Friday June 24, 2011...This guy made a great speech

Al Franken, Senator, used to be a comedy writer.  
Who would take this guy seriously?  
Why in the world would Minnesotans vote him in as Senator?  
I didn't know, either.  Today I read the speech that he just gave to a conference in Minnesota and was notably impressed.  He stated his (and my) beliefs clearly and understandably.  

His speech is well worth reading.  Here it is:
======================================

The Attack on America's Middle Class, and the Plan to Fight Back

Netroots Nation 2011, welcome to Minnesota!

This is the state that sent Hubert Humphrey, the middle-class son of a pharmacist, to the U.S. Senate, where he cheerfully waged - and usually won - great battles in the name of the young and the old, the poor and the vulnerable, the oppressed and the disenfranchised.

This is the state where Walter Mondale - who, at the age of 20, had helped to organize Humphrey's first Senate campaign - rose to become the living embodiment of common-sense Midwestern progressive values.

And this is the state where Paul Wellstone, a professor down at Carleton College in Northfield, became my hero - and the hero of a generation of progressives who believed, as he did, that we all do better when we all do better. We all do better when we all have health care. We all do better when we all can get a good education. We all do better when we all can earn a fair wage at a good job. We all do better when we all can find a good home and economic security and justice when we're wronged.

Today, 100 years after Hubert Humphrey was born, nearly half a century after Walter Mondale began his legendary career in public service, and two decades after Paul Wellstone won his first race for the Senate, we gather in Minnesota to take stock.

We all believe that we all do better when we all do better. The question is: How are we doing?

And if we're talking about the fate of ordinary families, the answer is clear: We're losing.

The American middle class is in trouble. Median family income is down. Jobs are scarce. Opportunities people thought they'd earned through hard work are disappearing before their eyes. Working families are falling further and further behind.

And that means it's hard for progressives not to feel like we're losing, too. Our movement is about putting the concerns of those working Americans at the forefront of our national agenda.

Now, you can argue that Democrats in Congress should be doing more to win legislative battles - although, as someone who is in the room every day, I can tell you that I don't doubt for a second my colleagues' commitment to moving our country in the right direction.

And you can argue that the Democratic Party should be using different tactics to win elections.

But the fact remains: We as a progressive movement are losing the argument. On issue after issue, we're playing defense.

We're ready to fight for cap-and-trade. But instead, we're forced into an argument about whether global warming even exists.

We're ready to fight for the Employee Free Choice Act. But instead, we're forced into an argument about whether workers should have any rights at all. As proud as we all are of the fight our movement has shown in Wisconsin and around the country in the face of Republican efforts to end collective bargaining, we know that these aren't the conversations we should be having in the year 2011.

And instead of having a debate about what the government should be doing to help the struggling middle class, we're having a debate about what parts of the social safety net we should sacrifice in order to preserve and extend giveaways to the wealthiest few, and to well-connected corporations.

We can urge Democrats in Congress to stand stronger when Republicans hold our government hostage. We can urge each other to work harder to win elections. And you won't hear any disagreement from me on either count.

But if we're going to win these fights, we have to start by reclaiming the upper hand in the argument over what our country should be about. And I want to suggest that conservatives might just have given us the playbook.

For decades, their argument against progressive policies hasn't just been about the substance of our ideas, but about the scope of our vision. They call us radicals. They say we want to do too much, too fast. They accuse us of wanting to remake the fundamental fabric of American society, as if we were proposing to rip a few dozen stars off the flag.

They understand that Americans don't like radical change. We love our country, and are rightly proud of its traditions. We revere our past.  And it's easy to offer people a return to the "good ol' days" - when the economy was growing, everyone was optimistic, and we went to bed at night secure in the knowledge that our kids would have better opportunities than we had.

What conservatives miss when they talk about those "good ol' days," of course, is that they were good for a reason.  Some of you might have heard me talk about my childhood here in Minnesota. My dad never graduated high school. He was a printing salesman. We lived in a two-bedroom, one-bath house in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. We weren't rich - but we felt secure.

I felt like the luckiest kid in the world. And I was. I was growing up middle-class in a time when growing up middle-class in America meant there would be jobs for my parents, good schools for me to prepare myself for a career, and, if I worked hard and played by the rules, a chance for me to do anything I wanted. Including being a comedy writer and then a Senator. In that order.  Between 1947 and 1977, we experienced three decades of incredible growth - growth that flowed to the middle class.

And as we grew, we grew together. Everyone benefited. Income for the top fifth of Americans grew by 99 percent, and the income of those in the bottom fifth rose by 116 percent. I know that's hard to believe. The wages of the bottom fifth grew more than the wages of the top fifth. Really. That happened.

Meanwhile, the middle class could afford to buy more, so there was more demand - and that meant there were more jobs.

And with the tax dollars that came from all this growth, the government built 40,000 miles of straight freeways that greatly reduced the cost of transporting goods, invested in education that prepared kids for the workforce and innovations that created entire new industries, and strengthened the social safety net so that everyone could aspire to the middle class.

Oh. And we sent a man to the moon. Actually, a number of them.

Which brings me to my wife, Franni. When she was seventeen months old, her dad - a decorated veteran of World War II - died in a car accident, leaving my future mother-in-law widowed at age 29 with five kids.

That family made it because of Social Security survivor benefits.

Every single one of the four girls in Franni's family went to college, thanks to Pell Grants and other scholarships. My brother-in-law, Neil, went into the Coast Guard, where he became an electrical engineer.

My mother-in-law got herself a $300 GI loan to fix her roof, and used the money instead to go to the University of Maine. She became a grade school teacher and taught poor kids, and so her loans were forgiven.

She and all five of those kids became productive members of society. They pulled themselves up by their bootstraps - but first, they had to have the boots. And the government gave Franni's family the boots.

These are stories about security and opportunity. These are stories about the American dream. These are stories about the country we are so proud to call our own, the one we all want to protect and preserve.

But they are also stories about a progressive America, one in which the government adopts the principle that we all do better when we all do better.

It was our vision that government should provide economic security for the middle class and provide the boots for people looking to pull themselves up into it. 

It was our vision that America should be in the business of making things, and that we should invest in innovation and infrastructure so that we could have an economy where there's enough for everyone.

It was our vision that American workers should earn enough to buy what they produced.

It was our vision that everyone should have basic rights at work, no matter how powerful their employer, and that the law should be a place where anyone could turn for justice.

And although that vision has always remained a work in progress, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone and generations of progressives made this country what we dreamed it could be for millions and millions of families.

And while our vision was broad, the policies we fought for - from the social safety net to workers' rights to investment in our manufacturing sector - were grounded in values that began as "progressive," but have become simply American.

And having built that America we're all so proud of, it's now up to us to save it.

Progressives, in a way, are the new conservatives. We want to conserve what we fought to build. And the right-wingers who call themselves conservatives are the ones who want radical change in the way our government works, and the way our country works.

