Red and White

You might think for a quilt to be beautiful it needs lots of different colors. It was my thinking until I saw these.

More Quiltfest

This will be a short post about one quilt. It was views of a diner booth throughout a day. It reminded me of the blog Humans of New York. If Mike and I weren't so socially awkward it would make a great blog post. Interview folks who sit in a specific diner booth during a day. Just ask them to tell any story they want. It is surprising at times what people will tell you when you ask. Sometimes things you don't want to know. Things they shouldn't feel comfortable saying. Think for a minute about things you've heard you wish you hadn't.

A SAD Life

I was watching a little television this morning. I know that, standing alone, is a sad statement on my life. It is not the subject of this blog. One of those hair replacement ads came on and one of the clients said that when he had hair replacement and had a full head of hair again it was "the best day of his life". All I could think of at the time is what a sad life that must be. I got hair is the high point of your life. Really? Must be a virgin. I mean it would seem to me that having sex for the first time, with another person, would rank above getting hair. Must not have kids either. If the sex wasn't good enough to make the top of his list you might think fathering a child would. I don't see hair as being a life altering event. Becoming a father, now that changes EVERYTHING. How shallow and vapid is this guy? Does he admire his locks in every mirror he walks by? Does he spend more time messing with his hair than with the girlfriend he wishes he had? Life altering events- marriage, graduating from school, buying a house, having a baby, making a new friend, and getting your hair back. Which one doesn't belong?

I know advertisers are always trying to sell us stuff we don't need and pay more for it than it is worth. Take Folgers Coffee. We can live without coffee. It may not be fun but it can be done. What does their commercial say? "The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup." I don't think so. When it is I hope I stop waking up. It's fucking coffee people! I'm 60 years old. The best part of waking up is the fact I woke up. I'm not dead. Best part of my day! Still alive! Coffee. Way down the list of things that are the best part of waking up. First piss of the morning ranks above that cup of coffee. I can skip the coffee. Peeing, well I gotta do that. It was a long night and I got a tiny old man bladder.

So that's my rant for now. Great things in life aren't hair and coffee. If you wonder if that is true go to the Waffle House and find a hair in your cup of coffee. It will change your life. How? Probably be your last visit to Waffle House.

It isn't over

Those of us who grew up in the north, especially Illinois, see President Lincoln as the great emancipator and leader of the Union forces who won the Civil War. It is different here in the south. It was The War of Northern Aggression. It isn't over yet. This post is the result of a sign along U.S. Highway 80 that runs from Savannah to its terminal point on Tybee Island. Along the way it runs by Fort Pulaski and a section of the highway is dedicated to The Immortal 600. As a college graduate with a degree in history it raised a huge question. Who are the Immortal 600? What is their story? Why near Fort Pulaski? Here is their story.

In 1864 the Confederate Army imprisoned 50 Union Army officers and used them as a human shield in an attempt to prevent Union artillery from firing on the citizens of Charleston, South Carolina. In retaliation Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered 600 captured Confederate officers be taken to Morris Island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor  and used as a human shield for 45 days to prevent fire from Confederate gunners at Fort Sumter. These men became known as the Immortal Six Hundred.

Three of the six hundred died from the starvation diet fed to them in retaliation for the condition found at Confederate prisoner of war camps in Andersonville, Georgia and Salisbury, North Carolina. The was an outbreak of yellow fever in Charleston and the Union Officers were moved out of the city. In response the Union Army transferred the Immortal Six Hundred to Fort Pulaski near Savannah.

They were crowded into the fort's casements and for 42 days were fed a "retaliation ration" of 10 ounces of moldy cornmeal and half a pint of soured onion pickles. Thirteen men died there of dysentery and scurvy. Five prisoners later died at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The remaining prisoners were transferred to Fort Delaware on March 12, 1865 where another 25 died.

The men became known throughout the South for their refusal to take the Oath of Allegiance under adverse circumstances. Southerners feel the men's refusal was honorable and principled.

There is a monument at Fort Pulaski. It reads as follows.

Confederate States of America

Immortal Six Hundred

Brave on the field of battle, with steadfast loyalty to country and comrades, they placed honour above life itself.

So, it isn't over down here.

