war. The guys that fought in the 1940's are now in their 80's or like Dad no longer with us.
As a Vet of the Vietnam war, I know that combat doesn't make a whole lot of sense to the people engaged in the battle. Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian, said he wasn't a hero, he was only trying to stay alive. Duh! What the hell did he think the rest of us were doing? I did my best to help the enemy die for their cause and not get killed doing stupid things. Ok, there was this one time I was really stupid and lived in spite of the recoilless rifleman trying to blow me off the top of a fire base as I shot at him with a 155mm Howitzer. It just pissed me off and and I wanted to shoot to keep him from killing all of us.
I salute all my comrades that have served and hope they all have done what most of us have done and gone on to live a long boring life. MUD

Fears, Phobias and dogs

This may seem like a rant to you, but I think of it as a clearing of my gripes.
I guess one of the first fears I remember is the time I was at a party and I sat my plate down. A spider crawled across the plate and I could not eat the rest of the food. If you had known me in my teen age years you would have thought that was not possible. In the food column, there was a big red check mark under YES! After a trip to Vietnam, that sucker had better get off the plate and not eat much. I am as likely to sumsh him with the spoon, wipe it off on the leg of my pants and continue eating. I am not fearless, I am just one of the less afraid people I know. I think some people are wired to stop think and not do things. I am one of those that do, and forget to learn much of value from the experience.
OK, there is one phobia that I suffer from and that is claustrophobia. I hate small spaces that restrict me. One time when I hurt my back I put on a tight Rugby shirt. I could not get it off at all and the more I tried the more I hated that feeling. I had to get a knife and cut it off. One time there was a discussion of being trapped in a mine or in a dark shaft. I can't really watch programs on TV about such things. I just merrily go on away from such matter.
The other day I was watching the Dog whisperer (sp?) and a lady thought because her dog looked sad she had to carry it into another room. Geez Louise, dogs don't feel sad, happy or bored. Dogs are happy, hungry, sleepy or not, but they don't think. Anapomorphism is the assignment of human thoughts and actions to animals. My mother has either the smartest animals in the world or she is way too busy giving them talents. I think it is a lot more the latter.
People give animals way to much latitude in their lives. Dogs might be sad until you get there, but they will jump for joy and forget you were ever gone in a flash. I wish I had a good answer for cats. I have never spent any time trying to decipher their activities. They are an absolute mystery to me. I guess they probably would be a better pet for me but I just can't abide litter boxes.
With all the good technology out there you would think the Surgeon would use a telfa or non stick pad on my eye wouldn't you. Wrong. Last time he just used tape this time he taped gauze on the wound. It is stuck like someone super glued it to my face. I guess a good soak is what I need now. See Ya!

Recumbent Exercise Bike

This is a picture from my wild child days. I could out run, Out fight and out cuss most of the other guys. I really never did get that habit of spitting down so I didn't do that too much. I did carry a pocket knife but I managed to cut myself at least once a week. I am sure that my background as a Petty also gave me the gift of BS and I could tell better tall tales than most of the guys in my neighborhood.
I am currently working on trying to find a way to turn a weight bench and an exercise bike into a Recumbent exercise bike for indoor use. The problem I am having is the lack of something solid to hold it all together. I'm afraid if I take it out to the garage to put it together I won't be able to carry it back down to the basement. I also want it to be adjustable so I can make sure I don't hurt my knees as I stay inside. The ideal would be some kind of large rollers that I could use my actual bike on but I'll make do.
The birds are working at the feeder pretty hard. It is amazing how fast they go from having tons of things to eat in the wild to eating at the feeder. I guess the black oil sunflower seeds are too good to pass up. Now it makes me look at the window and realize how dirty a few spiders can make one window. Windex here I come.
Yesterday it was rainy most of the day and it just kept getting colder and colder. Tiger, the Outside Cat (OC), hung around most of the day. I made sure there was enough food to keep him full and the cat house kept him dry. The dogs have a nice house but Taco, the black slob, doesn't like to be inside. I have seen him out in the blowing snow just sitting there like it was a warm spring day. So far I haven't put them on winter rations and they still look pretty good. I think Taco could fast for a month or so and still be big.
This is going to be a long week for Barb. She will take off tomorrow from work to drive me to and fro to the Surgery. She will work all day Wednesday and Thursday. (Parent teacher conferences.) and then work Friday night at Michael's and most of the day Saturday.
I was going to apply for a substitute teacher job as soon as the face heals up some. I saw in the paper today that a lot of the Goodyear employees are also doing that. Perhaps I might want to apply at the new Ace Hardware store opening near us.
Better get on with my day

