I'm Guessing It Doesn't Have to Make Sense

I was reading a news report about a woman sentenced to death row, and a botched execution. Apparently, out of all the people that could administer the medication that stops the heart, they found a group that not only missed a vein, the did so twice. I have no comments. 

People are pushing Socialist candidates, while teachers don't teach about the politics of Adolph Hitler, the most reviled Socialist in history. Some might think this is a conspiracy. Others may say it's stupidity. I think it's both. 

Pollsters have turned their profession into something as respected as politicians, and used car salesmen. Still, the media slobbers as they publish the polls. It's a little sad to watch, but it's more saddening to think there are people that will publish the poll numbers, and there are also people that put the poll numbers on their social media. Pollsters are not experts anymore. They're grifters, and have destroyed their reputation.

Europe is turning into a third world conglomeration of countries with foreign invaders destroying their history. It's not what anyone would have expected twenty years ago, but it's now a reality. I doubt this would have happened if the citizens were armed. They're not, and even their own police forces are forcing the "immigration" with arrests and harassment. Even a comment on a website can leave those that disagree with the politics in prison. What happens next will more than likely be violent, and ugly. 

Locally, between the infrastructure decay, misuse of public funds, and outright dumbassery, taxes are being raised in some communities to keep the grift going, and protecting the retirements of all involved with the supposed public servitude. I'm glad I  moved from a city. All are cesspools and destined to fail.

The weather is nice today. It's forecast to be so for the next week. I'll enjoy what I can, and maybe do something more productive than sitting on the porch and drinking coffee.  

Summer Fading

On some years, we receive a strong cold front, which whisks away Summer, and leads to a morning where there is no doubt the crip, strong north wind heralded the start of Autumn. It's not looking like that will be the situation this year. The afternoon temperatures are still in the nineties, and the morning temperatures are in the low seventies, but they're creeping down. It appears Autumn will not arrive with a bang, but will slowly sneak in with some rain, cooler temperatures, heavy fog, and Winter will appear sometime in November with a cold front that will be surprise with a drastic drop in temperatures. We'll see, but I'll welcome some cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and the lack of the black flies we call "love bugs".

As Though This Just Started Happening

 Tamales are harder to find at many Mexican restaurants.  I've noticed that for a long time. I'm guessing without the cheap labor that was sent home, the cost, and effort, to mass produce tamales isn't something the restaurants want to absorb with the increasing cost of restaurant labor. It's a shame, but in Texas, there are locals that sell tamales by the dozen, and that's all they offer. They're not inexpensive (but what isn't these days?), but to those that know tamales, the cost for the good tamales is worth it. A half dozen, covered with cheese, salsa roja, and some finely chopped onions is what I consider a delicacy. 

Interesting Conversation With a Friend

 I have a friend who raises cattle. He's well aware of the market, how they're processed, and what most affects the price of beef. He told me the current high beef prices are due to a lack of cattle. Between the droughts, and wildfires, the number of cattle to be sold is substantially less, therefore the demand guarantees what is available will cost more. It's that simple, and to increase the supply is a long term event, since calves don't just pop out ready to butcher on demand. Of course, there is imported beef, but that beef requires assurance it meets USDA guidelines, and passes quarantine...if tariffs don't prevent there being any cost savings at the consumer level. 

Will beef supplies increase? Who knows. Range land has been decimated, many ranchers just don't have the money to keep trying, and their efforts will require years to build large herds for sale. We'll see, but the only thing I can do is to only buy what I can afford, and that is much less than in the past. I like beef, but not so much to spend too much of my income to have some.

It Was a Beautiful Morning - Repost 2026

 There are so many young adults that had no personal experience with the events of 9/11. Life went on with their parents, the shock had worn off, and the significance of being attacked by members of a cult that demands the death of those that don't follow their beliefs isn't apparent in today's society. The terror continues today, although you don't find much about in the mainstream media. 

****


It was an early Fall. The temperature was in the mid 50's and the skies were crystal clear. I had just finished breakfast and we were driving to the job site in the twilight of dawn. The motel was close to our project site, so the trip was short.

