My mission, for the past five years or so, has been to clean this nasty ass house and get things organized. This is not a simple task for a lazy pack-rat like myself, but I'm learning. Certain things have sentimental value and should be preserved. Old cardboard can go. It was that bad. Today I got to the bottom of the dirty dishes, sans dishwasher and the laundry is in the works as I type. My roommate asked me one time why I didn't just do a little every day and not have to do the big fat honkin' clean all day routine. This, coming from a man. *snicker*
We missed our first chance for rain today with only a brief shower around midday. I can see fall beginning to march rather than slide in, with the skies a little bluer and the breeze more frequent. It could still happen 'cuz there's lots of fluffy clouds rolling around soaking up the moisture. Gigi and I tossed around the idea of a pool day but decided to get bit and clean house. My friend, Count Zubrovka, has a camera that he's handing down to me since I've been without and ya'll know how seriously crazy that makes me. If I can't play with pictures, I write like a maniac and listen to music. If the satellite gets cut off, it won't hurt my feelings a bit. When we first moved here, there was nothing but an ancient antenna on the roof and two channels. I'll never forget the day we got something better and the kids were watching I Love Lucy in Spanish. A whole new world, ya'll.
The hummingbird feeder that I have hangs to the right side of my tiny front porch, surrounded by pots of oxalis that I grew from Yaya's yard. When the feeder gets put up, the pots come in and winter around the house, always reminding me that good karma is just around the corner for those who have faith. Looking at the hard times behind me, I'd say they're probably a good omen. There is a crop or oregano and basil out back that needs to be cut back and used. That is my next project on this day of piddling.
Hope yours is as great as mine ^j^
Monday, August 8, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
inspirationally speaking
I'm having a ball with my new musical toy, jumping around like a music fiend on crack and loving every minute of it. Right now I'm listening to Chicago thinking about my uncle Jimbo and how he was always the fun music teacher. He took his daughter and friends to concerts at the only big venue available at that time in Memphis. He was an inspiration for the musician within me and also for the art of having fun just making something. He's the one who took us to the jail on a field trip. He and his wife taught me how to play the piano and read music. At his funeral, I sat with the girls as one of his own. To this day, I wish I could just sit down and have another beer with him.
My sweet little southern belle of a mama taught me how to cook, against my will, and I'm glad she did. That has proven to be a real "man magnet" over the years, if you know what I mean. She's a cross between Paula Deen and Martha Stewart and simply will NEVER stop planning. It's not in her nature. As for me, I'll leave the scheduling to everybody else and be the idea guy. It's less stressful, considering all the variables of engineering the twirl of the world. Wherever I end up, I expect to find rainbows. I've moved on to the ex-Doobie, Michael McDonald and his raspy baritone singing Motown. He's right up there with JT in my book, although I do enjoy World Gone Crazy. Like, a lot.
Anna and BG gathered with me earlier here in the office/doggie sitting room and the talk turned to the state of our world and how sometimes you have to make some noise for truth and goodness and the american way. Fires and stun guns aren't necessary...just a simple "take care of our village" will do. I'm tired of bitching about it. It is what is is...right Sue?
I have two days off and a much needed therapy appt. Don't call me...I'll call you ^j^
My sweet little southern belle of a mama taught me how to cook, against my will, and I'm glad she did. That has proven to be a real "man magnet" over the years, if you know what I mean. She's a cross between Paula Deen and Martha Stewart and simply will NEVER stop planning. It's not in her nature. As for me, I'll leave the scheduling to everybody else and be the idea guy. It's less stressful, considering all the variables of engineering the twirl of the world. Wherever I end up, I expect to find rainbows. I've moved on to the ex-Doobie, Michael McDonald and his raspy baritone singing Motown. He's right up there with JT in my book, although I do enjoy World Gone Crazy. Like, a lot.
