tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206586332024-03-07T21:23:05.824-05:00Loose LacesKenAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12302594929628554865noreply@blogger.comBlogger2187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-72493026418678790282015-07-04T14:33:00.003-04:002015-07-04T14:33:42.979-04:00A Feelng Called the BluesFeeling a bit of age loneliness. People dieing around me; friends,
family of friends, my family; it’s all a bit much. I’m filthy with the
blues…<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<em><span class="bqQuoteLink">The blues is losing someone you love and not having enough money to immerse yourself in drink.</span></em><br />
~ Henry Rollins</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-20686041623243408922015-05-29T14:48:00.004-04:002015-05-29T14:48:29.537-04:00Around the HouseThey are laying another railroad track beside the one behind my
house. Possibly extending the Telford siding track so they can run
longer trains. Whatever it’s for, it can’t be good for we who live so
near the tracks.<br />
<br />
I wonder what gives with the tulip poplar trees around my house?
Their leaves are very small compared to normal and so are the blossoms.
Probably something to do with the weather changes we are causing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-1973321098616084692015-05-27T11:24:00.000-04:002015-05-27T11:24:03.996-04:00Bear Bears Hardship in Mate SearchI read an article about a <em><a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/offbeat/articles/2015/05/22/polish-brown-bear-crosses-borders-highway-seeking-mate" target="_blank">young bear</a></em>
leaving its home in the Polish Tatra mountains and traveling across
country into foreign lands in search of romance. I wonder if the bear
checked the internet first; there is probably a dating site for them
such as Bear Zoosk or Bear Match.com, and for bears of faith there is
Bear Christian Mingle where God Himself will show Bro Bear the sow of
HIS choice. Amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-34407538666676940482015-05-26T15:02:00.002-04:002015-05-26T15:02:52.378-04:00For Medicinal Use OnlyI use cannabis whenever I can get it. It is illegal in Tennessee but I
choose to ignore that and use it for RA pain. I’ve known since the 70s
that it helps control pain but much of the weed we had back in the day
wasn’t powerful enough unless I consumed a lot of it. Today, it
certainly is strong enough to control some heavy discomfort for several
hours at a time, especially if it is cannabis oil baked in cookies or
brownies or such, One thing for sure, it beats eating prescription pain
killers made from opium which can be very habit forming and even deadly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-77353441196449799092015-05-22T13:04:00.002-04:002015-05-22T13:04:29.548-04:00Thank You“Thank you” and “You’re welcome” are more conversation than some people are able to muster.<br />
<br />
If you keep yourself bottled up within yourself, no one will savor the fine wine which is you.<br />
<br />
With all the media hullabaloo about cops beating and sometimes
killing unarmed and non-threatening people, are you now afraid to summon
the police even for a non-violent matter? Do you fear you or a family
member may be harmed or even shot by the police as a coincidence of your
call for help?<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading my blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-45313279555045369122015-05-21T14:42:00.000-04:002015-05-22T13:05:06.005-04:00Elvis<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vJzgjvadlos/VV4mZkuxqXI/AAAAAAAAFPk/IojwOAiRCp0/s1600/Sleeping%2BMason%2Band%2BJaden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vJzgjvadlos/VV4mZkuxqXI/AAAAAAAAFPk/IojwOAiRCp0/s320/Sleeping%2BMason%2Band%2BJaden.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare daytime sight</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If Elvis were still alive he’d probably be dead now.<br />
<br />
Cloudy, mild, and pleasant day in the hills. A typical late May I suppose. Just finishing drinking a <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Enuf" target="_parent">Dr. Enuf</a></i> pop … delicious. I believe the sodas are addictive; probably the caffeine. Something else I’ve become addicted to is <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tootsie_Pop" target="_parent">Tootsie Pops</a></i>. I like most of the fruit flavors except for banana.<br />
