The forecast for the local folks is not good for tricks and treats. Not only may there be rain, some may come from severe thunderstorms So, the children will miss a late evening moon; rising over the trees; tendrils of high clouds making the moon appear as sailing on a wispy sea; swirling leaves in the dark shadows leaving thoughts of scurrying, tiny night creatures; the damp, cool breeze inspiring pulling up a collar; and the trek home, with bags of treats to protect from the hidden ghosts behind the wide trunk of the old oak tree.
Oh well, there's always next year. Happy Halloween!
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Monday, October 29, 2018
Eyes Wide Shut
Pollster, and odds makers, are either in collusion, or ridiculously naive on the majority of U.S. voters. Whatever the reason, the early voting turnout is not what they expected.
From my vantage point, it appears those unwilling to return to the Obama economy, and the liberal beliefs that squelch personal liberty, are voting Republican in droves. If so, the projections of a "blue wave" may be as imaginary as the anticipated results of the last election for President.
We'll see, but I'm only finding a few die hard, ignorant, booger eating liberals willing to throw away their brain to continue the madness promoted by the Democratic Party.
From my vantage point, it appears those unwilling to return to the Obama economy, and the liberal beliefs that squelch personal liberty, are voting Republican in droves. If so, the projections of a "blue wave" may be as imaginary as the anticipated results of the last election for President.
We'll see, but I'm only finding a few die hard, ignorant, booger eating liberals willing to throw away their brain to continue the madness promoted by the Democratic Party.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Dueling Roosters
I woke early. After the Keurig spat me out a fresh cup of coffee, I eased onto the porch to enjoy the time before sunrise.
It was quiet. The crisp air was heavy with dew, and the dark sky was filled with the constellations soon to be seen in the early evening. I sat, and sipped my coffee.
As I sat, I listened for the usual distant dog bark. There was none to be heard, and even the night creatures were silent in the cold air. It was unusually quiet, even for mid Fall, which added a deeper calm to an already calm morning.
I sat for a few minutes before a rooster crowed in the distance. The crow was almost immediately answered by another crow in another direction. Soon another followed, and another, and finally a high pitched crow; like a distant squeak from a juvenile banty; an answer, or maybe a direct reaction to what the rooster considered a threat.
The duel went on for a few minutes. One would crow, then the answers would soon follow. The crows came from all directions, and pinpointed which neighbors had chickens.
I counted six separate crows before the dueling roosters finally settled down; obviously content in their greeting of the morning. It was something to hear, and made the early morning even more special.
It was quiet. The crisp air was heavy with dew, and the dark sky was filled with the constellations soon to be seen in the early evening. I sat, and sipped my coffee.
As I sat, I listened for the usual distant dog bark. There was none to be heard, and even the night creatures were silent in the cold air. It was unusually quiet, even for mid Fall, which added a deeper calm to an already calm morning.
I sat for a few minutes before a rooster crowed in the distance. The crow was almost immediately answered by another crow in another direction. Soon another followed, and another, and finally a high pitched crow; like a distant squeak from a juvenile banty; an answer, or maybe a direct reaction to what the rooster considered a threat.
The duel went on for a few minutes. One would crow, then the answers would soon follow. The crows came from all directions, and pinpointed which neighbors had chickens.
I counted six separate crows before the dueling roosters finally settled down; obviously content in their greeting of the morning. It was something to hear, and made the early morning even more special.
Friday, October 26, 2018
Pin The Tail on the Donkey
According to every damn news outlet, the person that sent the bombs over the last few days was caught. He's a Republican, according to what's being reported, and a huge Trump fan. This will be the focus of speculation for weeks, and the tiniest things to be found will be talked about until listeners have nausea.
I think the bomb maker will be found to be a kook. That, and either he's very inept, or his intention was to cause panic, and give him some face time on television. The bombs were not really bombs, and there was no real danger. His efforts were not as successful as the crazed gunman that shot Steve Scalise, and the media will be silent on the difference.
