This week was split with a quick trip to Oklahoma to go to court again. I think we will lose our lawyers but should be able to move down the road towards having that matter all settled without them. We had Barb's sister, Shirley, her to hold our hands as we tried to land this puppy. We are getting nearer.
A little ovre a week back, the city of Topeka didn't like my pile of branches at the rental house. The sent me a notice to get rid of it so I had part hauled off by a tree service and the rest I hauled off to the dump or my tree pile here at rabbit run. One of these days I will need to burn the pile here. They wouldn't let me burn the pile in the city limits.
Tonight we will put Shirley on the train and Sunday evening, our Grand Niece from Alabama will arrive in KC. Great people all the way around.
Tomorrow is another birthday. I think I am going to be 68. I sure never thought I would be around that long. Oh well, it has been a great ride and I could not have picked a better place to be than where I am right now.
Going to get a little break in the weather today so I have hopes I can get a few things done outside. Better get started.
MUD
7/31/2015
7/21/2015
Oh Well
What do you do when something becomes more work than fun? Do you roll up your kit and leave or stick it out to help make it fun again? That's where I am today and don't have a good answer. No, it is really a very simple thing and I'm sure I will find the correct answer. I stuck out a career in the Army of over 30 years so I don't consider myself a quitter.
Years ago, there was an Audie Murphy movie about a US man in Vietnam in the 50's. Just yesterday I saw that it has been remade and I have it recorded on my DVR. I will watch the remake sometime today. I hope it is as good as the original. It was a real strange part for Audie and wasn't at all like his macho western roles.
Yesterday we were going to take Dave's wife and meet him for dinner in Lawrence. First problem was that his wife, Barbara has a cold and stayed home. The second thing that happened was that Dave go stuck on a call at work and we had to come home before he got off work. That was a bad start for what should have been a good evening. The rest I just won't get into.
MUD
Years ago, there was an Audie Murphy movie about a US man in Vietnam in the 50's. Just yesterday I saw that it has been remade and I have it recorded on my DVR. I will watch the remake sometime today. I hope it is as good as the original. It was a real strange part for Audie and wasn't at all like his macho western roles.
Yesterday we were going to take Dave's wife and meet him for dinner in Lawrence. First problem was that his wife, Barbara has a cold and stayed home. The second thing that happened was that Dave go stuck on a call at work and we had to come home before he got off work. That was a bad start for what should have been a good evening. The rest I just won't get into.
MUD
7/20/2015
You Just Lost Me Donald
In my world, anyone that does his job in the Military and does it well is a hero. Senator John McClain is one of those in my book. I agree with Donald that we don't have any border to the south and it is a big problem. I don't understand that people are afraid to say that. Don't the illegals not have the right to vote? But Donald crossed the line from Free Speech to STUPID speech this time.
One of the things that is the most wrong in Washington, D.C. is that the lines between the parties is so wide that no one is allowed to agree on anything. In fact, the last time I can remember there being any agreement was when Senator McCain and Kennedy co sponsored an education bill. No matter what you think about John McCain's politics, his service to the United States should be above the fray. Donald Lost Me and my support.
Four of our best Marines and a sailor were gunned down and didn't have the right to defend themselves in a Recruiting Center. All it would have taken was for the Gunnery Sergeant to have a 9mm and it would have been a short gun battle. I am pretty sure that the Marines would have arranged for that young Muslim to go meet Allah. The Marines didn't need to go protect any golden streets because of some bureaucratic rule.
I was just called by a tree service to come over to my rental house and haul off a bunch of tree limbs that were in a pile. There is also some wood that I should have hauled to the dump. Stupid me. Oh well, he will help me separate the stuff and I have a truck and a trailer.
Better run boys and girls. I hear my brother is on the mend and now my sister needs some surgery. I hope to stay on the recovering list for a while.
MUD
One of the things that is the most wrong in Washington, D.C. is that the lines between the parties is so wide that no one is allowed to agree on anything. In fact, the last time I can remember there being any agreement was when Senator McCain and Kennedy co sponsored an education bill. No matter what you think about John McCain's politics, his service to the United States should be above the fray. Donald Lost Me and my support.
Four of our best Marines and a sailor were gunned down and didn't have the right to defend themselves in a Recruiting Center. All it would have taken was for the Gunnery Sergeant to have a 9mm and it would have been a short gun battle. I am pretty sure that the Marines would have arranged for that young Muslim to go meet Allah. The Marines didn't need to go protect any golden streets because of some bureaucratic rule.
I was just called by a tree service to come over to my rental house and haul off a bunch of tree limbs that were in a pile. There is also some wood that I should have hauled to the dump. Stupid me. Oh well, he will help me separate the stuff and I have a truck and a trailer.
Better run boys and girls. I hear my brother is on the mend and now my sister needs some surgery. I hope to stay on the recovering list for a while.
MUD
7/19/2015
Food For Thought
Today a young basketball player said it made her proud to have USA across her chest as she represented US at the Pan Am games. I am proud that she feels that way and now I wonder what we can do to help all our young people feel that way. What have we done to cause the young people today to not feel that this is the best place in the world to live? Where else can a young person grow up with an unlimited future?
I grew up poor and did not have student loans or rich parents that carried me to success. I worked hard and married a person that wanted to be a success as bad as I did. I did have the GI Bill to help but only after I spent a year in Vietnam. I think I earned every dollar I got out of that program and am darned glad to have served.
Now back to that young basketball player. I hope she is a student and is working on her game so she can get an education. I don't care if she is really good and can play in the WNBA. I want her to be able to go out and sell herself as well and find a job to earn a great living. Did you notice that I tried to not focus on her race or sex? She was obviously bright, well spoken and the kind of person my mother would have loved to invite into her house to share a cold glass of Iced tea.
So, instead of telling us what's wrong with things, I would challenge the Presidential candidates to tell us how they can find that spark of pride and blow that ember into a flame of success so that all of our young men and women can share.
MUD
I grew up poor and did not have student loans or rich parents that carried me to success. I worked hard and married a person that wanted to be a success as bad as I did. I did have the GI Bill to help but only after I spent a year in Vietnam. I think I earned every dollar I got out of that program and am darned glad to have served.
Now back to that young basketball player. I hope she is a student and is working on her game so she can get an education. I don't care if she is really good and can play in the WNBA. I want her to be able to go out and sell herself as well and find a job to earn a great living. Did you notice that I tried to not focus on her race or sex? She was obviously bright, well spoken and the kind of person my mother would have loved to invite into her house to share a cold glass of Iced tea.
So, instead of telling us what's wrong with things, I would challenge the Presidential candidates to tell us how they can find that spark of pride and blow that ember into a flame of success so that all of our young men and women can share.
MUD
7/18/2015
Rain Again
Seems like each time I am about ready to load up the mower and go to the rental house to mow, it starts raining. Perhaps one of these times it will be dry and I can mow. Oh well, such a petty problem.
What do you want to see on Facebook? I love to see pictures of babies and special events. I hate re-posting of sites that are things made up by strangers. Every once in a while I don't mind videos of cute puppies but why post a video of little girls crying when they get a puppy? I don't have a good answer for this.
Do you know what a BOGSAT is? (Bunch of guy's sitting around and talking.) That is a meeting without an agenda or it is what occurs after the agenda is covered. There is a social need for talking in a lot of cases, but I would hope that people will end the meeting and enjoy the talking. Oh well.
I can not imagine why anyone would not allow Recruiters, especially Marine Recruiters to not be armed at their Recruiting Stations. Four of our finest were killed because of a stupid law. The same thing was what got a bunch of people killed by that wacko MAJ in Texas. I am pretty sure that if a few people had the right to perform open carry there would be fewer people that try to shoot a bunch of people.