<br />
Gaining ground on my eyesight. I now have two-to-three hours each
day when I can see fairly well. I went for three months without being
much able to use the PC, watch TV, or read. I am finally back to
perusing <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Crawling-Wreckage-Gwynne-Dyer/dp/0307358925/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432233091&sr=1-2&keywords=crawling+from+the+wreckage" target="_parent"><i>a book</i></a> that Maggie recommended about a Canadian journalist’s look at America and its policies in the past decade. Very good reading.<br />
<br />
Ain’t it hard to believe we are in the middle of the second decade of
the 21st century? Seems like just a year or two ago when the popular
press tried to horrify us with tales of certain doom and gloom pending the
arrival of the year 2000, or Y2K as it was widely known.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-32259475716076438452015-05-20T12:42:00.002-04:002015-05-20T12:42:48.199-04:00Around the HomesteadMy worst drawback in entertaining the boys is they don’t yet
understand my dark sense of humor. Sammy just says “Papaw’s crazy” but
Mason may be catching onto me a bit. Sunday he pushed me down into a
chair and when I squalled like I was in agony, he grinned. Jaden–whom we
now call ‘Little Bear’–growls and shakes his finger at me.<br />
<br />
We’ve had a very warm spring so far; a slight case of dogwood winter
has been the only setback. Temps have been around 90° (32°C) a few
times.<br />
<br />
I’ve finally got Carolyn to making biscuits again. I sure missed them
the several years she didn’t bake them. I don’t pressure her too much
for them because it causes her to get out of her comfort zone of baking
her favorite canned biscuits or worse, light bread.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-26899707273142706322015-05-18T14:59:00.000-04:002015-05-18T14:59:02.019-04:00Sam<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fuu1fyPBkKg/VVo2QipoozI/AAAAAAAAFPA/C_jbcTbAn2o/s1600/Thoughtful%2BSammy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fuu1fyPBkKg/VVo2QipoozI/AAAAAAAAFPA/C_jbcTbAn2o/s320/Thoughtful%2BSammy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thoughtful Sammy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-3272141528784367572015-05-16T16:35:00.000-04:002015-05-16T16:35:02.516-04:00Bloomin'<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d-dHBsFpsaQ/VVeprtzbFdI/AAAAAAAAFOk/5Wu9Ya8PoTY/s1600/Mason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d-dHBsFpsaQ/VVeprtzbFdI/AAAAAAAAFOk/5Wu9Ya8PoTY/s320/Mason.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pensive Mason</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_821783103"></span><span id="goog_821783104"></span><br />
Eyesight is slowly improving.<br />
<br />
Blackberry briars are in bloom as well as tulip poplar trees. My
blossom left many springs ago but I still feel like sowing some seed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-3003973895366810532015-05-15T16:34:00.001-04:002015-05-15T16:34:29.899-04:00Jake Phillips and the Jones House<div class="storycontent">
<div style="text-align: center;">
A bit of History on the<br />
Theodore and Kate Jones house<br />
of Union Church Road, formerly known as<br />
Headtown Road and before that, Fairgrounds Road</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<strong>Preliminary Information</strong><br />
In the wee hours of Sunday morning, May 14, 1916, a shot rang out and a
man was left dead on the floor. Details are not known to me but the
tragedy apparently occurred during or directly after a poker game. Who
fired the shot and for what reason, I don’t know. However, the victim
was 36 year old James Oliver, a husband and a father of four young
girls.<br />
<br />
<strong>The House</strong><br />
The frame house was built on property—where it still stands—by a local
grocery merchant named Jacob (Jake) Phillips and expressly built for the
use of the widow of James Oliver and his daughters. Beside the house,
Jake built a grocery store which was run by him or others until about
1940. I don’t know the date the house was built but the information may
be on record in Washington Co. Courthouse.<br />
<br />
I have no idea why Jake built and deeded the home for and to the
needy family unless it was from the goodness of his heart. Earlier in
his life, he had been married but I think the union wasn’t long lasting.
