'Twas the night before Christmas

Watch full screen with sound if possible

Sugar Plums

Merry Christmas, My Friends!

Figgy pudding

I doubt there has been a bluegrass band that hasn't played this classic Salty Dog Blues at one time or another.

On the way home from rehab last Tuesday Carolyn nearly hit another deer.

I am off from rehab for a couple weeks. The soreness in my knee is keeping me from doing anywhere near my best. It is keeping me from using the cane except on a few days when it isn't so bad. The knee is still not straight but I am working on it.

Carolyn fell while at work Friday morning. I think she has a sprained clavicord with possible complications.

Carolyn all of a sudden decided to make candy for the family for Christmas. Chocolate, peanut butter, and a mix of the two. Delicious.

I am down to 223 lbs from a high of 278 lbs two years ago.

Need to buy tires for the Escape and do some more work on it. Leak from oil pan and tranny fluid needs changing.

Walkin' and talkin'

Mason is walking and Sammy is talking

Shiny tinsel

Old time Christmas card

My first Christmas which I can remember is one where I overturned the Christmas tree. I was probably three or four years old and my uncles had gone into the fields and brought back the top out of a red cedar tree. It was as tall as our ceiling and I remember it was decorated with glittery tinsel and shiny red and green cellophane garlands which were common in those days. It also had colored lights on it that were fairly good size and got hot enough to burn a little boy’s skin when he grabbed hold of one. The bulbs were all the time burning out and my mom kept a supply of replacements on hand. Flashing lights were unheard of in homes unless the people were filthy rich. I recall that one day after a few presents had appeared beneath the tree that I could not stay away from it. I was warned many times about messing with the tree but most of the admonishments bounced off my ears and I was soon deep under the branches looking at the pretty paper on the packages. Sure enough I made a wrong move and the entire tree with ornaments, decorations, lights, and glittery tinsel tumbled over. I was unhurt but scared of consequences such as being listed as naughty by Santa and not getting any presents on Christmas or by getting a spanking. Naturally I began crying and my mother came in and scolded me which made me cry worse and soon she was hugging me and wiping away tears. Yep, I owned her. She made me sit in a chair while she and my uncles returned the the tree to upright and redid the decorations, including lots more shiny tinsel. I had sense enough not to mess with the tree anymore and my family had sense enough not to put any more wrapped packages under it until Santa Claus came. Neither of us wanted to get the jolly old elf putting coal in our stockings. I don’t recall any of the presents and toys I received that year or most other of my young years however I am sure that being the spoiled only child I got well more than my share.

My mom used to read me this story several time before Christmas each year. It is very possible it was from the same book which is used here because I seem to remember some of these illustrations.

Merry Christmas!

Warriors of peace

I have been fortunate enough to live in an era when some great and wise men took control and led their people to a higher way of life. The three I remember most are Mohandas Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela. All three lead demonstrated that civil disobedience is more powerful than any police state. Although Mandela used some sabotage in his early struggle against apartheid South Africa, all three men are known and revered as men of peace. Sadly, people like this come only rarely. Yes, I am glad to have breathed the same air that they breathed.

Sammy and Mason will have a brother whom is due to be born in February.

Have a great Thursday!

Always a song to sing

I well remember the day the music died. However, it has died and been resurrected many times since Buddy Holly’s untimely death in 1959. Actually, the music never dies; it has an underlying heartbeat which cannot be stilled until the last person who can hear it and feel it is gone from this earth. Singers and musicians only translate what the deep music is telling them and every living soul has a different song to sing. What is your soul song?

It seems I am to be a great-grandpa again. I hope this one is a girl.

Damn, I dislike winter.

I hope my Lady Vols and Mark’s Uconn Huskies restart their rivalry. Uconn is at the height of their success and are the major test for any other women’s basketball team. The Lady Vols are no match for the Huskies at present but things between the teams seem to even out over time.

Have a Tuesday!

Happy Birthday, Keegan

The boys are growing faster than I am prepared to cope with. Mason is ten months old and has  just two teeth yet he is taking his first steps. Sammy has his first little-boy haircut and looks like a little man.

We have been renting our modem from the cable company but it went bad Saturday. Carolyn tried several times to contact customer service but was put on hold until she gave up. We finally sent JJ to Wal-Mart to get a new one and it works much faster than did the old one.

Rainy, cold days in the hills. I hate the gloom of winter more than I dislike the cold.

Not doing much blogging lately; sore and stiff fingers are discouraging.

My rehab is winding down with only a few weeks to go … if that much. I am reaching a point where I am not gaining. The knee is still ten degrees from straight but it will be up to me to get the remainder done.

I hope Carolyn finds time to take the boys to see all the Christmas lights at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Have a great week, my friends.

Classic Thanksgiving song for Fred and Alice

Happy Thanksgiving Alice and everyone!

Winter week

When I came home from rehab on Friday, I heard a robin singing. There are still a few robins around but this is the first time I’ve heard on sing in winter. Makes me homesick for spring.

Ran out of medicine over the weekend and along with cold, damp weather, it is making me sore and stiff. Hope I am improved before going to rehab tomorrow. I am writing this post trying to loosen my finger joints a bit.

My internet is very slow today. It must be molasses powered and the cold has it too thick to run through the wiring.

Will Comet Ison be eaten by the Sun? Stay tuned on Nov., 28 to see if it is a survivor or just junk food for old Sol.

TV and Flicks

The Book Thief

 

Turned cool here since the weekend; hoping for a short winter but it isn’t even December yet.

I used to ask “Ginger or Mary Ann?” but now at my advanced age I also include “Lovey” into the inquiry as to who was the best looking woman on Gilligan’s Island TV show.

Mark has a great video on his blog. Abe Vigoda was a star on the Barney Miller TV show in the late 70′s along with other superb actors with comedic roles. Jack Soo was my favorite and Steve Landesberg was also great.

There is a movie soon to be released which I want to see but I will wait until it comes out on DVD.

Have a good week!

Looses Laces: A poultice for your soul

Lyrics

It is 125 days until official spring which is on March 20, 2014.

When I was a school boy, Veterans day was known as Armistice Day and commemorated the ending of World War One. It has never been considered a major holiday by most Americans and nearly all businesses are open on that day. Exceptions are most financial institutions and government agencies. I wish more Americans would remember that freedom isn’t free; the price must be paid in blood, sweat, and tears.

Chris Christie as president of United States? I have a feeling the guy has many ghosts in his closet. Do you reckon he is a tea partier in disguise, a ringer? I’m thinking that is what it will take for a Republican to be elected if the Democrats have a viable candidate. Of course and so far, the Dems have talked up only Hillary and Joe. You remember Joe don’t you? Mr. Biden is our vice-president, in case he has slipped through the floorboards of your memory. Of course Obama Care could kill any chances of any Democrat being elected. This is going to be interesting and nasty election season until next November's mid-terms.

