Just Wandering

Most days I can be found out at the front edge of the garage involved in a project . That’s where a young guy down the street found me one afternoon last week. His dog had escaped and came to visit me , tail wagging, to see about a pat on the head.

That days project was a very old Stanley wood plane made prior to 1927. It was a yard sale find that sat directly on a concrete driveway when I first saw it , covered in surface rust and grime . It looked so sad that the owner was delighted to let me bring it home for $2.00 .

” What ya doing ? ” asked the young guy as he clipped a leash to the friendly run away dogs collar.

” I’m enjoying myself , I’m going to make this old tool handsome again” was my answer.

His question intruded not just upon my work on the tool, but my thoughts of where this tool had been and what it had done . It interrupted my interest of the craftsman who may have used this plane to create something of beauty and use. The old plane held clues to those observant, about who had used it . Like the two small X’s cut into the metal side and the wooden handle , likely put there by a professional as his personal mark in order to protect it from use by fellow tradesmen that he worked with.

My comment of enjoying myself brought the twitch of a deaf ear and a blank stare…

” Looks like way to much work for me ” said the young guy and I’m certain he was correct . He then left to go to his evening job at a local restaurant washing dishes .

It took a full hour and twenty minutes to turn this old wood plane into handsome again . Not museum piece gorgeous, just “old world” handsome . Another half hour was needed to turn its blade into working sharp again and that old wood plane can again shave paper thin curlings from the edge of a plank just like it did in 1927. I consider this all time well spent ……

Someone else did too as 7 days later they gave me $134.50 for it and I’m certain that’s a lot better than an 8 hour evening shift at the restaurant.

I was truly saddened to hear that Tom T. Hall passed this week. He was an American story teller. He told stories of his life , American life, and I enjoyed them so very much. And so today I would like to repost something I wrote a while ago as I’m very proud to know some of his kin …….

Only thing I know that’s better than a good story is having a good story to tell .

I’m not a country music fan but I am a fan of stories and many a country singer has a story to tell. Even if it is only about just getting out of jail or a fixer up pickup truck. One country singer in particular became famously known as “The Story Teller” and with good cause .

That would be Tom T. Hall and back in 1972 Tom T. imparted his wisdom and wrote the words to one of the few country songs that I can actually quote … Old Dogs and Children .

I was cleaning up the entrance to a condo building in SW Florida the other day when a man entering the building asked ” How ya doing ?”

“Terrible” I replied….. said it and I meant it.

He laughed and continued on to inform me I sounded just like his Uncle .

” My Uncle always answered that question with….. My life ain’t worth a dime .”

I couldn’t help but respond with words written by a wise story teller …..

” That’s because there ain’t but three things in this whole world worth a solitary dime… old dogs, children…. and watermelon wine.”

Turns out I quoted a Tom T. Hall lyric to none other than the son of a brother of The Story Teller himself ….

Goodbye Tom T.

Wife and I are planning a trip soon so that means we need to freshen up the very well worn wardrobes ….. that also means a trip to the mall .

On the way to the mall we stopped at one of the two very new car washes . We not only have two new car washes in town , we have four others presently under construction. I’m certain the three other car washes in town about to go chapter 11 find this of interest, and so do I.

That trip from the car wash brought us past two very evident observations. One was the amount of empty retail space available for lease. The other was the endless newly constructed, as well as presently being constructed ….. retail space.
Arrival at the mall found us entering large swaths of empty parking lot . Sears and Macy’s have gone and their multi acre parking lots now sit completely empty. Probably a good opportunity for someone to use this space to build a new strip mall while the present mall holds endless vacant stores.