Becky & Roy

Becky is my Niece and lives in Oklahoma. The TOTO wanabe is Roy, her dog. I don't understand how someone that dislikes germs as much as she does can tolerate a dog in the house. I guess with a husband and two kids there permanently and one step son on weekends she somehow adapts.
We went down to Tulsa last weekend and we had a great time. We were the first overnight guest in Rick's guest bedroom and had a great visit.
We got to meet Laurie, or lexi or someone with a name that changes from source to source. Either way, she could be a member of the family. Laurie's dad is a Southern Baptist Minister and Laurie can make up stories to rival any member of the Petty Clan. I have read a lot of the story she and Becky have written and can't tell when one starts and the other ends. I have high hopes they can be as successful as they are nice.
I found a small jar of Vicks "Vapo-Rub" and can at least breathe for now. The headache went away as soon as The dripping started. Now I am back to going through boxes of Puffs at a rapid rate.
I have started feeding the birds again and there is a rapidly growing crop of finches and Junko's. I am also keeping a bowl of water filled outside. It is one of those water bowls that are heated so it won't ice up when it starts freezing.
I wish I could come up with some witty repartee but for the most part I am still under the weather enough that you will just have to make you own fun today. Write if you get work. MUD

Sicky Poo

Barb says I am the worst patient she has ever seen. When I get a code (stuff your nasal passages with tissue or snot and say cold) I am miserable. Part of the reason is my intolerance of decongestants. My blood pressure skyrockets if I even say the word out loud. I suffer with either pressure in the face or a drip that I generally don't feel until it reaches my chin.
The usual fall cycle is that one of those little school monsters comes to school and gives it to Barb. Thes she gives it to me and I am the sickest one of the bunch. Oh well, enough of my whineing.
Fall is in full swing here in the heartland. 70 one day, 50 the next and then 70 by Friday. I would probably ride more if it weren't for the darn wind. It just seems to blow me all over the road and make it fee a whole lot colder than it is. The guys on the Bentrider Bulletin Board complain about leaves turning to a slick paste if there is a little rain but those are the days I just stay home.
Well, I need to get ready for the day and perhaps to make a Puffs run to the store. At the rate I am using them I'll be out by noon.
MUD

Did I say Cold?

I went out in my basketball shorts this AM to get the paper. To say I was under dressed is an understatement. It was near thirty degrees with at least a 20 MPH wind. I can't imagine what the wind chill factor is. Three cups of coffee later and I'm still cold. That wind started in Northern Canada and swiftly move to Kansas. There isn't anything between here and there but a few barb wire fences.
Barb made the observation that yesterday's post was nearer to her ideal blog. She said that people with a real life don't have time to read three pages of drivel. My work drivel? OK, guilty.
I have been reading several other blogs and there are several things I have come to hate. Bare, bear, beer (Pick One) with me for a few rants. Black backgrounds with off color print is a horror for old eyes. There is also an itty bitty font size that I can't read. Pictures are a plus but I don't understand people taking their own pictures with goofy looks. Especially with the addition of alcohol impairment. (That could stem from my own sobriety and an aversion to drunks) Why would you type He, he, he, he... adnauseum? I think a normal reader can tell when you have amused yourself. Did I mention those little silly smiley faces and dumb things that move? What ever happened to real communication without animation?
I am only a few days from having Dr Baraban go back in and do the deep tissue biopsy. I have high hopes that there is nothing to worry about but it is a little like a minor tooth ache that you don't know if it is a minor cavity to fill or if the tooth needs pulled. Either way if there are a few days early next week that I don't post, don't worry. I'll let you know as soon as I know. MUD

