Just Wandering

It’s been but a few days after Hurricane Milton passed our area and now with only mild effort you may notice something reminiscent of the beginning of the old song ” California Dreaming ” by the Mama’s and the Papa’s …. “All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray ” they sang . We watched the leaves of particular species all die over four days until it became similar to the onset of a Northern winter when numerous brown dead leaves stubbornly cling to the branches long after most had dropped.

In the wife’s continuous efforts to make our place more clutter free she suggested this might be a good time to market numerous tools that I haven’t used in years that were languishing out in the shed .

” Maybe some people could really use those right now to put there homes back together ” she said and I agreed she might be right .

So I dug out the miter saw and jig saw along with the nail-guns , circular saw and sanders and advertised them all at a no profit great deal price . It must have been a great deal price as the response was huge and a woman contacted to ask would I save them and she wants them all but she’s over an hour away . Thinking that over an hour away definitely meant someone in a devastated area I agreed . Turns out she was from an area unaffected by the storm she just wanted them for her … oh well .

She arrived quite friendly and bubbly and interested in the tools with her husband who was not friendly or bubbly or interested in tools . Along with a sour puss he was adorned by a brand new and fresh hat . You know , the kind of hat that loudly and in your face proclaims exactly where he stands on every issue . While his wife played with tools he was observing all the brown leafed tree’s across the street and said …

” It’s bad here , I was pointing out all the dead leaves to the wife and it just kept getting worse as we got closer . Some tree’s are still green and some not . I think that is definitely a sign of a man made storm .”

To be honest I was caught off guard a little by that statement and told him so. Against my better instinctive judgment I mentioned that considering the hat I was a little surprised that he might embrace the possibility of man made climate change . I was caught off guard again by the response and frankly it does startle me a little ….

” Climate change ?! That’s all bullshit , that’s a communist hoax … No, this was an “engineered” storm .”

A belief in an engineered storm while further north people in North Carolina are refusing help from FEMA and other agencies in the belief that if they can’t pay it back their homes and property will be taken . I do have a thought that the time for Americans to pull their heads out of their ass has passed and it may now be too late . All I can say now is that when we all line up to take our cup of Purple Kool Aid I want to be at the end of the que ….

It usually starts about a week or so ahead of landfall when the weather man reports with greater frequency that a possible tropical depression has formed somewhere creating a more in tune daily vigilance . Suddenly the reports start showing maps and spaghetti graphs, and then the dreaded cone of probability that can bring either quiet relief or the need for preparation . No one wants to be the one that goes to the store to discover large area’s of empty shelves where water and toilet paper used to be or only have half a tank of gas when it becomes unavailable .

Some tell me the final long day waiting and listening to the weatherman is the worst part as it just grates the nerves to follow it’s path as it approaches hour after hour . I’m not so sure about that because at that point there is always the chance that at the last moment a slight change will cause total disruption to someone else’s life instead of ours . For me the worst part is when the power goes out and the wind howls so loud that it drowns out the sound of parts of neighbors homes being blown along the road and it’s difficult to hear pieces of the roof being ripped off.

Just before the latest arrived it was touted to likely be one of those ” Once in a Lifetime Storms ” and I knew exactly what that meant as I’ve experienced three of those “once in a lifetime storms” over the past twenty years . This time it was different . A shift caused us to once more find ourselves in the center of that cone and fifteen hours before the arrival of Milton we headed to the Florida Keys on empty roads because anyone evacuating had already done it the day prior. The four hour trip was interesting and brought us through the swamp on old rte. 41 during periods of bright skies and intense rain and a near miss by a tornado to arrive at our destination ….. a wonderful little resort of separate kitchenettes right on the water known as The Ragged Edge …. just like where I felt my life is lived .

The ride home after the storm  was an anxious experience as we didn’t know what to expect when we got there. We took the Interstate back and shared it with literally hundreds of utility trucks sent by power companies all over the country . Along with the National Guard and other responders these guys are my hero’s and we gave the thumbs up to people from Missouri, Wisconsin , Louisiana, Idaho even Ontario Canada and my home state of N.H. and more as they all headed north from Miami . Once home we found a slightly messy yard and the power was on while 35 miles to our north was devastation and 2 miles to our south neighborhoods suffered disastrous flooding .

My neighbor who purports to be a pastor was quick to tell me that this was a perfect example of the power of prayer and that we were taken care of by a blessing from the Lord ” Perhaps that is true ” ,    I told him ,

” But if it is, then our blessings cost someone else there’s”

We could have been quite fine had we rode out yet another hurricane at home but The Ragged Edge and its staff gave us a much fonder memory than that of a night sitting in the dark and frapping our pants and listening to the weather on a scratchy radio

By late November the daylight hours in Northern New England would be but a short and sweet nine and one half hours before darkness came again . I remember years ago leaving my construction jobs at 3:30 p.m. and driving an hour home to walk into the already semi dark house and needing to turn the lights on by 5 o’clock . That’s exactly how it felt yesterday when I walked into my home in SW Florida at 2:30 in the afternoon and needed to turn the lights on because I’d just installed all the storm shutters over the windows in fear of yet again another hurricane .

That’s what people do in Florida , we install window protection and fight crowds for water and toilet paper before it’s all gone in a flash of panic buying frenzy and then we line up in long ques for gasoline when ever it looks like there is danger on the horizon . That’s what we’ve all been doing yet again over the past couple of days . Should you drive to Florida down the interstate you might notice the signs on the Georgia / Florida border … Welcome to the Free State of Florida … frankly at this point I think Welcome to the “State of Emergency” would be more appropriate considering how many times our Governor has had to declare one over the last two or three years .

Another major storm is on the way and who knew this could be possible after all we’ve already endured and haven’t even started cleaning up the mess from the last one ? Well … I might not have known, nor you, but Scientists and Meteorologists have been warning us all year long this is going to be a year to remember . In fact they’ve been warning us of this likelihood for decades . But you can’t trust Scientists . Our recent political leadership has not only warned us but convinced half of that Scientists have a political agenda . And now the cat has been let out of the bag as a current member of Republican leadership in Congress has done her duty and informed us all that ….