All is quiet on the home front. The boys are getting over colds and both are rambunctious. Mason will be walking very soon and Sammy is ready to talk if he will just go ahead and do it.

My favorite Halloween movies: E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Nightmare Before Christmas. Yes, I know; Nightmare is a Christmas story but it mostly has Halloween characters.

Over the weekend I watched a couple of Jason Statham movies on Netflix. Lots of blood and killings but for some reason I am drawn to his characters; probably because he doesn’t talk much.

Have a good Friday and a great weekend, my friends!

Veteran's Day 2013

Lest we forget ...

Hallelujah

Lyrics

Another of the boys I grew up with died this week. He was my cousin and next door neighbor and we played together for years. He was only a year older than me.

How come store-bought canned soup has to be so salty and what are they trying to hide with all the sodium? In vegetable soup, all the veggies taste like the peas; might as well buy pea soup which isn’t quite as salty. Maggie is smart by canning her soup at home.

Yesterday at rehab, the therapist pushed my knee down until it was only a very tiny distance from the mat. The good part is that it did not spring back like it had been doing. The bad part is that it hurt like hell. Of course, I’m in it for the glory so pain is of no consequence.

PBS channel on Roku is airing Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’ beginning today. Jimi changed the concept of Blues and Rock music from the ordinary to the sublime. He is still being copied today. Check it out on American Masters.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

Walk Away

My therapist started me on the long journey to walking again. Yesterday he took away my crutches and made me walk with my cane from the gym area to where Carolyn was waiting, about eighty feet (24m) I suppose. He wants me to use the crutches when walking from parking lot to gym and back but use the cane everywhere else except on uneven surfaces. It is very tough going and I tire easily but it is the beginning to an ending, hopefully a good ending.

An old friend whom I had not seen in ten years or longer stopped by the house a few weeks ago. Carolyn was pumping gas and spotted him and next thing I know he was ringing my doorbell. Hoss Fly (Larry Hoss) and I had a good and long reminiscing chat. We were drinking buddies from back in the day and it was goo9d to remember some good times and even some bad times. When you are drinking a lot, even the bad times seemed like fun. I know Alice will remember him.

As I stated when the Affordable Care Act was passed, it isn’t worth a hill of beans without the public option. As it now stands, if you don’t have a job you still have to pay for insurance or do without. If the public option hadn’t been sold out just to get the law passed, it would have provided care for people without the means to pay at, least for awhile. With the unemployment rate at 7.3 percent (August numbers), there are many still without insurance. If it comes to eat or buy insurance, which would you do?

Keep on Truckin’

Free Birds

Sammy and Mason dressed as hippies

Happy Halloween!

Happy Birthday Colleen where ever you are!

Another month come and gone and I still can’t walk without crutches. However, today I am supposed to try holding onto a counter and hobbling a bit with my cane. I don’t think I am ready but my best effort will be forthcoming. My knee is still at minus twelve degrees from straight  which is discouraging.

Sammy met me outside after my rehab Tuesday. It tickled he and I both when we saw each other. He’s my buddy. He and Mason will dress up in costumes Friday evening and go trick-or-treating.

Haven’t fallen any more although I am having a recurrence of shingles. Just one spot on my neck but it itches, is sore, and burns at the same time. It also hurts deep down in my flesh. Always something, it seems.
I’ll get a head start and remind y’all to set your clocks back an hour this Saturday night. It’ll be dark early for the cold months.

Can’t wait until Thanksgiving. Hope we can have a good meal on that day.

Winter winds

Lyrics for Four Strong Winds

Catching up a bit. Last Friday I managed to fall off the bottom step of the porch and onto concrete walk, gravel, and Smiling Buddha. My head hit Buddha and the rest of me hit on my left side and away from the new knee. Buddha is fine and still smiling; I have a knot and small cut on my forehead where my hairline used to be. I was on my way to rehab and they took it easy on me after I told my story. The therapist made up for it Tuesday; I had appointment with knee surgeon for a checkup and rehab had me come into their clutches 30 minutes beforehand to make sure the leg was as straight as possible. After the surgeon visit, I went back to rehab for another hour and one-half of hard work. When I was allowed to escape, I felt terrible; sore and weary. Prior to this, I always felt better after exercises than I did before. I don’t go back until next Tuesday.

The boys have been over the past two Sundays and they are growing and learning so fast. Sammy can talk some but would rather jabber in Sammy-speak. Mason is starting to fight Sammy when he is bothering him; going to be some fine rumbles pretty soon.

We had a freeze last night and tonight is supposed to be our first hard freeze if last night wasn’t already one. I went to doctor for checkup and could not wait to get back home to my warm house.

Living on these crutches is very bothersome; it wasn’t terribly bad before surgery when i was resigned to using them for a long time but now that I can foresee a future without them makes me want to throw them down and walk like a man.

For anyone interested in rock n’ roll history, Amazon Prime has a documentary movie titled Sound City “Directed by Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), SOUND CITY tells the story of rock n’ roll’s greatest recording studio, and the musical magic it continues to inspire.”
I recommend it as a must see for all true rockers. I could not find it on Netflix but outtakes can be found on Youtube.

Wish you were here ...

Did humans create music or did music create humanity?

I hope your days are filled with the joyous music of living.

Happy Birthday, Alice

The first time I saw Alice was in December, 1973 when I went to work on maintenance at the local Texas Instruments plant in Johnson City. I quit a good job as construction electrician in Rome, Ga. to be a part of a new plant which was involved in producing electronic and electromechanical devices. Working close to home was the big draw for me. I met Alice’s husband Fred about a month before she and I were formally introduced. Come to find out that both Fred and Alice were from Morehead,  Kentucky which is only a few hours drive from Johnson City. However, they transferred to J.C. from another T.I. plant in Austin, Tx.; they were homesick for the hills too, I suppose. Alice and Fred soon bought a house in J.C. and began raising their little girl, Vanessa, in a new environment.

Unhappily, Fred died in 1980 and I thought Alice would move back to Morehead where most of her close kin lived but she decided J.C. was her future and the city and community are fortunate she stayed.
I have known Alice for forty years and she has been a blessing in mine and my family’s lives. Happy Birthday, Alice. I hope we are friends for forty more of them.

Happy Birthday, Jeremy!

My favorite pic of Jeremy and made by Courtney

I have so many great memories of my grandson Jeremy that it would be difficult to write them. I definitely remember the first time I saw him when he was only a few days old. So small he was and no one could keep their eyes from watching his every move. When he was older, I remember him running and playing with new Christmas toys outside Dot’s house, one weapon of which was a plastic ball bat which he swung with authority. Later in school he played basketball, football, and baseball. He was a very good baseball player and won his league’s Golden Glove award once or twice. When he was playing third base, not many grounders or hoppers got by him. Then came high school and his interest in girls and other things which teen boys like replaced his love for playing baseball. Now he is grown and in his early thirties and doing his thing his way. He not only talks the talk but backs it up by walking the walk. From all of us back in the hills which I know you love as well as do I, granny and me wish you a very happy birthday and we want you to know we will be forever proud of you.

