Another shot day has rolled around; I hope I can see well enough to drive to doc's office. If the sky remains cloudy, I should be able to make it ok and if not, I will whine until Carolyn decides to drive me there. I've been outside the house for only one short period since returning from the eye doc's place on Monday. I have a couple of hours each morning when I can see fairly well, but the rest of the time is mostly boredom of sitting around in a darkened room or with my eyes closed. It is both pleasing and disconcerting to know I have enough weird things going on in my head to keep me entertained during these periods. I am thinking of trying another eye doctor as the one I have now doesn't seem to have time enough to diagnose my problem. My long time eye physician retired a year or so ago, and his replacement just don't have a clue. I need prescription allergy drops, but the new guy says it is dry eye instead of allergies, whereas my retired doc said it is both and treated all the symptoms. Hell, I've known for more than 20 years that I have chronic dry-eye; it is another of the inconveniences caused by the RA; most arthritis patients are possessed by the demon to a varying degree. I generally control the dryness by making my own tears from looking at all the bills that flood the mailbox each day and at other times I use artificial tears.
Gotta go rest my vision and stretch my imagination for awhile.
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Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Until my eyes clear up, posting to this blog will be intermittent. I thought they were getting better, but now they are as bad as day one. Doc says severe and chronic dry-eye; I say there is more to it than that as it only gets this bad in early summer and early fall. At one time in my life it was much worse than at present, and it will probably get well as soon as whatever I'm allergic to goes away.
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The few wonders of the world only exist while there are those with the sight to see them.
~ Charles de Lint
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The few wonders of the world only exist while there are those with the sight to see them.
~ Charles de Lint
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
When I go ...
Are they actually charging admission for Michael Jackson's funeral? I wanted to be cremated without a service of any kind, but if Carolyn can make a few bucks off my friends by charging them to see the spectacle of my funeral and burial; I am all for it. Here are some suggestions for the charges on the sad occasion.
As you can see, I am running a pre-event sale on reserved funeral seating. All the above may be purchased in a complete package deal plus all the donated food you can eat at the wake along with the right to toss ten shovel's full of dirt and a choice of one of my old shoes or a pair of well used underwear (mine or Carolyn's) to display for your friends for only $1995 ($1745 while on sale). But wait! If you order now, you can keep the shovel used for my burial; I will personally autograph the handle and the blade and will be happy to dedicate it to you. There's more! You will receive an eight-by-ten suitable for framing black-and-white photograph of yourself sitting on the lap of the deceased (me). What a great conversation piece for you and your friends! There will be only ten of these package deals for sale, and it is first come, first served. Hurry! I look for them to quickly sell out.
Place your order today: PayPal, certified check, or cash will be accepted, but there will be a 10% surcharge for using PayPal. In case you die before me: absolutely NO refunds! I believe this to be a much better deal than the one the owners of Mr. Jackson's remains are offering.
- Sign the guest book: $10
- View my body before the wake: $25
- Attend the wake: $25
- Reserved seating for the wake: $50
- Eat donated food: $50 per plate
- Attend the funeral: $100
- Reserved seating for the funeral:
$500$250 - Privilege of being a pallbearer: $100
- Riding with Carolyn in the limo: $150
- Privilege of shoveling dirt on my coffin: $5 per shovel full
- Donations for my monument: $50
- Be the first to piss on my grave: $500
As you can see, I am running a pre-event sale on reserved funeral seating. All the above may be purchased in a complete package deal plus all the donated food you can eat at the wake along with the right to toss ten shovel's full of dirt and a choice of one of my old shoes or a pair of well used underwear (mine or Carolyn's) to display for your friends for only $1995 ($1745 while on sale). But wait! If you order now, you can keep the shovel used for my burial; I will personally autograph the handle and the blade and will be happy to dedicate it to you. There's more! You will receive an eight-by-ten suitable for framing black-and-white photograph of yourself sitting on the lap of the deceased (me). What a great conversation piece for you and your friends! There will be only ten of these package deals for sale, and it is first come, first served. Hurry! I look for them to quickly sell out.
Place your order today: PayPal, certified check, or cash will be accepted, but there will be a 10% surcharge for using PayPal. In case you die before me: absolutely NO refunds! I believe this to be a much better deal than the one the owners of Mr. Jackson's remains are offering.
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Monday, July 06, 2009
Dog Days
Dog Days came quietly calling Friday. They last 40 days and will end on August 11. For me, they mark the heart of summer in East Tennessee; long, lazy days of intense heat and violent thunderstorms. Seeing as I cannot see well today because of dilated pupils from my visit to the eye doc, and to celebrate and commemorate Dog Days, I will place one of my first stories here for your reading displeasure. It will soon be rewritten and resubmitted for republication.
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Yesterdays No More
A Tragedy
A Tragedy
by
Ken Anderson
Ken Anderson
Thor walked the earth last evening, lighting his way with the fires of heaven. It was a violent, thundering downpour that sometimes attends a summer cold front.
Today is a good 10 degrees cooler than the previous few days. The sky is scrubbed clear of the lingering, sticky haze that attends the Dog Days doldrums. It is the first hint of the shortening autumn days that are just over the calendar horizon.
I am half sitting, or maybe half standing at the rail of the porch, taking in the final minutes of dusk. One bare foot is dangling, trying to keep time to the chirping of a cricket.
With Nature's subtleness, the few remaining fireflies slowly begin their lusty dance of light — a few at first — then arise the late sleepers to rescue the night from its own darkness. Glittering stars struggle with the lightning bugs to be the prime attraction of the weakening twilight.
----Today is a good 10 degrees cooler than the previous few days. The sky is scrubbed clear of the lingering, sticky haze that attends the Dog Days doldrums. It is the first hint of the shortening autumn days that are just over the calendar horizon.
I am half sitting, or maybe half standing at the rail of the porch, taking in the final minutes of dusk. One bare foot is dangling, trying to keep time to the chirping of a cricket.
With Nature's subtleness, the few remaining fireflies slowly begin their lusty dance of light — a few at first — then arise the late sleepers to rescue the night from its own darkness. Glittering stars struggle with the lightning bugs to be the prime attraction of the weakening twilight.
A breeze, as gentle as the breath of a sleeping puppy, carries the fragrance of the evening honeysuckle over the railing, teasing my mind. A moment like this cries to be shared, but selfishly I draw it into my soul and savor it as my own.
Oh! My mind reels from an abrupt change in the tone of the evening as my senses are overcome with the gentle scent of the flowering mimosa trees that border the yard. The smell of lilacs flirted with my thoughts on a similar occasion earlier in the year, but the mimosa is tugging me, directing me to take notice, to remember.
Abruptly I am at the end of the porch nearest the trees and their soft pink blossoms. The compelling perfume fills my mind with recollections, memories of a time when the world was young and I was its Crown Prince.
- - - - -
We lay on our backs under the branches of the wide-spreading mimosa tree, its bark carrying our carved names. At times we talked and other times we daydreamed of how good it would be when we grew up.
'Hey Larry, let's play mumblety-peg.'
'Naw, I still got dirt in my teeth from last time.'
We would watch the little green inchworms that probably began their life cycle up high on the tree, descending toward the grass below on their invisible strands of silk. Landing on us, they would bow their backs and measure for the new clothes that some of us might soon wear for the start of the school year.
'Looks like you'll get a new shirt for school this year.'
'Yeah, maybe. If pap sells a hog I might get some stuff."
Always was present the beautiful smell of the mimosa flowers, blooms that looked like delicate white and pink shaving brushes.
It was good to take one of the flowers and ease into the house where I could sneak up behind my unsuspecting mother, reach around and tickle her under her nose.
'Get on back outside. Summer is waiting.'
- - - - -
My breath catches as I return from my musings, and I mull my way back to my perch at the rail, emotions adrift.
As the summers before me become noticeably fewer, I long for the return of those days of my childhood. Helplessness and self pity at becoming old cause a tear to slip down my face as I recall the good life I've had. The hurt of sorrow grips my breast and my throat tightens. I am awash in a hangover from melancholy; the intoxicating scent of yesterdays no more in my heart.
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Copyright© 2007 Ken Anderson. All rights reserved
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Sunday, July 05, 2009
Mine eyes
I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist tomorrow morning; hopefully he can
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Obama has been in office nearly six months, and let's count off what has changed for the better: 1. Uh ... George and Dick are not in office; 2. uh ... . Actually I cannot think of a thing domestically that has changed for the good other than number one. One-eighth of his elected term has passed, and ... hey; wait! I know; he is still in the planning stage. It took GW eight months of planning before 9/11 shook him out of his tree, and I suppose Barack is awaiting a similar disaster so he can morph into Presidential Mode and decree something. God, I hate our political system. It has turned into the very thing our Declaration of Independence said we should shake off: " ... whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." It doesn't necessarily mean that we should take up arms and violently overthrow the government; it means we have the right to do whatever it takes to secure a sound and responsible government, but we must have unanimous consent to do so. With today's political machines grinding away at our freedoms and the unsettling lethargy of voters, I only hope that some grass-roots movement will be started which can fire the public fervor and force real change at the ballot box. One time, a woman approached President Franklin D. Roosevelt and told him he should do such-and-such about some project that was important to her group of like-minded folk. He replied something like this: "Madam, I want ot carry forth your project, but you must make me do so". Government will listen if enough people scream so loudly they can not be ignored. People, we must scream!
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Saturday, July 04, 2009
Clinch Mt. and Cumberland Gap
We left JC just before 7:00am yesterday and arrived at the Clinch Mountain overlook at 8:45am with Carolyn driving all the way. Although misty, the view was superb in all directions, not only from Clinch Mt., but also from Cumberland Gap Pinnacle. People have dramatically changed the area since last I visited, and in Kentucky could be seen the remnants of strip mines left by the coal companies and never—or at best just partially—reclaimed, leaving gigantic scars across the mountains. It has become a common and deplorable practice in the coal fields of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
I slept poorly Thursday night, and it did not help my eye problems one bit; by 2:00 pm I was nearly blind for all intents and purposes. We had many visitors at the picnic site near Middlesboro in Kentucky, and they pounced almost before the table cloth was spread. Four gray squirrels, a chipmunk, and a flock of small birds including tits and chickadees came calling for handouts. Fortunately Carolyn brought two loaves of French bread for our meal, because the critters ate most of one. We forgot to bring the new bag of charcoal, thus Carolyn had a rough time (for her; I laughed a lot) getting the bricks to light, but finally both grills were going. The one with the pots of water for the veggies would not get hot enough, so I suggested she find some small limbs to place with the coals so flames would reach them, and soon they were boiling. It was a fine meal, but due to my eye problem, we decided to make our way back home when we had finished eating. We wanted to stay a few more hours, but all in all, it was a good day.