“They” can control the weather …. and that’s why Republican states and counties get hit the hardest ” she adds in the warning that we shouldn’t believe the lies of anyone telling us “they’ can’t .

Why should we not believe her ? I mean, it’s obvious she’s not an educated scientist with a political agenda that we shouldn’t trust . Perhaps she has sound reason to warn us of the dangers of living in predominantly Republican run area’s. The man across the road is fond of telling me how all of this weather differences we’ve seen experiencing is a cyclical thing and perhaps he’s right …. I just wish the cycle hadn’t been turned to spin and would slow it’s pace down just a little .

I got a phone call from someone who swears to never read this blog with the claim she’s concerned about the wife and I but she really wanted to tell me all about how pissed she is that Biden’s administration is holding back aide to areas predominantly Republican . I know exactly where she got this and don’t we all . Those are the words of Donald Trump who’s performing his election campaigns in hurricane and flood devastated areas and telling the world people in North Carolina can’t even get drinking water.

Meanwhile here in Florida in a brilliant show of political gamesmanship our Governor has made no secret that so far has refused to take calls or meet with either the President or Vice President claiming they would attempt to turn all this recent devastation political…..

I’m not sure America really deserved people like this … but it did ask for them. On a happier note the lady who walks her dog past my house every morning has just had her new roof completed yesterday two years and a week since a previous hurricane removed it and is pleased she still doesn’t have enough drywall in the house to worry about.

Perhaps I’m naive or maybe just plain incorrect but I have a feeling that I’m able to express my thoughts clearer with a pen than I can by tongue . The pen does allow more time to think of what I’d like to say than does the instantaneous blurt of semi coherence. I’m thinking Mr. Trump and I have finally found a common ground here and with that I would strongly urge him to learn to express himself in writing .

Personally I simply cannot stand listening to him speak… I’m just not able to follow and follow and then follow along some more over such lengthy periods of what’s known as word salad . Perhaps I suffer attention deficit, I don’t know . On the other hand I do truly enjoy reading what Mr. Trump says in verbatim print and I’d urge you to try it for your own enjoyment and enlightenment, regardless of what side of the aisle you stand … let’s look here at a very typical “classic” example of a DT rally speech ….

A question directed at Trump while he enjoyed his latest rally during his recent visit to Michigan brought … well it brought exactly what could be expected

“What actions will you take to ensure that our jobs stay in America so we can continue to build the best cars in the world here in Michigan?” Fair question from auto workers I’d say and any and all that attended the rally got exactly what they deserved

Trumps verbatim response :

“So pretty much as we’ve been saying and what I want to do is I want to be able to, look, your business, years ago in this area, I was honored as the man of the year. It was maybe 20 years ago, oh, and the fake news heard about it, they said, it never happened. It never happened. And I didn’t know who it was. It was a group that honored me as man of the year. The fakers back there, is he the fake news? But they said, they said, oh, and they looked and it, you know, they said it never happened, but I said, I swear to you, it happened, it did happen, I was man of the year. And I came and I made a speech and I said, why do you allow them to take your car business away? Why do you allow it to happen? They’re taking your business away. And I didn’t know too much about it. All I know is they were taking your car industry away from you. They said it never happened. And lo and behold, somebody said, I remember the event and then we found out that we had everything, we got the awards, we had everything. It did happen, but I gave a speech which at the time was pretty controversial.” (verbatim)

I don’t know about any one else but all of that was pretty clear to me and I’m sure the auto workers are feeling a bit of a let down as I’m sure they were expecting to hear they were going to ” Build more cars like no one has ever seen “

Well I can’t help being just a little confused and seek some clarity on a topic close to heart .

You see, one of our Presidential Candidates is doing it again and using fear to get all us Americans all jacked up and as usual with some success . At a recent rally in Wisconsin he used the Border Crisis and immigrant thing once more to get the hordes excited and I do understand why. There is a border crisis and since his party hasn’t really had a lot of other successes to tout for quite some time using misinformation and telling us that criminal immigrants are eating our pets makes a for a pretty good fill in and truth be damned.

Followed up with ….
“You gotta get these people back where they came from,” .
“You have no choice,” “You’re going to lose your culture. You’re going to lose your country.”

The thought of us all losing our culture and our country does have a frightening ring but here’s where my need for clarity comes in and I have to ask my fellow Americans , particularly if you are afraid , to define your culture ? No really , don’t look away just go ahead and tell me that you can describe it, tell me about it’s history , or maybe where it’s from . Is your culture the same as all the other Americans ? is it supposed to be ? I dare you to define it and good luck because I sure as hell don’t know how to do it.

Wife and I are Americans even though she came from South America and my English Mother brought me here from England as a boy to live in my Fathers home town in Northern New England . Now my Father is like many and a very devout follower of this particular candidate and would likely be in total agreement and fearful of the possibility of us all losing our culture … and county … and that’s pretty interesting as the extended families of both his parents crossed over the northern border from Canada to take jobs in the manufacture of shoes and textiles . They all flocked here from Quebec and in at least one case the Abenaki reservation bringing with them the French language which they still use in their homes to this day . As a boy growing up in America I heard the French language spoken in the streets of that mill town as commonly as I hear Spanish spoken in my own home today.

Wife and I spent a year in the heart of Appalachia some time ago …. it’s considered America as well you know and I’m pretty certain a place that would likely be prone to embrace the falsehood of criminal immigrants eating pets with disgust . Yet helicopters were frequently seen overhead in their search of illicit marijuana crops and moonshine stills and people didn’t hide the fact they still ate opossum . So…. where do we begin to describe this thing we’re afraid of losing ? are all of us going to lose our culture or just a select group ?  will I ever get the clarity I seek ?