Traffic was light as we placed the advance warning signs and started closing down the inside lane of U.S. 59 in Cleveland, Texas. We had five sections of concrete to pull. We sawed the concrete the day before, drilled lifting holes and now needed to pull the sections of failed pavement and start preparing for the new concrete. The pour was set for 10:00 am.

It didn't take long for the lifting machine to pull the first section of paving. As soon as the broken slab was moved to the shoulder, the crew started drilling holes for the anchors. When the anchors were placed, the crew placed a mat of rebar and moved to the next patch.

The procedure was moving as planned, so all five patches were well on the way to being prepared by 8:00 am. We would be ready for the concrete. I checked the work and started documenting the sizes on a daily report.

Around 30 minutes later, my boss called my cell phone. I assumed he was checking our progress, but he wanted to tell me that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Towers. He didn't have any details. I wondered what failure had led a pilot to fly their small plane into the tower. Bad weather? An error in judgement? I thought about it for a few minutes and then went back to work.

It didn't seem very long after that when my boss called me again, which I thought would be a progress check. It wasn't. He explained that it was a passenger jet that hit the first tower and another had flown into the second tower. He described the preliminary news feeds he was watching on television. I could only stare while my mind raced.

We continued working. My boss kept me informed. It was now clear it was a planned terror attack. He was in contact with the area engineer office for the Texas Department of Transportation. We were working for them and their decisions would decide whether we would pour concrete, which required hours of time to set, or place a temporary material to be removed in the future. The decision was to proceed as we always did, so we prepared for the concrete pour.

Before the concrete arrived, my wife called. She was terrified and wanted me to come home. I told her I couldn't leave until the concrete was poured and we were off the highway. Even then, I couldn't leave if we were to continue with our project. I told her I would come home immediately if the project was shut down, and to go to her mother's if she became too worried.

More information was now available, so I knew there was an immediate call for all air traffic to land. I noticed the absence of air traffic immediately. We were close enough to Bush International in Houston to see the constant flow of air transports, which dwindled and eventually ended.

We poured the concrete and started the process of preparing for the next day. I went to the motel to catch what I could on television. The loops of the impacts, the falling towers and the smoking section of the Pentagon was almost unbelievable. My mind was having a hard time wrapping around the fact we had been attacked and the result was the death of thousands of innocent people.

We finished the day as usual. We were prepared for the next day when we started opening the lane in the early afternoon. I had spent long minutes as we were finishing staring at the empty skies, It was bizarre to not see the heavy air traffic. Contrails from military jets stretched across the skies. I wondered if they were ours, or the jets of an enemy that was in the process of invading.

I had kept in contact with my wife during the day. After I reached the motel, we had a long conversation. She was calmer. I knew she still wanted me to come home, but she understood that it probably wouldn't happen until the week was over. Since I was only about two hours from home, I reassured it wouldn't take long to reach home if anything changed.

Watching television was like watching a fictional disaster movie. I was still having a hard time wrapping my head around the events of the day, but it was becoming clearer that it was a middle eastern terror group. My anger was rising and all I could think of  was how cowardly it was to attack innocents. I wanted our military to bomb half the Middle East to Hell. Kill them all and let God sort them out.

I'll never forget that day. Time stopped and it became apparent that the cruelty in the world is always only moments away. Barbarians had tested our defenses and managed to find a weak spot for their advantage. It wasn't a pleasant thought then and still isn't. I feel no compassion for such people and can only offer their death be swift, although many days I'd prefer they would suffer the agony of those trapped on the upper floors of the World Trade Center Towers.  Even after years, I'm still angry. I'm not ready to forgive, or forget. 

The Luck of the Draw

 A jet, for whatever reason, lands too late, doesn't stop before the end of the runway, slams through a fence, T-bones a crew van, and five people in the van left work for the last time in their life. The NTSB is investigating, attorneys are sharpening their knives, and five families are now adjusting to something totally unanticipated. The families of those that survived in the van are dealing with the horrendous injuries of their loved ones. May God ease their suffering. Prayers are all that is left for them. Whatever happened, the flight crew that survived will have something on their mind that will never leave. 