Anna and BG gathered with me earlier here in the office/doggie sitting room and the talk turned to the state of our world and how sometimes you have to make some noise for truth and goodness and the american way. Fires and stun guns aren't necessary...just a simple "take care of our village" will do. I'm tired of bitching about it. It is what is is...right Sue?
I have two days off and a much needed therapy appt. Don't call me...I'll call you ^j^
Saturday, August 6, 2011
...and then i snapped
My friend Sue is about ten years older so she has seen somewhat more of the world than I have. This morning we talked quietly at the sawmill about what is being called everything from Dealageddon to a clusterf**k because our credit rating was lowered for the FIRST FREAKIN' time since 1917. Of course the treasury department was quick to label that as "not true" since we can't have a big run on banks like in the depression because there's no money there. It's all on paper. Afterwards, I was reading the news and gasped at the thought of 31 military people being shot out of the sky by Afghan rebels. Because they hate us. Why can't the department of defense just back off a little on the kazillioning and take care of us at home. We could have a damn border all around the country and some much more "protected" air space than we now have. Think of it as the "great wall of America" instead of China. Those are 31 people who will not see another sunrise because we are constantly stirring things up in a war that cannot be won. Just.Like.Before. Ahem. Slow learners?
I don't know, but maybe it's good for us to not have that secure feeling that comes with having other countries expecting handouts. Much of the cost of the past few wars has been from rebuilding infrastructures that got blown away in the heat of battle. And yet nothing at all has changed. They still hate the west...and always will. European countries are also learning that all that high living by the royalty isn't really fair when the people have no jobs and are starving. Kinda like we feel.
I have no problem with the rich having their money whether they earned it day trading or got it from grandma. What I do have a problem with is their failure to pay a representative share of income tax based on their true wealth rather than the reduced rates that result from the sweet deal they have with capital gains and deductions. I wouldn't know a capital gain if it smacked me in the head with a hammer. I live paycheck to (almost) paycheck and work hard for the money. I don't appreciate being told by the government that has told me what rules to follow for years, has the nerve to tell me they can't afford me as a citizen anymore. I became an adult and paid dearly into their pockets for the big money I made during the eighties. I wish I had saved some of it for hard times. As my friend the little general would say "Grapes of wrath, sister."
What bothers me the most is that the entire crisis was caused by a heavy reliance on credit when banks were king. Once they started failing, the credit went away and people were left with nothing but an overpriced house that nobody can afford to buy and owing their first borns to a credit card company. Fortunately for me, I have avoided any more big money credit because I'm a poor risk. Go figure that one. I saw a lot of serious talk prior to the debt deal and our probationary status. That a gang of bible toting right wing wing tea partiers messed it up for everybody when it could have been easy makes me really angry. So, we do it the hard way now. There are many ways to cut "future" spending, beginning with paying what's already due and not making new commitments for the present. Like more military spending. Like lifetime salary and benefits for players in Washington. Like crop subsidies when farmers can and will plant their land to give the maximum yield if you'll just leave it to them. It's called gettin' back to the basics.
It's still hot as a you-know-what around here following a cooler day with rain. That really pumps the humidity up to steamy! The corn has about three weeks to live before it gets slaughtered and I can see Bambi and the silos again. It's like living in a box. I'm off for the day, going back in at six tomorrow, but for now...I have the house to myself. Let there be beer :)
I don't know, but maybe it's good for us to not have that secure feeling that comes with having other countries expecting handouts. Much of the cost of the past few wars has been from rebuilding infrastructures that got blown away in the heat of battle. And yet nothing at all has changed. They still hate the west...and always will. European countries are also learning that all that high living by the royalty isn't really fair when the people have no jobs and are starving. Kinda like we feel.
I have no problem with the rich having their money whether they earned it day trading or got it from grandma. What I do have a problem with is their failure to pay a representative share of income tax based on their true wealth rather than the reduced rates that result from the sweet deal they have with capital gains and deductions. I wouldn't know a capital gain if it smacked me in the head with a hammer. I live paycheck to (almost) paycheck and work hard for the money. I don't appreciate being told by the government that has told me what rules to follow for years, has the nerve to tell me they can't afford me as a citizen anymore. I became an adult and paid dearly into their pockets for the big money I made during the eighties. I wish I had saved some of it for hard times. As my friend the little general would say "Grapes of wrath, sister."
