High Water Pants

My wife watches the shopping channels. Some have clothes, which I assume are fashionable, but I've noticed many are high water pants. We had those when I was a kid, except they were generally not preferred, since they were either a hand-me-down, or all that could be acquired by a parent struggling. I guess I'm not sophisticated enough. Still, regardless of fashion, they're high water pants.

Electric Flops

According to a news report I read, automobile manufacturers are taking a huge hit on manufacturing things that people don't want. They took the gamble, eliminated some of revenues of those investing in the companies, and pretty well indicated foolishness seems to abound in corporate America. Regardless of the hype about electric vehicles, they aren't wanted, become even less wanted when the limitations are exposed, and only those with more money than sense will pay the cost for a what is basically a very expensive toy.

Well, It Looked Liked It Worked Awhile

 I had a ganglion cyst surgically removed from my wrist over a year ago. The other day, I noticed it has returned. According to my surgeon, it was a possibility, but highly unlikely. According to my wrist, he didn't get the root. So, now I wait to see if it causes enough pain to seek professional help for removal. I think I'll seek another doctor. 

In The Palmetto Flat

 It's been years since I squirrel hunted. It was once a yearly thing, since Texas has a season on the critters, and hunting them alone was a peaceful trek into the woods of the Big Thicket. That, and a properly prepared squirrel and sausage gumbo is a tasty treat. 

I remember one early Fall day when I trekked into an area to see if I could find some squirrels. It was still, cloudy, and the fall leaves occasionally fell from the trees. My footsteps seemed loud, and I had to move slowly to prevent startling the prey I sought. As I moved through the woods, I came upon a palmetto flat. At about a half acre, and with the ground damp, I silently started crossing toward the hardwood trees on the other side. There would be acorns and maybe some squirrels. 

I was halfway in crossing, when I head the rustling in the edge of the woods. Unlike a small animal, the rustling was loud and made by more than one animal. I could see over the palmettos, so I looked toward the sounds, but could only see the tops of the palmettos moving from what was below. 

I had a shotgun, but it was filled with bird shot, and would be useless against what I now suspected. It was only moments before I smelled their foul smell and grunts as they rooted through the palmettos. I knew there were feral pigs in the woods, but at my disadvantage, I knew I should have strapped something more substantial to my hip. 

I stood completely still. I knew that if I could smell them, they probably wouldn't wind me, since they came from the upwind side. I waited as they moved along only a few yards from where I stood. I couldn't see them, but had my shotgun ready if they came upon me. I had no idea if they would just move along if they found me, or I would soon be involved in a life struggle against a drove of pissed off hogs.

I didn't need to find out. They passed near, but out of my sight and soon were back into the woods. I waited until I couldn't hear them any longer, made my way out of the palmettos the same way I came, and eventually was out of the woods where I started. 

I think the worst part was knowing I had nowhere to run. That, and the nearest tree was farther than I could outrun a drove of pigs. I chalked it up to experience and made a note on how not to hunt where I didn't have an escape.

It's Easy to Explain

People aren't buying homes. They're too expensive, overpriced, the interest rate for mortgages is too high, and the economy is looking flakey. There, I've explained the problem and regardless of what some think, all the government meddling anticipated will only make it worse. That's what caused the problem. 

Do I get some kind of reward for my simple explanation? After all, people are getting paid the big bucks for long articles, graphs, and tons of BS that have the same explanation.

You Don't See This Very Often

We weren't far from the Hill Country, where it was the total ring of fire eclipse, but we were in an area that had 85% blockage. This wasn't my first, but it was still a sight to see. The difference in light is obvious, shadows are different, and many probably never really noticed. 

We won't have another for a long, long time. I'll chalk this one up as probably my last. 

Choosing Sides

 My gut feeling about the terrorist attack in Israel is that the entire truth will never be known, the most wealthy will profit from the deaths, most governments are either ignorant, or complicit, and the final result will be a continuation of the madness of cults formed from desperation. Still, everyone will be forced to choose sides, and I choose the side that forbids violence against innocent people, eliminates those that profit from death, and makes every step to guarantee liberty to all people. 

So, which side is that? I have no idea. I only can pray for God to sort out the mess.

First Taste of Fall

 Autumn is slow to arrive in my neck of the woods. This morning, we were down to 48 degrees and the high temperature was in the mid 70's. Two weeks ago the temperature was reaching 100 and no end of the hot weather was in sight. We probably won't get a frost until November, and some years the coldest temperatures are in early December. We'll see how this year will be, but the cooler weather is a relief.

It Takes Too Long

 I was reading a local news report about a murderer receiving a life sentence for a murder in 2020. Three years have passed, and the only reason this trial took too long is the ridiculous amount of wasted time accomplished by those in the legal profession. It's the way of our "justice system" that leaves justice laying in the gutter.

Some things take too long, and the list is long. The economy sucks, and those causing the problem are allowed to take their time in playing with the economy. Treasonous officials are allowed to retire because the amount of time they are never prosecuted is allowed to happen. Influencers slush billions from taxpayers and those trusted with preventing such things are managing the slush with all the time they need to accomplish their goal of extreme wealth. The list goes on, but taking too long eventually leads to hasty actions inspired by fear or anger. 

Hopefully, the peaceful solutions to the evil happen before the violent solutions. Time will tell, but survival is a strong inspiration for action, and too many see the looming threat to their survival.

The Same as Meth Heads

In a theoretical way, our system of government is a wonderful testament to liberty and rights. In practice, it's no different than the chaos of a house full of meth heads, except the drug is power and the actual working of our government officials is the same as the rotten teeth in the mouth of a meth addict. 

Something to Look For

 Some local folks' law suit has been accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The suit contends TxDot created a "dam" by raising the interstate and building solid concrete barrier walls. The impeded drainage caused severe flooding during the heavy rains of Harvey and Imelda. I think they're right. During Harvey, a substantial amount of the barrier wall wasn't complete. The flooding was intense, but Hurricane Imelda increased the height of the flood water since more of the barrier wall was completed. Water levels were around 18 inches higher, which flooded homes that didn't flood during Hurricane Harvey.

When I started working construction, an old timer told me that when I decided to buy a home, I should look at how high the foundation is above the nearest road. Since a road can essentially be a dam, being above the top of the dam is necessary to keep flooding to a minimum. In the situation with the Interstate, areas that never flooded were inundated, and in spite of the intense rainfall, a contributing factor in the flood damage was the increased height of the structure of the interstate. Since the disaster, large sections of the solid barrier were replaced with a different barrier that allows water to flow through. 

How will this turn out? I don't know, but it will add awareness of how infrastructure projects can cause harm. Engineers should be completely aware of the impacts of their designs, and the public should be compensated when the designs cause economic harm.

I have to add something I observed a few years ago.

When I was fairly new in construction, I had a conversation with an engineer about how they determined the sizes of drainage structures. He told me they designed the structures under the assumption the structures would be silted up. A round pipe would be designed to move enough water even if it was silted to the spring line, which is half full.

Decades later, I told a new engineer about what the old engineer told me years before. In a condescending way, he told me they only designed the drainage structures as though they were completely empty. It made me wonder if he really thought about what I said. Designing for the contingencies makes sense. Believing the conditions will always be perfect doesn't.