We love You,
Granny and Paw

The hills are alive

Not much going on here in the hills. Leaves are slowly losing green pigment and their true colors are showing. Between the fifteenth and twenty-fifth should be the best time for color at mid-elevations in the mountains. Damn, I wish I could walk!

Do every day Americans really pay any attention to what is going on in our elected government unless it directly affects them in some astute way?

The Senate is holding hearings on Social Security disability fraud. Some law firms are alleged to be nothing more than disability factories who buy doctors and federal judges whom will approve every case sent to them. Some doctors even come to lawyer’s offices and do a ten-minute evaluation on people whom claim to be physically or mentally unable to work. One firm in W. Va. is under fire at present in the hearing along with the local Social Security claims office which seems to be corrupt. I imagine the investigation is nationwide and that the fallout will be big. S.S. fraud is costing the taxpayers hundreds of millions each year.

Is Bernie Sanders the only decent Senator In Washington, D.C.?

Some birthdays this month and I hope I don’t forget the particular days. Jeremy, Alice, and JJ are celebrating; hope I haven’t forgotten anyone.

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Greg and Cher

"Borrowed" from Mark's blog.
Cher and Greg made a good duo in their short career together.

Rolling on the River of Time

Not much happening on the home front. The boys are growing faster than I dreamed they could. Seems like my grand kids were babies forever. Well, they will always be our babies.

I have missed several birthdays and anniversaries in the past ten days. The 19th was the anniversary of of my late friend’s birth; Happy Birthday, Fred. That same day was Fred’s and Alice’s wedding anniversary and it was also their daughter’s—Vanessa— birthday. Happy Birthday, Vanessa. Happy Birthday to my Bride who was born on the twentieth.

Tree leaves, like the season itself, are slowly changing color. Tulip poplars in my yard are turning bright yellow and brown.

The knee is coming along slowly and the angle to being straight is minus twelve degrees. The therapists are now going to work the knee until I reach my maximum pain threshold. That should get the leg close to zero degrees within a few weeks. I hope to be walking a bit with a cane by Christmas. They have me doing more exercise at home; it is time consuming and sometimes exhausting but I need much more leg strength and overall endurance. I have been off narcotic pain pills for a week; I didn’t use one before rehab yesterday. I may try to drive the Escape in about another week.

After rehab yesterday, we ordered take-out cheeseburgers from The Cottage. It was about 5:30 pm and I was able to see and talk with some of my pals from the days when I was a very frequent visitor to the drinking and dining delights of the place. It did my heart good to see these guys and shake their hands. It was only a minute before the old days were brought up and lost memories came back for me. Sony, Wayne, Mike, and Phil: I was happy to see y’all once more. Bill would have been there but like myself, he is recovering from knee replacement surgery. I cannot understand why they have aged so much but I am still the same as i was in 1985. I was a regular at The Cottage from 1974 until the mid nineteen-nineties.

I am now going to check the TV and see if my Tennessee Vols will be shown. The team they play today is no match for them but I still gotta watch if they are on.

Summer days

Autumn falls

Our first real autumn day this year in the hills; cool temps with high overcast. About time to put the flannel sheets on the beds; for some reason Carolyn doesn’t like them but they are much warmer on chilly nights. I dislike cold weather about as much as I dislike tea-partiers.

I need to adjust the seat a little higher on the exercise bike; the new knee is trying to go knock-kneed and that is a big no-no. I hope to get a pic of me riding the machine, hair blowing in the wind as I virtually cruise the back roads of my memories. I probably need to wear a crash helmet for such voyages.

Sammy or Mason has lost my cap; I’ve had to leave home twice without it. The suspects are admitting nothing.

Both boys attended the fair back in August. Sammy wanted to loiter in the animal section and Mason didn’t care as long as there was something going on around him.

Tomorrow is back to the therapist and then to have blood work done.

Happy Wednesday!

The people we meet along the way

The first time I saw ‘Mary” was one day while returning to my room at rehab. She was in a wheelchair in front of the nurse’s station with her arms raised in the air and moving them much like a 60′s flower child at a “Dead” concert. She looked to be in her thirties and had long and straight brown hair. Her eyes were closed as if she were lost in some far-away place. Carolyn and I got by her and went on to my room, neither of us paying the young lady too much attention.

A few days later while I was waiting for lunch to be served, I was shaving with my electric Norelco when I heard someone entering the room; it was Mary. I was shaving my left cheek and she wheeled her chair up beside me and began making circular motions in the air with her left hand. I stopped shaving and she said “check the other side; I just shaved it for you”. I was taken aback when she continued “I’m a witch, you know?”. Carolyn was there and we all talked a bit about witches and witching in general. I almost forgot about the shave when she again asked me to check my cheek to see if it was shaved. I rubbed my fingers over my skin and the whiskers were still there but not wanting to disappoint her I put on my best “amazed” look and told her they were gone and i thanked her.

Next time and the last time I saw Mary was in the rehab gym. Carolyn and I had just wheeled into the room when Mary again came up beside me. She looked at me and said “I would marry you sometime”. Again I was surprised at the brief statement but sputtered that I was flattered by her words and that she would be a fine woman for any man. It was one time when my spouse had nothing to say for a few minutes. Before Mary could say anything else, her nurse found her and wheeled her away. We found out a few days afterward that her daughter had taken her home later that same day.

Not much of a story but Mary is someone that Carolyn and I will always remember. I hope she heals and that she will always keep doing good deeds and saying the right words; the world needs many good witches.

———————

Tomorrow is surgeon checkup and Friday is appointment with my regular doctor. Knee is still very sore and the leg will not straighten more tan what it was two weeks after surgery. I am disappointed and losing my belief that I will ever walk again.

Worshday

Obama and Congress: Use the money earmarked for killing people in Syria to help help America's poor and middle-class. We need affordable healthcare, decent education possibilities, and jobs that pay enough for us not to need food stamps and government aid. Choose peace -- choose people.

A hard weekend of work on straightening knee. I have to go to out-patient therapy each day this week; those guys work with the patient and not with a clock. At Quillen, each therapist was allotted only forty-five minutes with each patient. When that time was up, the therapist went to a different person and left us to get back to our room as best we could. In reality, each patient receives only about two hours of therapy each day and if it is not targeted therapy, much of that time is wasted.

I am saying a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have stayed the course with me during this time. Jeremy, Alice, Jola, Maggie, Sandy, Mark, Robin, Kalpana, and to any others whom my weakened memory has neglected; I love all of you.

Special appreciation to my dear Bride who was with me nearly everyday of my stay in Quillen and who sacrificed her own health to make mine better. Thank you Carolyn; I love you very much.