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Thursday, July 02, 2009
United States Independence Day
Sore eyes seem to be getting better; I hope none of you caught the highly contagious conjunctivitis by reading my blog. If you did become infected, let it be a lesson to be more careful of the people with whom you associate on the internet.
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The Associated Press is reporting that the US Drug Enforcement Agency has joined the Michael Jackson death circus. If it were you or me whom had died under the same circumstances, would the Feds have been called in, and would they have participated? Most likely it would be "he was just a drug-head and got his just deserts". Phooey!
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Carolyn and I plan to take a day trip to Cumberland Gap and Clinch Mountain tomorrow, hoping to beat the holiday rush. We want to have our first real picnic of the year, at least one that includes grilled food and not sandwiches or fast food from McWhacks, etc. I have already programmed the GPS, and given the Escape its instructions. The drive will be less than 100 miles (161km) each way. Generally, our plans for such things fall through, but with fingers crossed, maybe it will happen this time.
Carolyn has never visited the Cumberland Gap area; it is the place where the early white settlers—the most famous being Daniel Boone—crossed the Cumberlands into Kentucky and points west. I haven't been there as a tourist, but as a kid traveling with my parents to Cincinnati to visit my grandmother, I remember the highway tunnel into Kentucky, and the view of the lake area back in Tennessee. There is now a national historic park, and it resides within the boundaries of three states: Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.
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I hope everyone has a great weekend.
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The Associated Press is reporting that the US Drug Enforcement Agency has joined the Michael Jackson death circus. If it were you or me whom had died under the same circumstances, would the Feds have been called in, and would they have participated? Most likely it would be "he was just a drug-head and got his just deserts". Phooey!
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Carolyn and I plan to take a day trip to Cumberland Gap and Clinch Mountain tomorrow, hoping to beat the holiday rush. We want to have our first real picnic of the year, at least one that includes grilled food and not sandwiches or fast food from McWhacks, etc. I have already programmed the GPS, and given the Escape its instructions. The drive will be less than 100 miles (161km) each way. Generally, our plans for such things fall through, but with fingers crossed, maybe it will happen this time.
Carolyn has never visited the Cumberland Gap area; it is the place where the early white settlers—the most famous being Daniel Boone—crossed the Cumberlands into Kentucky and points west. I haven't been there as a tourist, but as a kid traveling with my parents to Cincinnati to visit my grandmother, I remember the highway tunnel into Kentucky, and the view of the lake area back in Tennessee. There is now a national historic park, and it resides within the boundaries of three states: Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee.
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I hope everyone has a great weekend.
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Wednesday, July 01, 2009
"... and darkness was upon the face of the deep. "
My eyes are still in a mess; but here goes nothing of importance anyway. Last night I experienced something I had not "seen" in many years: total darkness. At about 11:30 as I was catching the last of the local news, the electrical power went out. Total black; or as Spongebob Squarepants once said: "This is not your everyday darkness, this is Advanced Darkness". Apparently a tree fell across the lines and brought down several poles with it. The crews worked all night and the electricity was restored this morning around 9:30. Except for the bedroom becoming a little stuffy because the ceiling fan was off, I thoroughly enjoyed the black of night. At about 4:00am, a distant thunderstorm rolled by, and it made the night much more interesting.
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I see where South Carolina governor Mark H. Sanford (I don't know what his real middle initial is, so I will use one that seems to fit: "H" for Hypocrite) is spilling his guts about his affairs; at least some of them. Will the voters of that fair state fall for his attempt to make them feel sorry for him, or is he counting on the fact that most Americans--including South Carolinians--just think it is politics as usual and dismiss his errant ways from their minds? Whom he screws is his business, but voting to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about indiscretions and then doing the same things (probably) and not resigning from office is just plain wrong. Jerk!
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It is a total failure of the American system and its so-called gaurdians when the top headline of the day is 'Jackson's will to be filed in court Wednesday'. The Americam media should be keeping an eye on the lameness of our government and the people who run it instead of worrying about the after death affairs of someone whom will be just a footnote in a poorly written history book.
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Congratulations to Al Franken for not allowing the Republican political machine in Minnesota to steal the election from him. Now Mr. Franken, it is time to go to DC and not become "one of the boys". Stand up for the things you have been claiming to believe in for so many years. Do not be bought, if it isn't already too late ... already.
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I am using Ubuntu Linux this morning; it is the best Operating System I have ever used. I am including a screenshot of my desktop so you may see it is not some type of archaic monster that has to have every command typed.
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I see where South Carolina governor Mark H. Sanford (I don't know what his real middle initial is, so I will use one that seems to fit: "H" for Hypocrite) is spilling his guts about his affairs; at least some of them. Will the voters of that fair state fall for his attempt to make them feel sorry for him, or is he counting on the fact that most Americans--including South Carolinians--just think it is politics as usual and dismiss his errant ways from their minds? Whom he screws is his business, but voting to impeach Bill Clinton for lying about indiscretions and then doing the same things (probably) and not resigning from office is just plain wrong. Jerk!
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It is a total failure of the American system and its so-called gaurdians when the top headline of the day is 'Jackson's will to be filed in court Wednesday'. The Americam media should be keeping an eye on the lameness of our government and the people who run it instead of worrying about the after death affairs of someone whom will be just a footnote in a poorly written history book.
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Congratulations to Al Franken for not allowing the Republican political machine in Minnesota to steal the election from him. Now Mr. Franken, it is time to go to DC and not become "one of the boys". Stand up for the things you have been claiming to believe in for so many years. Do not be bought, if it isn't already too late ... already.
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I am using Ubuntu Linux this morning; it is the best Operating System I have ever used. I am including a screenshot of my desktop so you may see it is not some type of archaic monster that has to have every command typed.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thanks everyone for your caring and for sharing our anniversary.
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Yesterday and today I have my "sore-eyed cat" (chronic and severe conjunctivitis) allergies back. I put some allergy drops in my eyes and type a few lines, then do it all over until I have something semi-legible. Fortunately for yesterday, I wrote the blog on the previous day.
The pink-eye is not as ferocious today, but it is still extremely aggravating. I cannot see the photos on Flickr, and doing comments are out of the question. I try to send out an occasional tweet, but seems like no one is home there.
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Yesterday and today I have my "sore-eyed cat" (chronic and severe conjunctivitis) allergies back. I put some allergy drops in my eyes and type a few lines, then do it all over until I have something semi-legible. Fortunately for yesterday, I wrote the blog on the previous day.
The pink-eye is not as ferocious today, but it is still extremely aggravating. I cannot see the photos on Flickr, and doing comments are out of the question. I try to send out an occasional tweet, but seems like no one is home there.
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Monday, June 29, 2009
Love Story
The day in 1964 when Carolyn and I wed was sunny, warm, and typical seasonal; just like today. She was a lass of just seventeen summers, and I was a shy, ignorant klutz of 19 years. Being only 17, Carolyn was too young to enter into a marriage contract in Tennessee without parental consent and that damn sure wasn't going to happen! Not only were her parents—her mom in particular—against her becoming wed, they were adamant that she not be wed to me in particular. They figured she (and they) would be happy if she married a "professional" man, someone such as a lawyer or doctor, not some factory worker and non-conformist whom would not suck up to them and be any kind of a "Joe Average".
The previous summer, I purchased an engagement ring that sported a very small diamond, which she accepted along with my awkward proposal. No, I did no get down on one knee to ask her to marry me. However it was done, she was agreeable, but her folks sure were not. No way were they going to allow a country bumpkin to wed their little girl. They did everything they could do to dissuade Carolyn from becoming my Mrs., including having other boys over to dinner on nights they new she had a date with me. They once called the law on me for stopping if front of their house. Their harassment almost worked, too; we actually broke up more than once in the ensuing year due to their meddling which I thought Carolyn sometimes enjoyed; the other guys coming over in particular.
We finally set a date for our elopement, and on my first day of vacation from work I picked her up at the curb in front of her house (by then I was not allowed in the house) and off we went across the mountains into North Carolina; her excuse to her parents was that we were going to a park in Virginia for the day. We drove to Burnsville in Yancey County, located the courthouse and and asked what all we had to do to get married there. It was as simple as getting a blood test, buying a license, and procuring a minister or Justice of the Peace to say the words and make it official. One other thing; both parties had to be 18 years of age. Friends back home had already told me the folks in Burnsville were not sticklers about that particular law if we told them that Carolyn's birth certificate was lost and all we had was a family bible with her birth date recorded therein but we forgot to bring it along, they would overlook such a trivial requirement. The court clerk had gone through this whole procedure many times before, and handed us a card with all the things we needed to do and where to do them and all the related costs.
We left the old courthouse and drove straight to the little clinic and asked to see a doctor, and about twenty minutes later we had our blood drawn and were on our way to lunch while waiting for the results of the test. I was wearing a neat yellow shirt, and managed to spill a huge drop of ketchup on the front of it while dining on a burger and fries; I was then and am still a klutz.
At 2:00pm, we picked up our test results and drove back to the courthouse and bought a license. The clerk asked if we wanted to be married right away and we darn sure did want to do so. She asked if we preferred a minister or JP to do the honors, and we agreed that either would be fine. She dialed the telephone and said something to someone on the other end, and in a few minutes the JP came in. He was an old man, short in stature and very slim with a great disposition and a face which beamed a permanent, weathered smile. He was Justice Angel, and he was an angel of a man. The clerk and another courthouse worker were our witnesses, and in a few minutes Mr. Angel did his part, we did ours, I paid him $10, and we were on our way to Gatlinburg to spend the night.
I was running out of money, so the next morning we returned to my parents house where we would be living for awhile. Carolyn's mom was having a fit. Not only had we gone against her wishes, but it was also her birthday and she did not like her present which consisted of a brand new, disobedient son-in-law. She and Carolyn did not speak to each other for several weeks afterward, but her mom finally accepted the fact her daughter was married, although it took her many years to accept her new family member, if she ever did fully accept me. Carolyn's dad was not so hardened in his heart as was her mom, and welcomed me to the family.
So goes the story of our wedding day, and our marriage has been much the same ever since; spur of the moment in most things we do, helter-skelter in many ways, uneven at best, but it has worked well enough that we are still together. Every man should be as lucky as I.