The video at the following link has an assessment by a professional pilot of what he sees as pilot error for the crash. It's interesting and informative, and doesn't look good for the pilots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm6G7EOP5Qc

Bad Karaoke

I have a neighbor that will turn up the volume, and play their music a little loud on some weekends. Usually, it doesn't bother me, since I can't here it in the house, and much of the music I like. Unfortunately, they sometimes like to sing with the music. The off-key, cat wallowing can be annoying, but tonight they crossed a boundary. Some young female was singing with "Can't You See", and butchering a fine song by the Marshall Tucker Band. That's terrible, unconscionable, and there is probably some criminal charge needing to be made. I'm sure they thought they were doing a fine job, and those around probably held their ears. I know their beagles didn't start howling until the next evisceration of a country song, but I understand why, and wonder if the song before was crossing their line too.

The Surgery is Over

On Monday, I was notified of my hernia surgery time. It started as an arrival time of 11:30 am. About 30 minutes later, it was changed to 9:00 as the arrival time. I set my alarm to 4:30 am, and went to bed at around 10:30 pm. 

The alarm woke me at 4:30, and I ran the snoozes out. I was out of bed a little before 5:00, checked the radar, and saw the tropical storm had strengthened a little. The new track was showing a bullseye on where I was having surgery, and would be coming ashore at somewhere around 2:00 in the afternoon. Theoretically, that would be somewhere around the time I would be arriving home. 

My wife, and I, arrived at the hospital early, and the check-in was complete at 9:00 am. There was no long wait before they took me to be prepped, which gave me the hope the surgery would be started as soon as the one ahead of me was finished. 

Prep involved the usual questions, putting in an IV, taking off everything, putting on a gown, and something I didn't expect: shaving the lower stomach and groin. Some questions to the nurse revealed this was sometimes done in the surgery room, but since it expedited the surgery, some doctors preferred it being complete before the patient was wheeled in for surgery. The nurse explained some doctor preferred to shave the patients. I'm guessing that ensured not having to increase an area to be shaved, or extra time to finish a shave they find incomplete. The nurse had me pull up my gown, and went to work. I told my wife this will make it appear as though I have crabs when the hair starts growing back. The nurse smiled, and I thought of how past experiences of shaving my beard left some days where the itch of the hair growing back could be maddening.

The surgeon came in a few minutes later, explained the procedure, marked where the surgery would be performed on my groin, and signed the marking. He also explained his surgery room had some type of A/C problem, which was delaying my surgery. My wife asked how long should the surgery take. He answered it would probably take about an hour and a half after the A/C is repaired. 

After the doctor left, another nurse came in and told me the delay could be extended if the warmer temperature caused the instruments to condensate. If that happened, they would have to replace all of them, which would further the delay. She, also, told me to go pee. I told her I didn't think I had any in me, but she said to try anyway. This made me think the delay could be long.

After squeezing out some pee, I returned to the prep room and told my wife she could leave if she wanted. At this point in any surgery, it's a waiting game. They would call when I was in recovery, and she already had my wallet. The nurse told her my clothes would follow me to recovery, so it gave my wife a break from basically just watching me wait. She would be more comfortable downstairs where there was a coffee/bakery shop, and plenty of comfortable seats. My wife asked the nurse if she had any idea how long the surgery would be delayed. The nurse guessed at least thirty minutes, so my wife decided to leave. I told her she had time to run some errands if she wanted, and she could get something to eat. The nurse told my wife I would be placed in an initial recovery room on the second floor. After they felt I was stable, they would transfer me to a ground floor room to prepare me for leaving. They would come for her at that time for final instructions, and from there I would be wheeled out to an adjacent drive where outpatient surgery patients are picked up.