Have a great Worshday, my friends.

"Manipulation"

Friday I go to outpatient surgery for a “manipulation” on my knee. Seems like the knee is locked up from scar tissue around the implants. As I understand it, I will be sedated (asleep) for thirty-seconds. During that time, the surgeon will bend the leg inward far as possible and then he will lay it down, place his hands across the the knee cap, and forcibly crush the joint until the the scar tissue is busted up. Hopefully that will allow me to begin straightening the knee. I will be in outpatient therapy for awhile. I really don’t understand why I was hospitalized in a rehab ho-$-pital for a month without this being diagnosed and over and done with. Six weeks since surgery and I am physically and mentally worse off than when all I had to care about was a sore knee.

I will write more as soon as I have some good news for a change. I do want to tell about my rehab encounters with a witch.

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

After a month in rehab, the food I asked for when I got home was peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So fine!
Sammy and Mason came by not long after I arrived home. I had to use the toilet and when Sammy first saw me he grinned so big. pointed at me, and ran off to tell his mama. I trust it was because he was glad to see me and not because I was on the pot. Either one, I was the happiest man in the world. Mason has forgotten me but I hope to see him more and make up for lost time.

The knee is coming along so-so; very sore up to my crotch. The therapists are working me harder at home than they did in rehab. I am closely watching for infection.

I have a few days to work by myself before a therapist comes back on Monday. Tuesday I deal with the steps once more when going to surgeon for checkup.

Taking rat poison for a blood clot in my knee; it seems to be dissolving safely but I will have to be on the med for at least three more months. A nurse just now left me after doing a blood test and taking my vital signs. All were ok.

I know all this is boring but it is my way of coping and trying to make sense of things. I still see no future without crutches but I do see a better future even with them.

I may be late answering your comments but be assured I eagerly read and appreciate all of them.
Have a good weekend, dear ones.

My Boys

Photos by Ashley.

mum

last day to blog for awhile and i can’t think of anything to write.

later, my friends. :-)

Rain

We’ve had buckets and buckets of rain this year. Lawns are almost as green now as they were in early spring; hardly any brown to be  seen.

We want to go back to Chattanooga for a few days but with all that is happening it is doubtful we will make it. I darn sure want to be walking when we go. I also want to visit some of the places I where worked construction, especially a few in West Virginia. I worked on four different power houses there and it has been thirty-six years since I was last the state. Things may have changed a bit over the years

back

bad back. may go to hospital ER.
later

For what it's worth

Last Sunday I committed the sin of sins. Last Sunday I forgot that it was my bride’s and my wedding anniversary. It was the first time in forty-nine years that I have forgotten it. The only thing that saved me from stormy feminine wrath is that Carolyn also forgot it. She always forgets it. However, I could tell that she was disappointed that I did forget.  I too am ill at ease about it. It is bad enough to forget but I just do not feel that I am old enough to be losing so much memory so quickly. Scary it is.

Been off methotrexate for two weeks now and I am feeling it. Sore fingers feel like sausage links, swollen joints reducing circulation and it is ten days to go until surgery and two weeks after that before i can go back on the pills. Then it will be three or four more weeks before they are once more effective. “I am a man of constant sorrow” but if I forget another anniversary, I will have to start drinking alcohol again for solace and that will ease some RA pain, too.

Happy Birthday, Sammy!

Finished installing free AVG anti-virus on my Tab 2, Droid X, and Carolyn’s phone. Here is a Kaspersky article about growth and threats from mobile viruses. I still don’t feel safe but I do feel safer.

Yesterday was Master Sam’s second birthday; I wanted to do a blog for him but by the time the hospital medical establishment got through with me in my pre-op tests, interviews, and money rendering I was too tired for much of anything. I have an appointment with the surgeon assistant in a few days for more of the same. We stopped at Burger King for a late lunch and I had the Memphis pulled-pork barbecue sandwich and Carolyn had a barbecue rib sandwich. They both were good but should have been larger for a satisfying meal. Anyway, a belated Happy Birthday to my Big Boy!

Late Sunday my PC suddenly shut down; I was able to restart it but it was soon down again, finally coming to the point where it would not restart. I built the unit several years ago and was able to think my way through a bit of diagnostics, deciding the power supply had failed. I immediately ordered a new power unit from Amazon which I received on Tuesday. I already had the old supply removed and eagerly and temporarily plugged in all the connections and put electric to it. The PC started fine and has been working ever since. JJ permanently installed the new unit inside the PC and all is well in computer land. I am glad I did not have to build a new PC; I just do not have the money for it right now. As it is, it cost less than $50 for the repair, including one-day shipping for the power supply. A computer repair shop fix would have been in the range of $200 — $300.

A good Sunday

Haven’t heard this ballad since Mark posted a while back. Always been a favorite.

June's last Saturday

We kept the boys the past two days; they are about all we can handle. Someone has spoiled them beyond belief. Sammy peed in my bed on Thursday and Mason nailed it yesterday.

Knee surgery scheduled for July 17; must stop taking R.A. med immediately and by the time the scalpel is sharpened, I will be meaner and ornerier than usual. Surgery should take less than an hour and I hopefully will be confined only three days. Then comes the hard part.

Heat out west must be awesome; hope for the best for Courtney and Jeremy and all the folks, young and old, who are affected the most by bad conditions.

Bob Lawson

Bobby Lawson

Bob Lawson. Another friend from my youth has passed. I first met Bob in seventh grade and we became school friends. Bob was a gentleman and an inspiration. He married his high school sweetheart Suzanne Lyle, a beautiful lady whom I was fortunate to attend school with from first grade through high school. They eventually migrated to California and we lost contact with each other until one day about eight years ago I received an email from Bob asking if I was the Wayne Anderson who attended Jonesboro High School in the early sixties. I was thrilled to hear from him after so long. Bob proudly wore his University of  Tennessee Orange.

Ain’t got no more to say today.

Blues on my mind

I am working on some blues lyrics:
It’s Tuesday
What more can I say
It came at midnight
It’ll leave the same way
Nighttime found me crying
My Baby went away

Pieces of sleep

This sadness won’t end
Mr. Sun has no shine
My poor heart can’t mend
Old Fate has dealt
A dead man’s hand
More later …

Aches and Hackers

Still awaiting a surgery date. The doctor should release me from the pneumonia thing on Monday next. The cough is all but gone away but the backache, though greatly lessened in intensity, is persistent. Mark gave me a clue about the back pain. He mentioned that his mom’s first diagnosis was for pneumonia and I think I remember him saying she had backache also. Naturally, I googled. Back pain can be a part of pneumonia.

Do you use a “cloud service” to store or backup stuff from your PC, smartphone, or tablet? If so, be aware that my cloud account was compromised (hacked) and some porn photos were uploaded to it. I won’t say which cloud service it was because they are supposed to be investigating the mess. Anyway, I deleted all my stuff from the site and am now back to backing my files by other means. This happened to me on Flickr not long after i joined that site back in ’06. I couldn’t even delete the offending photo but when I informed administration it was quickly removed.