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The previous summer, I purchased an engagement ring that sported a very small diamond, which she accepted along with my awkward proposal. No, I did no get down on one knee to ask her to marry me. However it was done, she was agreeable, but her folks sure were not. No way were they going to allow a country bumpkin to wed their little girl. They did everything they could do to dissuade Carolyn from becoming my Mrs., including having other boys over to dinner on nights they new she had a date with me. They once called the law on me for stopping if front of their house. Their harassment almost worked, too; we actually broke up more than once in the ensuing year due to their meddling which I thought Carolyn sometimes enjoyed; the other guys coming over in particular.
We finally set a date for our elopement, and on my first day of vacation from work I picked her up at the curb in front of her house (by then I was not allowed in the house) and off we went across the mountains into North Carolina; her excuse to her parents was that we were going to a park in Virginia for the day. We drove to Burnsville in Yancey County, located the courthouse and and asked what all we had to do to get married there. It was as simple as getting a blood test, buying a license, and procuring a minister or Justice of the Peace to say the words and make it official. One other thing; both parties had to be 18 years of age. Friends back home had already told me the folks in Burnsville were not sticklers about that particular law if we told them that Carolyn's birth certificate was lost and all we had was a family bible with her birth date recorded therein but we forgot to bring it along, they would overlook such a trivial requirement. The court clerk had gone through this whole procedure many times before, and handed us a card with all the things we needed to do and where to do them and all the related costs.
We left the old courthouse and drove straight to the little clinic and asked to see a doctor, and about twenty minutes later we had our blood drawn and were on our way to lunch while waiting for the results of the test. I was wearing a neat yellow shirt, and managed to spill a huge drop of ketchup on the front of it while dining on a burger and fries; I was then and am still a klutz.
At 2:00pm, we picked up our test results and drove back to the courthouse and bought a license. The clerk asked if we wanted to be married right away and we darn sure did want to do so. She asked if we preferred a minister or JP to do the honors, and we agreed that either would be fine. She dialed the telephone and said something to someone on the other end, and in a few minutes the JP came in. He was an old man, short in stature and very slim with a great disposition and a face which beamed a permanent, weathered smile. He was Justice Angel, and he was an angel of a man. The clerk and another courthouse worker were our witnesses, and in a few minutes Mr. Angel did his part, we did ours, I paid him $10, and we were on our way to Gatlinburg to spend the night.
I was running out of money, so the next morning we returned to my parents house where we would be living for awhile. Carolyn's mom was having a fit. Not only had we gone against her wishes, but it was also her birthday and she did not like her present which consisted of a brand new, disobedient son-in-law. She and Carolyn did not speak to each other for several weeks afterward, but her mom finally accepted the fact her daughter was married, although it took her many years to accept her new family member, if she ever did fully accept me. Carolyn's dad was not so hardened in his heart as was her mom, and welcomed me to the family.
So goes the story of our wedding day, and our marriage has been much the same ever since; spur of the moment in most things we do, helter-skelter in many ways, uneven at best, but it has worked well enough that we are still together. Every man should be as lucky as I.
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Sunday, June 28, 2009
Hairy
After showering this morning, I was admiring my spectacular physique in the bathroom mirror and noticed I have a brand new patch of solid black hair growing smack-dab in the center of my chest. The old stuff that has been there for years is dark brown, but has
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Q&A: Why should the citizens of this rat-hole city pay for a pumping system to alleviate flooding in a private apartment complex which was knowingly built on property that is notorious for sinkholes? Because it is in North Johnson City where the upper middle-class and wealthy people live! Pisser!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Weekend blues
Yesterday I visited my RA doc for my four month checkup, lube, and oil change. Nothing new broken and nothing old mended; status quo. Nurse Pam administered my injection with her usual warm hands and soft touch. Friday is dress-down day at the doc's, and Nurse Needles was wearing blue jean shorts that came down to not quite mid-thigh and fit her like OJ Simpson's glove; nice and tight. Not that I pay attention to such; I am an old man. I had a good visit with the doc, and she and I resolved all the health care issues that face this country. That was pretty well the sum of my day.
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I have dumped most of the groups on Flickr; I had more than 200 but am now down to just more than 50. A lot of those were picked up from my flying wood boring bee photo and the icicle shot from last winter. I will soon begin culling contacts there, too. Most of them are people that listed me as a contact or friend and then I never heard from them again except to see their photos popping up as thumbnails on my contact list. I give everyone the benefit of a doubt; I will visit and comment on several of their pics, and if they do not at least occasionally fave one of mine, I will dump them. I plan to dump many this coming week. I had one guy block me on Flickr because I did not comment on his photos; he listed me as a friend but never did show up on my stream. I commented and faved a few of his at first, but then quit because he did not reciprocate in the least. He is a good photographer, but he deserves no quarter from me. A pox on his Nikon.
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The only song of Michael Jackson's that I liked even a little bit was Billie Jean. He was the first person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he never produced a rock and roll song in his life. I have no use for the Hall of Fame as it is meaningless. As for Jackson, I neither liked or disliked him or the remainder of his singing siblings. His sister's tit wasn't even very impressive when she showed it on tv.
As for Farrah Fawcett, she became popular at about the time I became burned out with network tv, so I know very little about her.
I never liked Ed McMahon. He seemed to be a no-talent product pusher whom always looked very sneaky.
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Carolyn made killed lettuce and onions for supper last afternoon, along with mashed taters, October beans, slaw, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers, and a pan of corn bread. Some of the vegies came from Jerry's garden, but we bought the tomatoes. potatoes, and cabbage. Carolyn's tomato plants are blooming, and I look forward to grabbing a cold biscuit and plucking a tomato for a country feast. Cuisine-wise, it does not take much to please me.
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I have been a Twitterer for a couple months and still have only one follower if you don't count the snake oil salesmen. Maybe Twitter and Facebook will be handy someday, but I suspect they will be like MySpace and I will soon dump them. Flickr is still my only social outlet on the web except for these blogs, and my Flickr usage will soon be slowing, at least I hope it will. I very seldom use email and I have never IM'd more than four or five times. I have some Hotmail email addresses I at one time used as junk mail catchers, and I will get rid of all save one of them. I also have an extra gmail account that is no longer in use and I will soon shuck it. Hell, I don't even have text messaging on my cell phone. There is too much clutter in the modern communications world. This blog is electroinc proof of that statement; all these words and very little substance.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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I have dumped most of the groups on Flickr; I had more than 200 but am now down to just more than 50. A lot of those were picked up from my flying wood boring bee photo and the icicle shot from last winter. I will soon begin culling contacts there, too. Most of them are people that listed me as a contact or friend and then I never heard from them again except to see their photos popping up as thumbnails on my contact list. I give everyone the benefit of a doubt; I will visit and comment on several of their pics, and if they do not at least occasionally fave one of mine, I will dump them. I plan to dump many this coming week. I had one guy block me on Flickr because I did not comment on his photos; he listed me as a friend but never did show up on my stream. I commented and faved a few of his at first, but then quit because he did not reciprocate in the least. He is a good photographer, but he deserves no quarter from me. A pox on his Nikon.
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The only song of Michael Jackson's that I liked even a little bit was Billie Jean. He was the first person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he never produced a rock and roll song in his life. I have no use for the Hall of Fame as it is meaningless. As for Jackson, I neither liked or disliked him or the remainder of his singing siblings. His sister's tit wasn't even very impressive when she showed it on tv.
As for Farrah Fawcett, she became popular at about the time I became burned out with network tv, so I know very little about her.
I never liked Ed McMahon. He seemed to be a no-talent product pusher whom always looked very sneaky.
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Carolyn made killed lettuce and onions for supper last afternoon, along with mashed taters, October beans, slaw, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers, and a pan of corn bread. Some of the vegies came from Jerry's garden, but we bought the tomatoes. potatoes, and cabbage. Carolyn's tomato plants are blooming, and I look forward to grabbing a cold biscuit and plucking a tomato for a country feast. Cuisine-wise, it does not take much to please me.
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I have been a Twitterer for a couple months and still have only one follower if you don't count the snake oil salesmen. Maybe Twitter and Facebook will be handy someday, but I suspect they will be like MySpace and I will soon dump them. Flickr is still my only social outlet on the web except for these blogs, and my Flickr usage will soon be slowing, at least I hope it will. I very seldom use email and I have never IM'd more than four or five times. I have some Hotmail email addresses I at one time used as junk mail catchers, and I will get rid of all save one of them. I also have an extra gmail account that is no longer in use and I will soon shuck it. Hell, I don't even have text messaging on my cell phone. There is too much clutter in the modern communications world. This blog is electroinc proof of that statement; all these words and very little substance.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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Dancin' the night away ...
The missing children were found about a mile away from where they were last seen. They are ok.
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Times are getting worse. Carolyn received a check for her cleaning services from one of her oldest customers, and it bounced at the bank. This is a national company that sells supplies for the construction industry, mostly new homes. Instead of going to Clinch Mountain for picnicking and photo making this weekend, I will most likely stay home and eat peanut butter sandwiches. I will have time to think of new ways to get into trouble on this blog.
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The music for today is The Platters singing Only You. It is the song I first slow danced to with an actual soft, cuddly girl; she left the dance floor limping and hasn't spoken to me since. It was at a high school function of some sort, and cheek-to-cheek dancing was not allowed. A few of us doofus wallflower boys were sitting around in a classroom when some girls walked in. One of them had a transistor radio and Only You came on and she grabbed my hand and we began "dancing". Every pore on my skin opened up, and all those unused hormones suddenly sprang to life. Thankfully it is a short song, and I hope her toes were not permanently damaged. I was so excited over the pleasure of holding a sweet smelling girl so close, and being very shy, I was also mortified all through the "dance".
The last time I slow danced was on our wedding anniversary celebration at a local nightclub known as the Crow's Nest. Carolyn and I both were dressed to kill; she wore her best and sexiest dress and accouterments, and I had on my newest jeans and best Chuck Tanners. It was 1984, and my dance partner was not Carolyn; the dance was with a friend. Carolyn was sitting with some guy she knew; she had learned long before not to place her feet in my care on a dance floor. My partner for the evening was a young lady who stood just barely five feet tall (1.5m) and I was nearly six and one-half feet (2m) tall; I'm sure we were a lovely looking couple. Not one time did I step on her feet; they must have been too small for my size 12 clodhoppers to find. Sadly, she unexpectedly died just a few years later. (For Alice: She was Cotton's sister.)
Even though I was a klutz at slow dancing I was pretty good at waltzing, but no one else in my circle of friends cared for that style of dance, therefore I didn't get much practice.