Yippie-ki-a motherfucker

Well once again Amazon proves they sell anything and everything. The Daddle is the latest find posted by George Takai on Facebook. Remember those joyous days when you got to ride your dad like a pony. The Daddle is a saddle you put on your dad for those rides.

Doesn't that look like a great time? What little kid doesn't want to ride their dad like a show pony? The real joy in this product is the customer reviews. Take this one for example.

I know it say for ages 2-6 but it works fine for adults too. I like to wear it to the office and let the employees ride on my back around the cubicles. I find it builds morale and add to productivity. Plus they feed me carrots so I stay healthy and I get my exercise for the day. They do get upset when I poop in their cubicles but nothing a little saw dust can't fix.

Or this one.

Please note that this Daddle is Western Style and will not be appropriate for those trained in the English Father Riding Method whereby one holds a rein in each hand and posts the trot. If you are looking forward to father jumping, father fox hunting, father polo or daddy dressage you will not be able to use this Daddle. Western Daddle riders hold the reins with one hand, and sit the trot. The pommel or horn on this Daddle is meant to hold a lariat which is useful when roping cattle or other competing or unruly fathers.

Who wouldn't like to see daddy dressage? Come on Mitt Romney, you've got lots of grand kids. 

So go to Amazon and enter this in the search box. 

Cashel CHILD SADDLE WESTERN HORSE DADDLE BABY PONY TOY

Read all the reviews and responses. 

Quiltfest

Today was the opening day of the first annual Quiltfest Savannah. Carol wanted to attend and while I'm not much for walking around seeing vendors trying to hawk their wares, I do like the art involved in the quilts. Don't think of these as quilts for a bed. Very few of these quilts have been, or for that matter, ever will be on a bed. They are intended to be displayed as works of art. All the quilts pictured today will be smaller than 3 feet by 3 feet. Enjoy the show.

This is a closer view of the piece above. It is thread painting and I found the detail amazing and the effect stunningly beautiful. 

Carol found the optical effect of this one made her a bit queasy. I found the precision and tiny piece work fascinating. 

The Beach

The beach at Tybee Island is free public access. It is a true treasure on a wonderful island. The beach is kept free because every day from 8 am to 8 pm you pay for parking. The exceptions are those business with their own parking lots, like the grocery store. The residents of the island are able to purchase a permit for $150.00 per year. There are pay meters and devices that dispense parking permits for cash or debit cards that are good for as little as an hour or as long as 3 days. This isn't a story about parking, it is about this beautiful free beach.

This is one of the lifeguard stations. The pier is in the background. At the time of this picture the tide was out. Something an Illinois BFE resident didn't have to think about in the past.

A group gathering on the beach for a wedding. Can you think of a better place. The ocean in the background. Your toes in the sand. The timeless sound of the waves crashing ashore. 

 A closer view of the wedding.

The beach in all its beauty further enhanced by the love of a bride and groom. A great place to spend the day and start your lives together. 

Journey Through Time

Today's blog will be the first in a series. They will appear on an irregular basis over the next several weeks or months.

The City of Savannah, Georgia was laid out in 1733 by General James Oglethorpe. It was laid out in a grid of 4 open squares each surrounded by 4 residential (tithing) blocks and 4 civic (trust) blocks. It became known as the Oglethorpe Plan and allowed for growth of yah city. Additional squares were added in the 18th and 19th centuries. By 1851 there were 24 squares in the city. In the 20th century 3 squares were demolished or altered beyond recognition leaving 21. Ellis Square was reclaimed in 2010 so there are now 22. This series will be the story of each square. Today is an overview.

Calhoun Square- the southernmost square on Abercorn Street.

Chatham Square- named for William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham, an early supporter of the colony.

Chippewa Square- named in honor of the American victory in the Battle of Chippewa during the War of 1812. It is the square where Forrest Gump's bench was placed during filming of the movie.

Columbia Square- named in honor of the United States.

Crawford Square- located on the eastern edge of the historic district.

Ellis Square- named for Henry Ellis, the second royal governor.

Franklin Square- named for Benjamin Franklin an agent of the colony of Georgia from 1768 to 1778.