That reminds me of a story. One year at a summer camp, I was cleaning my 9mm pistol. I carried an empty magazine in the gun but had two loaded clips in my ammo pouch. One of the Generals at that camp saw the live rounds and instead of talking to me about it, he told the Adjutant General. I got a call that the General wanted to see me and he asked me if I had been carrying live ammo at Camp. I told him that I always did. He said I shouldn't carry live ammo. I asked him how he got paid at Camp? he said the Class A Agent had to go get the checks at the payroll office. I asked him where did he think the Class A agent got ammunition for thee pistol he was required to carry to draw the checks? Having been a long time technician, I was always ready to provide ammo for that job. Failure to do that would mean that the checks would have to be mailed to Topeka and someone there would have to be armed to issue the checks. Besides, why don't all the MP's in the Guard have ammo to protect the General and Officers in our headquarters? Jes' Sayn'.
Oh well, we got a notice to go mow at the rental house from Code enforcement. I guess I'll go see if the mower can work it's way through the wet grass.
MUD
What do you want to see on Facebook? I love to see pictures of babies and special events. I hate re-posting of sites that are things made up by strangers. Every once in a while I don't mind videos of cute puppies but why post a video of little girls crying when they get a puppy? I don't have a good answer for this.
Do you know what a BOGSAT is? (Bunch of guy's sitting around and talking.) That is a meeting without an agenda or it is what occurs after the agenda is covered. There is a social need for talking in a lot of cases, but I would hope that people will end the meeting and enjoy the talking. Oh well.
I can not imagine why anyone would not allow Recruiters, especially Marine Recruiters to not be armed at their Recruiting Stations. Four of our finest were killed because of a stupid law. The same thing was what got a bunch of people killed by that wacko MAJ in Texas. I am pretty sure that if a few people had the right to perform open carry there would be fewer people that try to shoot a bunch of people.
That reminds me of a story. One year at a summer camp, I was cleaning my 9mm pistol. I carried an empty magazine in the gun but had two loaded clips in my ammo pouch. One of the Generals at that camp saw the live rounds and instead of talking to me about it, he told the Adjutant General. I got a call that the General wanted to see me and he asked me if I had been carrying live ammo at Camp. I told him that I always did. He said I shouldn't carry live ammo. I asked him how he got paid at Camp? he said the Class A Agent had to go get the checks at the payroll office. I asked him where did he think the Class A agent got ammunition for thee pistol he was required to carry to draw the checks? Having been a long time technician, I was always ready to provide ammo for that job. Failure to do that would mean that the checks would have to be mailed to Topeka and someone there would have to be armed to issue the checks. Besides, why don't all the MP's in the Guard have ammo to protect the General and Officers in our headquarters? Jes' Sayn'.
Oh well, we got a notice to go mow at the rental house from Code enforcement. I guess I'll go see if the mower can work it's way through the wet grass.
MUD
7/17/2015
Thinking of the Past
As a Baby Boomer, I grew up listening about War stories in far off places. The reality today was in the paper. WWII ended 70 years ago. I like a lot of you with parents alive in that period no longer have them to share their adventures with. Barb still has her Dad but like a lot of the WWII Vets he doesn't spend much time reliving the war tales. Not that he doesn't have things to tell, he just doesn't find those memories much fun. I was amazed when I listened to him about how hard it was for him to tell where he was on the ground in Italy. He was a member of an Infantry unit and was told where to go and when. As a Forward Observer, I was always called on to know where I was on the ground and hated to not know where I was.
The weather here in the Heartland is hot as those Jalapenos. Yes, the Fiesta Mexicana is here in Topeka. Last night I went to the church and brought home some of that delicious food. It cost me about $34 to feed four people with some leftovers. Barb thinks out enchiladas are better but we eat ours just minutes after they come out of the oven and not after they were carried in a cardboard box clear across town. I loved it all and wish I could have just gone there and eaten it fresh off the prep line. I don't know what the rest of the Fiesta is all about but I sure love the food.
Barb just got up and said we need to go on a bike ride while it is still cool enough to not cook eggs on the sidewalk. It will get there soon so I had better get on my way.
MUD
The weather here in the Heartland is hot as those Jalapenos. Yes, the Fiesta Mexicana is here in Topeka. Last night I went to the church and brought home some of that delicious food. It cost me about $34 to feed four people with some leftovers. Barb thinks out enchiladas are better but we eat ours just minutes after they come out of the oven and not after they were carried in a cardboard box clear across town. I loved it all and wish I could have just gone there and eaten it fresh off the prep line. I don't know what the rest of the Fiesta is all about but I sure love the food.
Barb just got up and said we need to go on a bike ride while it is still cool enough to not cook eggs on the sidewalk. It will get there soon so I had better get on my way.
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| Putting on miles of Smiles |
7/14/2015
Kansas Skies
Yesterday I went to sing with the Barbershop Chorus and about half way there I called Barb and told her to go to the Basement for about 15 minutes. The sky really looked dark and ominous and the weather bureau said there was a severe storm warning for our part of the world. What did she do? Yep, she went outside to look at the clouds. I guess from the perspective in our living room, she couldn't see the 50,000 foot thunderheads to the south.
I am always reminded that when I first brought Barb to Kansas she would say, "Where is everything?" It took me a long while to realize that she had grown up in places that always had mountains somewhere on the horizon. For me, the sky has always been my view. Sure, like living in Wichita right by the runway at Beech Aircraft I got use to hearing planes take off. I seldom tire of looking at the sky and seeing what the next cloud will do. I am also watching for that ugly cloud that might do something in a swirling manner. Been there, did that.
Again this morning the daily subject of what's on my agenda came up. I have at least three things left to do this morning. I won't bother you with details but I didn't share them all with Barb either. That way I won't have to apologize if I don't get it all done. I will say that cleaning is always on the list and that activity is one that these hot afternoons are good for. A week ago we had several days with the temps in the 70's today it will be in the 90's with a heat Index near 110. Not good days to be outside and working in the afternoon. I think my system is getting all whacked up. I am not sleeping well at night and afternoon naps are needed. Oh well, I guess a guy had to do what a guy has to do.
A friend of ours is going through the loss of a father. I am always at a loss of good things to say. I think that the natural order of things is that we will someday all lose our parents and that doesn't make it any easier. That young couple has also gone through the loss of a baby due to a miscarriage. I know that will be tough and get through this.
What are you doing to stay fit? I am trying to work more bike riding in to the schedule. I know that the period of poor health in Jan, Feb and March set me back. I will try to regain my fitness a little at a time. I do worry about a setback but what the heck, we are all going to die of something. Might as wel be something fun.
MUD
I am always reminded that when I first brought Barb to Kansas she would say, "Where is everything?" It took me a long while to realize that she had grown up in places that always had mountains somewhere on the horizon. For me, the sky has always been my view. Sure, like living in Wichita right by the runway at Beech Aircraft I got use to hearing planes take off. I seldom tire of looking at the sky and seeing what the next cloud will do. I am also watching for that ugly cloud that might do something in a swirling manner. Been there, did that.
Again this morning the daily subject of what's on my agenda came up. I have at least three things left to do this morning. I won't bother you with details but I didn't share them all with Barb either. That way I won't have to apologize if I don't get it all done. I will say that cleaning is always on the list and that activity is one that these hot afternoons are good for. A week ago we had several days with the temps in the 70's today it will be in the 90's with a heat Index near 110. Not good days to be outside and working in the afternoon. I think my system is getting all whacked up. I am not sleeping well at night and afternoon naps are needed. Oh well, I guess a guy had to do what a guy has to do.