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Times are getting worse. Carolyn received a check for her cleaning services from one of her oldest customers, and it bounced at the bank. This is a national company that sells supplies for the construction industry, mostly new homes. Instead of going to Clinch Mountain for picnicking and photo making this weekend, I will most likely stay home and eat peanut butter sandwiches. I will have time to think of new ways to get into trouble on this blog.
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The music for today is The Platters singing Only You. It is the song I first slow danced to with an actual soft, cuddly girl; she left the dance floor limping and hasn't spoken to me since. It was at a high school function of some sort, and cheek-to-cheek dancing was not allowed. A few of us doofus wallflower boys were sitting around in a classroom when some girls walked in. One of them had a transistor radio and Only You came on and she grabbed my hand and we began "dancing". Every pore on my skin opened up, and all those unused hormones suddenly sprang to life. Thankfully it is a short song, and I hope her toes were not permanently damaged. I was so excited over the pleasure of holding a sweet smelling girl so close, and being very shy, I was also mortified all through the "dance".
The last time I slow danced was on our wedding anniversary celebration at a local nightclub known as the Crow's Nest. Carolyn and I both were dressed to kill; she wore her best and sexiest dress and accouterments, and I had on my newest jeans and best Chuck Tanners. It was 1984, and my dance partner was not Carolyn; the dance was with a friend. Carolyn was sitting with some guy she knew; she had learned long before not to place her feet in my care on a dance floor. My partner for the evening was a young lady who stood just barely five feet tall (1.5m) and I was nearly six and one-half feet (2m) tall; I'm sure we were a lovely looking couple. Not one time did I step on her feet; they must have been too small for my size 12 clodhoppers to find. Sadly, she unexpectedly died just a few years later. (For Alice: She was Cotton's sister.)
Even though I was a klutz at slow dancing I was pretty good at waltzing, but no one else in my circle of friends cared for that style of dance, therefore I didn't get much practice.
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Lost
I just read in the local news that two small children ages six and four have gone missing from the Roan Mountain rhododendron gardens where Carolyn and I visited yesterday. It surely happened after we left the area because there were no police cars around except for US park rangers. Hopefully they will be found unharmed. The elevation of the gardens is about 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) above sea level, and it can be very chilly there at night. You can see from yesterday's and today's photos how difficult it could be to find a kid in those thick bushes, and how isolated the area is with nothing but more mountains for miles around.
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Hopefully, Chris has a job. If it works out, it should take a lot of pressure off of Carolyn and myself; it has been very difficult to support four adults on what amounts to one income.
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Why is North Korea still a problem? Will not someone with balls and brains put an end to their dangerous posturing. Just do it, Obama! If you are waiting for the UN to act, we all will need to learn the Arabic language and learn just how to get to Mecca. If you are waiting for permission from China and/or Russia, you will be on old age pension wishing you had done something.
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The moral voice of the Republican Party has been playing hanky-panky? Oh, my! Governor Sanford of South Carolina has been doing a lot of lying; lying about his whereabouts, and lying in bed with a sweetheart down Argentina way. This is the same scripture spouting hypocrite whom voted to impeach President Clinton for getting oral sex while on the job. This is one of the most ironic and humorous antics of the ongoing demise of the Moral Majority and hopefully it will also sound the death knell of the Republican Party as it has become. Sanford may cry and pray and apologize his way back to his forgiving and wealthy wife's arms, and he may fool the voters of ultra-Republican South Carolina, but you bet bloggers like myself are not going to buy into it; it is time for us to kick ass and take names.
As for the state of South Carolina, I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be wrong; after all, you are the people whom in 1954 elected Strom Thurmond as your United States Senator and kept him in office for 46 years after he publicly said "I wanna tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that there's not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigra race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches." This is the same Strom Thurmond whom fathered a child by a woman of the "nigra race" and never publicly admitted it. Is this Mr. Lincoln's Republican Party?
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Damn; it feels good to feel good.
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I changed my video to The Platter's The Great Pretender. I will be posting more of their videos over the next few days. They were my favorite group of the late 1950's, and as late as 1970 had sold more singles and albums combined than had Elvis or the Beatles.
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Hopefully, Chris has a job. If it works out, it should take a lot of pressure off of Carolyn and myself; it has been very difficult to support four adults on what amounts to one income.
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Why is North Korea still a problem? Will not someone with balls and brains put an end to their dangerous posturing. Just do it, Obama! If you are waiting for the UN to act, we all will need to learn the Arabic language and learn just how to get to Mecca. If you are waiting for permission from China and/or Russia, you will be on old age pension wishing you had done something.
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The moral voice of the Republican Party has been playing hanky-panky? Oh, my! Governor Sanford of South Carolina has been doing a lot of lying; lying about his whereabouts, and lying in bed with a sweetheart down Argentina way. This is the same scripture spouting hypocrite whom voted to impeach President Clinton for getting oral sex while on the job. This is one of the most ironic and humorous antics of the ongoing demise of the Moral Majority and hopefully it will also sound the death knell of the Republican Party as it has become. Sanford may cry and pray and apologize his way back to his forgiving and wealthy wife's arms, and he may fool the voters of ultra-Republican South Carolina, but you bet bloggers like myself are not going to buy into it; it is time for us to kick ass and take names.
As for the state of South Carolina, I'm sure whatever you decide to do will be wrong; after all, you are the people whom in 1954 elected Strom Thurmond as your United States Senator and kept him in office for 46 years after he publicly said "I wanna tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that there's not enough troops in the army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigra race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches." This is the same Strom Thurmond whom fathered a child by a woman of the "nigra race" and never publicly admitted it. Is this Mr. Lincoln's Republican Party?
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Damn; it feels good to feel good.
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I changed my video to The Platter's The Great Pretender. I will be posting more of their videos over the next few days. They were my favorite group of the late 1950's, and as late as 1970 had sold more singles and albums combined than had Elvis or the Beatles.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Roan
I awoke at 4:30 this morning, and could not go back to sleep; anticipation of our planned journey to Roan Mountain was keening my senses. I thought about rousing Carolyn and starting early, but she was beautifully sleeping and I waited until the clock went crazy at 5:30. By the time we showered, stopped at McWhacks for a biscuit and coffee and drove to our destination, it was just past 8:00am. Many people were already at the Carver's Gap parking lot, preparing for a day's hiking on the Appalachian Trail. We continued to the top where the old Cloudland Hotel once stood, but on the way up, we saw two small critters playing around on the roadway. At first, I thought someone had set out a couple of puppies, but as I slowed and got closer, I saw their little bob tails and small tufts of fur on the ear tips. They were either lynx or bobcat kittens. Bobcats are more common around here in the hills, but some Canadian lynx are moving in. They finally realized they were not alone and ran into the roadside woods. We finally made it to the rhododendron gardens, and went for a little stroll. I did not make many photos, but I thoroughly enjoyed our time there. By 9:00am, the trail was becoming crowded, so we left and returned home but not before stopping by Watauga Lake for an impromptu picnic of Pepsi and chips.
Nature is a wonderful friend, and it has a cure for a lot of maladies we humans seem to want to pile upon ourselves.
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Nature is a wonderful friend, and it has a cure for a lot of maladies we humans seem to want to pile upon ourselves.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Peaceful, easy feeling ...
Today ... today we went to the mountains. Spending a few hours in the Clark's Creek area of Unicoi County sure helped clear up the hangover from last week's blog happenings. Losing someone I had called "friend" for the past three and one-half years was really rough on my already weakened spirit, but a lot of the disappointment was buried along the creek banks and amongst the trees of summer. If all goes well, early tomorrow morning we will be atop Roan Mountain. I hope to shake away more of the bad spirits I've accumulated over the past few months; if The Roan cannot do it, then I am a basket case.
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A bad election has taken place in Iran, but in reality it is not as bad as the one that happened right here in our own little democracy in 2000. With our screwed up system of presidential elections, We The People allowed the Supreme Court to curtail the spirit of the Constitution and appoint our leader for the following four years; we stood by and did not even blink. That very same appointed leader was elected by us again in 2004, even after we had been shown proof that he was a liar, an election rigging thief, and had no respect for the wishes of anyone outside of Big Business. At least the people of Iran showed enough gumption to say 'no, we do not want this farce thrust upon us'. What did we do when our Constitution was ignored so many times during the eight Cheney/Bush years? Look at the state of affairs around our nation and that question will be answered. I hope The People of Iran have the resolve to make the change.
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Finally!!! The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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A bad election has taken place in Iran, but in reality it is not as bad as the one that happened right here in our own little democracy in 2000. With our screwed up system of presidential elections, We The People allowed the Supreme Court to curtail the spirit of the Constitution and appoint our leader for the following four years; we stood by and did not even blink. That very same appointed leader was elected by us again in 2004, even after we had been shown proof that he was a liar, an election rigging thief, and had no respect for the wishes of anyone outside of Big Business. At least the people of Iran showed enough gumption to say 'no, we do not want this farce thrust upon us'. What did we do when our Constitution was ignored so many times during the eight Cheney/Bush years? Look at the state of affairs around our nation and that question will be answered. I hope The People of Iran have the resolve to make the change.
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Finally!!! The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Waltzing.
You may have noticed I added a sidebar link to one of my favorite songs; it is a favorite only when sung by Patti Page. Patti was not only a beautiful woman, but she was the most popular singer of the 1950's decade with appeal across both pop and country genres much like Patsy Cline would have in the early 60's until her accidental death. My grandmother had two singers whom she would stop whatever she was doing and listen to: Patti Page and Hank Williams (Hank Junior). They are both still favorites of mine. I hope Patti and The Tennessee Waltz will become one of your favorites.
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We cleaned the buildings as usual yesterday, and then drove to the Wilbur and Watauga dam area. There, the Watauga River Valley is at its most beautiful with near vertical cliffs on either side, lots of different bird and plant species, and plenty of other wildlife. Spend a few days camping along the river banks and you will probably see just about every kind of critter that calls this area "home". They all love to hear Patti Page sing the Waltz. A couple types of varmints (other than humans) had their families and friends out for picnics yesterday; mosquitoes and tiny biting flies. The bloodsuckers took a liking to my legs, while the biters fed on Carolyn. Just a part of the good life when Nature is religion.
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We want to get back to Roan Mountain and the rhododendron gardens before the blooms fade, but the weather here is so unsettled that the prospect is only iffy. Weather is permanently iffy atop magnificent and ancient Roan.
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Man! I forgot to tell everyone that I got my weekly shot this past Friday. Forgive me for the oversight? Nurse Needles's hands were warm and gentle, as always.