I perused the aisles of every store available before being forced to travel 30 miles south to malls that offered the same thing …. Shirts, your choice , small or XX extra large unless of course I was willing to go with long sleeves . Problem being is … I’m neither small nor double extra large. Nor do I feel comfortable in the tropics wearing long sleeves . And nor do I feel comfortable with all this economic growth that isn’t doing a single thing for me …

I’m just not so sure how all this retail space contributes to the “growth” of the United States if they can’t actually sell me anything. Money has no value if there is nothing to buy

I’ll confess to all I’m a beer snob. There will be no Bud or Busch Lites in my house thank you, unless surreptitiously smuggled over the threshold by a well meaning guest . I’m an upscale India Pale Ale guy even though it costs twice as much. That extravagance has earned me a place on the email list of deals and coupons from the local ABC Liquor Store . We’ll get to those latest offers in a moment . But first …

Have you noticed how unhappy everyone seems to be ? I have. Seems the misery never ends no matter where you go. I’m thinking we wasted those past four years trying to “make America great again” and should have concentrated a little heavier on making ” America happy again ” . I know I’ve been doing my part with each and every bottle of Craft Beer .

Last nights email from the ABC Liquor Store had some interesting offers on Dalmore Single Malt Scotch .

A bottle of 35 yr. old has a price of a penny under $6000 while a nice 40 year old will run $8799.99 . A true Scotch snob would have to go for the 45 year old at $ 15,000 per 750 ml bottle . Now that may sound a wee dram flamboyant but still a more worthy purchase in my mind than Melania Trumps $70,000 dollar Birkin handbag.

That self professed snobbery of mine is all relative I suppose. It’s likely I’ll never experience sipping whiskey to the tune of $ 600 per 1 oz. shot while whining that America isn’t the place it used to be. Beer can make me happy …. but I’m betting sipping through two months worth of wages on a Saturday night and still being able to walk would make me pretty darn sad …..

CB Chatter …

I own a vintage 1970s Cobra CB Base radio. I don’t own it because I’m particularly interested in what is broadcast over the airwaves on the Citizens Band at this time . What I’m interested in is the radio itself, and perhaps the history of why it was once so popular back when America was great and people actually communicated ….

Most mornings there is a small regular group of locals who chew the fat on the citizens band. I rarely intrude in the discussions but I do listen in from time to time as I putz around in the garage . Today’s “high light” was a local guy boasting of bringing his young child to his first day of school this morning .

” Ever boddy was lookin at me cause I refused to wear a mask ” he broadcast over the air with pride,

” Ah done told my kid to don’t wear no mask … you tell em your Poppa voted for DeSantis ” he commented next .

So… there we are. That’s where making ” America Great Again ” has brought us all ….

CB Chatter

Late one night in the early 1970’s sixty five men got off of buses that had transported them from Chicago’s O’Hare airport. A few short hours later they they were marched in the early morning dark to breakfast, and then to get their haircut. That icy cold morning in January was the beginning of “Boot Camp” for Company 43 , Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois.

Company 43 consisted of men who had joined the Navy for numerous reasons. Some in order that they not be drafted and have to set foot in Vietnam. Others were directed to the armed forces by Judges who hinted it might be better to enlist than serve jail time . And of course there were guys like me who at the age of 17 just needed adventure and an escape from a military Father.

Not long after the haircuts and issue of uniforms that morning we were all marched to the medical center where the 65 of us stood in a conveyor belt line to receive our shots..

Polio, Influenza, Measles, Mumps, Tetanus, Yellow Fever …. and others I’m sure.

Not a one of us questioned it . There were those of us who did question the war we were involved in at the time , but not one of us questioned the need to fight the diseases . Nor did we question the most advanced medical and scientific minds on the planet that had implemented the military’s requirement of those vaccines.

To my knowledge not a single member of Co. 43 has died from …. or even been inflicted by any of the diseases we were vaccinated against 49 years ago . We did trust some things about America back then . Now I read in the news that it is difficult to get all those in the armed services vaccinated against the most dangerous diseases of all……..

seems we’re all more concerned about about our military being “woke” ….

and I don’t even know what woke is

Just another story of standing in line at the ABC Liquor Store ….

” Seems masks are back in fashion here in SW Florida ” .