Seems to me the only true and pure American culture is scraped up by a tongue depressor and let’s all hope it doesn’t require antibiotics ….

There’s a guy on my street that writes, even publishes a series of whimsical magical stories about time travel . The main characters in those stories enter a device similar to the Wayback Machine used by cartoon characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman to go back into time in order to change history for the better. I don’t have a Wayback Machine but I still find myself transported back in time on occasion and perhaps more so as of late . There may well be parts of my own history worthy of erasing but on the whole my time travels are merely a desire to relive something I wouldn’t ever want to change .

We found some fly fishing rods and trout fly tying materials at a garage sale recently and as I looked them over I realized they were my Wayback Machine bringing me back to hot summer days when with the joy of a truant school child I’d occasionally sacrifice a Bricklayers days wage to hunt brook trout on an icy cold crystal clear mountain stream. The mountain spring fed Mad River would see few anglers on those extremely warm midweek July days creating my own personal playground and giving me a day worth both the memory and every penny of that lost days pay . I’m not so sure I’d remember those lost days pay but I do recall vividly water so clear that all the colors of individual pebbles could be easily viewed at the bottoms of even the deepest pools . And darting flashes in the water so quick I wasn’t sure if I’d actually seen a flash or not. That could only be my prey racing out from his hiding spot after an insect floating by .

Trout around the world choose to live in the most beautiful places and the location of those impromptu days off all those years ago is one of them . Or so I hope still is as I’m sure that after all these years the little valley has seen more development with weekend cabins , or even condo’s crowding the little stream . One day winding my way through the trees to a spot I knew held a favored trout hide out I walked almost head on into a deer. It startled us both and I can only imagine he was old and deaf to have been caught off guard before flashing away as quick as a trout . On another occasion a healthy appearing tree simply quit and suddenly and silently laid down across the stream to block my down stream path, the only sound being the splash .

Some people don’t get fly fishing for trout and think it a bore and I’m more than happy to let them believe that . The more of them that chase their little balls around the course with a stick can only mean fewer people to share the stream side with on the hunt for those beautiful swimming little gems . The former publisher of Esqure Magazine , Arnold Gingrich understood and he nailed it when he was quoted in 1969 as saying

” A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it .”

I told the wife that the fly rods would have great resale value and so she urged the purchase . In fact I didn’t tell a lie but shall admit here now that the resale value isn’t really the reason for the purchase at all. I just wanted to have them for a while to use as my very own key to the door of the Wayback Machine ….

I’d never actually heard a complaint about St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital until a week or so ago when I brought the topic up in response to another one of those “America is in the toilet” statements someone offered in conversation .

” I heard they treat illegals for free and Americans go broke while taking their kids there ”

In all honesty I’d never given a thought to St. Judes stance on immigration or any other political issue , or even if they had any position on anything at all apart from the eradication of childhood disease . As he droned on I stood there thinking that we must be running pretty low on things to attack here in America if even St. Judes is fair game and that perhaps someone should plant a Harris / Walz sign in front of the hospital so that the local Sheriff could take note …  I thought I’d take a closer look.

Kroger, the food store chain that is quite similar to multitudes of other large corporations enjoying their large tax cuts given them a few years past has to date raked in 1.4 Billion dollars in U.S. currency this year. That brings them pretty close to doubling last years tally to the delight of all of Krogers stock holders that are seeing larger dividends even though they can’t stop whining about how expensive things have become due to “inflation” …. funny how that works . I’m sure that a lot of this success is due to the efforts of Krogers CEO who’s efforts earned him an annual payment this year that’s whistling in at “15.7 million” dollars in U.S. currency . Surely that just can’t be fair considering it’s an 18% drop from his salary the year previous when Krogers profits were only half of this years .

Did you know the average donation from rich or poor given to St. Judes Childrens Hospital is $43 bucks while the average from those involved in the Partner in Hope program is a monthly payment of $25.00 ? …. yup , that’s $300 dollars a year mostly from those who have to scratch for it in order to give it. And give they did as St. Judes has received donations to the point that it has stockpiled enough cash that as of the present it could operate for 4 1/2 years with out a single donation more. And that’s where the complaints start and there are those calling for an investigation and more transparency even though you may look up St. Judes common knowledge financials at any time, including the CEO’s annual salary of $1.3 million .

Now it seems there are some that feel that St. Judes could afford to cover other sundry costs that those unfortunate parents accumulate while taking time from work while their children receive life saving treatment … like car payments and rent . As St. Judes isn’t burdened with stock dividend pay outs and income tax perhaps they could . But so could Krogers along with so many other corporations that are now bringing investigations upon themselves for price gouging for the benefit of those who don’t need any help at all with the rent or car payments .

The wife pay’s little attention to what I write here and that’s just as well as I sometimes mention something about her . But once in a while she is a little curious ….

” Have you been writing anything funny on your blog ? ” she asked this morning

” No , what the hell has there been that’s even remotely humorous to write about lately ? ” was my response

” You make people at the yard sales laugh every time ” she said

And she’e right, I do. I make people laugh in public . And so I ask her what is the response I get every time someone asks ” How’s it going ? ” and I tell them … ” Terrible ”

” They laugh ” she says . And she’s right again . Tell someone you’re miserable and it will bring a smile to their face every single time.

So I guess in effort of some form of humor I could tell the story about $ 8,500 in medical insurance co-pay over the past 5 months along with the washing machine gasping it’s last breath, or the burst water heater and the cracked toilet tank . With great fortune the very strange and loud noises coming from the refrigerator ceased , at least for now , only to be offset by the A/C in the F 150 going belly up . Then the rollers on the sliding patio door ….. stopped rolling .