There were—and still are—rumors in the family that Jake sired a
daughter out of wedlock and that the child may have been one of the
Oliver girls. I have found information to contradict the last part of
the hearsay but a daughter actually was born by another a local woman
from an affair. I know the names of the alleged mother and child but I
will not reveal them.<br />
<br />
Some of the Oliver family lived in the house until the Jones family
bought it in the late 1940’s. I remember two of the daughters from yo
youth, one married a Truelove and the other married a Bulla. Jake is
buried in an unmarked grave in the Union Church cemetery just a few
yards from the house.<br />
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-38507641326065224032015-05-02T13:52:00.003-04:002015-05-02T13:52:29.094-04:00I SeeBeen off the new RA med for a few days and I can tell that my vision
is improving. Of course, the disease is running rampant in me but it
still beats losing my eye sight. I have been able to do very little
lately; I am happy that I can see well enough to again write this blog.<br />
<br />
Anxious to see the boys tomorrow. Jaden has finally taken up with me
and demands lap time which Mason jealously guards; I don’t know how the
pecking order will turn out. Mason is wanting a Spider-man bicycle like
Sammy’s because Sam wont allow anyone but himself to touch his. Sam
wants a big wheel, too. Maybe I can hold him off until his July
birthday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-44297685901533571812015-04-13T13:13:00.004-04:002015-04-13T13:13:59.233-04:00Now and Then<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vjh8gB3ZMZ4/VSv5DCqk3yI/AAAAAAAAFF4/XSOUE2yeUhU/s1600/Masey%2Bon%2Btractor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vjh8gB3ZMZ4/VSv5DCqk3yI/AAAAAAAAFF4/XSOUE2yeUhU/s1600/Masey%2Bon%2Btractor.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk7msNbfVao/VSv5Cu6_WGI/AAAAAAAAFF0/-059YApswS8/s1600/sam-on-tractor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk7msNbfVao/VSv5Cu6_WGI/AAAAAAAAFF0/-059YApswS8/s1600/sam-on-tractor.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Run Hillary, run! Run for the border that is. We do not need more of
the problems and that is all the Republicans and Democrats desire to
give us. The two parties want and need to keep the <em>status quo</em> so that big business money flows into their coffers. A pox on both their houses!<br />
<br />
When I was a kid and riding somewhere with my parents, we would at
times pass a public park where kids played and families picnicked. I
dreamed of how nice it must be to have such a place to play and I was
very envious of those kids riding swings, slides, and having other fun
opportunities. When finally I grew up, I realized that living in the
country and having fields and woods, along with rocks and stumps was a
much better experience for a youngster than what the city kids had at a
controlled park. After all, I had the world as a playground whereas the
urban kids had a “neighborhood” and maybe a few blocks where one street
was much like the other. and did not offer much challenge to a curious
and developing imagination.<br />
<br />
The boys are covered with poison ivy rash which they caught at a public park where they were playing.<br />
<br />
Finally cancelled my Flickr Pro account. Wasn’t using it and it was not worth $25 per year for the little I do there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-45754374560815674962015-03-19T14:22:00.000-04:002015-03-19T14:22:13.305-04:00Vibes<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rcgogTM7kiE/VQsToRnpoFI/AAAAAAAAFDM/OTiSz3JJaBA/s1600/Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rcgogTM7kiE/VQsToRnpoFI/AAAAAAAAFDM/OTiSz3JJaBA/s1600/Love.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Greater Love ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It has been a difficult winter in many ways, not only nasty weather
but also some personal issues. It is that time of year when I visit
doctors. I’ve seen two in the past couple of weeks and have two more to
go.<br />
<br />
Seems like one has to see a specialist for everything from hangnails
to achy muscles. Used to be the family doctor could take care of all
except the most serious ailments.Like everything else, it is all about
money.<br />
<br />
What about the Arkansas newbie senator sending a letter to our vowed
enemy, Iran? He and a lot of his cronies warned that religious-based
government not to trust President Obama. All this while we are trying to
achieve a nuclear arms treaty with Iran. If that isn’t treason, I don’t
know what is. The Constitution gives the power to make treaties to the
executive branch and gives none to the legislative branch. Trying to
usurp the lawful powers of a sitting president while he is acting in
what he sees as the best course for our country is not only deplorable
but should be illegal. All who signed that letter should be held
accountable to the letter of the law and by the voters. The Arkansas
senator should scrape the pig shit off his shoes before he tackles
issues of national interest. Sooooo-eeeee Hog!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-28229060472934063922015-02-20T12:32:00.003-05:002015-02-20T12:32:45.797-05:00Baby It's Cold Outside<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cQmzp-NA5PM" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yesterday 8:00 am — 0°F (-17.78°C)<br />
Today 6:00 am — -6°F (-21.1°C)<br />
Winter storm warning for tonight and tomorrow. Nothing like living in the balmy South!</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-41981047001855457792015-02-16T15:38:00.003-05:002015-02-16T15:38:19.053-05:00February FreezeIt is 28°F (-2.2C), raining, sleeting, snowing, and windy. Mother