That’s what I mentioned to the pretty young thing behind the counter as she took payment of my daily adult indulgence at my beer buying store today.

” Damn Right ” is what bellowed the mask less man in line behind me . He went further to loudly inform the whole store that this latest “bullshit” was going to be pushed through right up to the midterm elections.

I couldn’t help myself and had to turn and ask …….

” Are you as certain of this as you were when you believed the whole Corona Virus thing would go away last November ? “

” Don’t know what you mean ” he said with a glare .

Our real problem here in America is the fact that he did actually know what I meant ….
but he chose loyalty ….. over truth .

America can never be great “again” if we can’t even get together on a disease ….

I once worked with a man named Albert . Albert the Inupiat Eskimo from Teller Alaska and I’ve mentioned him on this blog before . Mention of him will show up again later in this story…….

Few years back I was home alone in Florida as the wife was visiting family south. While at the local shooting range one Saturday a friend gifted me some 17 – 18 fruit pies . Microwavable with generic Dollar type store labels.

Homeward bound with my treasure I pulled into my street and came upon a gaggle of the local youth about to shoot some hoops and stopped to ask …

” Need some snacks guys ? ” All hands reached through the window for some free pies, cherry being faved.

Not long after, my door bell rang and a very pleasant and polite Mother from down the street asked If I was the one handing out pies. Unafraid , I confessed I was.

“Rich please don’t do that, we are trying to see they live a healthy life style “.

I promised that I had no intention of ever making a habit of this while biting my tongue over the fact that her 12 and 13 year old’s already weighed more than most military recruits. But her obvious concern did cause me to break out another pie and have a closer scrutiny at the ingredients…. total fat 17g 26% …. saturated fat 48%………

My God, the only redeeming thing was the 22% sodium which might possibly raise the blood pressure high enough to pump this stuff through the arteries. Though obviously more dangerous than cigarettes these pies come with no government warning label. Nothing at all to warn of the dangers of consumption. Nothing to inform those poor unsuspecting, expectant mothers of the possibility of birthing a 7lb. 8 oz. glob of fat. How could a “friend’ have foisted such a dangerous product on me ?

Albert the Eskimo used to talk about the consumption of walrus fat and seals and whatever.

“High fat content can help you create much needed body heat in the Arctic” he said. Surely we of the tropics have little need for food products that have a higher fat content than walrus blubber and so that brings me to the possibility of a new “green” business venture directed at those up north ……..bumper stickers……

” Save a Seal… Eat a Pie “

My life long habit has been to arise long before the sun and peruse the perimeter . Recently that perusal of the perimeter caught a shiny glint on my front lawn . It was the moon shining off the water that filled the swale in front of my Florida home.

Water filled swales in Florida are generally a sure sign that intense rain has occurred and surely intense enough to awaken a light sleeper like me… which it did not . Turns out a broken water main was the culprit as three feet of bubbling water was erupting from a lawn across the street. I made the call to our local water company only to get the response of …….

” If you want to pay your bill , press 1 …. if this is an emergency, press 2 ” .

Pressing 2 brought another recording which repeated ….

” If you want to pay your bill , press 1 …. if this is an emergency, press 2 ” . The second press of 2 brought a three minute diatribe of the above in the Spanish language before a human came to the phone .

” Is this an emergency ? ” she asked, to which I explained that water was erupting from the ground and the entire street is flooded .

” I’m an on call answering service Sir , and will inform them as soon as the office is open .”

We came home from work that day to witness the the repair crew finishing up . And like all work projects in our Charlotte County, we came home from work two days later to witness the repair crew finishing up the redo of what they didn’t get right the first time …

as usual… we do it right, because we do it twice …. because we have to.

I have a great affinity with certain parts of South America . There is so much about the lifestyle down there that I enjoy and truly admire . Joy, happiness, strong family and neighborhood ties …. so very unlike my own neighborhood here in the US. But , there are some things down there that bother me .