What bothers me the most is that the entire crisis was caused by a heavy reliance on credit when banks were king. Once they started failing, the credit went away and people were left with nothing but an overpriced house that nobody can afford to buy and owing their first borns to a credit card company. Fortunately for me, I have avoided any more big money credit because I'm a poor risk. Go figure that one. I saw a lot of serious talk prior to the debt deal and our probationary status. That a gang of bible toting right wing wing tea partiers messed it up for everybody when it could have been easy makes me really angry. So, we do it the hard way now. There are many ways to cut "future" spending, beginning with paying what's already due and not making new commitments for the present. Like more military spending. Like lifetime salary and benefits for players in Washington. Like crop subsidies when farmers can and will plant their land to give the maximum yield if you'll just leave it to them. It's called gettin' back to the basics.
It's still hot as a you-know-what around here following a cooler day with rain. That really pumps the humidity up to steamy! The corn has about three weeks to live before it gets slaughtered and I can see Bambi and the silos again. It's like living in a box. I'm off for the day, going back in at six tomorrow, but for now...I have the house to myself. Let there be beer :)
Friday, August 5, 2011
these (not so) happy golden years
I've been busy ferrying the grands around and running errands for my own household so there's been little time for pontification up in here. I watched as my elderly father stumbled up the steps to his old poker buddy/dentist because a filling dropped out and he's been in pain for two nights. Their angel, Miss Faye, was arriving as I pulled up in the rain to fetch him. If not for her, they wouldn't be able to stay at home. Fortunately, they have the money to pay for that but many others do not. I ran into my aunt at the gas station across the street and she seemed to be having trouble at the checkout. The girl who works there knows me and looked at me like "help!" so I looked in the wallet too and there was nothing but pictures of her long gone husband. All of this together made me so very sad to see them in that shape. I think back to my childhood and can't believe that we got here from there.
We got some much needed rain today which has cooled things down from the hundreds for now. Perfect timing for an awesome looking crop. The landlords should be pleased with this year's haul. There was a special tribute in our local paper to the two guys who ran my former daily-stop family grocery store. They've been closed since the first great flood two years ago on May 4th. That still blows my mind....two years in a row on the same date! How about that mighty Forked Deer! Work will begin when it's cooler on the downtown park and trail cleanup. There is so much history in that area.
Ya'll know I tend to be the feisty faithful type who tries, in the face of adversity, to look on the sunny side. Right now, that's a real challenge. I've been in worse shape financially and emotionally before, but never with this much on the table. Playing an active role in the process of my parents' acceptance of reality is sort of a heavy thing. My roommate is dealing with the exact same situation. What do you do but hang on? They raised us and took care of us. Now it's our turn. No regrets. On the other hand, the third roommate is struggling to believe that, surely to Big Ernie, things won't stay this way. With 25K in student loans hanging around her neck, she works at a convenience store to make her car payment and depends on us for room and board. Once again....no regrets. She's my kid and she didn't ask for this "economic downturn" any more than I did.
Whenever I feel like there's too much to bear around these parts, I wander over to see what's happening in the holler with Mahala'n'them. This chick absolutely cracks me up with her sharp wit and ability to laugh at something that's so ridiculous you either howl or cry. Her mom is more than a handful and her office is a source of daily snickering what with Bubbles and Bossholio giving her grief every few minutes. Thanks melungeon...you rock.
Meanwhile my PUBLISHED friend Drew turned me on to a new way to listen to music which beats the hell out of anything else I've seen. Gotta get some new speakers! But not until I pay the propane guy off. And the dentist. And the hand surgeon. And the credit union(s). The way I see it, I'll be free and clear guarding any unforeseen disaster( and we all know they happen around here ) in about two years. All I want is to have enough money to pay the bills and not have to worry where the rent is coming from. After 34 years with one employer, that should be a given. But....NOOOOOOOO! Corporate America, carry on and up yours.