A friend of ours is going through the loss of a father. I am always at a loss of good things to say. I think that the natural order of things is that we will someday all lose our parents and that doesn't make it any easier. That young couple has also gone through the loss of a baby due to a miscarriage. I know that will be tough and get through this.
What are you doing to stay fit? I am trying to work more bike riding in to the schedule. I know that the period of poor health in Jan, Feb and March set me back. I will try to regain my fitness a little at a time. I do worry about a setback but what the heck, we are all going to die of something. Might as wel be something fun.
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| Riding the trails |
7/13/2015
Gold
Both the Men and Women's team won gold at the University games in South Korea. I woke up in time for the start of the Women's game but by halftime I was fast asleep. I wonder what the heck the term Fast Asleep means. That's the way I go all the time. I was wide awake for the Men's game and really enjoyed the highly contested game. Germany has nothing to hide their heads over. They played the USA team as well as anyone so far. They kept their wheels right up to the second overtime when the hawks, er the USA team turned Frank Mason lose and they won the game.
Barb went down to take the pictures out of the trail cam where she has been feeding the deer. Turns out that there are about six of those masked bandits called raccoons also eating the chopped corn.
A few years back, one of Barb's co workers caught a couple of coons under her porch and asked if she could release them here. Sure, no problem except for the expansion of the coon population that resulted. Who doesn't love those masked faces (Me for one)
We went for a ride this morning and it was about 88 degrees when we left. By the time we finished the heat index was almost 100 degrees. The only saving grace was a light breeze that made it almost bearable. Our bikes are working pretty great and the bike paths are in great shape.
Tonight is our Barbershop Chorus Practice is tonight. I have moved over to Baritone from Bass and am learning a new part. I sure hope the other two Baritones show up tonight as it makes it a lot easier.
Better run.
MUD
Barb went down to take the pictures out of the trail cam where she has been feeding the deer. Turns out that there are about six of those masked bandits called raccoons also eating the chopped corn.
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| Night Vision Picture |
A few years back, one of Barb's co workers caught a couple of coons under her porch and asked if she could release them here. Sure, no problem except for the expansion of the coon population that resulted. Who doesn't love those masked faces (Me for one)
We went for a ride this morning and it was about 88 degrees when we left. By the time we finished the heat index was almost 100 degrees. The only saving grace was a light breeze that made it almost bearable. Our bikes are working pretty great and the bike paths are in great shape.
Tonight is our Barbershop Chorus Practice is tonight. I have moved over to Baritone from Bass and am learning a new part. I sure hope the other two Baritones show up tonight as it makes it a lot easier.
Better run.
MUD
7/12/2015
USA, USA, USA!
The good news is that about 1 PM this afternoon it will be too hot to be out and about so a great nap will be on the ticket. They are predicting the heat index to be at or near 110. I may go out in a short time and see if there is some way to drag the big tree limb out of the yard. Shame someone doesn't need a large black walnut log to make things out of.
I am wondering of time to replace Barb's old car is about here. The 94 Buick skylark doesn't have an A/C and it loses about a quart of water each time she drives it to town. I think the head gasket is leaking and every time she drives it into the garage I can smell anti freeze. It has been a great little for a lot of years and must be time to get her a new one. We'll see. Last time I made a deal like this with her, I got a puppy and she got David. The dog has been long since gone and we still have Dave. Typical of her to win most of our decisions. It really has been darned good for me but don't tell her I said so.
Yesterday I went to HiVee in Lawrence and used the trick in the meat market to ask what their special is. I got 5 bacon wrapped filets for $10. They also had 10 brats for $10. Should be a good cook out later today.
Barb took some corn down to the feed bunker yesterday. She saw a deer with two fawns and she wants to make sure they are well fed. I am sure that I will get sucked into that effort until the corn on hand is gone.
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| This deer has had twin fawns several years in a row. |
Batter get with it and move about before the dents in the couch match my butt too much.
MUD
7/11/2015
Is This Real?
After a few days in the 70's here in the Heartland, it will be in the 90's with the heat index well over 100. If this was a normal July, we would go on about our business and hardly notice. But, today people all over the heartland will go out and say "Holy Crap" at the heat. I can't translate that to Latin but you are welcome to.
This morning the funny papers just hit my funny bone and I am sure that Barb thinks I have just lost it. My favorite was Pickles where Grandma asked Grandpa what was in his shopping bag. He told her that it was organic vegetables. When she saw what was in the bag Grandpa blames the doughnuts on an error by the clerk. Doesn't work at my house either.
Yesterday we had two pretty good thunderstorms move through Topeka. I'm sure that the yards are pretty soggy again and it will take a day or two before I get the mower out and go to the rental house. The good news is that other than the rope I picked up last time, the Cub cadet does a pretty good job. I did have to level out the mower deck to make it mow a little more even. It was about an inch out of level on one side and left funny marks in the grass. After a little adjustment it is now pretty good. The only bad thing is where I test drove the mower it looks funny and I won't be able to even it out for a day or so. Oh well...
Have you ever had a discussion where even though you were right, you lost? After telling me I was wrong, and I proved that I was right, I was told it was no big deal. Sheesh, can't win for losing in the local battles here at Rabbit Run. Perhaps one of us is not all right in the head. Must be me!
We are going to make a run to Lawrence in a little while. I need to get a new light for the fixture over the stove and barb needs some tea. Not sure what else we will do but that's it for a start. The more older we get, the more I understand how going to town was a favorite past time for Barb's parents. It was a chance to escape being in the same place for hours at a time.
If it hadn't rained so hard yesterday, I might recommend we get the bikes out this morning. The sidewalks will still be wet and I for one don't like to fall down in the slickness. The other day, I was riding on the Lake Shawnee trail and a lady was feeding the geese. I told her that the cops had made that illegal. She hollered at me to mind my own business. I do just long enough to go to the concession stand and call the Park police. I should have just stopped and called them on my cell phone but I didn't. Had she just shut up and stopped feeding the geese, I would have rode on my merry way.
The other day, one of my friends was visiting Pleasanton, Kansas. It was her home town and she commented that the highway by-pass had really caused the downtown to shut down. I'm afraid that it is not just Pleasanton, but a lot of little towns that have declined as people move to the bigger cities to make a living. At one time the small farmers would come to town to buy things and they kept the economy going. Not so much anymore. There are counties in Western Kansas that don't have enough people there to keep the schools open. They have to bus their kids way over to another city to go to school. Bummer but that's the reality. I have heard that some small cities are offering free houses if people will move there and keep the houses from falling down. They don't have enough money in the budget to tear them down.
Wait, I started this all out with a positive attitude and now I have let it turn into a downer. Better close and get on to bigger and better things.
MUD
This morning the funny papers just hit my funny bone and I am sure that Barb thinks I have just lost it. My favorite was Pickles where Grandma asked Grandpa what was in his shopping bag. He told her that it was organic vegetables. When she saw what was in the bag Grandpa blames the doughnuts on an error by the clerk. Doesn't work at my house either.
Yesterday we had two pretty good thunderstorms move through Topeka. I'm sure that the yards are pretty soggy again and it will take a day or two before I get the mower out and go to the rental house. The good news is that other than the rope I picked up last time, the Cub cadet does a pretty good job. I did have to level out the mower deck to make it mow a little more even. It was about an inch out of level on one side and left funny marks in the grass. After a little adjustment it is now pretty good. The only bad thing is where I test drove the mower it looks funny and I won't be able to even it out for a day or so. Oh well...