One thing that bothers me down there is that regardless of what highly educated medical professionals will advise , a large percentage will ignore that advice . They will instead listen to the illiterate fat lady in the market selling plantains who proclaims ….

” Somebody told me that some ginger root, a Coca Cola followed by a Tequila”
….and you’ll be cured.

Suddenly no ginger roots, cokes or tequila can be found anywhere in the barrio . Yet the only one’s that get cured quickly are those that believe in the medical professionals … and of course can afford that expense .

I live in what’s touted the most advanced nation on the planet. Yet half of us have easily been convinced that we can’t trust our scientists or medical professionals . Just today someone I know told me that he trusts my brothers Google Searches more than our own CDC and scientific research .

Our own illiterate Fat Lady selling plantains in the market did tell us that Hydroxychloroquine was the answer and I’m not surprised that that this statement is still being defended. That’s because we’ve drained the swamp …

… and ourselves become a third world shit hole

This is an addendum to my previous post, “Daniel Gomez passed on Fathers Day “.

I can’t explain how devastated my wife and her side of the family are over this loss. Or how tormenting the past few weeks have been for them as he suffered .

I would like to post some responses to this tragedy received from my own family. But first, I must confess that I did needle them . I did strongly express to my family my opinion and urge them to get the vaccine . I was accused and rightfully so , of bullying them.

Response from the Patriarch was … goose egg . Same response from one brother ,

Another family member was offended by my bullying and belief in the vaccine and was kind enough to point out that he had the most analytical mind of any one he knows. The outcome of his own due diligence on the topic made it quite clear that the opinions of scientists and medical professionals may not be as advanced as his own.

My expressed thoughts to my family members were that someone thought like I did about the vaccine… and nothing happened . And someone else thought like they did … now three people that we were very close to are dead. That is all the due diligence that I need understand. This brought the response that I should ……

“drop the moral superiority ” ….. I should drop the moral superiority ….

And from all that , not a single member of my family could offer my wife or her family the respect of a touch of sympathy as they were too busy being insulted. And so I would now like to offer my own family, right here on my own public blog a very heart felt ……… Fuck you

Daniel Gomez passed on Fathers Day, just 19 days before his 38th birthday

He left his wife and two children, one two year old and a four month old baby. Those two children will grow up with no fond memories of a very devoted and loving Father. I knew Daniel, and being a devoted and loving Father was all he ever hoped for .

My wife’s nephew Daniel and young family were victims of stupidity , and ignorance. Though ignorance can be fixed it’s far too late for that and stupidity has prevailed .

Daniels Father in Law refused the vaccine as he considered what he read on the internet more trustworthy than advice from Doctors and Scientists . Having declined the available vaccine he then acquired the disease and spread it through the family . Covid is a worldwide problem and vaccines are very limited in much of it, like Colombia where Daniel just passed.

I’m aghast that here in the most “advanced” nation on earth we are throwing vaccines away because we lack the intelligence to use them . Masks … vaccines …. social distancing . We’ve all been given two choices on this topic and it’s just simply black and white.

One choice is right, the other is wrong.

Daniel, Sobrino mio, via con mi pensamientos siempre. Su familia es mi familia Joben

Yesterday the beginnings of a painful separation began as the members of an over 55 community gathered to offer the wife and I a fond farewell and a hearty thank you.

We’ve been their janitorial crew for years and over that time they’ve all become our friends and family . All of them. Even the grumpy ones and the picky ones, the ones who insist on walking on wet floors even when they don’t have to. They have all been a part of our daily lives for many years.

Decades ago I collected my DD 214 and left the US military one very happy day. I never once looked back , nor ever tried to contact any of my fellow service members. That separation was sharp … and it was absolute .

This separation is different . After our well appreciated farewell get together the wife and I came home and cried. We knew we could never allow this parting be as abrupt and absolute as others in the past. We hope to hold the privilege of always being able to stop in for a visit with long time friends .

To Charlotte Square Condominiums and all its residents ….

the thank you should have been from us …… to you

Rich and Maggie

Like most, I do love a piss and moan… and I’m gonna piss and moan right here and now .