Newt Gingrich went on "Meet the Press" last month and said that the Ryan plan that would end Medicare was "right-wing social engineering," that it was "too big a jump." He has spent the month since apologizing - but for once in his life, Newt was right.

Actually, that's not fair. He was calling for electronic medical records years before the rest of the country got on board with the idea. So he was right the one other time. Gotta give a guy credit.

But ending Medicare, like privatizing Social Security, is astonishingly radical.

Part of the middle class promise is that, after a lifetime of hard work, you'll be able to retire and enjoy the fruits of that labor. Medicare was established to secure that promise. There was no private insurance market for people over 65 back in 1964. And if Republicans destroy Medicare, there won't be one now. The average Social Security benefit is $15,000. The average out of pocket health care cost for seniors under the Ryan plan would be over $12,000.

So if Republicans eliminate Medicare, America will become a country in which you can never retire - and once you physically can no longer work, you are desperately poor until you die. That is a radical change to our society.

The Republican agenda is a radical vision in which Medicaid is slashed to the bone - in which we start to balance the budget on the backs of, literally, our most vulnerable citizens. Say you have a parent who suffers from dementia and lives in a nursing home. If Republicans pass these Medicaid cuts, you'd better be ready to take that parent in. That is a radical change to our society.

The Republican vision is one in which we cut billions from job training and education and infrastructure - the things that enable ordinary Americans to find good jobs, enable businesses to find the customers and trained workers they need to grow, and enable middle class families to build real economic security. All these cuts, just to fund more tax cuts for people who are richer than any people have ever been in the history of the world.

It's a vision in which workers have no protections from their employers, ordinary Americans have no access to the courts when they're wronged, and big corporations control everything from our media to the Internet to our democracy.

After decades of fighting against any interpretation of the Constitution that secured basic rights for all Americans, conservatives have somehow found in that text special First Amendment rights for oil companies.

The growing gap between rich and poor, the failure of our generation to leave our kids the America we inherited from our parents, and the inability of our political system to respond to these crises - for today's Republican Party, these are features, not bugs.

The right wants America to be a nation of social Darwinism in which the powerful are protected by the government, and the rest of us are on our own.

To achieve it, they'll say things they know aren't true, disown ideas they used to support, contradict themselves on everything from how the legislative process should operate to how weather works. They'll let the government shut down, let us default on our debts, bring our country to its knees to fulfill their ideological fervor.

So how do we stop them? Well, I haven't been in politics my whole life. But I think we always win when we work together and stand on our values. Medicare, and Medicaid, and investment in infrastructure, and public education, and workers' rights, and civil rights, and equal rights under the law - these aren't just good progressive ideas, they're examples of traditional American values.

And when Republicans talk about destroying these things, they're talking about turning their backs on the America we've built. They're talking about ripping apart the fabric of our society. They're talking about a transformation of our country - about undermining our tradition so radically, they might as well be tearing stars off the flag.

And we should say so.

Here in the home of Humphrey and Mondale and Wellstone, I urge you all to stand up for the America our movement helped to build. Stand up for the principle that we should grow together instead of growing apart. Stand up for the principle that we all do better when we all do better.

Be proud to stand for Medicare and Medicaid. Be proud to stand with workers. Be proud to stand for a government that invests in America, a legal system that respects the rights of all individuals, and the progressive values we've fought so hard to defend. Be proud of who we are and what we've built.

We have a tough fight ahead. But it's one we have to win. It's not just the Democratic Party that's depending on us. It's the American middle class. And it's the American tradition, one that we helped to create - and one that we must now protect.

Thank you.

Sunday June 11, 2011...Government

I and my neighbors and friends don't have time to perform all necessary functions in our community while we struggle to do our jobs and follow our chosen professions. We got together in a community group to form a government to hire those specialized functions to be done by others. We chose our teachers and police officers and sanitation workers and street repairers and a myriad of other function doers to help relieve us of those duties. On a national scale, we got together in a national group to form a government to hire those national functions to be done by others. We chose our military and our foreign relations people and our security people and hired watchdogs to make sure that those of us who wanted to cheat or steal from the rest of us were prevented from doing so. We chose to have standardized regulations set forth so that everyone would understand the limits and know the penalties for cheating. We chose our delegates to represent us in the national meetings and present our views and requirements so that our government can administer our state correctly. The whole idea was for us all to get along under common principles and common laws and regulations so that we could continue to follow our professions with the least amount of bother. This is our government that we chose to create to help us. In effect, we are the government. We choose how and why and what regulations we want to have in our society to help us and how we want it administered.

To do without that administration would allow the meanest of us to take control. We need our regulations administered to keep control. Somehow, the whole process of choosing who will represent us and what regulations we want administered has been taken away from us by those who would use us to their advantage. They have wrested control away from the rest of us and have tried to remove our regulations and safety nets and have tried to have us hire only their people to perform the functions that they sell by privatizing the public work. It's all about how much control they can take away from all of us and how much they can use the whole system to their financial advantage.

I can only hope that we, collectively, will take back the administration of our own functions and revitalize those controls that we need to provide for our own common good.

We don't want to get rid of government. We need government. We just need OUR government to represent US and our wishes.

Saturday June 11, 2011...Aftershock

Afterthoughts and reflections after reading “Aftershock” by Robert Reich

He clearly drew a picture of what happened to cause the Great Depression (1929-1946) and what brought us out of that financially burdensome time into The Great Prosperity (1947-1975). Marriner Eccles chaired the Federal Reserve Board from 1934 to 1948. His advice and actions inspired the correct financial response by our political leaders and pulled the economy up from the depths. He clearly saw that money had to be available for the common man and his family and that with a healthy financial community the manufacturing would also benefit. He inspired Franklin Roosevelt to help and encourage the poor, the elderly and the working man with jobs and safe banks and secure homes and social security in our old age. Herbert Hoover and the previous administration had been following the old ways and assumed that the economy would self correct. He was wrong to trust the special interests and big bankers. Eccles clearly saw that their way would not stimulate the economy. They wanted to cut government services and let business find the way just as the current Republican Wall Street bankers are advising now. Luckily we had Mr Eccles then. Now is a different story.

The monied interests now control the political system and the business systems and they have no consideration for the poor or the middle class. They are greedy to the extreme and would deny sharing their wealth with the system that gave them this wealth. Even though the very wealthy have more wealth than they can spend, they still reach for more. The politicians need huge amounts to run their campaigns and know that they owe their jobs now and after leaving government service to those with the big bucks. Republican and Democrat alike respond to the desires of the wealthy. They are unlikely to bite the hand that feeds them. We look forward to diminished government services and a much lower standard of living, unless you're wealthy.