Have you ever had a discussion where even though you were right, you lost? After telling me I was wrong, and I proved that I was right, I was told it was no big deal. Sheesh, can't win for losing in the local battles here at Rabbit Run. Perhaps one of us is not all right in the head. Must be me!
We are going to make a run to Lawrence in a little while. I need to get a new light for the fixture over the stove and barb needs some tea. Not sure what else we will do but that's it for a start. The more older we get, the more I understand how going to town was a favorite past time for Barb's parents. It was a chance to escape being in the same place for hours at a time.
If it hadn't rained so hard yesterday, I might recommend we get the bikes out this morning. The sidewalks will still be wet and I for one don't like to fall down in the slickness. The other day, I was riding on the Lake Shawnee trail and a lady was feeding the geese. I told her that the cops had made that illegal. She hollered at me to mind my own business. I do just long enough to go to the concession stand and call the Park police. I should have just stopped and called them on my cell phone but I didn't. Had she just shut up and stopped feeding the geese, I would have rode on my merry way.
The other day, one of my friends was visiting Pleasanton, Kansas. It was her home town and she commented that the highway by-pass had really caused the downtown to shut down. I'm afraid that it is not just Pleasanton, but a lot of little towns that have declined as people move to the bigger cities to make a living. At one time the small farmers would come to town to buy things and they kept the economy going. Not so much anymore. There are counties in Western Kansas that don't have enough people there to keep the schools open. They have to bus their kids way over to another city to go to school. Bummer but that's the reality. I have heard that some small cities are offering free houses if people will move there and keep the houses from falling down. They don't have enough money in the budget to tear them down.
Wait, I started this all out with a positive attitude and now I have let it turn into a downer. Better close and get on to bigger and better things.
MUD
7/09/2015
Touching all The Bases.
I think every once in a while I need to go back to the beginning and tell you a little about myself. I grew up on the east side of Wichita, KS. Lets make it clear that it was not Forest Hill, or Eastboro, but the area just east of Webb road called Travel Air City. It grew to be called "Dog Patch" because of all the Oakies and Arkies that moved there because of the fine accommodations. There was a neighborhood they tore down called Beechwood and they moved most of the apartment buildings to my neighborhood. It improved both neighborhoods. If it was not for the Military Barracks looking apartments, we would have been more of a trailer community. Oh well, I didn't know we were poor until it was too late to do anything about it.
The one thing that was really good about the whole thing was the school district had a darned good tax base and we had a very well supported school. We had music and an art teacher and they provided band instruments if you would play the Sousaphone. (I did) To keep up with the growing population they built several new buildings until the baby boom slowed to a whimper. By the time my brother who is five years younger got to Junior High, they were swallowed up by the Wichita School system and now Minneha is a magnet school, what ever that means.
My dad worked for Walter Beech both before WWII and after. I think he worked 40 years or so for them. He could walk right down the street and into the plant where he worked. In fact he could walk home for lunch. He would walk into the front door, put a can of oyster stew in a pan and start it heating. He would go into the bathroom and after washing his hands, the stew would be warm enough. Half a package of crackers and a good dose of Catchup and he would eat that disgusting looking mess. He would also dose it with hot sauce until his ulcer made him stop. I think oyster stew is the one thing none of the kids would eat so mom could safely buy five cans when she shopped and Dad's lunch would be safe when he wanted it.
Mom worked at one of the hospitals and about the time I left home she became an LPN. She had been playing doctor to the neighbors for years and with a little training didn't kill anyone. One of these days I will talk to my brother to see what the difference was in growing up when mom didn't work and when she did. I think when the older kids left and mom went to work it must have been a lot different. At least he got a letter sweater for his participation in sports. I never did. Heck, I'm not sure I ever qualified but I should have.
About the time I entered High School, Wichita was mad at Beech Aircraft so the kids out east had to go downtown to East High. It was really in the middle of town and is shocked a lot of us when we found that instead of the Lilly white school we had attended, there were about 60% of the students were black. I did struggle with the fact that the N word was used a lot in my neighborhood and would get you killed at East High. Oh well, I lived.
Probably the first thing that saved me in life was my love of music. My family sang a lot and at Minneha we had Mrs Holloway who's love of music kept her singing until the day she died. I still sing and love every minute of it. The second thing that was good in my life was my love of reading. I read everything I could and loved almost every minute of it. The last thing that was really good for me was the fact that we played games all day. From basketball to baseball we stayed busy. All you had to do was come up with a baseball and you could draw a crowd on one of the local empty lots.
Because we didn't have a lot of money, I went to work darn near full time in High School. One things I was not afraid of was hard work. I think it started out to support my car and a girl friend but work was the name of the game for me. The best thing that happened to me was that my girlfriend's father got transferred to Seattle before we managed to make a baby. Then she went into the Navy and married some poor sailor. I think his name was Lucky but I was the real lucky one.
After a year of playing like I was going to school at WSU, I learned to play 10 point pitch. The draft got me that next summer and I went into the Army. How I ever qualified to go to OCS was a miracle but I went to Fort Sill and on the 3rd of July 1967 I was made an Officer and a Gentleman and put on orders for Vietnam. There was a short stay at Fort Irwin, CA where I met the real love of my life Barbara and she agreed to marry me before I went to Vietnam.
When I cam home from Vietnam we went back to school and she graduated from WSU and I graduated from KU. Two full careers later, and one son, here I am just outside of Topeka and retired. If I had known how much fun we could have, I would have done this earlier. Oh yes, Barbara was a teacher and I was a Career Civil Member and a National Guard member. I retired as a Colonel and it still qualifies me to gather up a shovel and to be the head laborer for the Mater Gardener. What a life.
MUD
The one thing that was really good about the whole thing was the school district had a darned good tax base and we had a very well supported school. We had music and an art teacher and they provided band instruments if you would play the Sousaphone. (I did) To keep up with the growing population they built several new buildings until the baby boom slowed to a whimper. By the time my brother who is five years younger got to Junior High, they were swallowed up by the Wichita School system and now Minneha is a magnet school, what ever that means.
My dad worked for Walter Beech both before WWII and after. I think he worked 40 years or so for them. He could walk right down the street and into the plant where he worked. In fact he could walk home for lunch. He would walk into the front door, put a can of oyster stew in a pan and start it heating. He would go into the bathroom and after washing his hands, the stew would be warm enough. Half a package of crackers and a good dose of Catchup and he would eat that disgusting looking mess. He would also dose it with hot sauce until his ulcer made him stop. I think oyster stew is the one thing none of the kids would eat so mom could safely buy five cans when she shopped and Dad's lunch would be safe when he wanted it.
Mom worked at one of the hospitals and about the time I left home she became an LPN. She had been playing doctor to the neighbors for years and with a little training didn't kill anyone. One of these days I will talk to my brother to see what the difference was in growing up when mom didn't work and when she did. I think when the older kids left and mom went to work it must have been a lot different. At least he got a letter sweater for his participation in sports. I never did. Heck, I'm not sure I ever qualified but I should have.
About the time I entered High School, Wichita was mad at Beech Aircraft so the kids out east had to go downtown to East High. It was really in the middle of town and is shocked a lot of us when we found that instead of the Lilly white school we had attended, there were about 60% of the students were black. I did struggle with the fact that the N word was used a lot in my neighborhood and would get you killed at East High. Oh well, I lived.