Tulsa Pictures

This is my brother Rick and me. He's the cute guy with the Glen Petty Haircut










Here is the other special K's. Kristen, Kristopher & Kris











This Mel and her Boy friend

Odd Morning

It is one of those fall days that will be warm, overcast and windy. There is a front inbound and tomorrow it will not be as warm as it was cool today. I am sitting here wondering what the heck? Several things cross my mind to blog about and none spill out of my fingers on this page. Lets see if there is anything worthwhile?

• Truth - I always want to follow this with Justice and the American Way. The more I think about truth, the less I find. About the time someone tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, a revisionist comes along and changes it. That means that the truth is only a vision of what someone thinks or can prove with come convoluted experiment. My reality is mine and you can't change it. Oh, perhaps you can. I can't be bought but I can be had.
• Privacy - How can people say the Government should not look into their private life and then go blog their complete lives to anyone that stops at their site? There are those of us that are so public that privacy is not a concept that captures us. I also know people that are very private and in reality no one really cares about their lives anyway. Kind of like having a tattoo on your butt and never showing it to anyone. Who Cares?
• Piercings and tattoos. I think the human form is pretty darn good. I don't understand the art of changing what we have. I really don't understand making a tatty out of someone on your body. They will change and the tatty won't. Who wants to see a baby picture on the arm of a 70 year old guy? Especially if the baby is now 50?

That is all I can stand of trying to be introspective. I'm sure that it bored you about as much as it did me. What, no pictures? Deal with it No, I do not watch deal or no deal.

Bye!