” There you go Hon …. that should have the readers rolling in the aisles ”

But she wasn’t listening as she was busy placing the lid over tonight’s slow cooked meal just in time to catch the the latest version of a Colombian soap opera that starts today . And so I headed out to the local ABC LIQUOR STORE to pick up my supply of Six a Day Multi Vitamins and on the way there I spied a LOST DOG sign attached to one of the neighborhood stop signs and In short order I stood in line at the ABC to listen to the man two people ahead mention to the cashier …

” They’re eating dogs … can you believe this shit ? frigging immigrants are eating dogs ! ” … says he

I thought about what he’d said just a few minutes later as I passed that LOST DOG sign again on the way home …. Jesus …please , don’t let it be true . I arrived back home just in time to catch the wife using a commercial break to spoon a taste test of tonight’s supper to her lips and I nervously moved in close . Now the wife has long maintained that since I had the Covid I’ve lost a great deal of my olfactory senses and perhaps that’s true . But I will stand by this …
….. I swear to Christ there wasn’t even a subtle hint of the aroma of Labrador on her immigrant breath ….

If only this was funny ….

I recently found a few old photos from my childhood that I didn’t even realize I still had . It got me thinking that somewhere in one of the family members basement are a couple of large boxes filled with family history going back to the 1930’s . In albums and loose those boxes hold hundreds of photo’s that cover memories of past places visited near and far , homes lived in , family and friends . And events the likes of Christmas and birthdays, men in uniform , pet dogs and old cars . I haven’t seen all those photos in quite a long time now but I still remember them all and each and every smiling happy face in them . I remember them as … normal.

A nearby neighbor just dropped a visiting Grand Kid off at the airport after the annual three week visit from out of state and then came to indulge a free beer. We don’t broach the topics much but he does try with subtle hints as to what he wants to talk about …..

” Ya know Rich, the Dems are trying to brand Republicans as weird …. whatta load of shit . I really think it is Democrats that are the weird ones .”

This was this weeks bait and I let it pass, after all, who the hell am I to say …. maybe he’s right ….. or not. But it got me thinking again of those large boxes filled with family photos and memories . I wondered about what his Grand Kid might think thirty five years from now when Grandma and Grandpa have passed and he searches through all those pics saved on USB memory sticks . Will he look at the pics of Grandma and Grandpa at large rallies of red hat wearing crowds with tampons on their ears ? Will he view them holding little jars of fake J.D. Vance semen and understand ?

Will he view Grandma wearing a “Trump can Grab my Pussy” T shirt ? and ….

will he remember them as … normal ?

David Dempsey was just recently given a 22 year sentence for crimes he committed on January 6, 2021

Dempsey used poles and boards and even his feet in his attack of Police Officers at the Capitol building that day and cracked the face shield of one and used pepper spray on others in his violent attack .There were many like him on that ugly stain of a day in American history . Like the asshole Peter Schwartz who drove a tazer into the neck of Officer Michael Fanone during Fanone’s defense of our Capitol. Or Thomas Webster , a retired NYPD Officer who attempted to gouge the eyes out of another Capitol defender among hundreds of others including organized militia members who were “urged” to be there to wreak havoc .

I bring this up as there are people currently running for election and even members presently involved in our Government who call these people … “patriots” … and attempt to honor them with the title of “political prisoners” while hinting they should be pardoned their crimes . Those same people, those same members of political leadership will now with out shame denigrate the 24 years of military service of a man who rose from PFC to Governor of his state . Was it something he said ? stolen valor you say for using weasel words to enhance his image ? …. well now, that doesn’t portray a very good image does it ?

Ron DeSantis ran a lackluster campaign for the Presidency of the United States over a nine month period recently with little mention of his military service . He did run a much better election campaign a few years ago in a successful bid to become Governor where we here in Florida were bombarded by one TV ad in particular. It showed a photo of our Governor to be all kitted out in cammo and body armor while holding an M4 carbine as we listened to …..

” Ron Desantis worked closely with Navy Seal Teams while in Iraq ”

That portrays a pretty strong image of a door kicking hard charging warrior doesn’t it ? Especially when it was followed up by …. ” I’m Ron DeSantis and I approve this message ” .

The fact is that the “working closely with the Navy Seals” was while in the position of a lawyer advising them of the law while seated at a desk . But that would have seemed a rather mundane image don’t you think ? Appears to me most everyone will use some weasel words to embellish their image a little but it’s only important when the other side does it . ….

So now we live in the world of rioters and looters given the title of Patriots while 24 years of public service will earn you the title of Tampon Tim … now that’s funny considering that recently large groups of those that would call him that were viewed at the Republican National Convention wearing Maxi Pads on their right ears in smiling adulation of the man who’s insulted and denigrated anyone who’s ever worn a uniform . I thought that portrayed a pretty strong image as well.

Oh … I almost forgot … David Dempsey and his fellow rioters . I hope they complete their sentences in full as no one will convince me they are worthy of any other title than criminal. The same title as anyone who might set them free

Have you ever noticed how the good things always seem to have a price ? I’m not talking about the differences between Starbucks and Burger King coffee I’m talking about something just a wee less tangible . My Doctor diagnosed me with nocturia because I would awake once a night to relieve myself and go back to bed. Nocturia ?? horseshit … in laymans terms it’s called a six pack . The blood pressure medicine prescribed by that Doctor certainly reduced the blood pressure levels down to enviable levels but it is combined with another ingredient to help flush fluids as I had some swelling near the ankles . And that too has been a wonderful success story. The price is that flushing fluids means getting up in the night three times to relieve myself and that’s not a six pack… in laymans terms that’s nocturia .

Bought an inexpensive water heater with a six year warranty just under twelve years ago and that was a pretty good bang for the buck until the price of that good fortune required payment in full on Saturday night. That’s when the inevitable chose its time to occur and 40 gallons of hot water made it’s mad dash for freedom . Ever the glutton for punishment I’ve just installed another cheapo 6 year warranty … hope it lasts .