Enough for today.

Summer Boy

Barefoot through grass when I was a boy
A stick on a string my only toy
Speeding past Grandma’s chicken coop
Toes squishing rooster poop

Days of summer simmer my heart
Shade and shadows by an old flower cart
‘Twas when lad and summer played as one
Carefully nurtured by old man Sun

Happy Hump Day

Gotta love the camel

Happy Birthday Tammy. I am running late on everything lately.

I was back to doc on Monday; I will be recovering for a couple of weeks. Got another antibiotic shot and a cortisone shot. Butt ache by the numbers. She wanted me to check into hospital but I wormed my way out of it.

Now, my back hurts. RA, I suppose.

We gave Sammy his birthday present early; a Radio Flyer wagon. I wanted one like this when I was small but I was happy to get this one. It was still around in my teen years and was probably given to a cousin. I bought my kids one like it in late 1960′s. Sammy likes his.

I’ve found a couple of good photo ops if I can ever convince Carolyn to drive me to them. I spied them as we sped by when going to and from doctor.

Jeremy has added three more of my photos to the Walk of Art store; check them all out if you have a chance. He has also created a Facebook page for the store. I must say, the photographer is amazing.

Sunday

Happy Name Day, Jolanta!

—–

For my kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids on Father’s Day: I am proud of all of you.

—–

When your body becomes weary, make the job a mind exercise.

—–

Carolyn shanghaied me and forced a haircut on me; first one in a year or more.

Boys

The boys have left us; they were with us for only just more than a week but I miss them. I miss Mason's squeals of laughter in early morning; I miss Sammy playing in our bedroom every until he gets sleepy; I miss him pecking on our door to get us up. Carolyn cried for days after they left.

When kids get out of school for summer they turn around and go back for summer sessions of book lessons. When I was a school boy and out for summer, I learned many lessons by playing with my pals and roaming the woods, hills, and fields for a couple of months. I wonder if I ended up better educated than do today's kids?

Referring to the present N.S.A. fiasco, instead of trying to cover their asses I think the powers should give us good reasons to trust them. They cannot. I really don't know what the big surprise is about the domestic spying. Bush unabashedly bypassed the constitution to allow it and it was widely publicized as was Obama's decision to expand surveillance at home and in foreign countries. If people had watched The Spy Factory on PBS's Nova when it came out several years ago, it tells nearly everything that is just now being "found" by the popular press. The documentary can be seen online here or can be found on Netflix and other sources.

Referring to Mark's diet, Carolyn and I ordered takeout cheeseburgers from the Cottage, my old time watering hole. It was Friday after I had chest x-rays. The burgers were huge and juicy.

I have a full-blown case of pneumonia in both lungs. So far, I am dodging a stay in hospital. Thursday at a doctor visit I had a nebulizer treatment which helped a lot and a shot in my butt.

Two months from diagnosis 'til death. My cousin and closest buddy from my teen years died Friday from leukemia. I will miss you Bull. "Bull" was my personal nickname for him. He was 67 years old.

We dodged a bullet, my friends. Friday 13 fell on Thursday this month.

Passing through

Happy Birthday, Robin! Robin was the first person to ever comment on one of my blog posts.

Carolyn placed a flower container on the front porch which was soon taken over by a pair of housekeeping Carolina wrens. The eggs have hatched and a lot of peeps and tweets are emerging from the nest. Nature is wonderful.

The weather today is perfect for a Worshday; rainy and gray.

I'm sleepy.

Happy day, my friends.

Sunday not in the Park

I am so happy to not know whom Justin Bieber is; all of a sudden and for the first time in my life, I feel like an adult. Hold me Mommy …

The boys are both crying but their mama is with them; it is making me nervous, though.

Carolyn is working but I can’t get a thing done at the PC; just a blah day. Even the weather looks gloomy.

Sammy is now standing beside me watching videos of himself. I think Ashley found someone to sit with the boys while she goes to work.

Have a good week, my friends.

Boys and berries

Typical hippie/stoner music from the day

Ashley and the boys are staying with us for awhile. My days are filled with either entertaining Sammy or with Mason on my lap or both things at once. Sammy’s favorite Youtube actor is … Sammy. He loves most of the videos I made of him, especially ones with music. Mason is spoiled and wants to sit up all the time. They are with Chris for the remainder of the afternoon.

In college I was assigned to read Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. I knew it was classic American literature but when I tried to read it I had problems with the language of the times and the Yankee view of life in that period. I ended up borrowing a copy of Cliff’s Notes which allowed my to get a passing grade for the course. About two weeks ago I decided to tackle reading the entire book; it is easier going this time but still a slow read. Thoreau was a remarkable man and he has come to symbolize our need for nurturing the natural world. Besides, anyone who can enjoy eating groundhog has to be a special person.

It has been a very wet spring in these hills; grass is almost as green and lush as it was in mid-April. Blackberry briars in the backyard are laden with green fruit even though there was not as many blossoms as last year. Somehow that don’t make sense but I suppose it is what it is.

Looks like I am going to have to visit an auto mechanic to have my knee fixed; the medical profession surely is not interested in that line of work.

Wish I was able to be out and about this glorious weekend.

Happenings

Photo by Ashley

Congratulations to Alice's step-granddaughter Kelssie whom graduated from Science Hill High School last weekend. I hope she and Allie continue their educations. College is good.

Sixty-nine years ago today allied forces began the massive invasion of Europe which would oust Adolf Hitler from power in less than a year. To my mind, World War II is the only justifiable war the U.S. fought in the 20th Century.

Cannot shake off this cold; yesterday I thought I may again have pneumonia. Today the cough is not as bad but the head cold is worse. Phooey.

Ashley and the boys are with us; it seems so strange to hear Sammy's footsteps running through the house. It is usually the last thing I hear at night and the first thing I hear each morning.

Jeremy opened the store for sales of my photos. I need to do some work on many which he has not yet displayed. Thank You, Grandson!

Thursday.

Sunday

Been down with a cold and some RA for the past few days Today is a bit better with the cold.
Alice’s granddaughter, Allie, graduated from University High School. Congratulations to her and proud granny Alice.

I still haven’t heard from the knee surgeon; I am clear for the operation. Just waiting and getting sorer.
Mark wrote a nice tribute for his good friend and brother-in-arms. Sorry for your loss, my friend. I as well as anyone know the heartbreak of parting with dear friends when they are so young.

Back to bed for me.

Have a great week.

fever, flu, and blues

Had the flu or an awkward cold for a few days; just now beginning to think I may live. Carolyn was was sick before me and still hasn’t fully recovered.