It wasn't long before they came for me. They wheeled me down some corridors, and I knew we were close to the surgery room by the cooler air. When the door was opened, a blast of cold air let me know my surgery would soon start. I heard the anesthetist state it was 11:30. 

They shifted me out of the gurney onto the table, hooked up my IV, put a mask over my face, and gave me the "I don't care" injection. After that, I don't remember much, except some pretty severe pain in the downstairs recovery room and the nurse giving some more morphine. After that, I don't remember getting dressed, but I do remember the nurse getting rained on putting me in the car. It was 2:00 pm, and tropical storm Edouard was officially coming ashore about 50 miles to the southeast. The first rain bands were arriving. 

We drove out of the rain before reaching home. We stopped for some potato soup at Schlotzsky's. I wasn't really hungry, but would be later.  It was a few hours before the heavy rain arrived, but it didn't take long for the rain to start. I was feeling drowsy, so I went to lay down for a short nap. I napped for a few minutes before the first torrential blast of rain arrived. The sound of it on the side of the house woke me, so I got up to watch the weather. I made a cup of coffee. I remarked to my wife how it was one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. Within minutes, it came back up while I was in the kitchen. Needless to say, in my condition, I wasn't much help in cleaning the mess. My apologies seemed hollow with such an occurrence. It was too soon to eat.

It rained for at least an hour, and didn't let up. The wind was probably a steady 35 mph, with gusts to 50 mph. After the heavy rain stopped, we had hours of light rain, and windy conditions. The rain finally ended at around dusk, but radar showed a band on the southeast side of the storm approaching. It arrived after dark, and the thunderstorms trained around the storm, which had stopped moving. I don't know how much rain we received in the second batch, but it was at least as much as the first round of rain, and my rain gauge was full the next morning. Just north of us received up to 20 inches, but judging from the water around my house, we were somewhere around 10 inches of rain. 

Somewhere during the first rain band, I tried a small helping of Jell-O, with some potato soup. It stayed down, but the hiccups started. My wife decided to go to bed. I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up to watch the weather, and to deal with the hiccups. They would stop for awhile, but soon start again if I so much as sipped water. To add insult to injury, the electricity would blip every few hours. I'd wait a few minutes to see if it would stay on, turn the television back on, and reset the clocks.  

Eventually, at around daybreak, the pain became more than I wanted to deal with, so I took a Tramadol. It stayed down, and it wasn't long before the hiccups stopped. The rain bands had moved north, and it didn't appear they would spiral back into our area. I finally went to bed, and slept until about 11:00 am. 

I'd forgotten the pain after my gallbladder was removed. Quick moves are a no-no, and sitting is more of a sliding into a chair motion. It's there, off and on, and will be there for days. After a week is should ease off enough to remind me I'm far from healed. Attempts at pulling, or lifting, will give me harsh reminders to not get into too much of a hurry. I'll return for a checkup in two weeks. As it appears right now, it will be good. I have no bruising, the three cuts for the instruments are showing no signs of infection, and I know I won't miss the hernia. Hopefully, I'll never have another. 

The Many

I've read news reports stating hundreds of thousands of children have basically disappeared. On one hand, the statistics may be inaccurate. On another, it's mind boggling to think that many children can't be accounted for. Where did they go? Some believe they're having their organs harvested, others believe they're being sold into slavery. Regardless, if even ten children disappeared in any community in the United States, the usual response is a demand to know what happened, where are they now, and if criminal charges are necessary, arrests should happen immediately. Logic tells me there is a cover-up by important people. Whether it is to prevent vigilantism,  or to hide culpability, isn't nearly important as exposing the events leading to these disappearances. Those involved don't deserve anything less than a quick swing from a rope, if they make it that far.

Observations August 22, 2026

Some local communities are trying to deal with budget shortfalls, and old infrastructure. Of course, some much needed park improvements are underway, and the expensive trees they planted might not ever reach the point they destroy the roads adjacent to where they were planted. The lack of enough area under the canopies, and the lack of water are helping the brutal heat kill the trees. The leaders will vote on raising taxes. I have a feeling the votes will all be "yes", and the can will be kicked down the road with dead trees in the median.