A few months back the dashboard on the F 150 flashed a warning light and sounded a little ding dong tune warning me the rear left door was ajar and no matter how hard that door got slammed, the warning remained. Research indicates that a replacement wiring harness inside the door is required with the four new electrical connection points . So the part was ordered and upon taking the door panel off and removing the harness it was discovered my rear door has 5 connection points and so that project has been put on hold . Start the truck and listen to the ding dong tune that won’t go away until pressing a reset button leaving only the orange open door warning light leering from the dash has become the norm for awhile .

The other night for the first time in months I managed a sound sleep with out the need to wake up for relief . Right up until 2:30 a.m. when I was awakened by what I thought was the very loud thunder and lightening that was going on. It wasn’t, it was the very loud F150 alarm system . BEEP BEEP BEEP and flashing lights until I stumbled around to locate the keys . Not sure what caused this nor how long all this was going on but all the neighbors homes had their lights on. Now in complete reversal of my usual fortune the Door Ajar warning no longer comes on and all seems well …. hope it lasts .

Do you remember the first car you rode in or perhaps your families first car? For me it was my Grandfathers car which I believe was a pre war British Morris with spoke wheels and running boards and painted black . The large chrome headlights sat atop the very curvaceous fenders and the name that car was given by my Grandmother was Annabelle . Automobile ownership was not that common in Britain at that time and in all his life I believe Grandad owned two and only for brief periods of time . Annabelle was our escape from the city to visit my Uncle who was a soldier at Windsor Castle or better yet, to journey to The Dark Country .

The Dark Country was named such by my Grandfather as it was some of the last wooded area’s in England and the branches of the tree’s blocked the sun making the narrow country lanes appear quite dark even on the somewhat rare sunny days . On the way to the Dark Country we would stop and visit old long past Gypsy camp sites my Grandfather once knew and picnic on the side of the road wherever cows or sheep might be near. Annabelle had been modified by a copper tube that ran from the radiator to coil up under the dash to provide heat. My Grandmother used it to reheat hard boiled eggs for the journey’s mid morning snack while telling stories of life during WWII .

I’ve had plenty of time to catch up on my reading as of late due to the seemingly endless periods of time spent in the waiting rooms of medical facilities. The most recent was a surgery center where the wife underwent yet another procedure and as waiting rooms no longer offer the entertainment of a stack of magazines I snagged a book off my book case to peruse while spending a couple of hours surrounded by phone users. The two hours with that book brought back once again a near lifetime of memories . Like the memories of the untold hours I’ve joyfully invested in obscure and dusty old used book stores around the globe where this book followed me home from and pleasant half hours choosing the evenings entertainment at Blockbusters video . The book that I took with me in order to shield myself from technology was written by a once famous travel writer and I’ve collected his writings since my first encounter with his works.

“In Search of England” by H.V. Morton was written in 1927 about the authors wandering around the English countryside in an automobile to visit places I myself have familiarity with though during the period of time of my Grandfathers younger days . Auto travel in 1927 required the spirit of the pioneer and I was captivated by his story . In the second chapter he describes his experience of witnessing the sad goodbyes and departure of a cruise liner from the docks of Southampton . Southampton was known as the City of Goodbye’s due to the amount of ships that took untold amounts of tourists and immigrants away from their homes and family. My Mother and I boarded a Cunard Line ship, the original RMS Queen Elizabeth on the very same dock that Mr. Morton described in that second chapter and left my Grandparents waving goodbye as we began our five day voyage to New York Harbor.

I recently found a web site with archived passenger lists of the Cunard line ships of the time that left that port . I searched the alphabetical listings for my Mother and I and to my surprise I found my Mother listed under her maiden name though she had been married for years and no mention of me at all. I still have the old passport with the departure and arrival stamps that are two days off of the official archived departures and arrival dates of that famous ship …. but I’m pretty sure I was on that vessel as I can remember it still. And I know … I just know…. I wasn’t an illegal stowaway …. at least I think that I know… that maybe I wasn’t …..

and on that note perhaps I might be one of the earliest Dreamer Kids there are and some fellow Americans would probably like to send me home ….

and I might just be ready

I know a guy retired from 20+ years in Naval Intelligence who once remarked that had he ever so much as mislayed , hidden , lost or out right stolen a Confidential or higher document it would have resulted in jail time . And that’s the way it should be with no immunity in exchange for 20+ years of ” loyal ” service to the United States he says. Early this morning he made comment of the release of U.S. prisoners in Russia and in a half joking manner mentioned …..   ” When is Trump going to take credit for this one ? ”

I parroted this remark about Trump taking credit for this to a friend this afternoon and just a couple hours later read a statement made to CNN by wanna be Vice President  J.D. Vance regarding those prisoners release .

Permit me to quote Mr. Vance …..

” We certainly want Americans to come back home … But we have to ask ourselves , why are they coming home? And I think it’s bad guys all over the world recognize Donald Trumps about to be back in office so they are cleaning house. And that is a good thing and I think it is a testament to Donald Trumps strength . “

… that is as quoted to CNN

This kind of reminds me of the TV campaign ads nine months prior to the last election depicting riots and looting that took place nine months prior to that with the comment ….

This is Biden’s America …..

an awful lot of Americans swallowed that jizz … just like they will right now

” Are you a lefty ? ” she wanted to know and I immediately responded with

” No, I’m a righty but I set up my fishing poles like a lefty would and oddly I can only ride a bike one handed safely and with dexterity using the left hand ”

” That’s not what I meant … Why do you never criticize Biden on your blog , only Trump? ”

Ya know, that’s the first time anyone that reads this drivel has asked me that question face to face and you know what? …. it’s a pretty fair question, or pair of questions actually, and both worthy of an answer or two . First off, just because I think Robin Hood was right doesn’t necessarily make me a Lefty … I mean in theory how do you expect to convince me that robbing from the poor to give to the rich is better than vice versa ? That’s not a trick question though likely one only understood by those who aren’t rich ……

She’s correct . I have never criticized Biden as much as he deserved . For sure he sucked at the border and he wasted far too much effort pandering to minorities or women and gays while offering special preference to those that might be all three of the above at the same time. Nor do I think he was correct in paying off the education you purchased unless he’s willing to pay for the new F150 I can’t afford. ( how am I doing so far Hon ?) But that doesn’t really answer the main question does it ? Why do I criticize Trump more than Biden ?