Random Ramblings & Photos

This Belle of the Ball is our wonderful friend Julie, the mother of the special K's. (Kendra and Katrina) She is dressed up for a presentation at her church and made a lovely anti bellum belle. As you can see, she has a lovely sense of humor and we would be proud to be her parents.
In every life there are a series of people that you meet that have an impact on your life. Barbara has had a series of young teachers just starting out in Special Education assigned to her school over the years. Most of them have grown to love Barb as much as I do. She has become a mentor, a friend, a co-worker and mostly like family. We get cards and notes from far flung places in the world. One went to Japan for a while and now we have a friend in Morocco.
It is Julie our friend in Morocco that I write about today. I am not sure what words to use to describe her. Sweet, caring, intelligent, pretty, nice and accepting all come to mind. She has a joy in life that must stem from her strong Christian background. If ever there was a need for a role model for what every young woman should be like I know where to look for all the attributes in one place. Until Dave married his wife, Julie was the surrogate daughter I needed to round out that side of our life in Topeka. Her acceptance of this Mean Old Uncle Denny is a tribute to her faith that god put something nice in everyone.
Julie is the daughter of a Doctor that practiced Eye Surgery around the world. She has spent time in Afghanistan and still holds fond memories of her time there. Her mother’s family was missionaries and traveled worldwide. Julie’s parents settled in Hillsborough, Kansas but I’m sure that they can truly claim citizenship in the entire world. U nfortunately Julie 's father passed away and is now serving a group of people in heaven. Gerald’s parents live in western Kansas in Meade. Julie still has brothers in far flung places and is fortunate to have one in Morocco.
Julie came to T. South with her maiden name Friesen. She was engaged to Gerald Reimer at that time and had all the enthusiasm that new teachers have. She spent about half of her day over at the Middle School and really didn’t like the administration there. She was thrilled to be assigned full time to South in her second year. They made a great team at South and I heard nothing but great things from Barb about Julie and her work with the kids. At one point in time, Julie married Gerald and they opened a second chapter in their life. I’m sure that they dedicated their lives to being good parents and members of their church and community. As usual, it was on a National Guard weekend they got married. You know, you don’t get buried or married on Denny’s drill. If you do, I won’t be there.
After a couple of years in the Special Ed classroom, Julie asked for a regular education class. This was almost never done in this school district but I’m sure they could see what a special person she was and let her move into general education. Barb would often come home late from school and if we drove by the school, Julie’s car would still be in the school parking lot. Julie worked long and hard to make sure her students were successful. In fact, she and Barb even cooked up a scheme to have me come and help one of the students after school. For a couple of months I would come by after school and we all would eat a Snicker and do homework. Julie spent most of her time grading papers and making lesson plans while I worked with her student. From time to time I would have to ask Julie what something meant and how the heck to do some of the math. My methods were old school and the new methods were not a part of my processing. I swear I am missing a couple of math genes but make up for them in my verbosity.
Julie and Gerald were like most young couples and after a while decided that a family was what they needed. Julie worked until their first daughter was born. She became a full time mother to Katrina and Barb and I became surrogate grandparents. We were allowed to baby sit all we wanted and were there if an emergency arose. We loved their daughter as much as anyone could. Smart, cute and funny was the best I could describe her. After a year or two they decided that an additional child was needed and they were blessed with Kendra. Typical second child that tries to keep up with big sister and is another cute and smart child. Kendra is far from the copy of Katrina I expected. She is different in a lot of ways but we loved her, nonetheless. I call them, them the special K’s.
Over the years, Julie has allowed us to be a friend and share their adventures. These adventures continue today as Gerald is teaching at a University in Ifrane, Morocco. I find it interesting that through their blog and e-mails we stay almost as in touch as we did when they were here. One thing I will miss is the Halloween Trick-or-Treating. Gerald and I would go out with the special K’s and the big girls would stay at the house enjoying the costumes. Julie and Gerald would take the girls to the houses on their street mostly to say hi to the neighbors and the guys would go over a block or two. I hope you allow me to divert my writing every once in a while to talk about people that are special to us. I know that this is only a surface description of a very complex person. How can one person describe another person other than to compare how they interact with your life? I wish you all could have met and spent time with Julie and grown to love her like we have. I know she would want to say “God Bless You and May he protect you.” As salaam Alaikum.

Saturday in the Fall

Saturday in the fall means reading about the High School scores and reviewing the NCAA Div I games set for today. Barb got up early and had a hair appointment prior to reporting to Michael's for her shift. I think she has some plans about a road trip but until she gets home after 3 today I'm not sure. Something was said about a Monarch that came out this week and neeing a ride south. Perhaps Tulsa isn't a bad direction with them having 72 degrees today.
These are some of the pictures of me in my Minneha years. Can't you see that little imp of peverse in those eyes? He wouldn't lie to you if you asked him not to but he could make up stuff with the best of them. The haircuts were the result of my dad thinking he was a barber. I think he had a set of clippers and he would remove anything that looked like style or hair.


Did you check out the first shirt? I told you earlier that I wanted to be a cow boy. That is until I found out that cows are nasty and cowboys walked tall because of all the "scat" on their boots. Yes boys and girls, that is the educated word for the green stuff that comes out of the south end of a north headed cow.
I didn't get in much of a bike ride this week. It was flat cold and the north wind of 10 to 15 MPH just made it a lot less fun than I wanted. I will do a little house cleaning this AM and then get out on the bike for a ride at the lake. Mom called and thinks my step brother might come by about noon so I'll probably stop by to make sure he doesn't seal the china as he leaves. (Actually if there was any china he would be welcome to have it. I was speaking metaphorically)
A couple of people commented that there was no way to make comments on my posts and I finally worked out how to get that to show up. To date, no one has used that feature. I comment on other people's blogs all the time. My favorite is to post on the first time bloggers sites that I'm number 1 to post. I know, get a life, Dennis. My next great add will be how to add links to other blogs. I'll get there. It is kind of nice to see my name on Beck'y blog and with the click of a link go to this site. I will link you to Morocco and Tulsa as my first move.
I'd better get on with my cleaning or Ill find myself explaining to Barb what the heck I did all day. Keep the sun in your face, the wind at your back and I hope you are sober enough to keep the road where it belongs.