Greene Square- named for General Nathaniel Greene aide to General George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

Johnson Square- first square laid out by General James Oglethorpe in 1733. It is the largest square and named for Robert Johnson a friend of James Oglethorpe.

Lafayette Square- named in honor of Marquis de Lafayette.

Madison Square- named for President James Madison and features cannons from the Old Savannah Armory.

Monterey Square- has a statue of Casmir Pulaski at the center and is considered the most picturesque square.

Oglethorpe Square- named for General James Oglethorpe founder of Savannah and the colony of Georgia.

Orleans Square- commemorates General Andrew Jackson's 1815 victory in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.

Pulaski Square- one of the few squares with no monument. Named for the Polish Count Casmir Pulaski a Revolutionary War hero.

Reynolds Square- once home to the Filature, the place silkworms were housed in an effort to create silk in the Georgia colony.

Tell fair Square- named in honor of the Telfair family.

Group Square- features an armillary, an astronomical centerpiece made of iron that is supported by small metal turtles.

Warren Square- named for General Joseph Warren a Revolutionary War hero.

Washington Square- northernmost square that once bordered the Trustee's Garden.

Whitefield Square- popular place for weddings and features a white gazebo.

Wright Square- originally called Percival Square. It is the final resting place of Tomochichi the Native American leader who helped General James Oglethorpe found the colony of Georgia.

The journey begins. Be prepared for your history lessons.

Comcast

I've never had cable television or cable internet. Today we had Comcast install both. I didn't pay much attention to what the guy was doing outside. It seemed to me that part of the process would be easy and straightforward. He got everything installed in about an hour. Both TV's worked, the computer and the iPads were all connected to the internet. It seemed all was well. This afternoon we decided to go out and clean up the yard. Trash day is tomorrow so we thought raking leaves and picking up sticks should be the project of the day. Yes folks, even on Tybee Island work has to be done. Property maintained. Since we live in a hurricane zone there are no overhead lines to our house. Power and cable come into the yard underground. The cable main is in a green container about the size of a bathroom trash can. Since there was already a Comcast box on the house one would assume the wires were there and just needed a switch thrown or something simple. At least that was my thought process. I was seriously wrong. When we went out to work there was a cable laying on the ground running from the box along the ground between us and the neighbors. It ran on the back side of my deck and fence on the far side of some small trees and large bushes. Then it ran across my deck to the box on the house. The thing that bothered me was the groove between the fence and the deck and between the two levels of the deck would have completely hidden the wire. Because the cable guy chose not to do that we had to figure out how to lift the cable 12 feet into the air over the trees and bushes and fence. Trees and bushes that had thorns. It took an hour but we relocated the cable. The moral of the story? Assume nothing aside from this, the cable guy is an idiot. He cannot work unsupervised. The cable company is a monopoly and could gave less than a shit if you are happy with them or their installer, who is by the way not their employee. He is a contract worker.

Until you live in the south you cannot truly appreciate the work ethic down here. Nothing is done in a hurry. Everything else is done at a snail's pace. On a positive note they can take a pile of parts and make some kind of working vehicle out of that junk. Just be prepared to wait a long time.

Lighthouse

Tybee Island has a great old lighthouse maintained by the historical society. Rob, my brother in law, and I were going to climb to the top and take some pictures but there were three problems with that plan. First, the last ticket for the day had been sold. Second, we are old. Third, we are both, to put it kindly, full figured men.

Farmers Market

We went to the farmers market on Whitemarsh Island this morning. What a great little place. Fresh vegetables, fruit, baked goods, meats just a great variety of good stuff.

 Lots of fruit and vegetables available at the stand back on the left and pizza by the slice on the right.

 Another very nice stand and the prices were very reasonable.

 Handmade soaps and crafts.

This was the sign of the day. Descriptive. Pie and Not Pie. We bought a pecan pie from him. Those of you up north it is pronounced pee kan and not pee con. 

Getting Settled

Things are progressing here on Tybee Island. We returned the UHaul truck this morning. Got a new tire put on the car and did more shopping for items we need for the house. We had a bit of a scare this morning as Miss Lily pushed her way out a closed but unsecured door. She ran the neighborhood for about 15 minutes until Rob was able to catch her. Now anytime she sees an open door she is looking to make a dash. We have managed to prevent any additional runs through the neighbors yards.

