Bodies Falling From the Sky

News reports state that bodies fell from the sky, after a window rattling boom. They landed in yards, fields and one even went through the roof of a house, where it still remain; a naked woman waiting for authorities to retrieve the body.

I don't know about you, but the horrific event is revealing more horror. Not only is the actual occurrence disquieting and chilling, the aftermath, rhetorical squabbling and finger pointing brings an uncomfortable feeling. The reaction by those involved is not that of reasoned, responsible people. The raw emotional actions remind me of primitive societies; not modern nations of law, with the demand of accountability and the lack of political motivations for justice.

It takes exceptional world leaders at times such as these. Unfortunately, one key player - the United States of America - is selfishly absorbed in nonsense and it's reflected in the current President.

I Had a Few Beers That Evening.

I was using a backhoe/loader to move some cold mix asphalt in the temporary yard for a project. We needed more room, so I was moving it to one side of the yard.

You’ve seen backhoe/loaders. They resemble scorpions, with a front bucket as the pincers; the excavator attachment on the rear can be described as the stinger.

After running such a machine for a long period of time, using the controls is without thought. You just know what you want to do and it happens. I was busy, lost in thought and moving material.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. At that time, I had full bucket, was moving forward and in the process of dumping the bucket. Within seconds, one of the hands climbed on the moving machine to tell me something.

All I heard was a scream; a yowling scream that ended in a high pitch of fear and agony.

Although it probably only lasted for a second or two, it seemed to take forever for me to analyze what happened, look down at his foot and raise the bucket.

As he climbed on the machine, he placed one foot on the step and the other in a pinch point between two control arms. The ton of material, plus the weight of the assembly concentrated on the one object impeding the progress.

As soon as the bucket was raised, he fell from the machine, started rolling on the ground and cried as he held his leg. I stopped, jumped from the machine, and went to help.  

I had to get his boot off his foot. If I left it on, his foot would swell, cut off circulation, and the damage would only be greater. We soon had the boot and sock removed; my stomach turned.

Have you ever seen a crushed foot? I never had and never want to again. It was disfigured, blue and it was obvious this was way beyond something I could handle. All I could do was talk to him and tell him help would be there shortly.

Someone in the field office called the ambulance. They arrived shortly, made a quick assessment and then were gone.

That happened in 1984. I still think about it now and then. The thoughts always lead to what I could have done differently and the guilt remains.

I don’t know what happened to him; I don’t even remember his name, but I remember that day. I had a few beers that evening. Too many and they didn’t help. 

I Never Met Johnny Winter...

...but I know someone that did.

I went to school with a girl that married a former roadie of Johnny Winter. They were friends, so she got to see him, when he came to town.

She adored him, although she didn't have the same affection for Edgar. She liked Johnny's down-to-earth attitude and once commented on his long fingers, which she described as "kinda freaked her out".

Anyway, Johnny passed away. He hasn't been in good health for years and one of the newer videos I saw of him revealed time, and his former lifestyle, had taken almost all he had left.

The man was one of the best guitarists, if not the best blues guitarists.

I'm Pissed at Mexico

I'll start this post with the warning I'll do everything I can control my vocabulary, but I'm not making any guarantee. Sometimes, shocking language expresses better than anything else.

Why am I pissed? Tens of thousands of diseased, emaciated, unaccompanied children pass thousands of miles through a country and what's offered? Nothing, except con men, thieves, rapists, murderers and thugs.

As far as I'm concerned, Mexico is nothing but a shit-hole, run by criminals and we should not just close the border, we should send a battalion down there and let them go neanderthal on the government.  While there, they can single out the drug cartels and turn their mansions into burning piles of rubble.

Some Evening Are Worse That Others