It’s simple. I dislike Biden and always viewed him as a speed bump that we would drive over and then continue on down the road  and I’m not particularly unhappy to see him go. On the other hand I absolutely despise Trump and view him as as a N.Y. City slick that took us all for chumps and in contrast to being a speed bump he’s a wall to crash into at high speed . Sorry , I simply need more than someone with nothing more to offer than telling me how bad Democrats are. I can figure that out all by myself and the promise of deportations of millions sounds great …. but is that all there is? Dem’s suck and mass deportations will make America Great Again ?

I want the man to stand trial for stealing Confidential and Secret documents from the people of the United States which put us all in jeopardy ….. just like any other American that committed that very same crime would have to ….. and in fact have and are presently serving sentence  for

That would be the first important step to making America Great Again

Winter had just about finished its ugliness when the first rifle competition of the season began and it was cold and uncomfortably damp during the entire day. NRA High Power Across the Course rifle matches are shot standing , sitting and laying on the belly in the prone position at 200, 300, and 600 yards and often divided into two groups that are permitted to shoot the same match together under one of two classifications. Service Rifle and Match Rifle .

Service Rifle competitors at the time were known as Mud Gunners as they adhered to the unwritten rule that once you’ve agreed to start the rifle match you will complete the full course of fire regardless of any changes in the weather. Foolishness or otherwise I’ve been on the firing line with brother Mud Gunners blowing snow off the rifle sights or laying prone in a puddle in the pouring rain . On this day we had finally got to the last stage and geared up for the 600 yard leg . Here we’re given twenty minutes to shoot twenty rounds . After each shot the target frame drops down into the pit and the operator marks the location of the hit and chalks the score on the side and sends the target frame back up to be shot again.

It would seem quite evident that in order to hit a target you’d need to see it . On this day a thick fog floated a few feet off the ground at just the perfect height to obscure the aiming black of the 600 yard targets . Twenty four competitors lay there silent with no visible target and hoping the fog would rise as the clock ticked precious time away. Suddenly the man next to me took a shot and his target dropped to come back up marked a hit in the 10 ring . One minute later his second shot came up a perfect center X ring. The old guy was obviously on to something and he caught me looking at him in askance and so offered some wisdom to a relative beginner …

” Can you see the lower left corner of your target stand ? ” he asked and I replied

“That’s all I can see.”

” Do you know the dimensions of a target stand ? ” and I did .

“They are 72inches x 72 inches”

” Aim at what you can see and adjust your rifle sights accordingly. ”

The old guy was truly experienced and I learned a lot during those twenty minutes. We were top scorers on the 600 yard leg that day and walked away tall to the befuddlement of the other 22 competitors .

A recent assassination attempt using the same type rifle we used then was made on a political candidate and immediately irresponsible political leaders bellowed their ” belief” to the “news” that this was ordered by a sitting U.S. President . A loyal follower of such poor leadership came by to parrot his same “belief” to see how I felt and all I could think was …..

Where the hell were the Mud Gunners on the grassy knoll when you needed them most ?

It’s a simple question I suppose and the first time I ever heard it so long ago I had no idea how relevant it would be to a mans life. A simple question that that could have been a warning of what lie ahead if only I’d taken heed. And not just just for me, but a large part of the male population of the world. The very first time I heard it was on a black and white television as back then there were things that were quite simply, as simple as black and white .

The three Stooges used the line numerous times in their long running slapstick comedy that I enjoyed so much as a kid and in one of the famous shorts by the trio Moe Howard played a door to door census taker asking the resident of a home that important question ….

” Are you married or happy ? ”

The wife takes a break from ceaseless nagging for an hour or so once a week while she becomes engrossed in one of her other fetishes . Toenails. Yep she has this thing about toenails and puts great effort into hers religiously every single week. The significance of this was lost on me 30 odd years ago when I dropped a 4 1/2 lb. brick right on top of the nail of the large toe of the left foot. After it stopped being black a slight discoloration appeared on one side and over the course of time this discoloration spread across the nail to become a classic case of toe nail fungal discoloration. I’ve heard about this nail at least once every single day of married life since then as it is obviously a source of angst to her with the nail fetish. Then one day the same discoloration began on the nail of the big toe on the other foot creating a matching pair to effectively double the nagging about it to the point of forcing me to rarely remove a sock in the house. I frequently consider leaving them on even in the shower , out of sight out of mind.

On our last trip to South America while attempting to either kick the cat or the large cockroach it was chasing I stubbed the right toe and that burl wood looking nail came right off in its entirety both complete and intact. I immediately painted the top of the toe with an anti fungal cream for two days and now five months later the nail has grown back to near full length both pink and happy and as healthy as all it’s neighbors are on the same foot. Logic , should it actually exist, would dictate this might cut the nagging … well at least the toe nail nagging …. in half. But that is not the case .

So Moe, Larry and Curly … were you wise beyond your years ?

” Soitenly”

There is definitely a change in the air here in Florida . Time was that for a certain period every year the thick sweet fragrance of orange blossoms wafted through the entire area where I live. I couldn’t help but notice its annual arrival for two decades and now I can’t say I’ve noticed it in two years . Perhaps it’s still there but is now being overpowered by something else that seems to hold a bit more prevalence in the air here in my Florida town. Polite people would refer to the aroma as sewerage , I simply call it the stench of human shit and it comes and goes all over town . Perhaps our amenities are being overtaxed due to a population explosion unprecedented. But that belongs in another story .