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I had a weird happening on Flickr last evening; I sent photos to Picnik—Flickr's photo editing tool—did my edits, and then I could not get them back. I doubt that it is Flickr's fault; I am using the first Release Candidate of the Firefox 3.5 browser, and it must have a few tiny bugs. I will say this, it is a much faster browser than is Firefox 3.0, especially after you visit a site a time or two. I like it.
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We cleaned the buildings as usual yesterday, and then drove to the Wilbur and Watauga dam area. There, the Watauga River Valley is at its most beautiful with near vertical cliffs on either side, lots of different bird and plant species, and plenty of other wildlife. Spend a few days camping along the river banks and you will probably see just about every kind of critter that calls this area "home". They all love to hear Patti Page sing the Waltz. A couple types of varmints (other than humans) had their families and friends out for picnics yesterday; mosquitoes and tiny biting flies. The bloodsuckers took a liking to my legs, while the biters fed on Carolyn. Just a part of the good life when Nature is religion.
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We want to get back to Roan Mountain and the rhododendron gardens before the blooms fade, but the weather here is so unsettled that the prospect is only iffy. Weather is permanently iffy atop magnificent and ancient Roan.
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Man! I forgot to tell everyone that I got my weekly shot this past Friday. Forgive me for the oversight? Nurse Needles's hands were warm and gentle, as always.
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I had a weird happening on Flickr last evening; I sent photos to Picnik—Flickr's photo editing tool—did my edits, and then I could not get them back. I doubt that it is Flickr's fault; I am using the first Release Candidate of the Firefox 3.5 browser, and it must have a few tiny bugs. I will say this, it is a much faster browser than is Firefox 3.0, especially after you visit a site a time or two. I like it.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friends of virtuality
Strange how people come and go in our internet lives. Flickr is especially fickle when it comes to getting to know someone and then all of a sudden they are gone without a trace. Maybe it is me being offensive; maybe I need better virtual deodorant. Sometimes people think of their online friends as being one thing, but when those friends do not live up to preexisting ideals, they are quickly dumped. No amount of online friendship, email exchanges, comments, or anything else in the virtual world will ever make up for a meeting of eyes, a handshake, or a hug. A lot of times, the most profound and meaningful exchanges between two people are made without a word being spoken; a touch, a smile, or a lift of an eyebrow all can convey more sincerity than can a book full of words. I have learned the hard way to not take anyone for granted, and that is doubly so for people I meet on the net; it is so easy to use anonymity as a facade and be anyone you want to be, a social chameleon.
On the net, the people I trust and respect most are those I have known for awhile, and those whom do not mind chastising me when I err. Rarely, someone will drop into your virtual space and an immediate like for him or her will be established. They usually come to be good and reliable online friends.
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No Mugshots of the Week this time; the website is putting up an error message. It may possibly be fixed tomorrow.
On the net, the people I trust and respect most are those I have known for awhile, and those whom do not mind chastising me when I err. Rarely, someone will drop into your virtual space and an immediate like for him or her will be established. They usually come to be good and reliable online friends.
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No Mugshots of the Week this time; the website is putting up an error message. It may possibly be fixed tomorrow.
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
Pig flu ... again
Old farts and pig flu! Maybe a few of we oldsters will have the pleasure of not dieing from the pig flu virus. Seems like the virus is similar enough to ones from the 40's and 50's that the anti-bodies we have from inoculations or from having the flu in that era are protecting us from oink-itis. Younger people are dieing at a higher rate from swine flu than are old folk. I think the curl just left my tail.
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I have been playing with the latest release of Ubuntu Linux, and find it is at least as good as Windows XP at doing most things, and much better at others. The worst problem I have found with it is it will not play all videos from the internet. This is a problem with codecs and no fault of Linux; most internet sites that present videos use Windows codecs, and they are not always free as are the ones supplied with Linux. Adobe in particular does not give away its flash player, and they have proprietary codecs, etc which they will not freely provide. The good thing is that as Linux becomes more popular, sites are moving away from the proprietary apps to free ones. Everything in this world should not have a price tag on it.
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I have also been using the new web site that is being built for photos and a lot of other things, and I find it exciting; I do not excite easily. Whenever they have it finished and ready for general public consumption, I will let you know and I dearly hope you will give it a look and maybe even a try.
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The descendents of one Tennessee's first settlers and local heroes had a family reunion today in Jonesborough, and I headed in that direction to see if I could get some photos. Big family! There was no parking to be found that was satisfactory for a geezer like myself. The family of John Sevier will have to make do without me; I wasn't kin, but I do like Tennessee history. Maybe next time I can get there earlier and find a decent parking spot.
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I have been playing with the latest release of Ubuntu Linux, and find it is at least as good as Windows XP at doing most things, and much better at others. The worst problem I have found with it is it will not play all videos from the internet. This is a problem with codecs and no fault of Linux; most internet sites that present videos use Windows codecs, and they are not always free as are the ones supplied with Linux. Adobe in particular does not give away its flash player, and they have proprietary codecs, etc which they will not freely provide. The good thing is that as Linux becomes more popular, sites are moving away from the proprietary apps to free ones. Everything in this world should not have a price tag on it.
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I have also been using the new web site that is being built for photos and a lot of other things, and I find it exciting; I do not excite easily. Whenever they have it finished and ready for general public consumption, I will let you know and I dearly hope you will give it a look and maybe even a try.
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The descendents of one Tennessee's first settlers and local heroes had a family reunion today in Jonesborough, and I headed in that direction to see if I could get some photos. Big family! There was no parking to be found that was satisfactory for a geezer like myself. The family of John Sevier will have to make do without me; I wasn't kin, but I do like Tennessee history. Maybe next time I can get there earlier and find a decent parking spot.
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Friday, June 19, 2009
In the Evening of Autumn
This is a copy of my second ever post to Loose Laces. It was published on January 8, 2006. I will leave it here for a few days.
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In the evening of Autumn, The Mother walked the path that is called Enlightenment, the sweet scents of roses and honeysuckle filling her mind with memories of everything good.
She rested by a still spring, the spring that is called Self, and dipped her finger into the water and her reflection remained pure.
Night, a time that is named Fear, would not encompass her on the path which lay before her; a path that is called Truth.
She rested on the breast of a mountain, the mountain that is called Life, and looked back at all her travels had encompassed and she saw that it was good; only misty clouds lingered on the far horizon.
She lifted her eyes to where the sun sets just beyond the mountain top, and the wind that is called Change gently urged her to continue her ascension, and her heart lifted, for she knew that soon she would stand astride the golden peak, the peak that is called Eternity, and her journey would end.
She said, This is also good, for I have been given life, and I have brought forth life ... life that is beauty and it shall carry me through the ages to come.
©2006 Ken Anderson
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In the Evening of Autumn
In the evening of Autumn, The Mother walked the path that is called Enlightenment, the sweet scents of roses and honeysuckle filling her mind with memories of everything good.
She rested by a still spring, the spring that is called Self, and dipped her finger into the water and her reflection remained pure.
Night, a time that is named Fear, would not encompass her on the path which lay before her; a path that is called Truth.
She rested on the breast of a mountain, the mountain that is called Life, and looked back at all her travels had encompassed and she saw that it was good; only misty clouds lingered on the far horizon.
She lifted her eyes to where the sun sets just beyond the mountain top, and the wind that is called Change gently urged her to continue her ascension, and her heart lifted, for she knew that soon she would stand astride the golden peak, the peak that is called Eternity, and her journey would end.
She said, This is also good, for I have been given life, and I have brought forth life ... life that is beauty and it shall carry me through the ages to come.
©2006 Ken Anderson
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Thanks
First thing: this blogger is so screwed up! I am having major problems posting, and the fonts are ridiculous.
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If all these small tornadoes we are having around here ever decide to get together in one area, someone is going to be in deep doodoo. There were six more confirmed yesterday, but all did light or moderate damage.
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I want to thank everyone for the comments I've received the past few days concerning this blog. Whether positive or negative, they are appreciated. I was boring myself, and I know you readers must have been gagging, so I was ready to shut down Loose Laces for good and delete it from the internet. The new controversy has me rejuvenated. Thank you.
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"You have the right to remain silent ... "
On this date in 1966, the US Senate passed into law the Miranda Rights legislation that forces law officers to inform all suspects before they are questioned or charged that they have certain constitutionally guaranteed rights, and that they may have an attorney speak for them. The law has since been watered down to the point it is almost useless in some situations. Torture in the name of justice is an example.
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I must be a glutton for punishment, but here goes anyway:
Matthew 22:21: Then saith he unto them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's". From the King James translation.
This verse is often quoted from the New Testament, especially in the US around April 15, federal tax deadline day.
By using Caesar's name first, was Jesus putting the emperor before God, saying that Caesar should receive tribute (taxes) before God receives the things he demands of his children? I know, it may be insignificant, but it is the bible we are talking about and not a paperback romance novel. I've never seen this particular peculiarity addressed, but it probably has been scrutinized by "experts". It seems if one believes the bible is the literal word of God and Jesus, the desires of government or of other authorities must come before God's needs, but God's commandments do have to be fulfilled.
I realize the passage is a metaphor, but the wording is rather peculiar. Why did He not say 'unto God the things that are God's; and unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's'? I have read several expert opinions about the circumstances of the time, that Jesus was verbally slapping the Pharisees whom he considered as being very wicked, and I wonder if His words are for them alone or for consumption by the general public? The fact still remains that he used Caesar's name before God's.
From my days of faith, and from the things I still hear and read, the words simply mean that God gets what is His, and Caesar gets what is his; and in that order. It isn't what it says.
What do you think?
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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Things
I may have gone overboard with the thunderstorm thing yesterday; not only did it storm outside with tornadoes touching down locally, but my online experience was like riding out a nor'easter. Seems like the entire state of Texas was raining on my blog, and I wonder what it would have been like if it had been offensive in any way? One would think I had been seducing the Pope. Whatever! Chris is feeling a little better today and is trying to get ready to go job hunting.
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We are still having thunderstorms in the area, but so far not as severe today as were yesterday's. Tomorrow is supposed to be fair weather, then right back to t-storms for the weekend.
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The US government is tooting over the drop in continuing unemployment claims. Actually, it means only that a lot of people's unemployment coverage has run out, and that others have died of starvation, despair, and suicide. According to an Associated Press report, Big Bro is also expecting the economy to recover by mid-summer. Holy moley, that means all those jobs that the Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush administrations sent overseas are coming back home. It is almost enough to make me swoon! It means gasoline prices are going back to $1.50/gal. Hallelujah! It means people will again be buying homes and that I can sellout and move into a rental; to hell with house payments, escrows, taxes, and homeowner's insurance. Yippee! Carolyn's old accounts will be coming back for her janitorial services, and maybe I can afford to have my knee replaced. Hubba-hubba! It means super-sized and super expensive SUVs like Hummers and Escalades will once more be prowling our narrow streets and broken freeways. Hoot hoot! Let the good times roll! And all this before September; breathtaking, isn't it? Life in these here United States of America is looking good.