I watched the flick, Hemingway’s The Garden of Eden and found it to be somewhat enjoyable but not very Hemingway-ish. The book was published long after Ernest Hemingway’s death and from what I can tell, it was extremely edited by the book publisher. The movie is probably better than a  highly-revised Hemingway novel.

——————————–

When I pee beneath the stars
Is someone watching from afar
Peering at my weenie on this earth
And and giggling with celestial mirth

A man has to be really sick to write something like that.

Sunday Blues

I noticed the blackberry briars don’t have near as many blooms this year; maybe too much rain and not enough sunshine. The past few days must have been “blackberry” winter; very cool for two nights and days.

Planned to go shooting today but my driver has a bad cold. It has been five years since I had a good Memorial Day photo session.

Got a new Roku 3 box and “hard-wired” it to my router. Roku is still working with me on the broken one; they sent me one last idea to try to fix it via software; haven’t tried it yet.

Feel so tired without the RA meds.

Strollin'

I was wrong about my Roku; it had only a 90 day warranty. For the price of the device, they should stand behind it for at least one year. Nothing they suggested for me to do worked and I am seemingly stuck with an $80 plastic hockey puck. It worked for eight months. C’est la vie!

Blackberry briars are blooming which means we should have a cool snap in the weather. I hope it means we have a lot of jam and jelly and cobblers and dumplings.

Plenty of t-storms yesterday and last evening. Nothing like ‘the delicate sound of thunder’.

The Stroll dance … yes, I well remember it; no, I never did it.

Day to day

Looks like megashot.net has some good ideas; flickr.com sure has copied a lot of them. Be aware of one thing; the very large size photos available on Flickr are perfect for stealing and anyone with a free account has access to them.

Sammy and Mason are here; I am tickled. Watching Thomas and Friends on Netflix.

My papers have supposedly worked their way through channels and are at the surgeon’s office. Supposedly. Hope to know something very soon.

Have a good evening, my friends.

Flickr'ed

Has Flickr committed suicide just like MySpace did a few years ago? A lot of folks are complaining. Just two weeks ago I renewed my Pro account and I feel really screwed.

Won’t be blogging much until post-surgery.

Have a Tuesday.

She was Prada’s and I was Chuck Tanners

My Roku has quit. I admit it was a mistake to buy the wireless-only version. Now I must shell out $100 to get the wired unit. Pisser. I like the Roku because it has so many channel choices; just last week they added PBS and it alone has enough to keep me happy for many months.


Sammy and Mason are here; I began writing this post before noon and it is now past 3:45pm; they keep us busy.

Have a weekend!

you gonna eat that cornbread

Heart doctor gave me the ok for medium-risk surgery, such as knee replacement. Waiting on his report to go through channels. Hopeful for surgery by early next month.

Maggie flattered the ‘aw shucks’ out of me by graciously placing one of my photos and a couple of my poetry attempts on her site. If you go there, do some clicking around; she is a multi-talented young lady. How she finds time for all her projects is a mystery to me. Thank you, my friend.

Jeremy is building a storefront on storenvy.com which will feature my photo efforts. When he has it ready to view, I will let you know. What a good grandson; I don’t know what his future holds but I truly believe he will  become a great entrepreneur. He is another who gets a lot done in short time. Thank you, Grandson.

With all the hard news happening in the world, what was CNN featuring last evening? O.J. Simpson in a courtroom, of course. OJ had his fling 19 years ago; let it be, CNN.

Almost Friday …

Tuesday ...

The recent seizure of Associated Press telephone documents is the most chilling thing I can remember being inflicted upon the citizens of this once great country by our own government, even worse than Watergate and Iran-gate. How low can Obama and his cronies go? How stupid can he be? First, he (his administration) has the Internal Revenue Service unlawfully making life difficult for his political enemies and now he has been caught restricting freedom of the press; both of these acts are deplorable, unconstitutional, and impeachable. I cannot wait until this evening to see how MSNBC’s top guns (Obama lovers) handle this one. If the president is allowed to get by with this grievous political move, it will eventually mean that citizens will have to turn to illegally published underground papers for a few grains of truth about our rulers. If we allow this abomination to persist, we are building our own Iron Curtain.

Barbara Walters is retiring from her celebrity interviews. Goodbye.

My thanks to Mark for the music video.

“When the president decides something on Monday, he still believes it on Wednesday – no matter what happened Tuesday.“
~Stephen Colbert

Monday 13 -- Bewitched, Bothered and Bemildred

It had to happen; Friday the 13th has fallen on a Monday. Monday already stands alone as being the lousiest day of the week and making it fall on the 13th is in very poor taste; if I were a Friday, I would call a wildcat strike.

Sammy and Mason spent Mother’s Day afternoon with Chris and Carolyn; the way Mason is going I think he will be talking before Sammy does. Two chatter boxes going at once and both demanding attention at the same time. I am blessed.

I want a new DSLR camera; I damn sure don’t need one because I don’t use the one I have which still works fine. The K200D has only 6.5 thousand shutter clicks on it. I cannot see a new one improving my photographic skills; for me it is like a hack writer wanting a new typewriter so he can turn out better stories. I am longing for a Pentax K5 IIS but the more than one-thousand dollar price tag is way out of my range. Any new major purchases will depend on how surgery goes and the kind of shape I’m in afterward.

Blessings

Slow Ride weekend

Yesterday JJ placed Carolyn’s bedroom TV on the wall where she could better see and hear it; she is in video nirvana now. It is much better up higher; I watched To Have and To Have Not last night and didn’t have to turn the volume as loud as I used to. I’ve seen the movie many times but never get enough of it; anything of Bogey’s in this period is on my favorite list. I also watched my Youtube videos and subscriptions along with my Flickr photos. They all look pretty good on big screen.

Not quite as warm today and cooling even more for tor the next few days; heat of summer will hit us come Wednesday when I have to go back to heart doctor. This better be the last doctor office visit before knee surgery; I am tired of waiting and the knee isn’t getting any better. I am to the point now where I don’t even try to go to the porch to sit.

Speaking of summer, Mark’s Summer would have been in a panic last evening when thunderstorms hit all around the house. He says she is fearful of thunder and we had plenty of it; not a lot of rain, though.

acta est fabula plaudite

Culinary tramping

They still make Squirt soft drinks. Squirt was never very popular in this area except as a mixer but I think they are the best citrus drink made. I haven't seen any in years but I bet the local night spots have them. I first came across the brand while tramping in West Virginia in 1970; it mixes well with bourbons and blended whiskeys.

Another brew I discovered in W.Va. was Stroh's beer. It is a Detroit beer and was more popular in West Virginia than was even the mighty Budweiser. Stroh's was an ok beer and actually much better than the bitter Bud but I will stick to my Miller High Life. A couple of brews I first tried in Pennsylvania were Rolling Rock and Iron City beers. I liked Iron City ok, but Rolling Rock's taste reminded me of how cow pee smells. My mother-in-law liked it.