There are those in the state of Florida that would like to reverse some of the man made harms and some that don’t. Some counties and municipalities have placed bans for instance on single use plastics the likes of water bottles and plastic bags that can be found along the edges of just about every body of water in the state . Right on cue a State Representative from New Port Richey introduced a bill that would prohibit these bans ….. sort of a ban on bans if you will . I’m not sure what that Representative thinks about the new law just signed in by our Governor but it sure seems they aren’t on the same page .

Under House Bill 321 the State of Florida has now banned the intentional release of balloons into the air under threat of fines . The fear is these balloons might find themselves coming down into the ocean that Florida rely’s on so heavily as a tourist attraction . Please note that children under the age of six are exempt from these fines . I suppose that if you are in a circle and want to get out any step you make will be in the right direction . I know that I’m feeling more comfortable already in the knowledge that the next time I visit the beach covered by dead fish , algae and red tide I will likely see a lot less deflated balloons among it all .

Got up the other morning with a cold , back of the eyes hurt as did the throat , classic runny nose. I’m betting it was picked up in one of the numerous medical facilities the wife and I have been frequenting lately. After all the seemingly endless Doctors visits and procedures the wife and I have gone through over the past three months this little case of the sniffles seemed almost pleasant. In fact I actually had reason to enjoy my cold even more when a nearby neighbor asked me to come over and offer some advice on an upcoming needed home repair. I don’t know about you but my belief in science and medicine has remained unshaken even though I may have a bone of contention over how it gets distributed.

Johns Hopkins Medical for instance describes the spread of a common cold thus ….

The common cold is very easily spread to others. It’s often spread through airborne droplets that are coughed or sneezed into the air by the sick person. The droplets are then inhaled by another person. Colds can also be spread when a sick person touches you or a surface (like a doorknob) that you then touch.

Seems the neighbors must have read that very same report and paid heed and why should they not ? He and his misses hinted quite clearly that they seem to be easily victimized by colds and perhaps I should have been a bit more courteous and explained the situation before entering their home to spread my contagions around. In all fairness I must admit that they are probably correct. To be fairer still I guess I never really thought it would be an issue with a couple that loudly believed that masks and social distancing during a pandemic were merely an ineffective political grandstand. Guess it all comes down to who we allow to direct their marketing towards us …..

I’m betting that if the vaccine manufacturers had promoted their products in a Mossy Oak Camo or Tactical version with displays at the Tractor Supply checkout things might have been a little different and covid deaths might just have been a little less partisan ….

Just this past week I related to a friend a story of my past that I would normally not mention and I’m now thinking that I likely jinxed myself by telling it . That story was about a minor surgery I once had some four decades ago which resulted in my usually urinating in two very distinct streams at the same time. One to the left of me the other to the right .

There… it’s out now and everyone knows . I’ll tell ya this did force some changes in style as you might well imagine, depending of course on how powerful the need to go is . So when I “really do” have a need to go it’s prudent to either choose which stream hit’s the target, stand sideways to an elongated style toilet bowl… or just drop my pants and sit .

Recently, along with my newly needed blood pressure medicine the Dr. also prescribed some kind of “water pill” that is meant to cause an increase in the frequency of urination to help the body rid itself of unwanted salts . I did try to explain that I’m a beer drinker but that fell upon deaf ears . Now instead of waking only once in the middle of a sound sleep to relieve myself I’m at it three times a night . Like last night ….

I had to install a new toilet today and in fact have just returned from the trash dump where I dropped the cardboard boxes it came in along with the old toilet. Deep into last night and on the third trip I sat in the dark and upon completing a double spreader into the oval office I attempted to stand up rather quickly only to have my underpants catch the end of the seat . Being quickly catapulted back to seating my back struck the toilet tank with enough force to crack it at the mounting bolts with the sound of water trickling to the floor making me want to go yet again ….

If you waited in line in the 110 degree heat of Las Vegas to hear Donald Trump speak the other day and listened to this and still believe this man is capable of being your leader …..

“…and it must be because of MIT, my relationship to MIT very smart. Because I say what would happen if the boat sank from its weight and you’re in the boat and you have this tremendously powerful battery and the battery is now under water and there’s a shark that’s approximately ten yards over there by the way lot of shark attacks lately notice that lot of shark attacks I watched some guys justifying it today. WELL THEY WEREN’T REALLY THAT ANGRY THEY BIT OFF THE THE YOUNG LADY’S LEG BECAUSE of the fact that they were they were not hungry but they misunderstood what sushi was these people are great he said there’s no problem with sharks they just didn’t really understand a young woman’s swimming now we really got decimated in other people too a lotta sharks so I said THERE’S A SHARK TEN YARDS AWAY from the boat TEN YARDS over here do I get electrocuted if the boat is sinking water goes over the battery the boat is sinking do I stay on top of the boat and get electrocuted or do I jump over by the shark and not get electrocuted because I will tell you he didn’t know the answer he said you know nobody has ever asked me that question I said I think it’s a good question I think there’s a lot of electric current coming through that water but you know what I’d do if there’s a shark or you get electrocuted I’ll take electrocution every single time I’M NOT GETTING NEAR THE SHARK so we can end that we can end it for boats we’re gonna end it for trucks…”

….. then you just might be a cult member ….. and you deserve it

It’s becoming apparent to me that whenever “logic dictates” …. it aint logic that’s doing the dictating . I recall Sept. 2017 when Hurricane Irma caused a five day power outage during which my local county Government put a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages and placed a night time curfew . Their thought being that people would be bored , get drunk and hurt themselves or others . At the same time that I couldn’t buy a beer I was allowed to purchase firearms and ammo at any of the local gun shops as they were deemed an essential service and remained open. Seems that logic was dictating that a six gun was less hazardous to myself and others than a six pack. Personally I held to the completely illogical thought that as I already had a gun a cold beer after a day of hurricane debris cleanup was a tad more on the essential side .

I do understand the gun owners feelings towards closing that gun store in that it would be a terrible infringement on their rights and freedoms . I once heard someone say …..