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Speaking of sore knees; I can remember when waking up of the mornings and grabbing my stick didn't mean a walking cane.
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I feel good today—except for my sore knees—so I will hang up and hang out. Maybe someone will take offense at my attempt at some economic satire, or they may become suspicious of my being alone all day yesterday with my grown daughter; they know how we hillbillies inbreed.
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We are still having thunderstorms in the area, but so far not as severe today as were yesterday's. Tomorrow is supposed to be fair weather, then right back to t-storms for the weekend.
----
The US government is tooting over the drop in continuing unemployment claims. Actually, it means only that a lot of people's unemployment coverage has run out, and that others have died of starvation, despair, and suicide. According to an Associated Press report, Big Bro is also expecting the economy to recover by mid-summer. Holy moley, that means all those jobs that the Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush administrations sent overseas are coming back home. It is almost enough to make me swoon! It means gasoline prices are going back to $1.50/gal. Hallelujah! It means people will again be buying homes and that I can sellout and move into a rental; to hell with house payments, escrows, taxes, and homeowner's insurance. Yippee! Carolyn's old accounts will be coming back for her janitorial services, and maybe I can afford to have my knee replaced. Hubba-hubba! It means super-sized and super expensive SUVs like Hummers and Escalades will once more be prowling our narrow streets and broken freeways. Hoot hoot! Let the good times roll! And all this before September; breathtaking, isn't it? Life in these here United States of America is looking good.
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Speaking of sore knees; I can remember when waking up of the mornings and grabbing my stick didn't mean a walking cane.
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I feel good today—except for my sore knees—so I will hang up and hang out. Maybe someone will take offense at my attempt at some economic satire, or they may become suspicious of my being alone all day yesterday with my grown daughter; they know how we hillbillies inbreed.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Today I caught some flack from unexpected places because of my Sermon blog of a few days back. My comment box runneth over. Maybe my writing has gotten so bad that people do not understand what I was trying to say; religion need not be complicated. Anything other than what the bible teaches is not of Christ's doing; it is the the work of mankind. My personal opinion is that it is wrong to arbitrarily add to the work and words of Jesus.
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It pisses me that even after I wrote in my blog this morning that Chris (my daughter) is sick and I am having to sit with her, they still selfishly choose to bring this down on me. It's ok though, at one time I was grilled for many hours by the experts from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and they did not break me, and neither will these folks whom take my words and make them say what they want. If I were out to make people mad, I could come down on religion in a severe way. A year or so ago I probably would have, but I try to learn as I live. Peace.
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It pisses me that even after I wrote in my blog this morning that Chris (my daughter) is sick and I am having to sit with her, they still selfishly choose to bring this down on me. It's ok though, at one time I was grilled for many hours by the experts from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and they did not break me, and neither will these folks whom take my words and make them say what they want. If I were out to make people mad, I could come down on religion in a severe way. A year or so ago I probably would have, but I try to learn as I live. Peace.
Synopsis of the "Sermon"
Jesus lived the simple life of a wanderer, a tourist if you will forgive the comparison.
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Stormy
It is a wonderful day! I love thunderstorms, and we are having them just one after another. Weather is Mother Nature's way of saying "do not take me for granted". For me, the times of most inner peace are when there is much turbulence in the sky; the clouds are dark, the air is warm, winds are busy overhead, lightning walks, and thunder talks. The scent of ionized air is refreshing and even an old man may sometimes feel good.
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I was supposed to go to the heart doctor today, but I had it postponed until September; I am getting medical burnout. When life is more about fighting just to be well instead of feeling well about oneself, it is not a worthwhile life. I feel much better by not going for a routine checkup like I had just three months ago. Quality of life for older folk is iffy at best, and we damn sure do not need unwarranted pressures placed on us by unfounded worries. Just allow us to finish what we began with a bit of grace and dignity.
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Chris has some kind of bacterial infection. She saw her doctor yesterday and he put her on a high-powered antibiotic. The medication can cause seizures so I am sitting with her today just in case a problem arises. One never ceases being a parent.
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I was supposed to go to the heart doctor today, but I had it postponed until September; I am getting medical burnout. When life is more about fighting just to be well instead of feeling well about oneself, it is not a worthwhile life. I feel much better by not going for a routine checkup like I had just three months ago. Quality of life for older folk is iffy at best, and we damn sure do not need unwarranted pressures placed on us by unfounded worries. Just allow us to finish what we began with a bit of grace and dignity.
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Chris has some kind of bacterial infection. She saw her doctor yesterday and he put her on a high-powered antibiotic. The medication can cause seizures so I am sitting with her today just in case a problem arises. One never ceases being a parent.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
I'm Wired
I read several online magazines and selected articles that suit my fancy, and have found one such magazine to be extraordinary. It is called Wired.com, and the name is so suitable because it has to be the suckiest geek production in the known literary universe, and I am giving it a lot of leeway by saying it has any minuscule literary merit. You think I am opinionated? These super-nerd boys and girls in their beanies and ivy league shirts leave my poor opinions in the dust. Wired magazine is like Fox News, only in diapers. These misinformed bigots must be a bunch of West Coast weenies doing the "writing", and they surely do not have an editor. You know their type; big suntans and small gonads. Wannabe freaks like them have appeared in every two-bit California-esq tv show and beach-bum movie since the glorious sixties. Of course, Wired is one of the most popular online representatives of modern electronic publishing. These certainly must be kids whom have never had to work; the same type that administers our punishment on Flickr, etc. One thing for sure, they can never die because they have never lived. One day on down the road to senility, they will just begin to fade away while playing their video games, eating Happy Meals, and sucking on "power" drinks. All that will be left of anyone of them is a stinking burp.
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Oh, boy! The restaurant owners of the Great State Of Tennessee are up in arms; literally. The legislature passed a bill that will allow people whom have a permit to carry a concealed firearm into restaurants and bars where alcohol is served. Governor Bresden vetoed the bill, but his thumbs down was overridden by the same legislature. I don't know why folks are raising a stink about the new law; after all, the state Senators and Representatives did not elect themselves; the loudest whiners are the voters whom elected them to office. To top it, Bresden signed into law a bill that will allow these same gun owners to carry their weapons in public parks where our children go to play and where we have picnics and family outings. Oh, boy! Oh, the hypocrisy. I wonder if Fidel Castro is accepting immigration applications?
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Obama seems to be another George W. Bush when it comes to foreign policy. He says a nuclear armed North Korea is a "grave" threat to world peace. Schmuck! It is a nuclear selling North Korea that is a threat to world peace. The communist regime there is desperate for hard money—western money—and will sell nukes to anyone one with enough euros or dollars to keep the chosen few living a high life style. Someone better be putting a stop to it and very soon. I hope the president's implied lack of concern is masking the fact that something is being planned or done other than talking.
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Donte' Stallworth receives a 30 day jail sentence for getting drunk and killing a pedestrian with an automobile. This is one sick judicial system in the United States of America.
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Oh, boy! The restaurant owners of the Great State Of Tennessee are up in arms; literally. The legislature passed a bill that will allow people whom have a permit to carry a concealed firearm into restaurants and bars where alcohol is served. Governor Bresden vetoed the bill, but his thumbs down was overridden by the same legislature. I don't know why folks are raising a stink about the new law; after all, the state Senators and Representatives did not elect themselves; the loudest whiners are the voters whom elected them to office. To top it, Bresden signed into law a bill that will allow these same gun owners to carry their weapons in public parks where our children go to play and where we have picnics and family outings. Oh, boy! Oh, the hypocrisy. I wonder if Fidel Castro is accepting immigration applications?
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Obama seems to be another George W. Bush when it comes to foreign policy. He says a nuclear armed North Korea is a "grave" threat to world peace. Schmuck! It is a nuclear selling North Korea that is a threat to world peace. The communist regime there is desperate for hard money—western money—and will sell nukes to anyone one with enough euros or dollars to keep the chosen few living a high life style. Someone better be putting a stop to it and very soon. I hope the president's implied lack of concern is masking the fact that something is being planned or done other than talking.
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Donte' Stallworth receives a 30 day jail sentence for getting drunk and killing a pedestrian with an automobile. This is one sick judicial system in the United States of America.
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Monday, June 15, 2009
I feel like an ongoing wreck
Today's sermon consists of not apologizing for yesterday's sermon; I stand by what I said. One cannot change the word of God to fit his own life; it is what it is.
Maybe I should have kept my feelings to myself, but that isn't whom I am and it definitely isn't the reason I have this blog. At times I talk when I should be listening, and other times it seems like I hear only what I want to hear, but there is one thing you may be assured of; if I say it, I believe it. The preacher at Westminster Abbey should not have turned away anyone from the house that Jesus built; he had no right to do so. When he shooed those "gawkers" away, he took possession away from the Man.
As for the other things such as idols and pageantry, if anyone can show where it is written in the original scriptures or any first translations of the Christian Bible that it is ok to have these things, then I will apologize in this public blog. HE is in your heart.
None of it was pointed at one particular person or belief, but at the hypocrisy I see in modern Christianity. There is much good in religion, but the fact remains that it should all be good. If not, why bother?
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We are still trying to get things straight with the bank concerning the stolen debit card. Nothing is easy when $ is involved.
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I am tired.
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Maybe I should have kept my feelings to myself, but that isn't whom I am and it definitely isn't the reason I have this blog. At times I talk when I should be listening, and other times it seems like I hear only what I want to hear, but there is one thing you may be assured of; if I say it, I believe it. The preacher at Westminster Abbey should not have turned away anyone from the house that Jesus built; he had no right to do so. When he shooed those "gawkers" away, he took possession away from the Man.
As for the other things such as idols and pageantry, if anyone can show where it is written in the original scriptures or any first translations of the Christian Bible that it is ok to have these things, then I will apologize in this public blog. HE is in your heart.
None of it was pointed at one particular person or belief, but at the hypocrisy I see in modern Christianity. There is much good in religion, but the fact remains that it should all be good. If not, why bother?
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We are still trying to get things straight with the bank concerning the stolen debit card. Nothing is easy when $ is involved.
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I am tired.