Not too long ago I was taken aback at the price of changing wiper blades on the F 150 . But the rainy season here in the tropics was fast coming and so I chose what would be considered a middle of the road product made by Rain – X . They touted the fact their wiper blades were infused with the famous Rain – X liquid known to bead water off a windshield .

Their claims were fact. And so was the 1 inch streak left on the windshield in a long arc at the top of each blade. Those two pale colored arcs were irritating and proved difficult to remove. It was obvious a plan B needed to be called in.

Plan B was a much more expensive product with a German name… Bosch. They clear the windshield like a champ. However the passenger side seems to stick at the bottom of its movement and on its upward slide it imparts a very loud ….THUNK .

The attention to that irritation is drawn away however by the drivers side wiper blade. It chatters it’s way up and down the windshield with a staccato datatatat … datatatat .
Thunk Datatatat…. thunk datatatat thunk datatatat

not a hard question but … does everything in this world have to drive me bug shit ??

There are those that read my blog who’ve recently lamented I’ve posted nothing to read as of late. I just haven’t been in the mood… and nor am I in the mood now .

This past week we’ve had numerous family members in South America come down with the Covid . Three were hospitalized and we are grateful to hear that one of them has just come off the respirator though another is still on it. Those two members of the family are 38 and 39 year old parents of young children and I can only imagine what their spouses and children are suffering right now.

The source of all of this was obvious. It was our nephews Father in Law who considered the Covid thing all bullshit. He declined the offered vaccine claiming a few shots of Tequila now and then would kill any virus . In fact, he did pick up the Covid while out enjoying a few Tequilas with friends before visiting his daughter and grandchildren .

He died two days ago at the age of 69 but not before having spread the disease throughout the family. The only thing that bothers me about his death is that he won’t be around to witness what his ignorance has done .

Back here in America I just told this story to my Father. Dad accrued 37 years in the armed forces of the United States and holds every right to the brag of his service in defence of this nation against all enemies. Yet it seems he’s unwilling to help in the fight to protect us all from a disease and can’t be bothered to get the vaccine .

I get the impression that my Father’s views on not getting the vaccine are similar to those who work where I do. They view not getting vaccinated as an appropriate FU Biden statement …… and I just can’t wrap my head around that. I view it an embarrassment that citizens, and proud soldiers of this nation like my Father would allow themselves to be misled by the poor leadership we received from the likes of the Trump family …

The wife and I are hardcore minimalists . If it’s not being used hard… it needs to go .

The old saying ” You can’t take it with you ” certainly rings true with us. In my case its not even worthy a thought as I doubt there will be much left for me to haul away on that hopefully long awaited day .

We have a friend who sold all the possessions he could bring himself to part with before he moved south to Florida eighteen years ago . All the rest filled a hired tractor trailer that brought all of those things that he couldn’t part with south. Having no place to put all of this he purchased the trailer and its been sitting on a rented plot all these years since . The contents have not seen the light of day in all this time. He just can’t bring himself to part with all those items “he just might need someday”.

We attended a yard sale yesterday. The gentleman selling his possessions didn’t look well and explained he didn’t want to lumber the wife with all the stuff as he wouldn’t be around for long. He went on to mention that the Doctors gave him six months… six months ago.

I made what I felt a fair offer on his wood chisels which he turned down . Out of respect for what I felt was his concern for his wife’s future I forked over more than I normally would for such items. As I was parting with my cash I noticed a very nice empty tool box . It’s contents were spread out on a table with other yard salers pawing through them.

” What do you want for the tool box ? ” I asked …

” That’s not for sale ” he said, ” I think I’m going to keep it ” …….

I witnessed something this morning that was incredibly beautiful . I witnessed death.

We had finished our maintenance of a condo building in South West Florida and were walking to the next one when suddenly a huge bird swooped between the buildings in front of us . It came in low and fast and in an instant an American bald eagle soared over a three story building with a large snake in its talons .