^j^
We got some much needed rain today which has cooled things down from the hundreds for now. Perfect timing for an awesome looking crop. The landlords should be pleased with this year's haul. There was a special tribute in our local paper to the two guys who ran my former daily-stop family grocery store. They've been closed since the first great flood two years ago on May 4th. That still blows my mind....two years in a row on the same date! How about that mighty Forked Deer! Work will begin when it's cooler on the downtown park and trail cleanup. There is so much history in that area.
Ya'll know I tend to be the feisty faithful type who tries, in the face of adversity, to look on the sunny side. Right now, that's a real challenge. I've been in worse shape financially and emotionally before, but never with this much on the table. Playing an active role in the process of my parents' acceptance of reality is sort of a heavy thing. My roommate is dealing with the exact same situation. What do you do but hang on? They raised us and took care of us. Now it's our turn. No regrets. On the other hand, the third roommate is struggling to believe that, surely to Big Ernie, things won't stay this way. With 25K in student loans hanging around her neck, she works at a convenience store to make her car payment and depends on us for room and board. Once again....no regrets. She's my kid and she didn't ask for this "economic downturn" any more than I did.
Whenever I feel like there's too much to bear around these parts, I wander over to see what's happening in the holler with Mahala'n'them. This chick absolutely cracks me up with her sharp wit and ability to laugh at something that's so ridiculous you either howl or cry. Her mom is more than a handful and her office is a source of daily snickering what with Bubbles and Bossholio giving her grief every few minutes. Thanks melungeon...you rock.
Meanwhile my PUBLISHED friend Drew turned me on to a new way to listen to music which beats the hell out of anything else I've seen. Gotta get some new speakers! But not until I pay the propane guy off. And the dentist. And the hand surgeon. And the credit union(s). The way I see it, I'll be free and clear guarding any unforeseen disaster( and we all know they happen around here ) in about two years. All I want is to have enough money to pay the bills and not have to worry where the rent is coming from. After 34 years with one employer, that should be a given. But....NOOOOOOOO! Corporate America, carry on and up yours.
^j^
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
simple truths
I tend to be a wanderer when I write, which usually means that I'm all over the place and not particularly paying attention to grammar or building on anything. Yeah, I'm one of those idiots who write because it's good therapy. As long as I don't disrespect someone else by name, this is my place to ramble on so that the next generation will know how they got knee deep in alligators without a boat. I'm real optimistic like that sometimes, occasionally even pollyannaish. When I look at all of the hatred and evil in this world and consider that it is all about greed and power, it makes me want to just dig a hole and tunnel to Canada. The 104 degree high today made me think of that.
The aches and pains of osteoarthritis settled in some time ago but I've managed to keep them under control with OTC meds like naproxen. My left hip sleeps on a pillow just like my head and it's all good snuggling. I ran out of pills and didn't have the cash to get more so I didn't take it for about a week. oh.my.god. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm still on the mend. It's probably time for new shoes too...those concrete floors are heck on your joints unless you get a new pair every three months or so. But wait. I'm rambling again.
My lawn yard looks like the overgrowth of orchard grass that it is with decent rain and hot temps keeping it a vibrant green with very TALL seedpods. In other words, I step lightly out there to avoid Mr. Snake. The shadows are now full fledged fall even with the sauna and the ree-a-rees are loud! Mom and I spotted fall at about the same time, like we usually do when it gets so hot and stuffy that it wilts the hairdo to get in your car.
I have several friends who are reeling in disbelief at the departure of one of our own from their corporate environment. This man has been reading my blog for years and we have raised our daughters together. He and his daughter brought me Sammy D one muggy Memorial day and my life has never been the same since. He traveled internationally to help his company work on the cheap so that they could cut him out of the picture right close to retirement age. Another company did the same to my brother who had been loyal in a supervisory position for years. To him, and to his family and friends, I say "we shall overcome." If not here, on the other side. Love ya...mean it.