One scenario that Mr Reich put forth as an extreme backlash to the present situation was really quite frightening in its implications. A mythical third party wins the presidential and congressional election with a message of zero tolerance of illegal immigrants, a freeze on legal immigration, increased tariffs on all imports, a ban on American companies moving operation overseas or outsourcing abroad, withdrawal from United Nations, World Trade Organization, World Bank, and IMF, refuse to pay any more interest on our debt to China and stop trade with China. They would prohibit profitable companies from laying off workers or cutting payrolls. The federal budget would be required to be balanced. The Federal Reserve would be abolished. Banking would be restricted to deposits and loans. No investment banking. Capping personal income at $250,000 per year – everything above $500,000 to be taxed at 100%. – The stock market crashes, the dollar plummets, banks close, economic calamity.

Robert Reich sees the problem and offers his suggestions on how to solve them without destroying the country, but even he acknowledges that no change will probably occur until the systems crashes and forces reforms. The Great Recession that we are in the midst of wasn't quite strong enough to bring about the required resolve. The future holds the answer.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011...The scale is tilted

We live on an island in space.

One very small group representing less than 5% of the total population of the island own 95% of the land, produce and resources of the island. The rest of the islanders work and toil to help create more wealth for the 5%. The 5% control the politics and all communications and all produce and all the wealth of the island. The 5% think that this is the way things should always be and they control who gets to be the representatives of the people. The 5% have the 95% convinced that all is well with the world and that there is no reason to complain. They tell us that we are all in the same boat and that they care about us and only wish us success. 

You believe them, don't you?

Interesting, but discouraging facts

Total War Funding by Operation

Assuming an annual level of the current Continuing Resolution (H.J.Res. 44/P.L. 112-4) and

based on DOD, State Department/USAID, and Department of Veterans Administration budget

submissions, the cumulative total appropriated from the 9/11 for those war operations, diplomatic

operations, and medical care for Iraq and Afghan war veterans is $1.283 trillion including:

• $806 billion for Iraq;

• $444 billion for Afghanistan;

• $29 billion for enhanced security; and

• $6 billion unallocated 

Of this total, 63% is for Iraq, 35% for Afghanistan, 2% for enhanced security and 1/2% is

unallocated. Almost all of the funding for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is for Afghanistan.

This total includes funding provided in all appropriations act including the FY2010 Supplemental

(H.R. 4899/P.L. 111-212) enacted July 29, 2010, and the 6th Continuing Resolution for FY2011

For example, between FY2005 and FY2009, average annual operational costs per troop were $525,000 for Afghanistan and $462,000 for Iraq.

DOD’s requests for FY2010 and FY2011 generally include sharply higher annual per troop costs for Afghanistan, with operational costs projected to jump from $507,000 in FY2009 to $667,000 in FY2010 and $694,000 in Afghanistan.

COULDN'T THIS MONEY SERVE BETTER PURPOSES HERE AT HOME WHERE PEOPLE NEED HELP?

Saturday May 28, 2011...Remember our Veterans

We seem to continually remain at war.  It isn't the fault of our troops.  They perform nobly as their duty prescribes.  On this Memorial weekend, remember the boys and men who have given their all in our service.

America continues to be engaged in hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and young men and women will pay the ultimate price while wearing the uniform of our nation. Let us honor the memory of the 4,454 Americans who have died in Iraq and more than 1,595 who have died in Afghanistan. We also honor the sacrifices of our wounded: 32,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 11,400 in Afghanistan.

Since September 2001, 13,957 troops from Missouri have been deployed from the U.S. National Guard and Reserve. Missouri currently has 4,494 troops deployed, and has sent 42,650 since September 2001. In Iraq, 90 have been killed. 754 have been wounded. In Afghanistan, 40 have been killed. 235 have been wounded.

As we remember their patriotic sacrifices, we renew our commitment to keep our promises to the nation’s more than 2 million troops and reservists, their families, and 23 million veterans, including 505,916 in Missouri.

Perhaps we can bring our participation in these struggles to an end in the near future if the powers that be will let them end.  What have we gained from these dead and wounded that couldn't have been gained by negotiation?  Looking back over past wars and seeing our former enemies who are now our allies and trading partners you have to think that war accomplishes little other than enriching the people who supply war materials and profit from both sides of a conflict.  It's been a long struggle in the middle east with no end in sight and nothing gained by our sacrifice.  It's time for this to end.  Let's bring our boys home.

Friday May 20, 2011...A Thought

A thought about thoughts.

Where does a thought come from? What sparks a thought into existence? A completely NEW thought springs from what source? Does it come with a spark or with a big bang? Is a thought comprised of energy? How does it exist and in what form?

We speak about the BIG BANG that started our universe with some form of energy converting itself into all the matter of the universe that we now know in a single instant. Something started that transformation. Before that BIG BANG, there was no matter and no time and all was void. Perhaps we and all that we perceive are nothing more than a thought in the mind of God, whatever or whoever you conceive God to be. From nothing came this instant of creation that brought our universe into being. We are nothing more than stardust leftover from that one instant of creation, that single thought.

Was that thought that created our universe a complete unified and solidified thought or was it something that once started follows it's own course of action?. Can we control our dreams and thoughts and seek solutions to problems or do the dreams and thoughts once started find their own conclusions?

In any event, if we are indeed the result of a thought by some greater force or being, we are a creation of that force or being and our actions, whether controlled or natural, are a direct result of that creation. One can only conclude that any action we take cannot be in opposition to the will of that force or being because we are a consequence of that creation.

The greater question is: What happens to a thought when it has passed? What lies ahead in what we conceive of as our future? Does a thought fade and disappear or does it linger in the memory forever?

Wednesday April 6. 2011...I'm sorry, but I don't understand the logic

Well, maybe I do - if your object is to help the needy rich and corporate america and take from the undeserving  poor, then it all makes sense.  Let them eat cake!  And be sure that we have a tremendous military to enforce our corporate will upon recalcitrant neighbors.  

House Republicans led by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan have unveiled a plan that would spend $6.2T less over 10 years than what President Obama has proposed. With not a sacred cow in sight, except perhaps the Pentagon, Ryan's 'Path to Prosperity' proposes to limit expenditure on Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and scores of other programs. He also wants to cut the top corporate and individual tax rates to 25%. Despite the appearance of radicalism, the GOP plan would still add $5T to the deficit over the coming decade, although it promises to reach 'primary balance' by 2015, meaning that the budget would be balanced except for interest payments on existing debt. The plan wouldn't balance the government's books until 2040.

CUTTING TAXES ON RICH AND CORPORATIONS WHILE REDUCING BENEFITS FOR THE REST OF THE CITIZENS IN THE UNITED STATES. STILL ADDING TO THE DEFICIT UNTIL 2040 AND DOESN'T ALLOW FOR COMING INCREASED INTEREST RATES AND HIGHER INFLATION. ALSO ASSUMES THAT UNEMPLOYMENT WILL REDUCE AND THAT TAXES FROM EMPLOYED WILL INCREASE.   Perhaps there is also a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow which we can use to reduce our debt.  Or, we could hope to catch a leprechaun?  