Probably the first thing that saved me in life was my love of music. My family sang a lot and at Minneha we had Mrs Holloway who's love of music kept her singing until the day she died. I still sing and love every minute of it. The second thing that was good in my life was my love of reading. I read everything I could and loved almost every minute of it. The last thing that was really good for me was the fact that we played games all day. From basketball to baseball we stayed busy. All you had to do was come up with a baseball and you could draw a crowd on one of the local empty lots.
Because we didn't have a lot of money, I went to work darn near full time in High School. One things I was not afraid of was hard work. I think it started out to support my car and a girl friend but work was the name of the game for me. The best thing that happened to me was that my girlfriend's father got transferred to Seattle before we managed to make a baby. Then she went into the Navy and married some poor sailor. I think his name was Lucky but I was the real lucky one.
After a year of playing like I was going to school at WSU, I learned to play 10 point pitch. The draft got me that next summer and I went into the Army. How I ever qualified to go to OCS was a miracle but I went to Fort Sill and on the 3rd of July 1967 I was made an Officer and a Gentleman and put on orders for Vietnam. There was a short stay at Fort Irwin, CA where I met the real love of my life Barbara and she agreed to marry me before I went to Vietnam.
When I cam home from Vietnam we went back to school and she graduated from WSU and I graduated from KU. Two full careers later, and one son, here I am just outside of Topeka and retired. If I had known how much fun we could have, I would have done this earlier. Oh yes, Barbara was a teacher and I was a Career Civil Member and a National Guard member. I retired as a Colonel and it still qualifies me to gather up a shovel and to be the head laborer for the Mater Gardener. What a life.
MUD
Just What in the Heck Day Is It?
Yesterday I was watching TV and wondered when the next World University Games team USA would play. I went to ESPNU and realized that they were playing right then. I somehow lost a day in there somewhere. I hate it when I get older and that happens. Makes me wonder when I will be able to hide my own Easter Eggs. (Do they still do that?)
Yesterday we had to go downtown to the KPERS building and they have again torn Kansas Blvd up to where you can't get there from here without a couple of block hike. Last time it was to make the street more vehicle friendly, and this time to make it more pedestrian friendly. The problem is that very few people have any reason to go there and it really doesn't matter what they do, they have put about half of the businesses our of business so even fewer will go there. There are all sorts of great ideas that just don't have the traction to get me down there. Heck, I don't even like to go to the Mall unless I have to.
Today is supposed to be the last day of the 70 degree days for a while so Barb wants to go for a bike ride sometime around noon. Sounds like a winner to me. So long as the goose poop on the trail isn't wet and slippery, I'll be there. Neither of our bikes have fenders so wet excrement doesn't add to the value of bike riding. At least the Park Police have made people stop feeding the geese at Lake Shawnee. There is something about the amount of goose poop poluting the lake so they don't want people to keep the geese there by feeding them. I don't really care so long as people don't feed them on the cement. They have been eating on the grass for years and even like grass so feed them on your grass if you want.
Barbara and I don't ride our bikes on the roads here near Topeka. People just don't seem to notice us like they should. I guess they are too busy texting and talking on their cell phones to notice. One day I was riding South on Tecumseh road and there was a school bus coming from the north. I saw the driver wave and something told me to get the hell off the road and I rode into a driveway. The bus driver behind me was also waving and had I not rode out of the way, she would have hit me. I promise you that a bike/bus impact would have not been fun. Even with a helmet, it would have been fatal.
On Monday, there was a big tree branch on one of the Walnut trees that broke off and fell in the yard. I will have to get the chain saw out and cut it up later on today. One of these days I will have to also burn the pile of trees out in the yard that has been there for the biggest part of 2 years.
Today one of the South Carolina Legislators spoke on CNN about their debate over flying the Alabama Battle Flag on the grounds of their Capitol. I don't know what the big deal is. Last time I looked the civil war ended about 150 years ago. Get over it people. I guess I need to be like Barbara who every time she catches me watching a war movie reminds me that we won and it is over.
I support free speech about as much as anyone. What you want to say is protected so long as it doesn't impact my rights. I do want to make it clear that there is nothing about stupid speech in there and because you disagree doesn't mean that I want to diminish my rights because you say something stupid. A couple of Sundays ago I saw the Westboro Baptist Church picketing one of the churches we were going to sing at. It did my heart glad to see that the people in the church just ignored them and they left quietly. I told the guys that at one of the White Concert Hall events they sang with their teen age acapella groups and sounded pretty good. I didn't agree with their version of the words but heck, I don't like rap music either.
Three times this week I have apologized to a black man over the fact that because of "White Privilege" we stole their BBQ recipes. So far, I am three of three in eliciting laughs from them. In fact one of the guys I sing with said he is allergic to water melon and because of his religion doesn't east pork. I didn't realize he was Jewish. I am the first to admit that I love BBQ pork, water melon and a collard greens. It must be my blue eyes that fools them.
One of the guys at our chorus practice said that when one of the girl's soccer teams members ran over to kiss her wife it made him not enjoy things as much. I was surprised that in this day and age anyone really cares who kisses who. Trust me when I say that pretty soon the divorce rate in the Gay and lesbian communities will be as high as it is in the heterosexual community. I wish them well but people just don't have that desire to work hard on being a couple today as was the ideal. Yes, I am a conservative in a lot of things, but I tend to be a realist and call 'em like I see 'em.
I am still up in the air about going to my 50th High School reunion. I am not sure that I can hold my gut in all evening and if I should die my hair a little. I am fairly sure that I am old. The other day, William Shattner rode a motor cycle through Topeka and I saw the picture in the paper. I thought it looked a lot like me. There just needs to be a time that dignity takes over in our minds and the reality of age just hits us between the eyes.
Oh well, see you all later.
MUD
Yesterday we had to go downtown to the KPERS building and they have again torn Kansas Blvd up to where you can't get there from here without a couple of block hike. Last time it was to make the street more vehicle friendly, and this time to make it more pedestrian friendly. The problem is that very few people have any reason to go there and it really doesn't matter what they do, they have put about half of the businesses our of business so even fewer will go there. There are all sorts of great ideas that just don't have the traction to get me down there. Heck, I don't even like to go to the Mall unless I have to.
Today is supposed to be the last day of the 70 degree days for a while so Barb wants to go for a bike ride sometime around noon. Sounds like a winner to me. So long as the goose poop on the trail isn't wet and slippery, I'll be there. Neither of our bikes have fenders so wet excrement doesn't add to the value of bike riding. At least the Park Police have made people stop feeding the geese at Lake Shawnee. There is something about the amount of goose poop poluting the lake so they don't want people to keep the geese there by feeding them. I don't really care so long as people don't feed them on the cement. They have been eating on the grass for years and even like grass so feed them on your grass if you want.
Barbara and I don't ride our bikes on the roads here near Topeka. People just don't seem to notice us like they should. I guess they are too busy texting and talking on their cell phones to notice. One day I was riding South on Tecumseh road and there was a school bus coming from the north. I saw the driver wave and something told me to get the hell off the road and I rode into a driveway. The bus driver behind me was also waving and had I not rode out of the way, she would have hit me. I promise you that a bike/bus impact would have not been fun. Even with a helmet, it would have been fatal.
On Monday, there was a big tree branch on one of the Walnut trees that broke off and fell in the yard. I will have to get the chain saw out and cut it up later on today. One of these days I will have to also burn the pile of trees out in the yard that has been there for the biggest part of 2 years.
Today one of the South Carolina Legislators spoke on CNN about their debate over flying the Alabama Battle Flag on the grounds of their Capitol. I don't know what the big deal is. Last time I looked the civil war ended about 150 years ago. Get over it people. I guess I need to be like Barbara who every time she catches me watching a war movie reminds me that we won and it is over.