Nature is not even trying to get on my good side. Probably won’t be long
until the power lines come down but I have my dollar flashlight handy,
my phone is charged, and the kerosene heater is filled and waiting in
the living room.<br />
<br />
All things equal, tomorrow will be my last day with Comcast internet
service. We are going back to the phone company’s slower but more
reliable (I hope) DSL service. We dropped Comcast’s cable TV service
last week and with a small outdoor antenna we still receive 15 over-the
air stations, all clear digital plus five of them are high-definition.<br />
<br />
I just finished pissing off some pseudo-Christian conservatives over
on Facebook. Makes me happy to accommodate their complete ignorance of
the bible and our Constitution. I usually ignore them but I am in a bad
mood because of the gloom and doom weather.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-15711724305618137922015-02-10T15:18:00.001-05:002015-02-10T15:18:07.338-05:00Robin<div class="storycontent">
Tammy is true to her word. She sent spring robins this way and I saw
the first one of the season on Sunday. Thank you, my Florida friend.<br />
<br />
All else is ok, too.<br />
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-20410588716926175332015-01-26T13:27:00.003-05:002015-01-26T13:27:57.503-05:00SnowExpecting the tail-end of the the big snow storm to his us this
afternoon. The sky is gray and flurrying as I write this. It’s Obama’s
fault.<br />
<br />
It sure took our present president long enough to turn from wimp to
at least a semblance of leader. Six years for him to see what a lot of
us saw not long after he took office. He has gone from a sitting duck to
a lame duck.<br />
<br />
Jaden recently had his first birthday and Mason will have his second
in a few days. Sam is still boss but Mason is eying the position.<br />
<br />
Hope Tammy sends some robins this way soon. It is almost time for the males to arrive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-35059676158266561482015-01-06T14:52:00.001-05:002015-01-06T14:52:51.078-05:00Still Here<div class="storycontent">
Despite doctors and medications, I am still here. The new RA drug
well controlled the disease but it also stopped my liver from normal
function. I had about every side effect the medicine poses. Carolyn
called the doctor but he never returned the call so I took it upon
myself to stop taking the medication. I was having flash-backs to my
friend Fred’s suffering and eventual death due to liver disease. After a
week, I restarted it but only every other day instead of daily. Most of
the side effect symptoms have decreased or gone away but I still tire
easily. and have trouble sleeping.<br />
<br />
The boys are well and as mean as you can expect little boys to be.<br />
</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-51314817338352416422014-12-18T13:49:00.000-05:002014-12-18T13:49:23.049-05:00“Happy Christmas to All and All a Good Night”<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qUzIF4eYRkg" width="420"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The above poem is the first book I recall my mother reading to me when I was small and on her lap.<br />
<br />
I watched <em>The Wolf of Wall Street</em> on Netflix. Good story but the movie itself is putrid. Over acted, over directed, and overly long.<br />
<br />
In case I’m unable to get back here before Christmas, my wish for all is to have a merry holiday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-44244922047681375452014-12-15T15:26:00.000-05:002014-12-15T15:26:01.657-05:00Worldly King William<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JOpmZrHzDQk/VI9DiGjUclI/AAAAAAAAE_8/Aj8gc8en3hg/s1600/Shakespeare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JOpmZrHzDQk/VI9DiGjUclI/AAAAAAAAE_8/Aj8gc8en3hg/s1600/Shakespeare.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Worldly King William</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Where stood my enemies now exist I alone<br />
Vanquished I them not with sword nor with stone</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
With love and respect and almighty Truth<br />
Past these days unto my youth</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Soothing words smote angry beasts<br />
With quill and ink fought I ne’er to appease</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
At world’s end now I stand<br />
Life’s worst conquered… my holy land</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Poem ©2014 Ken Anderson</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-75032341291186223382014-12-13T13:59:00.000-05:002014-12-13T13:59:00.509-05:00Tidings of Great Joy<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/y0V4TZAyd8I" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A bit of good news for me. For the past month, I have been trying a new medication <a data-mce-href="https://www.rheumatology.org/Practice/Clinical/Patients/Medications/Leflunomide_%28Arava%29/" href="https://www.rheumatology.org/Practice/Clinical/Patients/Medications/Leflunomide_%28Arava%29/" target="_blank">(Arava)</a>
for rheumatoid arthritis. It took three weeks for it to begin working
but I now have a lot less body soreness and much reduced joint swelling
than before. For the most part, I feel better than I have for the past
four years. The drug has been around for a while and it does carry
dangerous side effects such as severe liver damage or failure, increased
chance of cancers, and I am more susceptible to tuberculosis and
pneumonia. Test yesterday showed my liver function as normal. I still
must have blood test once each month. So far, the only side effect I
