Always a loser

 

Every man knows even if you think you won, you LOST.

Truth! 

This is on the wall where Rose and Lily go to get their nails trimmed. My quick glance at the words gave it a completely inappropriate meaning. 

No Winner

 I’m still sorting through my feelings on this one. Yesterday there was a verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial for his killing of George Floyd. There is no question in my mind the verdict was fair and just. I have no doubt that absent modern technology a guilty verdict would not have happened. The presence of witnesses with cell phones and a willingness to record made the verdict and justice possible. Think back as few as 10 years ago.  Would so many standing by have been recording? Would it have been so quickly and widely shared on social media? I think not. We often wonder about the effects of modern technology and its impact on our lives. Sometimes, as in this case, the impact can be positive. Perhaps it will lead us to some much needed police reform. I don’t know how that reform will look. I do think that too often we send an armed officer to address issues that would be better served by a mental health professional. As a final thought I understand the relief many felt at the announcement of the guilty verdict. They felt relief and cheered. I felt somewhat differently while watching. While I agreed with the verdict I also felt that two lives were destroyed that day in Minneapolis. I find no joy in that. It is my hope that those losses will lead to meaningful change. That those changes will prevent future tragedies of this nature. 

A Monday Drive

 Yesterday I took a drive from Astoria to Rushville and then on to Macomb. On the way back I routed my path through Vermont.This road sign is just up the hill from the Sugar Creek bottom.

 Devils Backbone Road is a narrow curving country road. It is often just a single lane with no safe spot for another vehicle to pass. A little further up the highway you encounter this road. 

Sadly, at least in my mind, Christian Neck and Devils Backbone do not intersect. It does leave me wondering how the road names came to be. 

The two pictures above were in the same yard in Vermont, Illinois. The knight statue made me wonder if the family who lived there were Knights. The Skelly sign was a pleasant reminder of my first job off the farm. In the summer of ‘72 I worked at Don’s Travel In Skelly at the intersection of U.S. Highway 34 and Interstate 74. It is an empty lot now with a tall sign simply stating “FOOD”. 

We have driven through Vermont many time and generally find little to draw our attention.  There is a small monument in the center square of the village to celebrate a visit by Abraham Lincoln in 1858 when he was running for Senate. There are to the west and south of that square several interesting homes I happened to see yesterday. 

Each of these homes are interesting in their own way. I am especially taken by the last one. The arch of the windows and front door creates plenty of curb appeal. I suspect the single story structure to the right was originally the kitchen. As with many of these older homes it is beginning to show its age. The cost of upkeep is often beyond the means of owners and I fear the future of this home is bleak. 

A bit of advice for my dear readers. Some days slow down and take the road less traveled. There are wonders all around us. We fail to see them as we rush to get from where we are to where we are going. There is a wonderful, magical world out there. Some day I will drive all of Devils Backbone Road just to see where it goes. 

Woof

 They are our first friends. Before we wander out into the world the family dog teaches us how to be a friend.  How to care for someone other than ourselves. They teach us about loss and death. 

In the middle of our lives they are a faithful companion. Someone who is always excited to see us come home. 

In our old age they are there to ensure we are never lonely. The don’t care about our infirmity or loss of memory. 

Then there is this.

Thoughts on a Thursday

 

Enjoy your day. 

Farm humor is different. 

I will never understand why people think they need this type of gun. 

Life is about refusing to quit. There is always something to learn or do. 

Sadly my current appearance. The only clear difference is I wear pants. Astoria is thankful. 

We all need to think more and talk less. 

Do the small things and big things will happen. 

Mike and Nancy- sorry. You can have them and DeSantis, Gaetz, Rubio and Trump. 

Yes!