AND AS FOR REVISING SOCIAL SECURITY

per The House Republicans' 2012 Budget Proposal

"Demographics:

The first is demographic.

This problem is most clearly seen in the financing for Social Security. Social Security is financed through a pay-as-you-go system, which means that current workers' Social Security taxes are used to pay benefits for current retirees. In 1935 when Social Security was enacted, there were about 42 working-age Americans for each retiree. The average life expectancy for men in America was 60 years; for women it was 64. With these demographics, it was easy for the program to generate sufficient revenue to meet its promises to those over 65. The demographic situation has changed dramatically, however, since the creation of the program. In 1950, there were 3.5 million beneficiaries. Currently, there are over 50 million beneficiaries - an over fourteen-fold increase."

per SSA http://www.ssa.gov/history/lifeexpect.html

the average life expectancy at age 65 (i.e., the number of years a person could be expected to receive unreduced Social Security retirement benefits) has increased a modest 5 years (on average) since 1940. So, for example, men attaining 65 in 1990 can expect to live for 15.3 years compared to 12.7 years for men attaining 65 back in 1940.

Obviously the Republican document is in error, although the average lifespan was less back when social security was started, the average lifespan for retiring citizens was approximately the same then as it is now and the tables for computing this were based on this fact. In fact all the demographics were considered and included when computing the actuarial tables for social security. That is why the social security system has built up a surplus over the years of 2.6 trillion dollars and remains solvent for the next 26 years and will only require minimal tweaking to adjust to future situations.

TABLE 1: The Outlook for Social Security (by fiscal year, in billions of dollars)
	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Annual surplus	137	83	91	101	114	131	143	148	148	149	143	132
Surplus excluding interest	19	-36	-26	-13	-2	10	13	8	-4	-14	-32	-55
Holdings	2,504	2,587	2,677	2,779	2,893	3,024	3,167	3,315	3,463	3,612	3,755	3,886
Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities based on Congressional Budget Office, August 2010 baseline projections. CBO has not published complete details for its August baseline; CBPP calculated the Social Security surplus as the difference between the total off-budget surplus — as published by CBO — and the off-budget Postal Service deficit, assuming that the latter figure did not change since CBO’s March 2010 projection.

The system has been working well for the last 75 years and is scheduled to continue being successful into the future. Why disrupt a successful enterprise? I can only suppose that private interests wish to somehow gain control of the investing power of this trust fund and are lobbying their representative agents to help them. While this would gain those special interests much income, it wouldn't be in the best interests of the participants. Recessions and bubbles in investing circles come and go but the system works and keeps working. Let's keep this fund out of special interests hands.

Using phrases that sound sensible for new programs often mislead the public.  But seeing that the actual details cause the opposite reactions should warn us that the proposed plans have something else in mind than our own welfare.  It all amounts to a tug of war between the average citizen and the wealthy powers that hope to control our country.  So far, the powers are winning and they are stepping up the action without hiding their true feelings.

Monday March 14, 2011...Words and descriptions

WORDS FOR THE POLITICAL DAY

APPLY THEM TO THE POLITICIAN OF YOUR CHOICE

I personally like the last one. It rolls off the tongue – opprobrious.  and it  has particular appropriateness to the present political situation.  

(reference: Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, etc, etc, etc.)

perfidious: deliberately faithless; treacherous; deceitful

ignoble: degraded; dishonorable; ignominious; contemptible

ignominious: degrading; disgraceful; dishonorable; shameful; despicable; ignoble

specious: superficially plausible; false; misleading

meretricious: showy; gaudy; spurious; sham; false

opprobrious: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame;

"Man...has written one of his blackest records as a destroyer on the oceanic islands"- Rachel Carson; "an ignominious retreat"; "inglorious defeat"; "an opprobrious monument to human greed"; "a shameful display of cowardice"

ignominious; inglorious; shameful; disgraceful;

dishonorable - lacking honor or integrity; deserving dishonor; "dishonorable in thought and deed"

Wednesday February 16, 2011...Adventures in Mexico

It was a most interesting daily jaunt.   I crossed over the border into Nuevo Progresso Mexico on Tuesday. 

 

First impression was the presence of the army. They had armored vehicles with machine guns mounted on them. They also had sand-bagged posts with soldiers manning them. They definitely announced their presence to the hundreds of tourists crossing over from the US. 

Second impression was one of a marvelous bazaar with hundreds of small shops carrying all kinds of items for sale. I also noticed many, many pharmacies and dentists. It seemed as though there were as many as 50 of each. Outside of many of the shops were hawkers calling your attention to this pharmacy or that dentist. There were also many sidewalk vendors about. The streets were crowded with tourists and hawkers. People were on the sidewalk and in the streets. Cars and trucks were slowly meandering down the streets. 

I had a chipped tooth and went into a dentist's office. He was able to immediately help me. He took xrays and showed me where the root was exposed and that rather than covering it with a filling that would eventually cause great pain, I needed a root canal and a crown. When I asked him how much it would cost I was told the total would be $300. This was about a third of what I had paid for the last such procedure in the United States. I asked him how long it would take and was told it would be ready in 2 days. This seemed such a bargain that I asked him if he did partial plates. I had lost a partial plate on the left bottom of my mouth some months ago and dreaded paying another $1,000 for a new one. He quoted me $350 and that included a newer base of flexible material instead of the metal plate. It will also be ready this week. He was extremely polite and quite knowledgeable. He spoke Spanish and English and wasted no time. I was quite pleased.. I'm going back Friday for the crown and the partial that would have cost about 3 times what I will end up paying.

After coming out numbly from the dentist, I shopped for a bit at a leather store with my sister and brother-in-law. I noticed that my sister was able to barter the price down on a purse from $20 to $15. Unfortunately I had already agreed to purchase 2 leather hats at the marked price, otherwise I might have saved a few bucks. Oh well, you live and learn. I will shop a bit more when I go back for my teeth and perhaps try bartering. We, in the United States, are not used to arguing the price down on objects – so this will be a new experience.

I would also point out that the dentist was located within a block or so of the border checkout, so it was very convenient.  A great place to go for dental work and adventure.

Thursday February 10, 2011...I'm innocent!

It is NOT my fault!! 

Everyone is starting to point fingers and rumors are spreading that I brought the cold weather down here. 

 

I was trying my best to escape before the blizzard of 2011 hit Kansas City. It was right behind me all the way. The folks in Waco were wacko anticipating cold that they weren't prepared for. Warnings were out all along the way. 

The devil was on my tail, but I kept riding south trying to escape his clutches. 

I did get a nice tail wind that improved my mileage, but it still wasn't my fault. The pipes were freezing and the roads closed with ice all around. Probably the crops will fail and people will always remember when Bob came to town. 

Schools and businesses closed their doors and people stood shivering in their tee shirts and shorts. Nobody knew what to do. I see groups of people standing about and muttering and pointing fingers at me. Everybody I meet says “so YOU'RE the one who brought this cold weather down here”. It's frightening. 