The snake had stopped writhing before the eagle made it over the top of that building having in its sudden death, fulfilled its destiny in life . It was an an unforgettable sight of true nature right smack in the middle of suburbia .

There are a number of violent things things I’ve witnessed that I hope to forget someday, but this isn’t one of them ……..

Soar like an eagle, or crawl like a snake

I’ve been a bit grumpy today . In all likelihood it’s because I allow those little things to irritate me though I know they shouldn’t. And I say that with no direct inference to my five foot wife… it’s the other little things that irritate me more .

Brushed my teeth this morning and then angrily tossed the half empty tube of Colgate in the trash . I’m frankly sick to death of the nasty dried up and hard to remove coagulation of toothpaste that rapidly builds up on the end of the tube . Never used to happen years ago… what’s different now?

Well there is a lot different now.

I opened the blinds of the front room windows to look across the neighborhood I’ve known for 19 years and there was no way I could show those freshly sparkled teeth in a smile. Parked on the lawn across the street is a pickup truck that hasn’t moved in five months. Nor been weed wacked around as the bumper is about to disappear behind the two foot weeds . On the curb sits yet again, another piece of ugly furniture that was lugged out to the street the day after trash day. I’ll be staring at its ugliness for another seven days before the next trash pick up day. Heaven forbid the dormant pick up would haul it away.

His next door neighbor is no different….. his pick up truck can’t even haul that piece of furniture to the dump only twenty minutes away . It’s been sitting in the drive with a flat tire for over two months and though he mows the lawn, weeds all around the house are up to the window sills .

I took note of all of this as I drove to the end of the street four houses away. That’s where I still see the cheesy Christmas reindeer display on someones front lawn . They’ve at least recently turned off the very colorful lights since we’re two weeks past Easter. Gratefully his next door neighbor has finally removed the garish Trump / Gaetz and FU Biden signs from his front lawn.

And I am considered the neighborhood ass hole for commenting on what I see. And what I see is so very ugly, and so different from eighteen years ago.
I remember why we were once so proud of America , it was because we simply had pride….

My previous story describing fruitless attempts at purchasing Lysol is not over . It would seem it was but…. chapter one.

Two emails and two phone attempts at rectifying this have resulted in my credit card being hit twice for the one case of Lysol I’ve yet to receive. The two boxed fans delivered in error instead of Lysol are still on the stoop awaiting pickup. They have been out there so long they’ve become encrusted with lizard shit. One box has become a home to a large frog while the other has had a corner gnawed by what I hope was a squirrel.

On the road home from a trip to central Florida on Easter Sunday the wife chirped out…

” Lets buy barbecue so we won’t have to cook ” and I was open to that chirp though I wasn’t sure where I’d find barbecue on Easter Sunday. Once home we were delighted to find Wally’s Barbecue willing to take our online pick up order for chicken and ribs for two . The credit card info was promptly taken and the website quickly informed me my order would be ready for pickup at precisely 1:40 p.m. And I was right on time ….

…. to discover Wally’s was actually closed for Easter

The wife’s plan B was get wings and pizza delivered and with the customary efficiency we’ve all come to expect the pizza arrived right on time, but the driver knew nothing of the wings .

Such is our life of convenience

I remember well when I was young and family from England would come to visit . My American Father would proudly point out American accomplishments to my Mothers family .

And he had every right to brag as there was no place on earth that could accomplish the things accomplished here. The family was in awe at the concept of the first drive up bank they’d ever seen while they accompanied Dad as he deposited his pay check…. and Dad bragged .

” Only took three months to build ” while mentioning how quick America was at constructing highways and buildings.

… we were so proud of America and what it could do.

Should my long past Grandfather from England be able to revisit I’m not so certain he’d be as impressed at how long it’s been taking to redo 3/4 s of a mile of road here in my town . After 15 months of tied up traffic it seems that we are pretty close to right where we started and I’m certain my living Father would not be bragging to him about it.

