Lawnmower Observation

I've owned, and operated, lawnmowers for decades. During that time, I've worked on many of them, and the repairs included just about everything, including rebuilding an engine. Over time, I've noticed the newer engines last longer than the older engines. Whether it's because they're built better, or the newer oils are much better, is something I don't know, but in the past, the engines would usually present problems long before the decks did. 

These days, the decks on riders just don't seem to last that long; especially if they're stamped. Replacing them seems like a good idea, until you realize the cost will probably be over a thousand dollars after you buy the accessories that need changing too, and you perform your own labor. Depending on the model, that can be at that magical point where it's so close to half the price of a new one, replacing it is a better option. 

I gave a way a fine mower a few years ago. I'd changed the deck once, but the new deck only lasted three years. Changing the deck was still an option, but the mower was old, and I foresaw other things going out, with the knowledge the stamped deck would become a problem. Still, it was frustrating, and only showed that to get long years out of a deck, paying for the most expensive riders, with a heavy welded deck, was the best option. Still, they don't last forever, but if you have a welding machine, building a new one is always an option. Well maintained, the engine will last a long, long time, and replacing belts, or pulleys is usually an easy task. 

Now That It Is Over

 We were cloudy, with light rain, all morning, which made me wonder how the eclipse would appear in cloudy skies. When the time arrived, the clouds thinned, and between some areas, the partial sun could be seen clearly. When the sun broke through, the light was as dim as a few minutes before sunset. We were close to a full eclipse. The amount of sun appeared as a thin sliver, like a fingernail clipping. 

So, it's now over, it was something to see, and will be a long time before it happens again in my area. I doubt I will be around to see it.

It's Not What it Seems

I was reading a news report about a young woman, with many emotional, and physical, problems, who has will be euthanized to handle her problems.  I'm appalled, and wondering how officials, and psychiatrists have become so subverted to condone the action. I'll explain below how I arrived at this opinion.

Decades ago, my step-mother's sister hung herself. It was a response to severe depression and her feeling of hopelessness.  It left her parents, two sisters, her husband, and three children to deal with their emotional response. They were saddened, angered, feeling guilty, appalled, grasping for answers, and had to live their lives with their emotions. To make things worse, her son put a shotgun in his mouth, and destroyed his family decades later, when his depression led to the same conclusion. His actions reawakened the emotional responses and added his wife and child to the same. 

Years ago, after an argument, and I slept on the couch so she could have space to deal with it, my ex-wife woke me the next morning with a confession. She had allowed her depression to overrule, took a handful of Vicodin, and tried to end it all. Instead of doing the deed, it made her violently ill, and she threw them up before they were absorbed. 

How do you describe how that makes you feel? I was surprised, sad, angered, lost, feeling guilty, hopeless and devastated. If she had succeeded, I don't think the feeling could have been worse. She, through her actions, showed how selfish and cruel she could be. I knew she had emotional problems, I was trying to deal with them, and regardless of my efforts, my efforts were in vain. 

Years later, and after more years of dealing with her problems, I had to admit defeat, divorce her, and allow her to live her life the way she wanted. She died last year of health problems other than depression, which made me wonder if she had taken the path of not taking care of herself to accelerate the path to death. 

So, I don't really care what people think. Suicide is not relief. Suicide is a horrendous emotional burden placed on the people that are left behind. I'll never condone it, or consider it a good response to any problem with life. 

It's Probably Best I Didn't Make Any Plans

Weather folks are predicting clouds for the eclipse areas within driving distance for me. Preliminary thoughts were I'd drive around four hours, watch the eclipse from some rural backroad, and drive home. That would be a waste, since making a drive like that for a few minutes of dark, cloudy skies isn't really a fascinating experience. I can do that on any night in my own back yard for hours. In fact, I have done that, while enjoying a cup of coffee on my own porch.

Law Enforcement Paradox

Law enforcement is expensive. It involves the salaries of the officers, the equipment, the station and the support staff. To law abiding citizens, it is supposed to be the bulwark between crime and unbridled unrest. To the criminal, there is supposed to be a legitimate fear of arrest, and the possibility of incarceration or worse: death. Large communities have a greater need for law enforcement, while rural areas, due to the time it takes for law enforcement to respond, have the option to solve criminal problems with extreme prejudice, since the citizen's survival might depend on their actions. 

With the "catch and release" policies now prevalent in many cities, there is a paradox with law enforcement. The officers either quit, become apathetic, or become frustrated by their daily tasks. Their efforts yield no results. The safety of the public is compromised, and the criminals basically become in charge. Otherwise, there is no real law enforcement. Responding in certain ways to exposure to crimes can lead to arrest of the victim, officials are isolated by personal security, and society decays. Victims are supposed to allow the laws to prevent crime, but after getting a smile from the person that robbed them, while shopping for groceries, they realize they have no protection.

In the end, either the crime is prevented, criminals are prosecuted, and people can live in peace, or anarchy becomes prevalent. Law enforcement, in today's context, only offers a false security. It doesn't provide the service that necessitates its existence, and the money that is allocated for its use is wasted. It's not the fault of the good officers. It's the fault of those that subvert for power.