Yesterday, my thermometer showed we reached 106F for a short period of time. NOAA data was probably around 101F for the day, but my readings are usually higher. Regardless, my A/C runs until late to compensate, and it's been like that for a week. Every day I've seen triple digit heat, and there's no real relief for the next few days. It's turning into a recipe for burn bans, which usually aren't placed until after some Bozo lights a brush fire, goes for lunch, and returns to find they've lit a few hundred acres into an inferno. With the woods turning into dry tinder, it's almost guaranteed to happen. 

I've had many things to write about, but when I stop to think about doing so, I realize it's reiterating thoughts from over a decade in the past. It's a shame the problems facing the United States are continuous, easily fixed, and will continue to after my time here is over. I feel for those just starting to face the world as an adult. Too many are woefully ignorant, easily fooled, and will vote themselves into tyranny. I hope I'm wrong, but there are too many indications that show I'm not. 

One thing is for sure: As long as I'm able to enjoy the quiet of the morning, sip coffee on the porch, and admire God's grandeur, I will do so. It's a blessing some may not understand, but for me, it's a time to reflect, and count my blessings.  

Robotic Surgery

Since my hernia surgery is impending, I've spent some time examining the procedures, my surgeon's qualifications, and found robotics will be used for my surgery. It's a laparoscopic procedure, but instead of the surgeon manipulating instruments manually, they use 3D imaging, and robotic instruments are manipulated as the surgeon operates at a console. It's like the robotic deep sea ROV's without the currents, curious fish, and the possibility of a large wave influencing the operation. I'm hoping my surgeon has a good night's sleep before the procedure, and nobody creeps up behind him and pops a balloon while he's working. 

Paying for Dreck

 I was thinking of how so many media outlets now charge a fee to see their dreck. It's bundled with other dreck, and for the little actual worthy content, the trade-off is the dreck is financed regardless of the harm it causes, or the ignorance that is expounded by pretty faced people that are as clueless as a bucket of horseshoes. You can have it streamed on your phone, and social media is filled with whatever piece ( however chopped up) that supports whatever distorted view is being promoted. 

Waiting is the Hardest Part

My hernia surgery is scheduled for September 1. I wanted it sooner, but the surgeon is booked. While my hernia isn't a constant source of pain, I have good, and bad, days with on all days, I can feel it. I've found weed-whacking is hardest on the hernia, so that has to be metered out, instead of all on one day. Why this is so hard on the hernia is beyond my understanding. Lifting doesn't bother it at all. 

A brother-in-law found out his chest pain, and shortness of breath, will require a heart valve replacement. He's been haphazard with medication for his hypertension over the years, and it finally caught up with him. From what I know, that type of surgery has far fewer risks than even a decade ago, and after recovery, lead to decades of life afterward....if the patient is willing to go through the paces required to keep healthy habits. Whether that happens is to be seen. His siblings are worried. Me? Not really. It's up to him, and the wake-up call should be a stern warning. 

The heat has been steady, but the three digit highs have mostly been avoided. We're not in official drought, but if we don't get some substantial rain, we will be. The trees are already showing signs they're becoming stressed, and the yard is starting to have some dead spots. 

Local cities are making noises about budget shortfalls, and the possibility of tax increases. This translates into a guarantee of higher taxes, and with property values decreasing with age, and the fact people are moving out of the city limits, the main problem of excess spending will never be handled. All cities are run mostly by those that shouldn't be allowed to run a watermelon stand. 

The dog star is peeking above the horizon right before sunrise, so the dog days of summer are officially here. It won't be long before that real cold front passes through, and I can have some relief from the high electric bills that come during the summer.

Tomorrow morning early, I plan on cleaning my outside AC coils. Cutting the yard, and the dust it creates, have made the cleaning necessary. It shouldn't take long, and my air conditioner should be more efficient.