While we talk about American proficiency ….

I’ve just read an email from a janitorial supply company that I deal with. They are curious to know how I felt about my “delivery experience” of the products I’d ordered . They shouldn’t have bothered to ask as the day before I’d been on the phone to complain that the two day promised delivery of Lysol arrived five days late . And it wasn’t Lysol . It was two industrial wall mounted fans.

This means I now have to reorder my Lysol and let the unwanted wall fans sit on my door stoop while the the three to four day business days occur before they pick up what they deem ” unwanted items”

I’ve already warned the supply company that they best pick them up before … the neighbor does .

Guess it wasn’t just our Government that drained the swamp

Many years ago a man from my own home state of N.H. coined a quote…

“There is nothing as powerful as truth … nor anything as strange “

That statement by Daniel Webster back in the early 1850s was printed by publisher William Loeb under the title of his news paper, The Manchester Union Leader every day . I think both men would roll in their graves to find that only half that quote to be true today .

There is something now far more powerful than the truth … its called a repetitive lie, and it’s called misinformation . And it is by far, more strange than the truth.

Suddenly my nation, and I do mean suddenly, embraced the contents of the internet . And they embraced all that is posted on it. I have a very nice neighbor for instance , educated, professional and what I would consider … a true believer . Though probably not a believer in what I would consider the truth.

She lamented this morning the same thing I’ve heard numerous times these past few weeks. She made comment that all these covid deaths were nothing more that a political ruse . That if you died of cancer while testing positive for covid your death certificate blamed covid . I will accept that as a truth….

But I’m afraid it has to be quid pro quo .

If you expect me to accept that as a truth, then you’ll have to understand I expect you to accept that the death rate in the United States “spiked 15% ” in 2020. I can’t imagine that any of us could deny that a 15% increase in an annual death rate means something happened . And I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that I believe covid might have had some influence .

The nice educated neighbor lady also made comment of her belief in Q’Anon and inferred the possibility that the theory of the Zombie Apocalypse might be true . The fact that she told me that is true and so Daniel Webster was at least, half correct ….

what could be more strange than that fact ?

We said goodbye tonight to someone we were introduced to on Oct. 2. 2002

Wink News weather guy Mike Farrel has just retired and broadcast his last forecast tonight . That sentence does bring me great sadness to write .

We purchased our first home in SW Florida in July of 2002 and spent the next two months in preperation of the big move . We packed up all our stuff and when the day came we made the two day journey to arrive at our new home on Oct. 2, 2002 ,

Having arrived three days prior to the scheduled arrival of our furniture with nothing more than the basics and a couple of sleeping bags we headed out to Walmart and purchased a 19 inch TV . As the house still had a relic outdoor TV antenna we plugged in and sat on our sleeping bags , backs to the wall munching a take away meal. And there he was …

Mike Farrell of Wink News fame was broadcasting our very first Florida weather forecast . Having come from northern New England it was wonderful .

Over these many years Mikes broadcasts have been a very welcome part of our life in Florida and I am particularly grateful for his endless help through the numerous hurricanes we’ve suffered through . I would deem him a true hero .

Thank you very much Mike Farrell , you are truly a fantastic meteorologist, and have been a great help to us on good days and bad,

I do so hope you enjoy your future.

I’ve re introduced myself to a long neglected hobby, that being shortwave listening . I recently purchased a vintage communications receiver in order to , once again, peruse the Short Wave radio bands that I fondly listened to decades ago. Initially it brought some disappointment.

There was a time when the short wave’s would bring interesting stories and news broadcasts in English from the Netherlands, Germany, England and even our own Voice of America . It was a great hobby turning the dial to seek obscure broadcasting stations from around the globe and report to them what you heard, and what you heard was always of interest. The reward would be a QSL card mailed to you from that broadcaster to prove your equipment was worthy.