I support free speech about as much as anyone. What you want to say is protected so long as it doesn't impact my rights. I do want to make it clear that there is nothing about stupid speech in there and because you disagree doesn't mean that I want to diminish my rights because you say something stupid. A couple of Sundays ago I saw the Westboro Baptist Church picketing one of the churches we were going to sing at. It did my heart glad to see that the people in the church just ignored them and they left quietly. I told the guys that at one of the White Concert Hall events they sang with their teen age acapella groups and sounded pretty good. I didn't agree with their version of the words but heck, I don't like rap music either.
Three times this week I have apologized to a black man over the fact that because of "White Privilege" we stole their BBQ recipes. So far, I am three of three in eliciting laughs from them. In fact one of the guys I sing with said he is allergic to water melon and because of his religion doesn't east pork. I didn't realize he was Jewish. I am the first to admit that I love BBQ pork, water melon and a collard greens. It must be my blue eyes that fools them.
One of the guys at our chorus practice said that when one of the girl's soccer teams members ran over to kiss her wife it made him not enjoy things as much. I was surprised that in this day and age anyone really cares who kisses who. Trust me when I say that pretty soon the divorce rate in the Gay and lesbian communities will be as high as it is in the heterosexual community. I wish them well but people just don't have that desire to work hard on being a couple today as was the ideal. Yes, I am a conservative in a lot of things, but I tend to be a realist and call 'em like I see 'em.
I am still up in the air about going to my 50th High School reunion. I am not sure that I can hold my gut in all evening and if I should die my hair a little. I am fairly sure that I am old. The other day, William Shattner rode a motor cycle through Topeka and I saw the picture in the paper. I thought it looked a lot like me. There just needs to be a time that dignity takes over in our minds and the reality of age just hits us between the eyes.
Oh well, see you all later.
MUD
7/08/2015
It works for me
I had to change my Browser so Blogger would quit sending me nasty messages when I used Internet Explorer. Seems to be OK. I now use Fire Fox for my Blog.
Yesterday afternoon, a storm blew through Topeka with pretty good winds and about 3 inches of rain. I have downed tree limbs and the ground is again soggy. I finished mowing at Dave's and left the mower on the trailer so I could just take it over to the rental house. Bad choice, I now have a fairly clean mower with a soggy seat. I unloaded it this AM and it is now in the sop so it will have a chance to dry off.
I thought the bad weather might cause many of the guys to stay home from our Barbershop Chorus Practice. Nope, we went and had a good time. Two of the guys have a birthday this week so we went to Terry's a local Pub afterwards. We sang and had a good time. I drank a couple of O'Doles or non alcoholic beers. It was a good time.
This was put on hold yesterday and not started until again today. I am not sure if I did too much on Monday or if I just have a minor bug. I absolutely did nothing yesterday because i felt so bad. Try again today to get a few things done here at Rabbit Run.
The paper this morning had an article by one of the retired editors and it is mostly word play. He quoted a guy that claims to be a "verbibore" and talked about why pants are called a pair of pants and shirts with two sleeves aren't. My contribution to the word wars this morning is, "Did you hear that Westboro Baptist Church is going to South Carolina to protest the flying of the Confederate battle flag. Their signs will read - GOD HATES FLAGS."
Did anyone else see Jared of SUBWAY fame has ballooned up to about 250 lbs and was arrested for Child Pornography? Watching naked children will make you fat. For the record, SUBWAY has dropped him as a spokesman for their product. I personally don't get it. Watching naked children just doesn't rock my boat. Perhaps curiosity when I was young made me want to see naked girls but why didn't Jared grow up like the rest of us? With the advent of the Internet who would still harbor arrested development? Oh well, I don't get Bruce Jenner changing to a woman or Bill Cosby's need to drug women to have sex. According to Wilt Chamberlain there was enough available groupies to keep guys like him in tail for the rest of his life.
We had an interesting discussion about San Francisco being a sanctuary city and why they didn't enforce the Federal Hold Charge on the Illegal Immigrant that later killed a young woman. I vote to withdraw all Federal facilities and money to San Francisco and see how long they refuse to play ball with the US Government. Between Long Beach and San Diego we could surely replace the Federal Dollars that flow into San Francisco. Back to the old motto, Play ball with us or we will stick the bat in places.... NO wait, they like things stuck there. Never mind.
For the record, I want to say that I am forever an equal opportunity offender. I am about worn to the nub over Political Correctness and within the walls of this Blog will continue to poke fun where it is needed. One of these days I will point out why our Political system is failing and laugh at the real hipocrasy in our systems.
Lets start with the Donald. The conservatives say we need a spokesman that will stand up and shout what is wrong and not then apologize for the error of his ways. When Donald did this, they all want to crucify him. Come on folks, if a man with more money than God can't tell the truth, who can? Oh yes, we will let Hillary tell stories until the cows come home and no one will notice. How could she tell the Chinese not to hack into a system that she didn't use to protect her privacy. OH well...
Better stop here and go offend some of the bureaucrats in Topeka.
MUD
Yesterday afternoon, a storm blew through Topeka with pretty good winds and about 3 inches of rain. I have downed tree limbs and the ground is again soggy. I finished mowing at Dave's and left the mower on the trailer so I could just take it over to the rental house. Bad choice, I now have a fairly clean mower with a soggy seat. I unloaded it this AM and it is now in the sop so it will have a chance to dry off.
I thought the bad weather might cause many of the guys to stay home from our Barbershop Chorus Practice. Nope, we went and had a good time. Two of the guys have a birthday this week so we went to Terry's a local Pub afterwards. We sang and had a good time. I drank a couple of O'Doles or non alcoholic beers. It was a good time.
This was put on hold yesterday and not started until again today. I am not sure if I did too much on Monday or if I just have a minor bug. I absolutely did nothing yesterday because i felt so bad. Try again today to get a few things done here at Rabbit Run.
The paper this morning had an article by one of the retired editors and it is mostly word play. He quoted a guy that claims to be a "verbibore" and talked about why pants are called a pair of pants and shirts with two sleeves aren't. My contribution to the word wars this morning is, "Did you hear that Westboro Baptist Church is going to South Carolina to protest the flying of the Confederate battle flag. Their signs will read - GOD HATES FLAGS."
Did anyone else see Jared of SUBWAY fame has ballooned up to about 250 lbs and was arrested for Child Pornography? Watching naked children will make you fat. For the record, SUBWAY has dropped him as a spokesman for their product. I personally don't get it. Watching naked children just doesn't rock my boat. Perhaps curiosity when I was young made me want to see naked girls but why didn't Jared grow up like the rest of us? With the advent of the Internet who would still harbor arrested development? Oh well, I don't get Bruce Jenner changing to a woman or Bill Cosby's need to drug women to have sex. According to Wilt Chamberlain there was enough available groupies to keep guys like him in tail for the rest of his life.
We had an interesting discussion about San Francisco being a sanctuary city and why they didn't enforce the Federal Hold Charge on the Illegal Immigrant that later killed a young woman. I vote to withdraw all Federal facilities and money to San Francisco and see how long they refuse to play ball with the US Government. Between Long Beach and San Diego we could surely replace the Federal Dollars that flow into San Francisco. Back to the old motto, Play ball with us or we will stick the bat in places.... NO wait, they like things stuck there. Never mind.
For the record, I want to say that I am forever an equal opportunity offender. I am about worn to the nub over Political Correctness and within the walls of this Blog will continue to poke fun where it is needed. One of these days I will point out why our Political system is failing and laugh at the real hipocrasy in our systems.