I enjoyed my time tramping--except in Georgia--and could have liked living about anywhere I went with little problem. Southern Maryland was too far from the hills and I once spent 70 days straight there. They had great, fresh sea food and the best root beer I've ever bought. Still don't make up for the lack of tall oak trees on a high ridge, though.

Mark is going to have one of his photos of his house seen nationwide. Bravo television will be using it in a documentary film. Congratulations, my friend.

Are you ready for the weekend?

—————

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.

The above lines were all I was ever required to learn of Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner … thank ye gods. The whole is a long, boring piece of verse but a darn good story and these few lines nicely fit conditions in N.E. Tennessee at present. When I was at Watauga Lake early last month, the water was as high as I’ve ever seen it. Now it is more than three feet (@one meter) higher than it was then. Fortunately I live on a high ridge which is not on the Watauga watershed but is on the Nolichucky watershed. At my granny’s house in the springtime of my life, we were on the line between the two districts; I could pee off the front porch and it could conceivably  find its way to the Watauga River. If I peed out the back door, some would eventually wind up in the Nolichucky River. Granny frowned on such practices but little boys gotta do what they gotta do.

Get ready … a great weekend coming!

Thinking out loud

Sammy and Mason visited for an hour or so last evening. I was hopping around on the crutches and Sammy wasn’t too happy about it. Carolyn was at work so I had to get his toys and entertain him the best I could. Mason laughed at me.

I would like to say the lousy, wet weather we are having is typical of early May and it is up to a point. The problem is that it is lasting much too long. The ninth of May has always been our last frost day but like a couple of years ago when it frosted on the fifteenth, I am not so certain about this gardening season. Anyway, it all keeps my sinuses clogged.

The first week in May is almost over and it will be autumn before we know it. I am longing to get this knee fixed so I can get out and live a bit.

Have a Tuesday!

Norman

The past few weeks have been saddening for me, mostly because a boy I grew up with and have known all my life passed away. Norman was seventy-one years old when he died and was the oldest of and the leader of the community kids with whom I played. Norman was my main influence to join the National Rifle Association when I was young. He had a great sense of humor which the rest of us had to pay for in sometimes embarrassing situations. He lived a good life and had a great family. The color photo is his obituary photo for the newspaper and the other one is part of our gang from the mid-1950′s. Norman is the tallest and I am the long-legged kid at his side. Others are his brother, his two cousins, and his sister. The photo was made in my grandmother’s front yard and his family’s home is the white house just over Norman’s left shoulder. Losing someone such as a life-long friend is the most difficult part of growing old; much more difficult than any physical infirmities. The memories are cherished but the reality of the present is a bit overwhelming.

It's all about the music

HE'LL HAVE TO GO

Joe Allison

Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone
Let's pretend that we're together all alone
I'll tell the man to turn the juke box way down low
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go

Whisper to me tell me do you love me true
Or is he holding you the way I do
Though love is blind make up your mind I've got to know
Should I hang up or will you tell him he'll have to go

You can't say the words I want to hear
While you're with another man
Do you want me answer yes or no
Darlin' I will understand

Put your sweet lips a little closer to the phone
Let's pretend that we're together all alone
I'll tell the man to turn the juke box way down low
And you can tell your friend there with you he'll have to go

Although I never particularly liked this song, mostly because it was country and country was not cool to most of us teen cats of my day, it was immensely popular. It was known to be the basis marital disagreements, arguments, fights, brawls, mayhem, and even murder. Even my house wasn't immune to the persuasive croon of Jim Reeves at his best. When the song was on radio or TV, my mom would say something like 'hang up on him, girl' to which my dad would retort 'lady, you know you want 'im so tell the guy there with you to scram'.  For some reason I had a premonition to keep out of their "discussions" about the lyrics. Being a 14 year-old country kid, I wasn't supposed to know much about "adult" stuff. My parents arguments about it were mild, actually. The newspapers, which I dutifully read while sitting in the outhouse waiting to put them to their original intended use, had many stories about otherwise normal couples whose disagreements had led to mayhem of one sort or another. Women were divorcing their husbands because he happened to agree with the caller. Men would get "tipsy" in a bar, play the song on the jukebox, and phone their wives at ungodly hours just to aggravate her. More than one of these last jokers ended up on a mortician's slab and their wives were in jail before the night was over. Life, it's all about the music.
1959 was a very normal year; I got my first handheld transistor radio--a Motorola--for Christmas, I was miserably failing Algebra for the third time in high school, and the rest of my grades were at the C- to D level. I was too shy to talk to girls and too dumb to try to overcome the bashfulness. I still am shy and dumb about it.

May the Fourth be with You!

Rain without ... Beauty within

Teach your children well

In our great society, even 5-year-olds are allowed to own and bear firearms
http://news.yahoo.com/5-old-boy-shoots-2-old-sister-ky-161229579.html
I don’t think even Hitler stooped this low. Was this kid part of a “well regulated militia”?
What kind of parent would allow a small child to even be around something like a rifle which is made for one thing: killing?  I’m sure the NRA approves of this type of weapon usage.

Supposed to rain all weekend; maybe some shooting next weekend.

Hope Mark has a successful yard sale.

May Day 2013

Jerry came by yesterday and brought Carolyn a Mother’s Day rose bush from him and Tammy. She put it in the ground this morning and I hope it does well. I have better luck with roses than does she.

Why has Obama not brought under control Bush’s patriotic war against Americans. The answer is that he likes and intends to use that kind of power over people. He is but one step away from being a parliamentary dictator.

On the way home from work one night a couple weeks ago, Carolyn saw a coyote not far from where we live. I’ve never met one of the critters but I hear they are moving into the area. Also Armadillos are supposed to soon be here. I heard several years ago that fire ants would soon spread into the hills, but I know of none. Another rumor was that cattle egrets would be here but I don’t know of any.

I’m here and I’m what counts; I am so pretty!

Reading

Anyone besides me like Studs Terkel’s writing?

————————————————————————————
“The creak of bed springs suffering under the weight of a restless man is as lonely a sound as I know.”
― Patrick deWitt from his book The Sisters Brothers
The Sisters Brothers will be my next reread. A very good western.

Tuesday!

Sunday du jour

Much rain and some flooding across Tennessee. Even though I live atop a hill, I think I should roll-up my britches legs.

Mason went for his three-month checkup; he weighs 17 lbs (7.7 kg). He won't be three months old until tomorrow. At this rate, he will big enough to play college football when he is eight years old.

Sammy is talking more each day but most of it is still unintelligible. Mostly he says Batman and Spongebob.

I have my short poem ready to post to the The Sun; it is one I wrote a few years ago. Not counting on much but would be very disappointed in myself if I didn't try. It has been many years since I tried to sell or give away my writing. Even if this one does not sell, I'm going to submit at least one other poem (the one Mark recommended) and a story or three. I need to resurrect my rejection database and make a few voo-doo dolls and stick pins for the publishers who reject me.