We Got Nothing

 On September 11, 2021 the United States military with complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan. Our government decided after the attack on September 11, 2001 to take the fight to the terrorists at their bases. The fighters in the hills and mountains did what they have done for centuries. They waged a gorilla war fighting and retreating to their caves. We owned the skies but could not control the ground. They waited us out. Agreed to share power with the government. It is clear now that is a lie. We are still going to leave. Afghanistan will once again be a safe base for terrorists. We spent about $800,000,000,000 and sacrificed over 2,300 lives of our troops. Make no mistake the $800 billion dollars is just a down payment. There will be long term costs for those wounded, disabled and the families of the deceased. So, ask yourself one question today. Do you feel safer than you did on 9-10-2001 or 9-12-2001? Did our collective sacrifice of lives and money purchase us any peace of mind? I must admit that personally I have two issues. First, I feel like I personally sacrificed nothing. The war didn’t add to my tax burden. I did not have any family or close friends who served in Afghanistan. We, as American citizens, for the most part got to sit this one out. Unlike World War 2 there was no rationing. No posters featuring Rosie the Riveter. Second, I have met some of the veterans. One of the wounded came to the bar I worked at in Kroger. The war cost him an eye and facial disfigurement. His survival is a testament to the quality of medical care provided in the field and throughout the military system. I know his life and the lives of other veterans will never be the same. It saddens me that their collective sacrifice paid a great price for so little in return. We, as a nation, need to take a hard look at where and why we commit our troops to battle and the long and short term goals of that action. 

Yes, It’s That Bad

 I think there is one thing we can agree on- being poor sucks. You are required to compromise in so many ways. One of the worst is food. Fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive. Sometimes where you have to go is just out of your reach. Take where we live now. There is a Dollar General in town. It is essentially your only viable option for groceries. No fresh fruit or vegetables. Some frozen food, bread, milk, chips and crackers and basic canned goods. Sometimes you look at sale items and go: “Oh, what the hell we used to eat that years ago and it’s inexpensive.” That resulted in me buying this. 

I think the advertising ditty went something along the lines of this making a “great meal”. Having recently wasted a pound of good ground beef on this product I can assure you it does not even qualify as an adequate meal. Do Rose and Lily, our dogs, like it? Sure! Keep in mind that Lily licks her butt regularly and Rose has been known to enjoy a cat poop snack. So my recommendation is just don’t. Don’t buy this. Don’t cook this. Don’t eat this. 

We were talking here the other day about advertising. I took the position that any advertised food product that claimed to be gourmet was not. Gourmet food does not come in a box with directions to add milk, butter, water or anything else. Gourmet food is also not in the frozen food aisle.  In addition what does “deluxe” mean on a box of food? Deluxe macaroni and cheese. 

de·luxe

/dəˈləks/

adjective

1. luxurious or sumptuous; of a superior kind.

   
   

   Does any macaroni and cheese meet the deluxe criteria? Let’s just go with it’s better than plain macaroni. 

   
   

   I have one suggestion if you are going to donate to a local food bank. Please consider donating spices. At least when you have those you have a chance to take some of that “deluxe” food and perhaps make it somewhat more palatable. 

   
   

   As a final note for the older folks who may remember fizzies. If you see them just enjoy the memory, don’t try to relive the experience. 

Just Wants Attention

Our granddaughters told us about this sign a few days ago. Someone along the highway running through Astoria wants attention. It is, quite frankly, a desire foreign to my heart. I would prefer to go through life quietly. Just go do the work my hands find pleasing and that satisfies my soul. 

I posted some years ago that I try to live by a simple mantra. When given a choice I do my best to choose not to be an asshole. Whoever this is decided to make a different choice. 

Play Ball

 We moved back to Illinois to have the opportunity to spend more time with our children and granddaughters. One of our granddaughters, Audrey is very involved in sports. Due to the pandemic the sports seasons are confused and overlapping. Right now it is softball and basket seasons. Last Saturday it was softball in Knoxville. Last night, Thursday and Friday it is basketball in Rushville. Saturday and Sunday it will be softball in Burlington. I’ve gotten old and kids sports for me is not about winning and losing or at least not about win loss records. It’s about having fun. Learning how to be a part of a team. Part of something greater than each player as an individual. It’s about learning to win without being a jerk and how to accept defeat as an opportunity to grow. 

It’s a little tough to pinpoint Audrey’s job on the team. When they inbound the ball if she is in the game that is her assignment. Get the ball in to an open player. She does that very well. Her other job is defending the other team’s biggest player. She isn’t afraid to put her body up on anyone and work to deny them the ball. If they can’t receive the pass they can’t shoot.  So there are other girls who shoot baskets and score points. Audrey does the grunt work that wins games. 

Sunday was Easter and Audrey’s Uncle Beau is her coach. So she got some hitting practice in our yard. You can’t improve if you don’t work.

Audrey plays for Beau not because he is her uncle, She plays for him because he takes the time to teach them the game and he makes the entire experience fun. That’s what great coaches and great parents do