Lets start with the Donald. The conservatives say we need a spokesman that will stand up and shout what is wrong and not then apologize for the error of his ways. When Donald did this, they all want to crucify him. Come on folks, if a man with more money than God can't tell the truth, who can? Oh yes, we will let Hillary tell stories until the cows come home and no one will notice. How could she tell the Chinese not to hack into a system that she didn't use to protect her privacy. OH well...
Better stop here and go offend some of the bureaucrats in Topeka.
MUD
7/05/2015
Our Wild Life at Rabbit Run!
Just so there's no confusion from the start, we couldn't raise hell here with a case of whisky and a dozen artillerymen. I used to say Indians but I have been told that is racist so I changed it to Artillerymen. Our wild life consisted of Barb going out about 10 PM and watching the fireworks over by the lake. Me, I was fast asleep because I knew KU, or the USA team would be playing from South Korea at 6:30 AM. They won. Brazil had a tall team and they played a rough game.
What did happen was this morning one of the hawks that has been hanging around for the last couple of weeks flew into the window with a whump this morning. I suspect it was the juvenile bird and seems like he was able to get up and fly off even if he was a little wobbly from the impact.
As I went down stairs, I saw a blur moving across the front yard and by the time I got downstairs, I could clearly see it was a fawn that was catching up with it's mother. They didn't see me looking out of the window at them and walked slowly down the hill. It does my heart glad to see that there are new fawns this year so there will be more at the end of the season. I am not as hunter anymore and I do feed them chopped corn and keep a salt block out.
I have almost stopped feeding the birds. With the bumper crop of Magicadas (17 year cycle) there was plenty to eat out there. I am sure that there are new bugs hatching out and becoming a part of the food cycle every day. Barb goes out and smashes Squash Bugs and their eggs every day.
Yesterday was a pretty typical holiday here at Rabbit run. Dave and his wife came over and I cooked meat on the grill. There was pretty much a typical spread of food and lots of leftovers. I think the pasta salad will be even better today. Today's omelet had a side of strawberries and I could have some banana pudding if I so desired. I do the meat and Barb does the desserts. We never have finished without some of each leftover.
Dave helped me put our bridge back in place last evening. I had to move it so they could re-do the sidewalk in front of the garage. The tractor did most of the heavy lifting. Dave and I both were much too full from all the food to do much more than guide the rope and swing the bridge in place. Dave did get a chance to drive the zero turn mower a little to move it out of the garage. I think he like myself loves the novelty. Now if I was just as fond of the brand. If only I had held out for a Troy Built. Dave's Troy Built mover has been mowing 3 Acres for about 9 years and it still does a great job. The Cub Cadet has had to have three new blades and a mower tower so far and it has just over 14 hours on the clock.
Have I shared some of the things I like and dislike lately? I dearly love old Chevys. For the late model transportation, I am really fond of the Crown Victoria. I think HiVee sells about the best meat in town and for general walking around I go to Wal*Mart. I think Barb is the most fond of The Educational Credit Union for her banking needs and I don't really care. I like it the most because it is close. We both love living on the edge of Topeka. Neither of us care to drive on the Interstate through town's like Kansas City. I think Zion National Park is about the prettiest place to go but Yellowstone had a lot more to see. I do fear that some day Yellowstone will blow up but not for a while. Lastly, I love my country but fear my Government. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said both the Democrats and Republicans are busy screwing things up. I hear a few candidates telling the truth but not enough - Yet!
MUD
What did happen was this morning one of the hawks that has been hanging around for the last couple of weeks flew into the window with a whump this morning. I suspect it was the juvenile bird and seems like he was able to get up and fly off even if he was a little wobbly from the impact.
As I went down stairs, I saw a blur moving across the front yard and by the time I got downstairs, I could clearly see it was a fawn that was catching up with it's mother. They didn't see me looking out of the window at them and walked slowly down the hill. It does my heart glad to see that there are new fawns this year so there will be more at the end of the season. I am not as hunter anymore and I do feed them chopped corn and keep a salt block out.
I have almost stopped feeding the birds. With the bumper crop of Magicadas (17 year cycle) there was plenty to eat out there. I am sure that there are new bugs hatching out and becoming a part of the food cycle every day. Barb goes out and smashes Squash Bugs and their eggs every day.
Yesterday was a pretty typical holiday here at Rabbit run. Dave and his wife came over and I cooked meat on the grill. There was pretty much a typical spread of food and lots of leftovers. I think the pasta salad will be even better today. Today's omelet had a side of strawberries and I could have some banana pudding if I so desired. I do the meat and Barb does the desserts. We never have finished without some of each leftover.
Dave helped me put our bridge back in place last evening. I had to move it so they could re-do the sidewalk in front of the garage. The tractor did most of the heavy lifting. Dave and I both were much too full from all the food to do much more than guide the rope and swing the bridge in place. Dave did get a chance to drive the zero turn mower a little to move it out of the garage. I think he like myself loves the novelty. Now if I was just as fond of the brand. If only I had held out for a Troy Built. Dave's Troy Built mover has been mowing 3 Acres for about 9 years and it still does a great job. The Cub Cadet has had to have three new blades and a mower tower so far and it has just over 14 hours on the clock.
Have I shared some of the things I like and dislike lately? I dearly love old Chevys. For the late model transportation, I am really fond of the Crown Victoria. I think HiVee sells about the best meat in town and for general walking around I go to Wal*Mart. I think Barb is the most fond of The Educational Credit Union for her banking needs and I don't really care. I like it the most because it is close. We both love living on the edge of Topeka. Neither of us care to drive on the Interstate through town's like Kansas City. I think Zion National Park is about the prettiest place to go but Yellowstone had a lot more to see. I do fear that some day Yellowstone will blow up but not for a while. Lastly, I love my country but fear my Government. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said both the Democrats and Republicans are busy screwing things up. I hear a few candidates telling the truth but not enough - Yet!
MUD
7/04/2015
4th Of July
This morning I went out to gather the paper and it felt kind of cool in shorts and a T-Shirt. I am sure this is a great start to a festive day for many of you. We will celebrate with a day busy here at home and a quiet BBQ this early evening with Dave and his wife Barb. We started out with a breakfast of cereal and will end with steak. We will be safely home when the fireworks start. There will be a war in the near neighborhood but for us not much celebration.
I don't suffer from PTSD or anything, I just don't see the need to watch fireworks every year like some. Now and then we will go over to a friends house and watch the fireworks from their backyard. Not this year.
The biggest thing I worry abut is how long will it take this congress to muck things up so bad that we will start losing the quality of life we have worked hard to accumulate. I would like to think that we contributed to the success of our country in many ways and would hate to see the floor drop out from under us. I would be a little less fearful if the politicians didn't just look us in the face and look like they mean it. I am not a sheep and I watch what they do not just what they say. Oh well, moving on.
I guess I have hit a wall here and will move on smartly to other things.
MUD
I don't suffer from PTSD or anything, I just don't see the need to watch fireworks every year like some. Now and then we will go over to a friends house and watch the fireworks from their backyard. Not this year.
The biggest thing I worry abut is how long will it take this congress to muck things up so bad that we will start losing the quality of life we have worked hard to accumulate. I would like to think that we contributed to the success of our country in many ways and would hate to see the floor drop out from under us. I would be a little less fearful if the politicians didn't just look us in the face and look like they mean it. I am not a sheep and I watch what they do not just what they say. Oh well, moving on.
I guess I have hit a wall here and will move on smartly to other things.
MUD
7/03/2015
Rain?