Morning Musings

This great fisherman is my brother Rick. I don't remember when or where these fish came from but if they became dinner they were good eating. This was taken in Arkansas over near Pruitt and the Buffalo river.
Barb mentioned the other day that she didn't care for fish until she ate my Grandpa Curly's fish. He would filet them, soak them overnight in a light salt water and fry it in a beer batter. Mom said that she liked the filets poached and with a little salt and butter. Rick was named after that Grandfather. Richard Milton Fruits became Curly to all of us. He and Erma were two of the funniest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. They taught us to love, laugh and sing.
Last night I took Da Barb's out to dinner. We went to a Mexican Restaurant and the food was so good that I had to talk to one of the cooks. I asked him how he got the onions so yummy and he said marinate the cut up onions for 20 minutes prior to saute'ing them in butter. The vegs were grilled on an open grill and it was one of the best meals I have had in ages.

This is a gift from KS of the new Art team KSSK. It is a scale model of my recumbent bike. I couldn't be more thrilled. It is all stainless steel and made of spare bike parts in the KS supply yard. You all saw the flowers in a recent post from them.
By the way, KS mentioned that I had sent a picture that was way too big for his slow connection and his server. I got to looking and somehow I had a glitch that was making all my photo's BitMaps not JPEGs. They would be enormous and my computer was slow as Molasses in January. Once I got the settings right this blog just uploaded these picts in record time. I guess it was the loose nut behind the lens, or perhaps the system operator error behind the key board.
Today is the day that all the "triscadecaphobic" people out there hate. Friday the 13th is a day for some people to stay home in fear that bad things will happen. Never been that way for me, but hey no one ever said I was one to not take chances. Heck, I went to Vietnam and had a blast while everyone back home aged years for that one year I spent there.
It got down to 30 last night and will get to 60 this afternoon. Will it snow out the Playoff's tonight? Both Chicago and New York are going to be cold tonight. Perhaps they need to shorten the year by a few games. Perhaps the Royals will loose less than a hundred games if they do. MUD

Be Very Afraid

A few years ago I worked as an instructor for a Call Center with a contract to GTE, a large telephone provider in Texas. As an introduction to the material, we talked about the background of the Telephone Companies (Tel Cos) and the legislation that caused the breakup of AT&T into Long Distance and small Tel Cos. The Department of Justice ordered the breakup because they were the big dog and the could wag the market. Here in the heartland we were order served by South Western Bell (SWBell) and there was Mountain Bell, Pacific Bell (PACBell) and a lot of smaller companies to include new cellular carriers. I'm sure there were new companies formed since that were not even thought of.
For some reason, AT&T was able to convince the Dept of Justice that if they owned SWBell it was such a small bite of the market and the market was so competitive that it wouldn't cause the consumer to pay higher rates. Just today it was announced that AT&T is being given the OK to purchase Bell South and oh, by the way that move also gives them control of Singular wireless. AT&T is busy putting back together their big cash cow and some time in the future they will want a bigger bite. Be afraid, be very afraid that our Government is not paying attention to this and it will result in fewer providers and less competition. Just so Dave will understand how this impacts his economics class, more demand and fewer providers will allow for higher prices. Not cause, allow.
I apologize that there are no pictures today. My computer and the Blog server are in conflict today and I get about half way through the download and everything dies. Words are all I can send today.