All I wanted was blue skies and warm southerly breezes and palm trees swaying and fresh fruit and vegetables growing. Now I've been down here for over a week and last night it again got down below freezing. To me this doesn't seem bad for February, but this is a calamity for these warm blooded folks down here with little heat and no warm clothes. Next week it's supposed to warm up to about 80 in the daytime and 60 at night, but folks will still remember “the man from Missouri who brought down the cold”.

I hope they'll let me stay till March.  I'll try to bring warm weather north with me.  I could use a southerly breeze to help my mileage.

 

Thursday February 3, 2011 SNOW??!! HERE?

Well, here I am in sunny south Texas escaping the artic blizzard that has struck the midwest.

Unfortunately, the artic air has pushed south even to here. It has gotten down to below freezing and the people down here aren't really prepared for that. Tonight it's supposed to sleet, freezing rain, or snow over much of the area which will affect the citrus crop and the vegetable crops if it stays cold very long. I feel sorry for the folks who don't have heat in their houses or warm clothes. It's supposed to be about 30-40 degrees warmer than it is. I drove 1,000 miles south to get away from cold weather and I didn't expect this. Hopefully, in a few days or a week the weather will return to normal and I will be able to enjoy the balmy weather and bask in the sun. 

I'm really good with balmy and basking.

It's been a long cold winter and it's still snowing!

The holidays came and went and were quite a busy time here at home.  My son-in-law came home from the oil fields of Wyoming and North Dakota to spend Christmas and New Years with his family.  We had a lot of family time over the holidays and it was great.  Now Carole has gone south to Texas for the winter and Chuck has returned to Wyoming and it keeps on snowing and getting colder.  I'm really ready for some warmth.  I plan on visiting Carole in Texas during the whole month of February.  It's supposed to be sunny and warm down along the Rio Grande and I won't mind it a bit.  Meanwhile my daughter, Deborah, has gotten her divorce and plans on moving up to Oregon from New Mexico.  It's quite a turmoil for her right now, but she will make the most of it - a fresh new beginning.

I love the changes of the seasons, but I get tired of snow really quickly.  It's beautiful to look at for a day, but after that it starts to look a bit stark and cold and uninviting.  It will be great to see the green grass and orchards of fruit trees of southern Texas.  A warm beach with blue skies and puffy white clouds won't be bad also.

My Minnesota relatives love the snow and cold for all the winter sports and activities, but up there it gets cold and stays cold and once you get out the warm clothes you don't put them away till spring.  Here it's warm one day and cold the next and snowing one day and slushing the next so your body never quite gets adjusted.

I'll let you know how warm it is in Texas when I get there.  Stay warm!

burp! Thanksgiving was great!

Thanksgiving was great - had dinner at sister Janice's house and her whole menu was delicious.  My daughter Beth and grandson Zachary went with me, so it was a good family outing.  We missed my son-in-law Chuck terribly but he is still in Wyoming and North Dakota trying to stay employed with the oil riggers.  The labor market here in town still isn't much, so he has been working far from home and not getting home very often.

Christmas shopping season opened with the plaza lights being turned on.  We put up our Christmas decorations and it's now time to think about how to celebrate the season.  Many of our relatives are having financial difficulties this year, so we intend to keep it simple.  Tonight my sisters and brother and their spouses and I will be getting together for our annual birthday steak dinner at Jess & Jims.  We have been doing this now for about 15 years and everyone really enjoys getting together and having a good meal.

I've been in a candy making mood - never tried that before, but it seems to be not that hard.  You get in the baking mood or the cooking mood or the candy mood every once in a while and the things you make are always so much better than the commercial product.  The only problem is to control your hunger after you make a big batch.  I find it's best to enjoy the making and then to enjoy the giving away to others that works best - otherwise I get saturated with too much of a good thing.

I hope that this Christmas all families can be together and share their love enjoy the season.

Sunday November 24, 2010...Excuses from home

Holy cow!

Has it been that long since I put anything on this blog?  Time slips away so easily.  I was wrapped up in the election and then thoroughly depressed with the results (that's one excuse).  There has been a lot of sickness around this house (Beth, my daughter, and Zachary, my grandson, have been taking turns getting sick with one thing or another (that's another excuse).  It isn't that I haven't been thinking, maybe just not as clearly as usual.  But now that Thanksgiving is coming and holiday season is approaching, I'm starting to make my lists and checking them twice.  Most of the leaves have fallen and the grass has finally stopped growing so I mulched the leaves once and probably need to do that one more time before the winter freeze.

I've been watching the antics of the financial gurus and hoping that they don't completely destroy the economy.  Right now I'm seeing more unemployment in our family than ever before in my lifetime, so that tells me that this recession is dangerous and may have long term effects on all of us.  It would seem that the high-flying days are over for now and everyone will have to tighten up their finances to survive the coming troubles.  It feels like the middle class has really shrunk and that it may not come back very soon.  When I was a kid, a high school graduate could usually find a job in the manufacturing field - here in town we had Ford and GM and Pontiac and Vendo and Armco and Western Electric and many other major manufacturers who have mostly gone.  Now a kid needs a college degree to find any kind of self sustaining job and many of those are going overseas.  For a while it looked like we would have jobs opening up in the service sector but India and China have started taking many of those away.

We are becoming a nation of haves and have-nots with the have-nots growing in number.  Perhaps once the financial disarray clears up and our dollar reaches a lower value, we will begin growing the manufacturing base again?  It may be a painful adjustment till then.  Most of the people today are not aware of the lifestyle changes that had to take place during the depression, in fact many haven't even heard of them.  Life has been so good for so long that everyone expects that it will always continue that way - but the future may be a bit harsher.  Time will tell.  We have had a good run without any serious calamities such as war or famine here in the United States and we have all enjoyed the freedoms and opportunities, so I can't really complain if we hit a snag now.  Just keep a level head and look out for your neighbor.

I'll keep looking for that holy cow and write a bit more often.

Sunday September 19, 2010...Check out new recipe

I made a Taco Casserole yesterday. Very good! Easy and nutritious.
I posted it in the recipes.  Try it out sometime when you're in the mood.

Saturday September 18, 2010...Savor the memories

As more and more parts of me start retiring while the rest of me wants to keep on working and celebrating life, I am reminded of that National Computer Association saying: “They will have to pry my mouse from my cold dead hand” (or something to that effect).

As long as I have strength to sit here at the computer and the sight to see the screen and the ability to type and move the mouse, I will endure. I'm afraid my days of cross country running are over and I'll never swim the English channel or climb Mt Everest, but I will be out there striving to keep up with Facebook and Gmail. It's the little successes that make life interesting.

Enjoy what you can while you can and savor the memories.

Tuesday September 14, 2010...Old Friends, New Friends

What a JOY to meet old friends again!