I love building databases. It is the one thing I can do with techie software which makes me feel like I have accomplished something.

I am off of methotrexate at least until I can find out something from the med-squad. If by chance I am cleared for surgery, I will be one week ahead. If I am not cleared and if I have to have a heart catheterization, I will be ahead on that too because I need be off the drug for it. If I have to have a stent inserted, it will be about a year before the knee surgery can be done. Beginning in a few days, I am going to be sore and out of the real world for at least a short while.

Saturday

Does anyone care that 348 people died in Bangladesh building collapse? Tragic death only counts for news if it happens in the United States and if even in a perverted way the American Press can  make it look like terrorism. America, the cowardly selfish.

What happens to the rest of the world if the United States suddenly decides to return to some of its isolationism policies of pre-WW2. Let’s stay out of other peoples business and let each nation decide its own affairs. Keep our defense strong and in hand with some military alliances and drop others. Do away with laissez-faire trade policies and replace the lazy-fare for the rich with fairness to all parties and enforce tariffs for equality. Never take anything for granted or, as Teddy Roosevelt warned, “Walk softly and carry a big stick”.

Cool cloudy weekend so far.

Let me sleep ...

Persons 65 years of age or older should not be allowed to get out of bed before 9:00 am each day and then they should be required to cogitate for one-half hour before deciding to let their feet hit the floor. Ain’t nothing good going to happen before nine to anyone, especially geezers.

This doctor bullshit goes on and on just like I knew it would. I wish some of these s.o.b.’s understood what kind of life I am living and how much freaking pain I am living with. Pisser!

Goodbye George (Possum or No Show) Jones; I didn’t particularly like your twangy country voice but I appreciate you having balls to stick with it through the ‘pretty boy’ era of country music. George sang his life.

WEEKEND!

Obtuse reason

Our American middle-class capital economy is heading into a new recession. This is my forecast based on what I am seeing. We are once more spending our savings or going into debt for mostly unneeded big ticket items, Wall Street is tickled, the stock market is soaring; all a sign of a coming slowdown. Wages are static or falling, few good paying jobs are being created, more and more jobs are being exported, more Americans are suffering and dying because of lack of health insurance, infrastructure is still falling apart, and federal government is in partisan deadlock. Americans are talking but few are walking. Wake up America!

I’m hoping tomorrow’s echocardiogram is all I have to go through before surgery. I do not want another stress test and I damn sure don’t want a heart catheterization. The latter may mean an overnight stay in hospital but I barely will be able to afford the knee replacement. Life is a trap.

Goodbye psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman (Allan Arbus). He was my favorite M*A*S*H actor with my favorite quote from the series: “Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.” I think it means that we should take time to live.

I’m not as pretty today as I was day before yesterday.

On this date in 1684, a patent was granted for the thimble.

Thursday all day.

dies Martis

Salon

I’ve been rereading some of my older stories and poems on Lord Bubbha’s Blog. Some I still like, some I like a lot, some need work, and some need be put away where they can’t harm anyone. I have a few which I think I will send around to The Sun magazine and other periodicals of its kind. There are a few of the poems I really like.

Carolyn has gone to hair dresser and JJ is off somewhere mowing; my knee hurts and my feet stink and together the two maladies are making me sneeze. I won’t reveal which two make me sneeze.

Tuesday, what the heck is it good for? It would be a much better and meaningful day if it was called 

“Kensday”. I’m so pretty!

Earth Day '13

Walt Kelly created these comic strip panels for Earth Day 1970. The slogan “We have met the enemy and he is us” has become the rallying cry of America’s green environmental movement
 

Be kind to Mother on Worshday and everyday

'Cause you're mine ...

Sunday morning Joe

———–

Happy Birthday, Chris!

I won’t tell your age because it makes me feel very old.

——–

Earth Day tomorrow … and everyday.

—

Sunday!

Shades of Pale

These are thoughts I conceive at night between sleep periods; I sit on side of bed and type them into the tablet PC. All are unedited. The last one sounds interesting. I may use some of these in future efforts on this blog.

Mac is the kind of person who comes along too few times in life but who changes us and our futures for the good. He doesn’t dwell with us for very long but makes a subtle yet profound difference in how we live the remainder of our lives. He becomes one of the foundation blocks of whom we will become

 —- 

Final right of passage. No indifferent nursing home just because you don’t like us enough to care for us. Don’t feel obliged to us as the reason you take care of us. We are still human and we know when we are loved. It would be better to die from exposure to elements than from heartbreak of exposure to a cold heart from one we’ve loved and trusted

. —- 

Don’t try to walk in my shoes; they never were very comfortable

 —- 

Book of Numerals — The Cooties Chronicles

Get Yourself Home

I don't have faith in much at all. I don't even have faith in truth. Truth is fickle and fluid; today's absolute certainty may be tomorrow's fantasy or be an all-out lie the next day.

It makes my cynical heart happy to sometimes be right about something and be able to say 'I told you so'.

The one great thing which the ninety-eight percent have that the two percent don't have is the careless, unadulterated love of drinking beer.

Friday!
Weekend!
I'm so Pretty!

Muted

Like the Dogs of War video, I feel muted

I was planning a diatribe about our American spineless government for today, but I am so disgusted–not surprised–over yesterday’s Senate vote I’ve come to the conclusion that average Joe Six-pack don’t really care. Maybe we each should buy an AK-47 to protect ourselves from each other. Again, please read Mark’s blog poem and listen to the Monster.

After reading some of the hype about a book titled The Hunger Games, I decided to watch the movie last evening. The acting was good but the plot was much déjà vu from other sources. I hope the book is better but I doubt it. I rate it at 2.5 out of a possible 5. Talented actors saved it from being a “2″.

Thursday!

Sentenced

Once again I have been overlooked for consideration of being honored with a Pulitzer Prize and I think it is sad when a writer of any caliber has to publish an entire book of fillers like 'the' and 'them' and 'they' modified and punctuated by a paltry few words or phrases with real cognizability of purpose or clue to a semblance of a sensible or sensuous climax or an ending causing readers to crave more, or to pen an esoteric short story which stands erect and tall on its brief clarity only to be considered by a few paid dolts whom are constipated with pomposity and use skewed but semi-ambidextrous verbosity which has been handed down from generation to generation of hack newsmen calling themselves "literary" critics in an attempt to pull such lilting prose into their dark, oozing prisons of flaccid sentence phalluses all petered out and shorn of their will to make a difference in the thoughts of literati or the amusement of the paperback masses.
Ah well; there is always the Ignoble Prize for Literature to look forward to.

Mark has a very good blog today with a music video we all need to heed.

Wednesday!

Springtime from megashot photo-artists

If you can start the day without caffeine or pep pills,
If you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time,
If you can overlook when people take things out on you when,
through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can do all these things,
Then you are probably the family dog.
~Anon

Tuesday!