know I am having is losing more of the few hairs I have left on my head.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-64086619322845378252014-12-11T13:14:00.002-05:002014-12-11T13:14:39.512-05:00A Waltz<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AS4vwE1OeaM" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
The waltz presented in this video was composed by actor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Waltz_Goes_On" target="_parent">Anthony Hopkins.</a> Beautiful music by a remarkable man and performed by a remarkable orchestra.<br />
<br />
After getting used to all the lively discussion and general bull crap
on Facebook, Google+ feels like a funeral parlor when I visit there.<br />
<br />
Been under the weather for a couple of weeks but am feeling better
today. Didn’t have enough energy to write much or be on Megashot. I hope
to have a bit of positive news about my health next week; doctor visit
tomorrow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-80611504881035226872014-12-05T14:34:00.000-05:002014-12-05T14:34:23.340-05:00Must It Forever Be A Dream ...My thoughts are that America is more divided than it has been since
1960’s. However it isn’t split by racial makeup alone. Since so many of
the racial and ethnic killings and beatings by police are being made
public via video, people of all races are coming together to protest and
decry the brutality by the lawmen whom we expect to protect us. I have
vivid memories of newscasts showing devastating riots in many American
cities after <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr." target="_blank">Martin Luther King’s</a></em>
assassination in 1968. His murder and ensuing revolts are the cause for
his words and deeds to finally be taken to heart by so much of the
public which had previously been blinded by selfish uncaring. The murder
of <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy" target="_blank">Robert Kennedy</a></em>
also caused rioting in many of the same communities just two months
after Dr. King died. Some of these riots were not specifically racist;
they were groundswell demands for justice and equality for all. It took
great destruction, violence, and many deaths to teach America a painful
and long needed lesson. It also took courage stemming from sorrow and
despair. Hopefully the present unrest will be assuaged in peace with a
new trust in justice for all of us. Martin Luther King’s <a href="http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm" target="_blank"><em>dream</em></a> echoes from his grave.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-7202487590273092162014-12-04T13:44:00.003-05:002014-12-04T15:45:21.677-05:00Fees for Free<div class="storycontent">
Remember when you could go to your local bank and many of their
services were free of fees? Free check refills, free financial advice,
and free of overdraft charges to customers who didn’t make a habit of
being over drawn. You could open a savings account and draw decent
interest and make unfettered withdrawals whenever you wanted. Now, there
is a fee for nearly everything the banks have under their control. You
even have to pay them to allow you to use your own savings account funds
if you choose to make more than one or two withdrawals per month. In
the meantime, they are using your savings to make mortgage and auto
loans and raking in several times as much interest as they pay savings
account holders. Banks should be federally regulated. Personally, I use a
credit union instead of a commercial bank. There, I don’t have to pay a
fee each time a teller smiles.<br />
<br />
Just ate a bunch of double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts and for
some reason I am nauseous. It must be age; I used to eat more than I did
today all I got was happiness.</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20658633.post-5479126750437625422014-12-01T15:33:00.000-05:002014-12-01T15:33:39.681-05:00Santa and Cranberry Sauce<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wxrcp5jaDy8/VHzPzX6bcOI/AAAAAAAAE_k/1krtANf0AnA/s1600/IMAG0593_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wxrcp5jaDy8/VHzPzX6bcOI/AAAAAAAAE_k/1krtANf0AnA/s1600/IMAG0593_1.jpg" height="320" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My boys loved my Santa hat</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Carolyn must be showing her years … she
put the bowl of leftover cranberry sauce in the cabinet instead of the
refrigerator. She found it two days later. Welcome to my senile world,
dear wife.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We had a decent Thanksgiving although it
was mostly spent by just the three of us. The boys came over late so
their momma could go shopping but Sam decided his place was in the store
with her. This is Sammy’s first year believing in Santa and he also has
Mason believing. Mason is at the stage where his “I won’t” and “I’m
not” is getting his hands smacked and his butt reddened.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I did some online Black Friday buying but it was on Saturday. I bought the latest version of <em>Paintshop Pro</em> for thirty bucks and it included <em>After Shot</em>
which is a very good RAW editor for photos and there were also a few
filters with the bundle. PsP comes in 64 bit and 32 bit versions. I
prefer the 32 bit because I have a bunch of plugins and scripts that
won’t work with the 64 bit. I don’t make a lot of photos these days but
it is one area where I am still optimistic.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It looks like a lot of Black Friday sales
will extend until Christmas. I just don’t understand rampant
commercialism. It’s all Santa’s fault.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy week, y’all!</div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0