I think some will think this will cause people to pause to reflect on their affiliation with the Republican Party, as was attempted before the last election. It won't work, and the barrage of speculation will lead many to think the entire event was staged. Trying to portray a deranged individual as a representative example of the Republican Party is as futile as trying to portray Maxine Waters as a clear thinking representative of the Democratic Party.
So, the horde of illegals coming to the United States are now sent to the back pages, and the lack of coverage will cause many to turn back. That, and the crazed Democrats disrupting the lives of Republican officials will be ignored as usual. The real problem with the United States will continue, as the media abuses the power of the free press for propaganda.
I think the bomb maker will be found to be a kook. That, and either he's very inept, or his intention was to cause panic, and give him some face time on television. The bombs were not really bombs, and there was no real danger. His efforts were not as successful as the crazed gunman that shot Steve Scalise, and the media will be silent on the difference.
I think some will think this will cause people to pause to reflect on their affiliation with the Republican Party, as was attempted before the last election. It won't work, and the barrage of speculation will lead many to think the entire event was staged. Trying to portray a deranged individual as a representative example of the Republican Party is as futile as trying to portray Maxine Waters as a clear thinking representative of the Democratic Party.
So, the horde of illegals coming to the United States are now sent to the back pages, and the lack of coverage will cause many to turn back. That, and the crazed Democrats disrupting the lives of Republican officials will be ignored as usual. The real problem with the United States will continue, as the media abuses the power of the free press for propaganda.
What He Missed
My father died in 1989. With his deteriorating health, it's not hard to assume most of the year was lost. He missed many things, but technology would be the greatest.
My father was trained in the economy of the Great Depression. His father had a repair shop attached to the musical store of my grandmother. My father, probably like most at that time, was involved with the repair shop, and helped my grandfather.
I don't know exactly what my father did, but snippets of the few stories I was blessed with indicated he did just about everything, from repairing small appliances, to refrigeration; which was onerous due to the anhydrous ammonia refrigerant. He was good, even at an early age. After the initial worry about his age, his expertise was requested.
He had a Harley 34, which my grandmother hated. An ice covered road led to a nasty tumble, and it was downhill after the accident. As soon as he joined the service, my grandmother sold the bike without his permission.
The Second World War was wrapping up, when my father joined the Coast Guard. My grandmother wouldn't sign for him to enlist early, so he had to wait until he was eighteen. His training ended after the war, so his first venture into the world was in occupied Japan.
I have a few photographs of my father's time in the Coast Guard. The ones I really wanted to keep were destroyed in a house fire, when I was twelve. The were of his visit to Nagasaki, which was in the early stages of rebuilding. I saw them once, and if I knew what I now know, I would have secreted them away. The historical value would have been of great worth. The personal value would have been priceless.
The Coast Guard gave my father training in radios, which probably was important when he returned to service with the Navy in the Korean War as a radio operator. He served that time on a destroyer, and if he'd lived, I would have made a strong effort to have him detail his experiences in a typhoon, and sailing up and down the Korean Coast.
Somewhere in my father's training, he was trained on radars. With his electronics training, it was probably just a lateral move, but with the huge jumps in technology, it was necessary. The career he finally settled on was marine electronics, which he did, until his death from cancer. He was good. I still run across people that know of his good reputation.
So, I've wandered along without elaborating on what my father missed. I had to give a little background to accentuate what's happened in the last 29 years.
My father missed the huge advancements in computers. When he died, the 80386 architecture was in an earlier stage. Computers with that architecture were at the top end of pricing. While they were fantastic at the time, those of today make them look like cumbersome antiques. Considering the software now available, what was available then was primitive with limited memory available, and slow processing.
Cellular telephones were just making a strong appearance in 1989. They were bag phones, and mostly useless in many areas. They were only used for calls, and the cost demanded being aware of the time spent in conversation.