I met with and visited with several friends from my high school days. It's been many long years since we had the time to sit and visit. John and Ted and I were in high school together and then John and I were in the same fraternity in college. In fact John was my pledge father and we shared an apartment for a while in those good old college days. Ted married Jane, who was the sister of another of my good friends, Charles. These friends grew up to be wonderful people and I look forward to sharing information about the interceding years. It was so good to see them all again. John was fortunate enough to find a wonderful woman, Margo, who also came to visit. In the relaxing retirement years ahead I look forward to renewing old friendships and reviewing memories of long ago. It will be a treat!

And another thing

Thinking about books again and life:

Too often, as we grow older, we look back on the written pages of our life and reflect. We should be looking ahead to the unwritten pages ahead and deciding what adventures we have yet to discover instead of looking back on what has already happened. We seem to be a society of observers now – we watch the actions of others on television while sitting in our air conditioned easy chair with snacks at hand. We admire people who actually get out there and experience life while we vicariously enjoy their activities.

Life slips away while we watch – too soon it's too late.

Monday September 13, 2010...Life is a book

I was thinking about life.

Life may be a comedy. Life may be a tragedy. Life may be a romantic novel. Life may be a series of hardships or of incredible luck. In any case, life is an adventure.

Think of your life as a biographer would write about it. Your life would be a book – it would have a beginning, many chapters and an end. Right now I'm nearing the end of my book and over the years, I have written many chapters. Some chapters were memorable and some are forgotten. The notable ones are worth remembering, even the sad ones along with the happy ones. You learn from your mistakes and from your successes. My book has had some great adventures, though not as wildly adventurous as others. My book has had some tragedies, but not as overwhelmingly sad as others. My book has had some great pictures and great sounds associated with it. My book has been well worth reading.

You never know exactly how your book is going to turn out, but you have some say in what is being written in your book. It's really up to you how you face the adversities of your book and how you deal with them. A successful book will be read well by others and enjoyed by many. A sad book with a lot of mistakes will be overlooked and not enjoyed. You may be in the beginning chapters of your book and haven't decided just where your plot is going – it really is up to you. You may be in the middle chapters and perhaps wandering about without a plan, but it isn't too late to straighten out the plot and redirect the completion of your book to an enjoyable conclusion. If you're in the final chapters of your book, you can do little about how your book has been written, but you still can make sure that the ending is a happy one and enjoyed by others.

I hope my book will leave its readers with a smile on their face and good memories. It has been a book that I have enjoyed writing and sharing with others along the way.

Monday August 23, 2010...Funny Puns

The pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play which exploits numerous meanings of a statement, allowing it to be understood in multiple ways for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect

Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

A rule of grammar: double negatives are a no-no.

To write with a broken pencil is pointless.

What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway).

Experts say the cost of funerals have risen by 50%, they blame it on the cost of living.

Math teachers have lots of problems.

The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.

Seven days without a pun makes one weak.

Thursday August 19, 2020...Quote of the day

I was sent this quote by email today and decided to pass it along.

There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.
Henry Ford

A PHILOSOPHY THAT BUILT THE MIDDLE CLASS HAS SOMEHOW BEEN FORGOTTEN.

As we outsource our jobs, creating mediocre products for throw away mass consumption at the lowest price possible while paying the lowest wage possible, we destroy the very market we have come to depend on.

The middle class slowly dies and we are left with the “haves” and the “have nots”. The market economy that helped create this country has given way to the capitalist economy which thrives on separation of classes.

Sunday August 15, 2010...How hot is it?

How hot is it in southern Texas in August? I'm glad you asked.
I just returned from the Rio Grande valley in southern Texas (Down near Brownsville). I had been told that the heat down there is different because it's a “dry” heat – they LIED!

It's so hot the bees sweat.
It's so hot the armadillos are packing their bags and moving north.
It's so hot the surviving cows give powdered milk.

It's HOT! But there is a nice sweltering moist breeze from the ocean that forces you inside most of the day. It's a nice place to visit (in the winter). There are a lot of Winter Texans (who aren't there right now) who know better than to visit in the summertime. You live and you hopefully learn. Without air conditioning, it would really be uncomfortable. As we were returning north we passed just east of Dallas where it was the 13th day in a row over 100 degrees. Our car thermometer hit pockets of heat in certain areas that topped 107 degrees. It was good to get home to our comfortable 95 degrees.

It's so hot the trees are looking for shade.

Hang in there and really appreciate fall.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010...Another day, another war

It's starting to play with my mind. I'm remembering the frustration and lost feeling I had when we went to war in Iraq. It's been almost 9 years now since we invaded Afghanistan and we are still fighting over there. It's ramping up more and more and we are losing more and more of our young men in a war that it appears we are not going to win. At this point I'm not sure what we will win if we do win. We will have conquered a country we have no interest in with a population that feels we are invaders. Somehow religion has become involved and the purpose of our being there is becoming lost. I have heard that the Taliban and the Al Queda forces are operating out of Pakistan, so even if we win in Afghanistan they will still be a terrorist force to reckon with. I think back to when Russia with all it's strength couldn't conquer the Afghans and I wonder if we will do the same. I also remember Viet Nam and how we left so much blood behind us when we pulled out without accomplishing anything. Wars are different now and it doesn't seem to be about devastating the country, but rather winning the population to our viewpoint. I don't think that will happen in Afghanistan. I think we don't understand the Muslim faith and the intolerance of the extreme groups. They seem as obstinate as our Ku Klux Klan people here and we don't understand them either. When you're dealing with extremists you can't always reason and rationalize with them.

It goes on and it doesn't feel right any more.

Monday July 26, 2010...Summers of the past

Life goes on. The skunks have left and we feel less trapped. The swamp has dried out because of the heat of the last few weeks. We've been in the 90s with high humidity every day. One good thing about the weather is that it makes the grass go dormant so mowing is done less often. We did have a strong windstorm a couple of weeks ago. It uprooted trees and broke huge branches off of various trees in the neighborhood. Many limbs fell across streets and power lines so access was limited and power was out for several days. We had to buy dry ice for the freezer and refrigerator. We gathered up many piles and sacks of broken branches for the city to pick up.

Now that the hubbub is over, we can get back to the lazy hazy crazy daze of summer. We can now go outside without fear of mean, rabid skunk gangs.

I miss the large elm trees that surrounded my childhood home. On a hot summer day we would be outside under the trees enjoying the cool shade. Back then nobody had air conditioning so the house had all the windows open and we all hoped for summer breezes. At night we had window fans or the attic fan that would pull evening air across the beds for relief. A summertime drive to cool off and maybe get an ice cream cone was nice on the weekend when dad and the car were there. On a hot day we would run through a sprinkler or soak in a wash tub of cool water. Summer drove everyone outside, so we visited with our neighbors. Evenings would find folks out on their front porches in their porch swings waiting for the house to cool off. We would sit there and listen to the crickets or the cicadas sing their songs.

