Thoughts For Today

As you know I have been having trouble with my hands, and it is getting worse, so I have been not doing thing to irritate them, including blog. But I have to today!
Let me see, yesterday the generals on the ground in Iraq said a full fledged democracy in that country was a little too lofty. Duh! Things are the same in Afghanistan. Now shrub has been able to get Russia to break out bombers and patrol their borders and I would bet over the arctic. He has also been able to get to enemies to have joint military exercises. That being Russia and China! A while back there was discussion of a threat from China that could hurt us economically. We owe them big time! Along with other countries. I have said before that there is such a thing as economic terrorism and may live to see it, along with new military threats from Russia and China. We don't have the military strength, excluding a nuclear option, to protect our own shores.
And while this is all taking place, we are blogging, and whining about trivial shit! Look around folks, read, listen, it is all plain to see, we are in a real mess and we know who got us there!

Reflecting On The Past

My wife and I have been walking the dog along the lake shore. Lake Superior that is. The city has made a walking trail along most for the lake front. I love it, at 6am it is really nice. While walking I have stopped to investigate my old haunts when I was a kid. It has all changed, for the good I think. Along the trail are benches, and the view is great, ducks, geese, eagles, gulls and other people using the trail. There are markers with information on the history of some of the spots, and that is great too.
As a kid I spent lots of time fishing and swimming, building rafts of logs, Playing along the lake. The lake has been a big part of my life and still is. I think the lake has been a major reason for my staying in this area.
I had the opportunity to visit Mason WI where my mother was born and where many of are family is buried. I found the "town pump" again, and it looks like it is still being used by the people who own the property. I was surprised it was still there, but it made me smile seeing it again.
As in other places, this area is rich in history, and I guess I am part of that history, we all are whether we realize it or not. The world changes, we change also in some ways, for the better I hope, but it makes me think of the part of history I have been part of. I have listened to history before I was born, talked to those who lived it. What is your history?
As for the United States, this is still a great country in spite of our leaders, we will get it back in time. The Supreme Court are protectors of our constitution, if you haven't noticed, they are silent while all this is going on, we need to question that also. We need justices that have a backbone, and willing to at least criticize the leaders and let us know what is wrong. So it seems thay are part of the problem. What do you think?

I'm Back Again

Well folks, I'm here again, back from vacation. It was good as it could be. First we interred my brother's ashes the first day. A family reunion for my brother and sister who passed away 2 years ago. Then 3 relatives passed away during the two week vacation, so we also had their funerals. One other is in two weeks. I'm still dealing with my hand problems, but to make matters worse, it is in my right hand also. It looks to me like permanent vacation now. As you can see that black cloud that follows me is still there and active.
But, some good comes also, my daughter turned 21, and I was able to spend time with 3 of my kids and grand kids. See, a little sun sneaks through even in a storm!
I have read your blogs even if I haven't commented, that is also a little of the sun in my life. Also I was able to spend some time with Shutterwi's mom, and that was good, we call her ECM(east coast mom)! She left yesterday for home and I will miss her!
Every day I try to look at the good in my life so the bad doesn't seem so bad, I do have a lot of things that mean more than anything, like good kids and grand kids, good wife, and good friends. So even if I lose on one side of life, I win on the other. It seems that lately the only real wish I have is to have a couple years of no problems before I pass to heaven, I don't think it is a lot to ask, and can only wait and see what the big guy has in store for me!
Well, later folks, keep on truckin'!

I'm Back

Hello folks,
Been taking it easy for a while, could only use one hand, so didn't even try the one handed hunt and peck, hell I have trouble enough with two hands. So I have been reading, then reading some more. As usual I have been going to work doing light duty, they would have you there if they had to tie you up to a table. So goes the work world, yet I can't help but try to remember that slavery should have been against the law for 100 yrs or so!
One book I have just finished is called "Great Waters", it is about the Atlantic Ocean, how we have abused it, what global warming is doing to it, and how it came to be, and also much on how the continents formed and what life was like in the beginning. It is kind of technical, but a lot of good info if you care to read it. The book is good enough that it stimulated my interest is geology so I am studying that also.
I hope I find you all well. Please remember our men and women serving in harms way each day. The games go on in the middle east and only get worse. Their actions speak for themselves, I don't have to berate them, they do a nice job themselves.
I didn't believe that shrub's ratings could go lower, but they have, soon he will draw all 0's, he will be the only prez with his portrait hanging backwards. The man just has no shame.
For those interested, the History Channel has a series on the universe, it is good, and to learn more also go to the astronomy picture of the day site to follow up on what you see on the tube. Use the archive link at the bottom and look at what you like and also follow links to learn even more.
I will be on vacation for two weeks from the 4th of July week and the week after. One of my sons will be home with my grandson, so I will enjoy that time. Maybe I can blog a little also. See you the end of next week.