I'm sure we saved some lives up there at the sawmill today because that's what we do, after all. Bring us your sick and dying and we'll try our best to make it a little easier for you. We are in transition now with some easing out and others easing in, getting ready for the short haul that is between here and "normal retirement date which is subject to change at any given moment" Well, you know. According to whether or not Congress gets it worked out and all. And then the Easter bunny hopped through the woods and met Santa and his elves and they tackled the New Year's baby and whipped his little ass.
Just checking to see who really reads. I'm off for two so expect lots of rambling.
^j^
The aches and pains of osteoarthritis settled in some time ago but I've managed to keep them under control with OTC meds like naproxen. My left hip sleeps on a pillow just like my head and it's all good snuggling. I ran out of pills and didn't have the cash to get more so I didn't take it for about a week. oh.my.god. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm still on the mend. It's probably time for new shoes too...those concrete floors are heck on your joints unless you get a new pair every three months or so. But wait. I'm rambling again.
My
I have several friends who are reeling in disbelief at the departure of one of our own from their corporate environment. This man has been reading my blog for years and we have raised our daughters together. He and his daughter brought me Sammy D one muggy Memorial day and my life has never been the same since. He traveled internationally to help his company work on the cheap so that they could cut him out of the picture right close to retirement age. Another company did the same to my brother who had been loyal in a supervisory position for years. To him, and to his family and friends, I say "we shall overcome." If not here, on the other side. Love ya...mean it.
I'm sure we saved some lives up there at the sawmill today because that's what we do, after all. Bring us your sick and dying and we'll try our best to make it a little easier for you. We are in transition now with some easing out and others easing in, getting ready for the short haul that is between here and "normal retirement date which is subject to change at any given moment" Well, you know. According to whether or not Congress gets it worked out and all. And then the Easter bunny hopped through the woods and met Santa and his elves and they tackled the New Year's baby and whipped his little ass.
Just checking to see who really reads. I'm off for two so expect lots of rambling.
^j^
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
in the heat of the night
It's that time of year, ya'll. Like when it takes a couple of hours past sunset for the house to even begin to cool down following a day of hundred degree torture. I must say that the new unit has helped with that, and is much more energy efficient. Of course it helped that the installer actually opened up the duct fully for the first time in 17 years. Sheesh. I had considered asking for a rebate from the landlords but it was all my daddy's fault. He believed in doing things the easy (and cheap) way.
I noticed a post earlier about a big pot bust in Virginia where the state police were busy confiscating plants and raking in the money that comes with a big operation like that. Here's the thing...fighting the "war on drugs" is a big moneymaker for governments. Thus, the violence and corruption involved therein. An old friend of mine actually got busted by a local cop who was strung out on stuff himself and was following him to see where to get it. And we're not talking mary jane here. Marijuana and its' active ingredient, THC, are nothing more than a natural replacement for something that is produced by the powerful pharmaceutical industry which insurance companies buddy up to and make deals. The buying power of the brokers that insure us is boosted every day by drug companies that tout this or that new and improved name brand. It's like two devils dancing together around the fire. The same applies to law enforcement and drug dealers. I've seen the scenario played out a thousand times in this small town city and the county that surrounds it. The front page of the newspaper is routinely plastered with the local sheriff's department pullin' up plants and burning them at the golf course behind me. I never smelled it though.
I watched Keith Olberman go off today and I've got to say that he said what was in my heart that I just don't have the energy to spout out. How dare our elected government officials play a game where the elderly don't know for sure if they're gonna get their SS benefits! They have worked many years for that, as I have. If they can't do any better than grandstanding, I'll just move somewhere else. Like Fiji. Maybe I'll call Truman and see if he has a map.