Summers now drive everyone inside to their air conditioned homes to watch the television. We don't often see our neighbors and get little exercise. We have exchanged our comfort for a whole new solitary lifestyle.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010...Summertime

It's turning out to be an interesting summer, so far.

My son-in-law, Chuck, got fed up with work at Deffenbaugh industries and was contacted by a previous employer from Wyoming who wanted him to come back to work for them – they have years of work ahead of them up in North Dakota at a big oil field. Chuck worked for oil riggers and drives the big trucks and is a very responsible worker. He decided to take them up on their offer and will commute from Kansas City to western North Dakota on a monthly basis. While he's there, they will be working 7 days a week for 12 hours a day – so it won't leave him much leisure time.

So now, it's just my daughter, Beth, and my grandson, Zachary and me. And we discovered that we have a family of skunks nested under the front stoop and possibly under the garden shed. This presents a possibly smelly dilemma. How do you get rid of skunks without getting sprayed? We really don't want to hurt the mother and 4 little babies – we just want them to move across the street into the forest that lies between our house and the interstate about a half mile away.

I really need to do something to fill up the space under the stoop. A few years ago I had some rather large wasps that built a nest there and the mail service wouldn't come to my house until I had them exterminated. The problem is that I have a courtyard out front that collects rainwater and the courtyard wall doesn't allow it to drain. Over the years, the water has apparently undermined the stoop and found a way out leaving a small cavern. So, as one thing leads to another, I need to shoo the skunk family away, find a way to either stop the rain or establish a new water course out of the courtyard, and then re-pour the walkway and stoop.

Maybe I need to eliminate the courtyard - or at least the courtyard wall. I've always wanted to pave the front yard so that I would have plenty of parking and no mowing. Maybe I could build a big fortress wall all around the property and then pave it all and have a hacienda type garden.... On the other hand, maybe I could just out-wait the skunks and let nature take its course.

Meanwhile, back in the swamp, which is what we call a good portion of our back yard, the rains keep the low area nice and sloshy. It's hard to mow back there unless you get a run at it and splash your way through it. I've thought about planting a bamboo forest to suck up the water, but I hear that it just keeps on spreading and taking over the whole neighborhood. It would eliminate the need for mowing, but I would probably have to hack my way through it to get to the back fence.

Life is interesting and there is always something new and exciting to discover. I like to think of myself as sort of camping out here in my Missouri home. That way, each little trial and tribulation seems really insignificant because other than the few problems now and then life is generally pretty comfortable here.

I wonder what the summer will bring next? It's hard to outguess the fates.

Saturday July 3, 2010...Don't panic

One thing I've really noticed lately is that panic comes on quickly while confidence comes on slowly.

In the business and financial world panic ensues momentarily with any bad news and a real calamity seems to institute the “herd stampede” mentality. “Head for the hills without thinking” takes over the majority of people involved in most any situation. We seem to be much more cynical about accepting good news and developing confidence.

The stock market drops precipitously with any kind of bad news but will climb slowly on good news and fair weather forecasts. We seem to accept the doom and gloom forecast as if we expected only the worst to happen and that this forecast confirms our expectations. Why aren't we happier and more confident and why don't we expect the best instead of the worst? Eventually, in life, all things work out the way that they will and we accept the inevitable and deal with it. If we accept what life brings us with confidence that it will ultimately work out well or acceptable, we can be much more at ease and a lot less stressed.

Accept the bad news and plan how it can be dealt with reasonably and how best we can adapt to the change it brings. This is what will have to happen anyway, so why not work with it immediately? When the good news comes along, as it always does, accept that as an expected fact and work it into your plan of life also. Level out the road, so to speak, fill in the valleys and reduce the hills and make the road more even and drivable. Save through the good years to help through the lean years. Build for the future and know that the sour makes the sweet more appreciated.

Presently we are experiencing recessionary times and there is more to endure before it gets better, but it eventually will get better. When those better times arrive, don't assume that they are the norm – save for the next cycle of downturn, which will come again. Don't expect the path through life to have no hills or valleys – it will not always be smooth and easy. Don't panic and don't exult – keep a level head and plan for the future. Life will be good and there will be joy as well as sorrow. That's what gives life its flavor.

Thursday July 1, 2010...Humdrum

Humdrum: Lacking variety or excitement

Not everyday can be full of excitement. Some days are humdrum.

Some days you can just sit back and listen to the mosquitoes humming along. The clouds form little puff balls and then slide across the sky before dispersing. The leaves on the trees just hang there limply waiting for a breeze to tickle them into movement. The squirrels are still busy-busy, but sometimes they freeze into squirrel statues --- before scurrying away. I wonder what they heard that made them stop that way. It's a humdrum day and my world is lazily passing by without a worry or a care. You need some days like that.

It takes a lot of effort to get up from the hammock and go get another icy cold drink of lemonade - maybe later.

For now I'm just going to sit back and watch the world pass by.
Zzzz.....

Monday June 21, 2010...The living is easy

Summertime and the living is easy.
It's hard to sit down and get serious when you feel lazy. In fact, it's hard to get into gear and do anything when the living is easy and the sun is warm and everything is green and lush. Sorry about that, but my mind has apparently been taking a summer vacation for a bit and didn't feel like putting serious thoughts onto paper. It isn't like the world has stopped being mean and nasty while I've had my hiatus. The oil continues to spout and the senate continues to stall and the world continues to pile up debt while the rest of us try to eke out a meaningful life. Sometimes it's hard to see the big picture and maintain our sense of right and wrong.

I need to stop watching and reading the news. All I see is the BAD news. I need the GOOD news. Even the cartoons can get a bit vitriolic at times. I just need to lay back on the wet grass and feel the summer breeze blow over me and watch the puffy white clouds form into whimsical shapes. It's good to ignore the rest of the world at times and just to BE in your immediate surrounding world. If I good reach inside my mind and attain the peace and quiet of a long forgotten summer day when I was young and less aware, I could relax and be happy once more.

Sometimes I wake up with that peaceful feeling, listening to the morning quiet before the bright sunshine has stirred the rest of the world into its hectic pace. It's a contemplative time when all things are possible and life is good. I haven't shaped my thoughts or made plans yet and have no immediate goals except to lie there and slowly awaken. All my limbs seem restful and supported and my brow is uncreased with no worries. My mind is content to just be there with no pressure and no direction. On those mornings, I will try to gradually focus my mind on one fact – that it's going to be a great day and I have no pains and no worries and only feel joy. It helps to start the day off that way.

Summertime really is vacation time. You don't have to multitask and you can put off those plans until tomorrow because tomorrow will be another bright and beautiful day, just like today.

Stay happy and healthy and enjoy the day.
This day will never repeat.
It happens only once in your lifetime.
Make a memory of today.

Saturday June 5, 2010...I am a liberal

Definition

con·ser·va·tive
a. Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
b : the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

lib·er·al
a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.