For the second day in a row they have said it is going to rain. Yesterday it at best sprinkled for a few moments and the slight rain that passed through here this morning will be dry by noon. The one good thing is that the miserable heat is not here today. Perhaps if the sidewalks dry off this morning it won't be too warm to ride after noon. We'll see.
Our road trip earlier this week was a good test to see if I am up to trips in a car. So far all I can tell is that I have a slight head cold and my nose is running. No big deal. I hope it stays that way.
We have had several social invites from the Chorus that I find Interesting. The first one is a double birthday celebration at Terry's, a local bar. It will be kind of an afterglow that we will hold after our Monday night practice. The other is an invite to the entire chorus to a 50th Wedding Anniversary to be held next Friday night. I love to go sing at special occasions for friends. In fact, we sing "Friends" a lot and do it well.
The more I read the 55-56-57 Chevy site, the more I want to get mine pout of storage and drive it. I wish that I had spent the money on a new motor, disk brakes and a rack and pinion steering box. Yes, A/C needs to be right up there also. I figure it will take the better part of 10 grand to do those things. Perhaps not but I would love to have it on the road in a safe manner to drive.
USAA sent me a note today that tells me that my insurance has lapsed. DUH! do they not cross communicate? Cancel my rental house insurance and I'll take my bat and go home... If they won't play ball nicely, they can stick their bat where the sun doesn't shine. In their ads, they say that 90% of their customers plan to stay with them forever. I guess I am a pat of that 10%.
Has anyone really figured out what it costs to own a home? When you get it paid off, there is the little matter of Property tax and insurance that can add $300 a month to your bills. I won't even talk about utilities. Not a good thing either way. I guess I really don't mind being poor with property to support. For the most part we can afford to pay unless and until something happened to one of us.
The garden has produced it's first part of the bounty. One small cuke and two cherry tomatoes and more setting on. This is the favorite part of my year. The farmer's markets will soon be full of all kinds of ripe veggies. That first BLT with vine ripened tomatoes is still out there making me want more. We have had several great water melons from the store. We haven't had good luck growing them here. There are a few places where the sandy soil produces good melons but the clay here just doesn't let the water flow properly. Perhaps one of these years we will figure it all out.
MUD
Our road trip earlier this week was a good test to see if I am up to trips in a car. So far all I can tell is that I have a slight head cold and my nose is running. No big deal. I hope it stays that way.
We have had several social invites from the Chorus that I find Interesting. The first one is a double birthday celebration at Terry's, a local bar. It will be kind of an afterglow that we will hold after our Monday night practice. The other is an invite to the entire chorus to a 50th Wedding Anniversary to be held next Friday night. I love to go sing at special occasions for friends. In fact, we sing "Friends" a lot and do it well.
The more I read the 55-56-57 Chevy site, the more I want to get mine pout of storage and drive it. I wish that I had spent the money on a new motor, disk brakes and a rack and pinion steering box. Yes, A/C needs to be right up there also. I figure it will take the better part of 10 grand to do those things. Perhaps not but I would love to have it on the road in a safe manner to drive.
USAA sent me a note today that tells me that my insurance has lapsed. DUH! do they not cross communicate? Cancel my rental house insurance and I'll take my bat and go home... If they won't play ball nicely, they can stick their bat where the sun doesn't shine. In their ads, they say that 90% of their customers plan to stay with them forever. I guess I am a pat of that 10%.
Has anyone really figured out what it costs to own a home? When you get it paid off, there is the little matter of Property tax and insurance that can add $300 a month to your bills. I won't even talk about utilities. Not a good thing either way. I guess I really don't mind being poor with property to support. For the most part we can afford to pay unless and until something happened to one of us.
The garden has produced it's first part of the bounty. One small cuke and two cherry tomatoes and more setting on. This is the favorite part of my year. The farmer's markets will soon be full of all kinds of ripe veggies. That first BLT with vine ripened tomatoes is still out there making me want more. We have had several great water melons from the store. We haven't had good luck growing them here. There are a few places where the sandy soil produces good melons but the clay here just doesn't let the water flow properly. Perhaps one of these years we will figure it all out.
MUD
7/02/2015
Don't Drink the Water in Skiatook
We made one of those mad rushes to Oklahoma. It was not the pace that made us mad but the unhappiness with the lawyers. In fact, they gave us a piece of paper that said they wanted off our case. The first guy in the firm got too busy to handle our little case and the last guy felt that we hurt his feelings when we told him what the law said and wondered why they didn't do what it said. His mother must have made him cry a lot.
The reason I said don't drink the water in Skiatook is that a couple of days ago my brother stood up too quick and fell down on the coffee table. He is recovering from surgery and the Doctor prescribed some medicine he is allergic to. Me, I fell down in the dark bedroom because I lost all reference to the ground in the dark. I had my suitcase piled up near the bed and just mis-guessed where it was. The worst bruise was on my ego. In my dreams I am this young virile stud muffin that can jump over tall building with a single leap. Not true, sadly.
I can't tell if it is going to rain here or not. It is very cloudy but it hasn't sprinkled yet. Probably waiting for me to get out the mower and start around the yard. Oh well, if it starts to rain I have a good book to read.
When it rains it pours. Yesterday on the first day back from our trip, I needed to go to the bank to fetch a resupply of money. The good news is that I had a couple of checks to cash. The bad news was that Dave's car needed two front tires. We are helping them out while his wife is trying to overcome her health issues. Besides that, they are the nicest people we know so why not. You have heard the old saying, "You can Pay me now or you can pay me later?" As our only heir, why not share now.
This has been my week to see a bunch of cute kids. I always tell the parents that they could just give one to us if they are a problem. So far that hasn't worked. I did see one lady with four or five kids in a cart at Wal*Mart a while back and told he that I would take one off her hands. She said, "NO, it you take one, you take them all..." My enthusiasm went away. So did I.
We got our driveway pads redone this last week and it sure is nice to drive in the garage without knocking the suspension out from under the front of the car. Perhaps now it is time to go spend some money on the front end. After about 70,000 miles it is time to redo the front shocks.
Better go see if I can get in a short round of mowing
MUD
The reason I said don't drink the water in Skiatook is that a couple of days ago my brother stood up too quick and fell down on the coffee table. He is recovering from surgery and the Doctor prescribed some medicine he is allergic to. Me, I fell down in the dark bedroom because I lost all reference to the ground in the dark. I had my suitcase piled up near the bed and just mis-guessed where it was. The worst bruise was on my ego. In my dreams I am this young virile stud muffin that can jump over tall building with a single leap. Not true, sadly.
I can't tell if it is going to rain here or not. It is very cloudy but it hasn't sprinkled yet. Probably waiting for me to get out the mower and start around the yard. Oh well, if it starts to rain I have a good book to read.
When it rains it pours. Yesterday on the first day back from our trip, I needed to go to the bank to fetch a resupply of money. The good news is that I had a couple of checks to cash. The bad news was that Dave's car needed two front tires. We are helping them out while his wife is trying to overcome her health issues. Besides that, they are the nicest people we know so why not. You have heard the old saying, "You can Pay me now or you can pay me later?" As our only heir, why not share now.
This has been my week to see a bunch of cute kids. I always tell the parents that they could just give one to us if they are a problem. So far that hasn't worked. I did see one lady with four or five kids in a cart at Wal*Mart a while back and told he that I would take one off her hands. She said, "NO, it you take one, you take them all..." My enthusiasm went away. So did I.
We got our driveway pads redone this last week and it sure is nice to drive in the garage without knocking the suspension out from under the front of the car. Perhaps now it is time to go spend some money on the front end. After about 70,000 miles it is time to redo the front shocks.
Better go see if I can get in a short round of mowing
MUD
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