Sunday Thoughts

Been up very early today as usual, walked dog, cooked a little, read a little, read some blogs, now going to write a little.
First of all, I'll say I don't like arguing with people, I have found that there are no winners, or seldom. We all have our ideas about things and some will not change no matter what. Other times I guess, I will change with enough information. Having said that, I will go on!
There has been a lot of talk about evolution and creationism, believers and non-believers, a never ending saga of one side trying to prove the other wrong. I am not a religious fanatic, yet I am a believer. I don't condemn others for not believing. Science has not, nor has anyone proven to me that there isn't a god. I sure can't prove, nor can science prove that there is a god either. I guess that's why it is call "faith".
Most in science tell us the universe began with "the big bang", they tell us they can take it all the way to a "singularity", a single point in time before the formation of the universe. Then something went bang and it all began. Well there is one other question, how did it get there, the thing that went bang? You see there will always be questions and the question, how did it get there. Math can only go as far as the bang, they say the math has not been invented to go further because it is against the current physics as we know it.
I believe that some things evolve over time, change with the environment or we would just go extinct. I guess some thing we extinct because they couldn't adjust to what ever nature threw at them. But likewise, the same question is there, how did it get there. I know, I know, we are led to believe it all happened by chance, the right chemicals, right temperature, the right time, evolution from the primordial swamp. We crawled out of the soup, evolved into trees, and finally driving cars. Yup, the only place this happened in a universe of trillions of stars and planets.
To go on with today, there has been a survey of American troops saying they support torture to get info to help get the job done and save other American troops. Some think this is terrible. Well folks, it is no secret combat effects people in different ways. Kids sent out to do the unthinkable. War is terrible, as long as there has been war there has been torture and atrocities, and I am not justifying it, just say how it is. The "other side does it", so why not us. We have never gotten used to the idea that other cultures don't value human life like we do, and the middle east is certainly one of them. They don't think twice about killing, punishment, mutilation, and worse. Our young people in combat see this, and see this done to their buddies
and are expected to just go on unchanged. I have said before, mommas would shit if they knew what there boys were capable of, and it still holds true! Just understand them!

The Friday Report

Well folks it is Friday again, cripes it seems like 7 days ago I was just here. Not much has changed since last Friday, gas is still climbing, the housing market is falling, recession is nipping at our heels, and shrub is dumb as ever.
Word has it that if we leave Iraq we will be inviting more trouble from the terrorists and look bad to the rest of the world. Well kiss my grits, how can we look worse than we already do to the world. As for more trouble from the bad guys, the commies didn't take over the world because we pulled out of Vietnam, and the terrorists won't win because we leave Iraq. Our men and women who have fought this war didn't do it in vain, they did what the government asked them to do, and they should be proud of that. It is the government and the leaders who let them down. We fought for our freedom when this country was formed, so can the people over there. They do have choices also, if they choose not to take them, too damned bad.
Remember the 365 tons of money the government sent there, and they don't know where it went, 12 billion dollars. I would be willing to bet most of that is funding the bad guys efforts against us. Nice huh? And no one gives a shit, we sit here on our asses, including the politicians, and don't keep asking where the money went. 365 tons is lots of money, and I bet hard to lose track of, but someone did. That amount would fill a good size warehouse. Even if they paid informants 25 million apiece, that wouldn't put a dent in the pile. And that was our money folks!
Now to home! Gas prices don't just affect our wallet at the pump, it affects everything else also, groceries go up, houses go up, we buy less, companies lay people off, all prices rise. If you read the news today, oil company profits are climbing again! This won't lead to a recession folks, if not dealt with soon, depression is certainly possible. Listen folks, my college degree is in economics, and I say the government and top economists are covering up the problem, minimizing it.
Just the other day, I read what an economist had to say about job loss. We lost millions of jobs to other countries, but says this nut, we gained them back in service jobs, like flipping burgers, tourism etc.. Now let me see, we lose 25 dollar an hour jobs, for 6 dollar an hour jobs, mmmmm let me see, yeah we got a steal on the jobs OK.
And look at the cost of health care, I had a stent put in in Feb., an over night stay, $29,000 worth for less than 24 hours, and that didn't include the doctor.
Well I better fold up shop for now, good night folks- Peace bros and sisters.

Friday Thoughts

Well folks it was nice today, am enjoying the weather, been outside today, walk the dog, listen to the birds, and sounds of people outside too.
I am tired of the media beating the Virginia shooting in to a zoo. All in the name of money for the news organizations. My heart goes out to the dead and their families, as does the rest of the country. Now let the families grieve and deal with their pain!
Over the period of the last few years I have given lots of thought into myself, and more so after struggling with health problems. It comes down to this: I am a smart person who believed he could go on forever, changing jobs, was never fired but because of firm moral beliefs, and just plain boredom, I changed jobs lots of times. Then I came to realize that the run was over, smart didn't cut it, neither did age. Now the options are few, along with opportunity. In the end I can say I did it my way and had fun doing it. I can't say I really regret my life, I have what is most important, family and friends and lots of experiences. I made lots of friends and probably lots of enemies too. But what the hell, you can't have everything. I've said before that I have a plethora of useless knowledge, and I wasn't kidding, eh, eh.
I wonder if Skinny and Singleton are related to me in some way, it seems I can related to them pretty well, maybe sisters I didn't know I had, LOL.
Well, enough for now, see you all later- Peace brothers and sisters!