Maintaining the status quo just for the sake of resisting change doesn't appeal to me when we find ourselves in trouble. I'm all for trying to find new solutions for problems that are overwhelming us and leading us to the brink of disaster. Sometimes tried and true past solutions will not solve modern problems and new solutions are required. The world is constantly changing and the transfer of information and data is accelerating as we watch. Solutions that worked in the old days may lag far behind the creation of new problems these days.

I believe that we should be open to progress and change but be watchful and careful at the same time. I am indeed a liberal because of that belief. I don't begrudge those who are conservative and oppose change, because we all are entitled to our opinions. But, when those who oppose change without true reasoning stand in the way of solving modern problems, I feel they are out of step with needed progress and actually impede solutions to critical problems. Some folks are negative without reason or thought and will not listen to logical arguments nor present their opposing argument. They are belligerent and negative and resistant to any change. These are the conservatives I have much trouble understanding.

I always thought that change for the better was GOOD and progress was what life should be about.

Our country was founded by liberals who wanted to change the status quo and started a revolution in 1776. Since then we have had much progress and much change. Why stop now? Let's keep looking for better answers.

Saturday June 5, 2010...I got my smile back!!

It really bothered me to have that front tooth missing, but I had to wait until the gum healed where the tooth had been pulled before getting anything done. I didn't realize how often I smiled. It's hard to smile with your lips closed. I didn't want to frighten little children or scare other people away because of my scary toothless countenance. But now I have my smile back and I'm not nearly so self-conscious. Life is good again. Now if I can get the pain in my back to subside, it will be perfect.

It could be worse. Today I am going to a memorial service for one of my high school chums. Dick was the star athlete in our class = good at all sports and great at some. He ended up being a professional baseball player. Now he is gone and I remember his cheery and carefree attitude with a smile. He was one of those natural athletes who just took life in its strides and excelled in all sporting endeavors he tried. It's sad to see fellow travelers drop out of our journey though life. I suppose that this will happen more often as life goes along. Memories are good and may be the only surviving elements of all our lives. I'll try to leave good memories behind and enjoy the moments that I have left - especially now that I can smile again.

Thursday May 20, 2010...HOWDEE!!

It isn't a pretty sight.

Go ahead and laugh.

I've been fighting a broken front tooth for several weeks now. It was a crowned tooth from my teenage years that finally broke off flush with the gums. I had it pulled (not a pleasant memory). Unfortunately it hasn't been healing from the inside out as it should so I've been stuck with this merry grin to deal with. I'm sure that someday I will be able to look back and laugh, that's why I wanted to show the picture (for laughs). As soon as the healing takes place, I can get a partial plate to replace it. For now, I just have to be very very careful and avoid trying to bite anything.

Anyone for mush? Maybe ice cream?

Sunday May 2, 2010...May flowers

It's May already and here in the lowlands (elev 1000') the trees are green once more and the grass is growing. Days are creeping into the 70s with spring breezes.

In the mountains out west the snow is melting and the streams are starting to rampage. It's always green in the pine forests, but as the snow recedes, the grass and low vegetation awakes from it's winter slumber.

It's a pleasant time here in the lowlands and I begin to plan for a return to the mountains later when the heat rises on the plains.

Each location has its special appeal at different times of the year. Right now the rolling hills of Missouri are lush and green and the woods are filled with life.

I like May, especially after being cooped up all winter in the gray gloom. It's time for kite flying and outdoor excursions. Enjoy.

Thursday April 29, 2010...Tests

My grandson was complaining about tests.
“I really hate tests”, he said.

I told him that I really LIKE tests and he groaned.

I had to explain that without tests you wouldn't know how much you were learning or if you really understood what you were studying. I told him that a test was like a game to me and I tried to win the game. I also told him that tests are with you throughout your whole life, so you might as well get comfortable with them.

Each job you do is like a test to see if you can do it and if you can do it with the least amount of mistakes then you are successful.

He groaned again and told me that I was always too positive.

I agreed that I prefer to see things in a positive way and try to accept what I can't change and to change what needs changing if I can. I have striven to see the glass as half full my whole life. I would hate to always be down in the dumps and negative. If you look for the joy in the moment, it is generally there to be seen.

I sure hope that I can pass along this philosophy to my grandson, because life can be so beautiful and joyful if you just open your eyes and look around.

Tests really are fun! Their like games to be won.
You just have to keep trying.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010...Life, Death, Memories

Generally, we live each day much like any other without looking up and seeing the big picture. But, on occasion, we will be reminded of our human frailty and be forced to consider our place in life.

This past week one of my high school classmates passed away. He was one of our finest athletes and one of our idols. Dick Kenworthy was a prime example of health and energy and athleticism that we all aspired to. His smile and his energy set the example of youth and vigor for us all. His death as well as the death of Richard Copaken one year ago have driven home the impermanence of life. Richard Copaken was one of our brightest classmates and had so much enthusiasm and energy and intelligence that we all seemed dim in his presence. Now with both of these fine examples of our generation gone, our class seems enervated and smaller.

Times like these make us reflect on life and death. Some of us know through our faith that there is more beyond the portals of life. Some of us are unsure and hope there is light beyond the curtain. And some of us assume that there is only life and nothing beyond. No matter what our beliefs, we all cling to the here and now with a tenacious grip on what we know for sure. We cling to each moment and each breath and each memory and hope for just one more adventure in this world of ours. The years have left us with many experiences and memories and knowledge that we hope will survive in the elemental spark this is us deep inside. We see our parents, our classmates, our friends and relatives pass away from our world and we hope that their spark lingers on after they shed their frail bodies. We hope and we wonder while we appreciate each day just a little bit more.

As life passes on, we still remain in the memories of those who remain. Dick and Richard still live in my memory as vibrant and energetic youths from long ago. They will always be there and that's a good thought.

Thursday April 22, 2010...Believe in your dentist?

I've often said that as you get older parts of you retire earlier than other parts.

I've heard of people losing their hair or losing their balance or losing their hearing, but I seem to be losing my teeth one by one. I've spent a whole lot of money over the years on root canals and crowns and fillings and bridges and even partial plates. It's been fun!

The dentists always said “We can save your teeth!” and “you'll be sorry if you don't take care of those teeth”. I believed them.

But now the base teeth that were root canalized and crowned are starting to give out. I've had some get infected and some have just plain broken off. Currently, my front top tooth broke off at the gum line so I look like a goofy guy with a goofy smile. We tried putting in pins and anchoring the crown to the pins, but that didn't last a week.

So, now we can spend another thousand dollars trying to bridge or anchor pin or partial plate the durn thing. At the end of last year my dentist convinced me that I should spend the two thousand dollars to create the 2 partial plates for missing teeth instead of pulling the remaining teeth and getting trouble free dentures. He told me that I had “good root structure” and should keep those remaining teeth.

I accepted his reasoning. I believed him. It's good to see your dentist on a regular basis.

I'm just glad that my hair isn't falling out. My barber is a lot friendlier and a whole lot less expensive.

I guess my teeth retired but my hair is still working.