Televisions, and computers mostly still used cathode ray tubes for screens. The technology was there for what are now flat screens, but the cost was beyond most consumers. Today, what was once inconceivably expensive, is hung on the walls of most homes.
I could go on, but if there was one thing that really makes the point, it's the watch that has a screen, allows people to communicate remotely, and has access to an advanced computer. When my father was a child, it was the fantasy of a comic called "Dick Tracy". Even as an adult, it was still a fantasy. Now, it's a reality, and one of the many things my father missed. There's even a fully functional Dick Tracy watch available for the consumer.
If my father had lived, I'd make sure he had a Dick Tracy watch. It's fitting, since his love of technology was apparent in his interests, which included building a computer from a kit, and repairing electronics that people said couldn't be repaired. Knowing him, if I bought him one, it would only be a spare. He would have had one as soon as they were available.
My father was trained in the economy of the Great Depression. His father had a repair shop attached to the musical store of my grandmother. My father, probably like most at that time, was involved with the repair shop, and helped my grandfather.
I don't know exactly what my father did, but snippets of the few stories I was blessed with indicated he did just about everything, from repairing small appliances, to refrigeration; which was onerous due to the anhydrous ammonia refrigerant. He was good, even at an early age. After the initial worry about his age, his expertise was requested.
He had a Harley 34, which my grandmother hated. An ice covered road led to a nasty tumble, and it was downhill after the accident. As soon as he joined the service, my grandmother sold the bike without his permission.
The Second World War was wrapping up, when my father joined the Coast Guard. My grandmother wouldn't sign for him to enlist early, so he had to wait until he was eighteen. His training ended after the war, so his first venture into the world was in occupied Japan.
I have a few photographs of my father's time in the Coast Guard. The ones I really wanted to keep were destroyed in a house fire, when I was twelve. The were of his visit to Nagasaki, which was in the early stages of rebuilding. I saw them once, and if I knew what I now know, I would have secreted them away. The historical value would have been of great worth. The personal value would have been priceless.
The Coast Guard gave my father training in radios, which probably was important when he returned to service with the Navy in the Korean War as a radio operator. He served that time on a destroyer, and if he'd lived, I would have made a strong effort to have him detail his experiences in a typhoon, and sailing up and down the Korean Coast.
Somewhere in my father's training, he was trained on radars. With his electronics training, it was probably just a lateral move, but with the huge jumps in technology, it was necessary. The career he finally settled on was marine electronics, which he did, until his death from cancer. He was good. I still run across people that know of his good reputation.
So, I've wandered along without elaborating on what my father missed. I had to give a little background to accentuate what's happened in the last 29 years.
My father missed the huge advancements in computers. When he died, the 80386 architecture was in an earlier stage. Computers with that architecture were at the top end of pricing. While they were fantastic at the time, those of today make them look like cumbersome antiques. Considering the software now available, what was available then was primitive with limited memory available, and slow processing.
Cellular telephones were just making a strong appearance in 1989. They were bag phones, and mostly useless in many areas. They were only used for calls, and the cost demanded being aware of the time spent in conversation.
Televisions, and computers mostly still used cathode ray tubes for screens. The technology was there for what are now flat screens, but the cost was beyond most consumers. Today, what was once inconceivably expensive, is hung on the walls of most homes.
I could go on, but if there was one thing that really makes the point, it's the watch that has a screen, allows people to communicate remotely, and has access to an advanced computer. When my father was a child, it was the fantasy of a comic called "Dick Tracy". Even as an adult, it was still a fantasy. Now, it's a reality, and one of the many things my father missed. There's even a fully functional Dick Tracy watch available for the consumer.
If my father had lived, I'd make sure he had a Dick Tracy watch. It's fitting, since his love of technology was apparent in his interests, which included building a computer from a kit, and repairing electronics that people said couldn't be repaired. Knowing him, if I bought him one, it would only be a spare. He would have had one as soon as they were available.
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