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Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sermon
A blog I follow was talking about going to church at Westminster Abby. The minister welcomed worshipers but turned away people whom he considered as tourists and those wearing jeans. Would Jesus have turned them away? What did He say about people worshiping when traveling or not wearing their Sunday best? I was once a religious person, meaning I believed in the Christian way of life, then many years ago I read something like the above, and it began my fall from grace into being a complete non-believer. The article I read at the time was about why one must believe in one true God and then went on to talk about churches turning away people whom did not believe in the same interpretation of the scriptures. Interpretation be damned! It is what it is and anything else is at the least hypocritical and at most just plain false. Jesus was a simple man; He lived a simple life. He founded His church on belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and He laid out a simple plan for people to follow to be able to join Him in Heaven. Anything later added by man is just plain wrong; denominations are wrong, icons and idols are wrong, gaudy church buildings used to attract genteel and wealthy people are wrong; high priced preachers of any kind are wrong. Jesus was a simple man. Do not interpret; act. The minister at Westminster Abbey was turning away God's children because they were wearing jeans and because they were gawking tourists wearing fanny packs? Big time organized religion is just as wrong as big businesses out for a unfair profits and as wrong as big time crime syndicates. Sure, there should be rules to keep things civilized in church, but the turning away is bad religion. Jesus was a simple man.
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On The Turning Away
lyrics by Pink Floyd
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Dont accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or youll find that youre joining in
The turning away
Its a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
Its not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that therell be
No more turning away?
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Did I hear an Amen from the balcony?
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Happy Flag Day, United States of America.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
Rain
The age old question: Why does Russell County in south-west Virginia have the hardest rains since Noah's Flood? Each week in the early to mid 1970's, I was unfortunately forced to drive through part of said county to and from my job in West Virginia. Well, not forced to, but it was the quickest route if a two lane road can be considered quick. While on my way to Tennessee on three different Friday afternoons just before six o'clock, I got hit by the hardest downpours I have ever seen. It is a mountainous region, but no more so than a lot of other counties in this area. My theory is that the storms come up the Tennessee Valley between the Unaka mountains on the east and the Cumberlands on the west and are funneled together as they hit that part of the world where they all raise hell at the same time. Either that or God does not like coal miners.
Another place I had to go through occasional bad conditions was on Flat Top Mountain in West Virginia. The West Virginia Turnpike crossed there, and we sometimes hit the densest fog I've ever had to drive in.
In the hard rains, we had to pull over to what we thought was the side of the road and ride the storm out, hoping we did not get our cars rear-ended. In the Flat Top fog, we had to keep moving--albeit very slowly--because it could have been morning before we again had decent visibility. Luckily, we never had an accident in either situation.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week. The suspect on page 13 cracks me up!
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The bank situation may not be as dad as first appearance. Some of the charges have disappeared from Carolyn's online bank account site, so it may be just a few hundred dollars worth of illicit charges which is certainly bad enough.
Another place I had to go through occasional bad conditions was on Flat Top Mountain in West Virginia. The West Virginia Turnpike crossed there, and we sometimes hit the densest fog I've ever had to drive in.
In the hard rains, we had to pull over to what we thought was the side of the road and ride the storm out, hoping we did not get our cars rear-ended. In the Flat Top fog, we had to keep moving--albeit very slowly--because it could have been morning before we again had decent visibility. Luckily, we never had an accident in either situation.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week. The suspect on page 13 cracks me up!
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The bank situation may not be as dad as first appearance. Some of the charges have disappeared from Carolyn's online bank account site, so it may be just a few hundred dollars worth of illicit charges which is certainly bad enough.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Pilfered
Someone stole Carolyn's debit card from her purse and cleaned out her business checking account. It apparently happened yesterday right here at home and by a close family member. The card was used at gas stations, restaurants, and a slew of times at a popular online gaming site World of Warfare, better known as WoW. There may be others yet to show up on her bank's web site. The card has been canceled, but a lot of damage has been done; I am not speaking of a few dollars or even a few hundred dollars. The account had tax money, insurance money, payroll money, and funds needed for other everyday business needs. The bank says they will replace the missing money, but it will be awhile before it is credited back to the account, and a lot of paperwork, hassle, and headaches have already been incurred, and plenty more will follow when she goes to the bank on Monday morning. We've been fighting this stuff since last night, both online and by phone; I am very tired. I haven't even thought about checking out the happenings on Flickr, Facebook, or anywhere else I generally frequent. I've not had time to read the newspaper; I need to check the obituaries and see if maybe I've died and gone to hell.
Man, I so badly want Carolyn to quit the business, but to do so will cost us our home for the past 15 years and a lot of other stuff. I understand her reluctance, but neither of us can have a minute's peace. Her income is drastically down, to the same level as 1998, and I see no use in prolonging the inevitable.
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Aren't gasoline prices charming as they are quickly climbing; $3/gal. by Independence Day? Probably. Give 'em hell, Obama.
Man, I so badly want Carolyn to quit the business, but to do so will cost us our home for the past 15 years and a lot of other stuff. I understand her reluctance, but neither of us can have a minute's peace. Her income is drastically down, to the same level as 1998, and I see no use in prolonging the inevitable.
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Aren't gasoline prices charming as they are quickly climbing; $3/gal. by Independence Day? Probably. Give 'em hell, Obama.
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
Shimmy y'all
I found a new television program that I dearly love to watch. It comes on Tuesday evenings on Fit-TV, and is aptly named Shimmy. Ladies, do you want to renew some romantic interest from your spouse or partner? If so, learning the shimmy should help ... a lot. Gentlemen, ... just watch, ok?! That is if you can do so without permission, because if you have to ask your spouse if it is ok, you are a lost cause anyway. If you are a henpecked worm, grab your copy of Popular Mechanics and pretend you are a man.
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I now have a toothache from a molar that needs to be pulled, but I will have to live with it for awhile. The pain is now constant, and eating or drinking is a challenge. I need to lose some weight, so not eating should be an overall boon to my health.
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I wonder? When I am in one of my dreams, I am not crippled, but just like everyone else and walking without a limp; never aided by a cane. My hands are still crooked, but walking is no problem in dream land.
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A local county sheriff fell while in the hills searching for marijuana plants. Maybe a broken ankle and painful hours of awaiting help is God's way of telling him to leave the pot growers well enough alone. The county taxpayers will have to pay his medical bills, plus his salary while he is on the mend. The American war on marijuana has been ongoing for decades and billions of tax dollars and many, many human lives have been wasted in the effort, yet the pot is still grown here or imported and sold all across the US. A pot bust serves only to make local law enforcement agencies look good to voters, and does nothing to control the overall use of illicit drugs of any kind.
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Let's all share a doobie and do some serious shimmying! Don't bogart that joint, my friend ... .
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I now have a toothache from a molar that needs to be pulled, but I will have to live with it for awhile. The pain is now constant, and eating or drinking is a challenge. I need to lose some weight, so not eating should be an overall boon to my health.
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I wonder? When I am in one of my dreams, I am not crippled, but just like everyone else and walking without a limp; never aided by a cane. My hands are still crooked, but walking is no problem in dream land.
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A local county sheriff fell while in the hills searching for marijuana plants. Maybe a broken ankle and painful hours of awaiting help is God's way of telling him to leave the pot growers well enough alone. The county taxpayers will have to pay his medical bills, plus his salary while he is on the mend. The American war on marijuana has been ongoing for decades and billions of tax dollars and many, many human lives have been wasted in the effort, yet the pot is still grown here or imported and sold all across the US. A pot bust serves only to make local law enforcement agencies look good to voters, and does nothing to control the overall use of illicit drugs of any kind.
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Let's all share a doobie and do some serious shimmying! Don't bogart that joint, my friend ... .
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Big Bucks
Happy Birthday, Robin.
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We began last evening's journey to Fall Branch, but were called back to Johnson City. The crew found more than $4.5k at a teller station in the branch bank they were cleaning. Carolyn went there and called the bank president and told him of the find. I suppose at least one person will lose their job today, and maybe even the branch manager. In round figures and since she began the business in 1992, she and the crews have found more than $12k in cash, checks, and money orders in 11 different incidences. They once found $1.5k+ of money orders and negotiable checks in a trash can at a finance company office. The manager did not bother to come out and check it, but instead sent his wife. Very few times have they been thanked for standing guard over these sums. One time Carolyn found $800 in a brown paper bag lying on a table in the safe deposit vault. The guy whom forgot it did not bother to show any appreciation. They have also found jewelry, watches, and other personal items that were worth quite a lot of money, and they may have been worth much more in sentimental value to the people whom lost them.
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Wednesdays are hair fixin' days for Carolyn. She missed last week and has been in a putrid grouch ever since. Come the 29th of this month, we will have been married for 45 years ... sometimes it seems much longer.
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Lane Kiffin, Tennessee's new head football mentor, has not coached a game at UT, but has been an ongoing embarrassment since his arrival on campus last winter. Television network ESPN is reporting new "possible" violations by him, and if they are true, the university will be better off to shed him and the man whom hired him, director of athletics Mike Hamilton. ESPN itself has been an embarrassment to the world of news gathering and reporting for many years.
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We began last evening's journey to Fall Branch, but were called back to Johnson City. The crew found more than $4.5k at a teller station in the branch bank they were cleaning. Carolyn went there and called the bank president and told him of the find. I suppose at least one person will lose their job today, and maybe even the branch manager. In round figures and since she began the business in 1992, she and the crews have found more than $12k in cash, checks, and money orders in 11 different incidences. They once found $1.5k+ of money orders and negotiable checks in a trash can at a finance company office. The manager did not bother to come out and check it, but instead sent his wife. Very few times have they been thanked for standing guard over these sums. One time Carolyn found $800 in a brown paper bag lying on a table in the safe deposit vault. The guy whom forgot it did not bother to show any appreciation. They have also found jewelry, watches, and other personal items that were worth quite a lot of money, and they may have been worth much more in sentimental value to the people whom lost them.
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Wednesdays are hair fixin' days for Carolyn. She missed last week and has been in a putrid grouch ever since. Come the 29th of this month, we will have been married for 45 years ... sometimes it seems much longer.
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Lane Kiffin, Tennessee's new head football mentor, has not coached a game at UT, but has been an ongoing embarrassment since his arrival on campus last winter. Television network ESPN is reporting new "possible" violations by him, and if they are true, the university will be better off to shed him and the man whom hired him, director of athletics Mike Hamilton. ESPN itself has been an embarrassment to the world of news gathering and reporting for many years.