Sort of an Anniversary

 Fifteen years ago, and over three million visits later, I started this blog. A lot has happened since then: My mother, and three siblings of four died; I was divorced, and remarried; I've had seven skin cancers removed; I've moved; I've retired; had two colonoscopies; carpal tunnel release on both wrists, and an ugly lipoma removed from my forehead. During that time, many have commented, and shown me there are still some good people out there. That, and that bots can fill visit counts by over 10,000 in a matter of hours. So, as long as I can, I will continue. Thoughts cross my mind constantly, and this is where they can escape. You have been warned.

I Wish I Had Asked

Years ago, my father would occasionally grill what he called a "poor boy filet". Two hamburger patties were seasoned, a slice of cheese, and a slice of onion, were placed between the patties, with the larger patty wrapped with a slice of bacon. I've tried to duplicate the meat, but the seasoning has never been right. When I could, I didn't ask how he seasoned the hamburger. I wish I had.  

Contempt and Laws

According to what I'm reading, Fauci can't be held for contempt without a congressional vote. What I'm having a hard time to understand is why if there is an obvious crime of fraud, why should contempt be the only crime being considered, and why should the information not be given to the DOJ for presentation to a grand jury? Maybe I'm wrong, but with the number of injuries due to Fauci's criminal acts, his lying to hide the fraud, and his taking the fifth for a pardoned offense, there is something his attorneys think can incriminate him other than contempt of Congress. We'll see. Fauci is a monster and should be punished.

Another thing that crossed my mind was the autopen question on Fauci's pardon. Why isn't there a document that states the President allowed an autopen signature, with the cause, date and time? It doesn't make sense to allow that much power to be so easily used without something to allow investigation for malfeasance. 

As Most Thought He Was

According to what I've been reading, Fauci is an ego-maniac. His love of himself, demand for publicity, and total lack of the health of others is now becoming apparent. May he be punished for his actions. I suggest he be banished to a deserted island for life. Make sure he has a mirror to watch his his health, and appearance, degrade.

So, Fauci pled Fifth Amendment rights, avoided all questions, and now (probably not) could face contempt charges. I foresee the law suits to start, Fauci will have no defense, and due to the extreme costs to protect his money, will be bankrupt, have no security, and will be the prey of those that have no qualms about punishing him for his crimes. At his age, he won't last, and I doubt St. Peter will hand him a gate pass.

A President's Library With Mechanics Liens

There is an enormous amount of unpaid debt to contractors that built the Obama Library. Illinois allows the auction of property to satisfy liens. Whether that happens is to be seen, but even if it does, what would anyone do with such a large ugly structure without any real use? It's a mess, and those that trusted the general contractor are out of luck, can only file liens, and hope for a return of pennies on the dollar, if bankruptcy is the final result. 

Salivating Weather Forecasters

There's a tropical cyclone in the Eastern Gulf of America. The folks at NOAA are forecasting the system will change from a northwesterly track to a westerly track. With close proximity to land, and shear, they are forecasting a reduction in tropical storm strength over the next few days, and most of the rain south of the system....if it doesn't degrade into a trough. The final track, at this time, will take it along the coast to Southeast Texas, where it will come ashore and cross Texas. 

The NOAA folks summarize all of this is a text forecast advisory, and it can be read in about a minute. The Weather Channel folks take about 48 hours to show a summary of all the model tracks, pay high salaries for their meteorologists to pontificate, and have entire crews on different beaches to interview those that want to have their faces on television. It's expensive, and they're using resources provided by NOAA, but there's money to be made. It's weather porn, and leads to experts that not only help increase the anxiety, they continue it on their social media posts. If you pay close enough attention, you'll realize you not only need to panic, you need to go spend close to a thousand at Walmart and gather supplies you'll eventually throw away in January.

Daylight Saving and Darkness

It's looking like they'll make Daylight Saving Time permanent. It's a Summer madness, with the long days and light in the mornings. Winter will be different. Northern states will find they're navigating morning traffic, and their children waiting for school, is in what most would consider the night. We'll see how this future debacle will unfold, but I'm not thinking it will be pretty.