A few evenings with the new radio and it was apparent that there were some differences in short wave broadcasting from what I remembered. I note that as the costs were so high Radio Netherlands, Germany and many others have dropped out of the game … even our own voice of America only broadcasts towards Cuba . What I found on the air waves was endless Christian broadcasts and numerous Spanish language stations of little interest to me … I was for a while sorry I purchased the radio.

Suddenly I picked up a feint signal and with some effort caught it clear … it was a broadcast in English from Somalia . Somalia… one of the poorest nations on earth can afford to communicate with me while the more advanced nations on this globe deem it too expensive . I offer Somalia and her broadcast station my respect …. and thanks .

Suddenly with a slight turn to the right of the dial, Romania came to the fore… also in English with interesting news and local music . Just a bit more turning and an Asian nation broadcast to me the history of the 1950’s Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz TV show .

What a shame that the richest countries in the world can only now afford to broadcast fake news …. and the poorest countries can captivate me with interesting truths .

I purchased girl scout cookies today after I finished work at an over 55 community .

The latest of endless laments at that over 55 community is how all the retirees are about to suffer when the minimum wage rises to $15 an hour. Prices across the board will “sky rocket” they cry.

The over 55 community I spend my work days at is actually inhabited by two groups . Group one are the above mentioned retirees and group two are barely over 55 but still working . Seems that both groups are terrified of this increase of minimum wage . One group feels its going to drive the price of everything up so high it will diminish their retirement income. The other feels it will diminish the value of what they get paid now.

When I first started my little business in 2013 there was a call for raising minimum wage to $9.75 per hour and as I employed workers I endlessly fielded the question …
” What are you going to do Rich, when minimum wage goes up to $ 9.75. per hour ? “

Simple answer to that query was …. “nothing”. Fact was I couldn’t get any one to come to work for $11.00 per hour so I wasn’t quite sure why I should be afraid of a demand to pay employees $9.75 .

So here we are , eight years later and as of January 1st minimum wage here in Florida just jumped another nine cents to the outrageous heights of $8.56 …. every single hour. And yet again it doesn’t effect me one whit as I can’t lure anyone to work every day at $ 15.00 . And neither can the local Target store that is offering a $15.00 an hour to start while every business in town is touting “Help Wanted” signs .

I’m thinking that the retirees that are so frightened of of increasing prices don’t leave their condos often. Because if they did they might have noticed prices have been leaping hard for the past three years. In fact , last year I purchased two boxes of Girl Scout cookies and shelled out $ 8 bucks .

This year the sweet young thing glared me in the eye and demanded $11.50

How do I blame that on an increase in minimum wage that hasn’t even happened yet ?

Florida can be a strange place and sometimes I think long periods of time in the tropics can adversely effect coherent thought . Like it has done mine.

After 19 years in southern Florida I must confess there is one thing I do truly miss . I miss trout. Brook trout, and rainbow trout that live in the cold moving waters that flow through beautiful places . I miss casting my hand tied flies in hope of enticing them .

We’ve just experienced what I would almost call a real winter here in Florida and on saying that I can just hear the eyes roll from all above the Mason / Dixon . It’s all relative I suppose but this “cold” winter did make me realize that I didn’t much miss pulling a trout through a hole cut through four feet of ice on a frozen lake ….. hold that thought.

The economy of Florida has traditionally relied on our ability to entice tourists to abandon their ice fishing habits up north and bring their wallets south for a winter visit . This is where my new business plan steps to the fore and you may well want to jump in on this ….

Picture in your minds eye, thick sheets of plexi glass on pontoons floating out on the Gulf of Mexico . In holes bored through the plexi glass sit ice fishing tip ups baited for Grouper or Snapper . Maybe a bail or two of white cotton around the beach chairs to add appropriate ambiance and a place to rest the umbrella drink .

What self respecting Minnesotan would not pay for the privilege of sending such sun burnt pics of himself back to friends and family huddled in that ice shanty up north ? I personally think this could be a real goer .

I didn’t mean to whine about our winter down here in Florida this year ….. as long as ice fishing sucks, all is good .