Over and out from the hill. Ya'll stay cool ^j^
I noticed a post earlier about a big pot bust in Virginia where the state police were busy confiscating plants and raking in the money that comes with a big operation like that. Here's the thing...fighting the "war on drugs" is a big moneymaker for governments. Thus, the violence and corruption involved therein. An old friend of mine actually got busted by a local cop who was strung out on stuff himself and was following him to see where to get it. And we're not talking mary jane here. Marijuana and its' active ingredient, THC, are nothing more than a natural replacement for something that is produced by the powerful pharmaceutical industry which insurance companies buddy up to and make deals. The buying power of the brokers that insure us is boosted every day by drug companies that tout this or that new and improved name brand. It's like two devils dancing together around the fire. The same applies to law enforcement and drug dealers. I've seen the scenario played out a thousand times in this small town city and the county that surrounds it. The front page of the newspaper is routinely plastered with the local sheriff's department pullin' up plants and burning them at the golf course behind me. I never smelled it though.
I watched Keith Olberman go off today and I've got to say that he said what was in my heart that I just don't have the energy to spout out. How dare our elected government officials play a game where the elderly don't know for sure if they're gonna get their SS benefits! They have worked many years for that, as I have. If they can't do any better than grandstanding, I'll just move somewhere else. Like Fiji. Maybe I'll call Truman and see if he has a map.
Over and out from the hill. Ya'll stay cool ^j^
Monday, August 1, 2011
going for broke
There's nothing much in the mailbox these days since bill paying has gone online and such. There are the usual bills with personal notes and sometimes interest from my friends who trusted enough to let me live on credit. There's a dentist and a hand surgeon, and of course......the propane guy. When I think of how much money I've spent over the years in this house just to heat and cool it, I wonder what I was thinking. The insulation is non-existent with cheap vinyl siding, circa 1988 slapped up and blown off by the westerly winds that howl through the pine trees in the winter. Some of the walls are still papered with the expensive stuff daddy let me pick out for the conversion from "old man whose wife has been dead for ten years" to struggling family with a four year old who needs a dose of country. There was carpet and there was lots of power drills installing mini-blinds on moving day. That was in April of 1988. My history with this house began much earlier.
I picked one thing out from the three envelopes, one from the AARP and the other from my used to be federal credit union with an offer to sign up for some reduced rate life insurance. I think they're afraid I'm gonna die before they get their payback. Me...cynical? Hell no. The last envelope contained a pretty piece of paper telling me how much I can draw at normal retirement age, which is pretty iffy right now. There is about 28K in company contributed funds to which I have no access except to take a four hundred buck cut according to my life expectancy. Yeah...like 250 a month will help float THIS boat. That was part of the American dream back then..invest it all and play the market. Even if you're non-profit, it can pay in the long run. But that was then, and this is now. I'm gonna cash in and take my chances.
Mom and Dad will, more than likely, get their stipends from the feds tomorrow because the game of chicken turned into a mighty 'nother deadline. There are certain things that will determine the outcome of this crisis, namely the willingness of both rich and poor to step up to the plate and do the best you can for our communities. Like youknowwho said...it takes a village.
I picked one thing out from the three envelopes, one from the AARP and the other from my used to be federal credit union with an offer to sign up for some reduced rate life insurance. I think they're afraid I'm gonna die before they get their payback. Me...cynical? Hell no. The last envelope contained a pretty piece of paper telling me how much I can draw at normal retirement age, which is pretty iffy right now. There is about 28K in company contributed funds to which I have no access except to take a four hundred buck cut according to my life expectancy. Yeah...like 250 a month will help float THIS boat. That was part of the American dream back then..invest it all and play the market. Even if you're non-profit, it can pay in the long run. But that was then, and this is now. I'm gonna cash in and take my chances.
Mom and Dad will, more than likely, get their stipends from the feds tomorrow because the game of chicken turned into a mighty 'nother deadline. There are certain things that will determine the outcome of this crisis, namely the willingness of both rich and poor to step up to the plate and do the best you can for our communities. Like youknowwho said...it takes a village.
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