“It’s called freedom, Stupid” …

… and by God that word freedom is now the be all end all word that will finish any argument whether it be over gun rights or spreading infectious diseases . Now, it may well be that gun owners might notice me standing with them on their issue but what I noticed back then was that not one gun owner stood with me when my freedoms as a responsible beer drinker were infringed and I was forced to drive perilous roads to get my beverages in the next county .

This was all brought to mind recently when I read all the items that would not be allowed into the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in order to keep the public safe . Untold amounts of items from coolers to metal water bottles , shovels , water pistols….even tennis balls are to be banned entry into the security area of the Republican National Convention . Should you attend you will be permitted however , to carry your favorite locked and loaded semi automatic rifle or sidearm. And as the man said …..

“It’s called freedom, Stupid”

And that may well be so . But for me…. I will never feel free while I live in a nation where I can’t carry my tennis ball anywhere I want …. whether it’s loaded or not ….

I guess I’m just a plain old regular lucky guy . No .. I mean it. Right now I’m awaiting the delivery of a new washing machine only 24 hours after its predecessor spun its very last spin . No one else in town could get me one within 6 days except Lowes and Lowes tracking tells me Miguel the delivery guy is only four stops away . Feeling lucky however doesn’t stop me praying to Christ that this doesn’t turn into one of my usual stories …

I don’t know if you’ve ever been married to a Colombian woman who’s feeling poorly or not but I certainly do know that I have . At the risk of generalizing I will lay claim to what I believe a simple fact of experience . If she feels poorly then by God it’s important that you do too. Like yesterday . And feeling poorly was just the tip of the iceberg as half way through her all day slow cook South American bean recipe our wonderfull 24 year old Crock Pot decided retirement from service needed to be right then . In failed attempt to smooth things out I ordered a new slow cooker from Amazon to be delivered in three days before beating a hasty retreat to garage.

Six minutes of joyous lonely bliss in the garage where the washing machine resides and I suddenly stood mid stream like a Northern trout fisherman as the fluid contents of a once operational washing machine headed for the door and the non fluids remained unfinished. A quick online search showed Lowes to be my only saving grace with a chance at one with in 24 hrs.

I guess I’ll head out to the garage now to await the arrival of Miguel the delivery driver ….
or maybe another story to tell

Anybody here remember when the United States invaded Iraq ? … I do
It was March 20, 2003 and there is no need now to get into why our nation invaded that country ….

Anybody here remember when the United States began rebuilding Iraq’s destroyed infrastructure ? … I do

It was less than 100 days after we started bombing Iraq that U.S. owned Haliburton and it’s subsidaries were busy restoring it’s bombed and destroyed infrastructure . I remember clearly to this day how boastful we were that the United States had the capability of quickly restoring infrastructure to that decimated area half way around the globe. Five months after being bombed out entire areas of Baghdad were up and running again .

Anybody here remember when Hurricane Ian struck Florida ? ….. I do

It was September 28, 2022 and I was reminded of that terrible day just this morning of May 29, 2024 .

The wife wife and I were asked if we could help an elderly remove and store all the items on the walls of her condominium . Seems the construction crews are finally coming to begin the repairs to her building incurred during that hurricane just under two years ago . Roof repairs started just yesterday and hopefully soon contracters will arrive to tear out the walls and ceilings damaged by water entry to the interior some 21 months past .

The news is lately filled with story’s of recent tornado devastation out west and I wish those poor victims a quicker recovery than many here in Florida . I hope their Governors find better use of their funds than those of the governor of Florida who spends our dollars sending Venezuelans in Texas to Nantucket and drones and body armor to Israel . Or repatriation back to the US for Israeli citizens who used to be Americans a decade or so past ….. while citizens of Florida who voted for him still wait for help 21 months later  …..

not so boastful now are we ? …..  nor should we be

Not only do I remember … I don’t forget. And neither should you ….

We pulled up to the banks drive up window yesterday so the wife could cash a check and I wanted to withdraw some ready cash for the weekend and were told ….

” We’re sorry Sir but our system is down and we can’t perform any transactions right now ”

“Well OK”  I said and so drove off with the plan of a next day return all the while bitchin about the endless glitchin modern tech seems to throw our way . The next day we attended a Doctors appointment for the wife where the question arose as it has every single time we’ve ever visited a Doctor ….

” Is Wallgreens still your pharmacy of choice ? ” and so for the fourteenth time we explained to nurses and office staff that ” NO” it is not. Nor will it ever be again . Not only is Walgreens a Corporate that exists soley to provide stock holders their sustenance … they suck at what they do. We’ve endured excrutiatingly long lines there on more than one occasion for a prescription that is two days late only to get home and open the package of pills that looks uncannily like a tube of medicated skin cream .

Fortunately we discovered a Mom and Pop pharmacy that is incredibly quick and efficient. Harbor View Pharmacy in Port Charlotte Fl. is owned by an immigrant couple who came here to America in order to show us all how to do it right . Just last week I left the Doctors office and got in the vehicle to find I had received a phone message from them to say they were getting my prescription ready .

Today as we drove to the bank after the Doctors appointment her phone rang to inform we could already pick up her new prescription and so we quickly detoured . But she was a little dubious as it didn’t sound like the same place and the phone number looked funny . At our local Harbor View Pharmacy we were informed that no prescription was called in for her and so I called the number that called to inform us her prescription was ready and it was affirmed yet again that we could come by and pick it up any time .

” Where are you located ? ” I wanted to know.

” We’re on East Lake Ave. close to the corner of Lynn St. Sir ”

” What town ? ”

” Well … Seattle Sir ”  …..     and this forced me to cancel the prescription with the explanation that it was unlikely we could get there before she needed it . Turns out that Harbor View Long Care Pharmacy of Seattle Washington is just as quick and efficent as our own beloved local Harbor View Pharmacy . We detoured again and went back to the Doctors to rectify yet another glitch before finally making it to the bank where we were informed for the second day in a row ….

” We’re sorry Sir but our system is down and we can’t perform any transactions right now “