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Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Jerry
We spent the morning with Jerry; he is glad to be home but wants to return to work. Carolyn bought some tomato plants and she put them in the ground for him; the medicine he is taking causes him to be unable to be in the sun for more than a few minutes. I tried to make some photos while there, but the wind was moving all the wild flowers around like crazy.
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It will be back to Fall Branch and Boones Creek to clean the banks this evening, and that will be my day.
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The photo is of Chris and Ashley, my daughter and granddaughter. It was made by Ashley's boyfriend.
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It will be back to Fall Branch and Boones Creek to clean the banks this evening, and that will be my day.
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The photo is of Chris and Ashley, my daughter and granddaughter. It was made by Ashley's boyfriend.
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Monday, June 08, 2009
I love June
We arrived at the hospital this morning just as they were releasing Jerry; he has a Streptococcus skin infection called Cellulitis. He should be able to fully recover. Thank you my friends for your interest and caring support.
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Obama says the "stimulus" will create 600k new jobs this summer. I say too little and too late. The lost manufacturing jobs are mostly gone forever if the US does not completely change its economic system, and that is something the powers that be—Big Business—are not going to allow to happen as long as they own Congress. After it is too late, the present system will kill itself as we will never be able to fully recover from this depression and more recessions follow in a chain until there is no economy left. It will be time to begin anew. Think of post-WWI Germany, although it probably won't happen so rapidly, but by then we will have become a minor player in the global economy with nothing to offer the rest of the world and no money to buy their products. Here is a link to a small taste of why we are in this mess.
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It is summertime outdoors and I am going for a visit.
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Obama says the "stimulus" will create 600k new jobs this summer. I say too little and too late. The lost manufacturing jobs are mostly gone forever if the US does not completely change its economic system, and that is something the powers that be—Big Business—are not going to allow to happen as long as they own Congress. After it is too late, the present system will kill itself as we will never be able to fully recover from this depression and more recessions follow in a chain until there is no economy left. It will be time to begin anew. Think of post-WWI Germany, although it probably won't happen so rapidly, but by then we will have become a minor player in the global economy with nothing to offer the rest of the world and no money to buy their products. Here is a link to a small taste of why we are in this mess.
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It is summertime outdoors and I am going for a visit.
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Sunday, June 07, 2009
Catching up
Jerry's pain and swelling became so bad that today he had to go to the emergency room. He is now in the Unicoi County Memorial Hospital, and the doctors are telling him he either has a blood clot or a deep infection. They will do an ultrasound tomorrow so as to make a correct diagnosis.
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Yesterday Carolyn and I drove over to Kingsport and Bay's Mountain Park. It was our first time there and it is nice, but they desperately need some parking facilities. I am nearly 65 years old, and yesterday is the first time I remember ever seeing water lilies in person. They and their attending critters are very photogenic. We left there and went to the Sciota steam engine show, but it was too crowded and there were no places to park within walking distance for a couple of old cripples. The event should be moved away from a farm yard and to an accessible location. From there we drove up to Limestone Cove to check out the picnic area and found it to be nice but little used, and on to Buffalo Mountain Park. They have finally built a shelter there, but there are still a lot of lone men in cars hanging around the area.
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Today we drove to Piney Flats and Elizabethton to clean the buildings, and I was able to again visit my favorite flower bed for a few photos.
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Except for converting from .raw format to .jpg and reducing file size, the above photo is untouched from the camera.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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Yesterday Carolyn and I drove over to Kingsport and Bay's Mountain Park. It was our first time there and it is nice, but they desperately need some parking facilities. I am nearly 65 years old, and yesterday is the first time I remember ever seeing water lilies in person. They and their attending critters are very photogenic. We left there and went to the Sciota steam engine show, but it was too crowded and there were no places to park within walking distance for a couple of old cripples. The event should be moved away from a farm yard and to an accessible location. From there we drove up to Limestone Cove to check out the picnic area and found it to be nice but little used, and on to Buffalo Mountain Park. They have finally built a shelter there, but there are still a lot of lone men in cars hanging around the area.
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Today we drove to Piney Flats and Elizabethton to clean the buildings, and I was able to again visit my favorite flower bed for a few photos.
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Except for converting from .raw format to .jpg and reducing file size, the above photo is untouched from the camera.
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The Smoking Gun's Mugshots of the Week!
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Friday, June 05, 2009
Rumbles
Saw my doctor for the checkup and I convinced her I am fine, so now I don't go back to her for a year. God, I'm getting really old; she wants me to be vaccinated for shingles. It seems a little late as we had new shingles installed on the roof less than three years ago, but I suppose she knows what she is doing. Also went to the RA doc's office for my weekly fix.
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My son Jerry has been off work all week; he went in Monday and his knee became inflamed and began hurting. It is probably arthritis from using the knee-kicker when he installs carpet, but he has no insurance and doctors will not see him without $200 cash up front, and he doesn't have that. I have no idea as to what he can do with so few options.
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Grasshopper? What the hell were you thinking?
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Today is National Donut Day, and some donut chains and establishments are giving away freebies to mark the occasion. Cops in several large cities dashed to local donut shops on their beats to make sure they procured their quota before the regular folk took theirs. If you saw police cars doing weirder than usual things early this morning, you can bet all the excitement was due to the rush for the donut rush.
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Maybe Aerosmith should change the name and lyrics of their song Janie's Got A Gun to Jesus's Got A Gun.
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My son Jerry has been off work all week; he went in Monday and his knee became inflamed and began hurting. It is probably arthritis from using the knee-kicker when he installs carpet, but he has no insurance and doctors will not see him without $200 cash up front, and he doesn't have that. I have no idea as to what he can do with so few options.
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Grasshopper? What the hell were you thinking?
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Today is National Donut Day, and some donut chains and establishments are giving away freebies to mark the occasion. Cops in several large cities dashed to local donut shops on their beats to make sure they procured their quota before the regular folk took theirs. If you saw police cars doing weirder than usual things early this morning, you can bet all the excitement was due to the rush for the donut rush.
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Maybe Aerosmith should change the name and lyrics of their song Janie's Got A Gun to Jesus's Got A Gun.
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Thursday, June 04, 2009
Sad Anniversary
Took Carolyn to her orthopedic doctor this morning, and he gave her Celebrex for the inflammation. She has not been in too bad shape the past couple of days, so he was reluctant to shoot the knee with cortisone. Used to be, he would not have hesitated to inject the drug, but times have changed. Tomorrow I go to my MD for a checkup, and week after next I go to the heart doctor for a checkup, and then a little later I go to the RA doctor for a checkup, and shortly thereafter I go to the opthamologist. Makes me sick just thinking of all of that.
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The Vietnam War Memorial Wall is going to be in town for just four days instead of the two weeks I thought I heard the local tv newsman say. Must look into hearing aids.
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The woodpeckers have already mated again and I hope to see some more little peckers before fall. Hasn't this spring flown by? Just a shade over two weeks until summer offically begins and the daylight hours become shorter and shorter. Carolyn and I planned to have a lot more picnics this year than in previous years, but we havent had one really serious one; something always pops up at the last moment to foil our plans.
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My best friend during the 1970's died 29 years ago today. Fred and I had a lot in common, but also had enough differences to make a deep and lasting friendship possible. Fred went through much of his childhood and all his adult life walking with a profound limp due to one leg being shorter than the other. He blamed the malady on a billy goat for butting him into a rose bush while he was bent over. True or not, he never did like roses again, and definitely disdained the sight of goats. Fred, it seems like just this morning when you pulled up in front of the trailer in the green Chevy truck you drove here from Texas. We all still miss you, bro.
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The Vietnam War Memorial Wall is going to be in town for just four days instead of the two weeks I thought I heard the local tv newsman say. Must look into hearing aids.
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The woodpeckers have already mated again and I hope to see some more little peckers before fall. Hasn't this spring flown by? Just a shade over two weeks until summer offically begins and the daylight hours become shorter and shorter. Carolyn and I planned to have a lot more picnics this year than in previous years, but we havent had one really serious one; something always pops up at the last moment to foil our plans.
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My best friend during the 1970's died 29 years ago today. Fred and I had a lot in common, but also had enough differences to make a deep and lasting friendship possible. Fred went through much of his childhood and all his adult life walking with a profound limp due to one leg being shorter than the other. He blamed the malady on a billy goat for butting him into a rose bush while he was bent over. True or not, he never did like roses again, and definitely disdained the sight of goats. Fred, it seems like just this morning when you pulled up in front of the trailer in the green Chevy truck you drove here from Texas. We all still miss you, bro.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Headtown
Yesterday was spent watching woodpeckers and paying bills until time to go to Fall Branch and Boones Creek. I returned home via Headtown and noticed a field full of daisies, so I had to stop and grab a few shots. Headtown is the community where I was born and raised, and the field is one where I used to pick wild blackberries and wild strawberries. This went on into my early teens, when other pursuits captivated my thoughts. This one field is now the only remaining farmland adjoining Union Church road in an area that once was totally covered by small farms; it is now covered by subdivisions. The house in which I was born is still standing and doing well; it was remodeled in the late 1970's by the folks whom bought it after my grandmother died. The house my parents built is also there, along with the house Carolyn and I had built in 1968. We intended to live our entire lives there, but we quickly realized we were too close to my parents nosy ways and we have been vagabonds ever since.
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No plans for today except trying to get caught up on web stuff. The replica Vietnam War Memorial wall is in town for a couple of weeks, and I hope to soon visit it.
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No plans for today except trying to get caught up on web stuff. The replica Vietnam War Memorial wall is in town for a couple of weeks, and I hope to soon visit it.
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Monday, June 01, 2009
June 1
This morning I was at about 80% of my normal 50% self, but have felt poorly again this afternoon; any improvement is a good improvement, I suppose. Carolyn is doing well except that her knee has gone bad again. She will finally see her orthopedic doctor on Thursday.
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"In the Name of God" took another blow in Kansas this weekend. Faith based hate; is there any other kind?
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I was on the porch fairly early this morning watching mama and poppa red-bellied woodpeckers feed their youngster. Very soon, there should be many robins, cardinals, and other perching-bird fledgelings and juveniles in the yard; the neighborhood cats will have their usual feast and torture sessions. Didn't get any decent photos as my 250mm lens just won't quite reach them in the treetops.
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"In the Name of God" took another blow in Kansas this weekend. Faith based hate; is there any other kind?
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I was on the porch fairly early this morning watching mama and poppa red-bellied woodpeckers feed their youngster. Very soon, there should be many robins, cardinals, and other perching-bird fledgelings and juveniles in the yard; the neighborhood cats will have their usual feast and torture sessions. Didn't get any decent photos as my 250mm lens just won't quite reach them in the treetops.
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