Tom and Carol who lived here before us have a nice dog. She hasn't quite figured out they moved 4 doors down. She keeps coming over to say hello. They said when they were moving they took her toys to the new house. She would pick them up and bring them back here. John, our neighbor to the right had a lab mix named Olive. She's a real sweetheart. So far Teddi and Lily just bark at the other dogs. Verbal claim stake to the area. Since they lived in BFE before this all the foot traffic and noise is giving them ample opportunity to bark.

The afternoon was spent helping Carol organize her new sewing area. The long arm table and machine are back together and ready to go. We need to find a small sewing table for her to set her smaller machine on. Life is all about change. So far this one has been good and things are going well.

Moving

Carol and I arrived on Tybee Island yesterday. It was my 60th birthday and marked the first day I have been a resident of a state other than Illinois. Our brother in law Rob is here until Sunday morning and I honestly have no idea how we could do this without his help. We got the truck unloaded in about an hour yesterday. We will be several days getting things put away. Part of our furniture was delivered yesterday. We may have half of what we ordered. It is going to take me some time to get accustomed to the "southern" pace of life. It took them about six hours yesterday to unload and carry stuff into the house. I know back home it would have been less than half that amount of time. It is the same at the stores. They check your items and feel obligated to make conversation. Not about anything and the seem to enjoy conversations about nothing. There are other people waiting in line and no one seems to mind that we are just chatting. We went to Home Depot this morning and it took about 20 minutes to get someone to show up in the appliance area. It was just painfully slow. It is, however, impossible to get or remain angry with them. They are just so damn polite.

I know everyone is wondering, Lily and Teddi are adjusting. They have to be taken out on a leash but have full run of the house. We didn't get much sleep last night because the sounds of the city and neighbors was too much for them to relax.

Today was a trip to Home Depot, WalMart and SAMs Club. We got all done with that and noticed we didn't have a coffee pot we paid for at WalMart. When we went back to get it we noticed a nail in our right rear tire. It is too close to the sidewall to repair so at about 2,000 miles the car needs a new tire. Goodyear didn't have one on hand so we have to go there tomorrow. Even in this paradise there are routine problems to be addressed.

My apologies for missing a post yesterday but we were very busy and late in the day I was sick. I will double up someday soon. Pictures will also come soon.

On a final note yesterday afternoon Rob and I went to City Hall to transfer the water service. The young lady at the desk was a typical bureaucrat. All business and no humor. I decided to throw in it was my birthday to see if we could get anything free. She responded with a garbage collection schedule. I decided at that point every response to her would include the statement it was my birthday. I managed in a five minute conversation about water, trash and parking to mention it 15 times. She was thrilled when we left.

Time to Haul Balls

It is Monday afternoon and the U Haul truck is loaded. Everything is ready to go. We started off yesterday picking the truck up in Peoria. We were allowed to get it a day early because we had to drive 50 miles to pick it up. When I got home we headed to Budde's for our last night of good beer. They had corned beef and cabbage and once again it was excellent. It will be tough being away from our favorite bar.

Brandon and Ethan helped load the truck today. We started in Wataga at the storage unit loading the motorcycle. I was going to ride it up the ramp and into the truck. Yesterday's snow and the cold slick weather this morning put an end to that idea. We ended up pushing it up the ramp and it was a great decision. It is now safely secured in the truck.

We came out to the house and started loading boxes. Carol is moving a lot of her sewing room and had her part all we'll organized and ready to go. Everything was in the truck before noon. It was all due to Carol's packing and hard work. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will be on the road to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Wednesday on to Tybee Island.

JLynn

Today was Johnnie Lynn's 5th birthday party. Her birthday I'd the 18th and mine is on the 19th so we are birthday buddies. She will be 5 on Tuesday and I will be 60 on Wednesday. Carol and I got her an art easel a and lots of art supplies. She loves to make pictures and we feel it is important to encourage her in whatever is has a passion to do.

Today was really special because when we got to the party she wouldn't let me see her. She had a replicas of Dorothy's dress from the Wizard of Oz and wanted to surprise me. She did again when she had a Wizard of Oz cake. The final surprise for me was when she insisted on having candles on her cake noting my 60th birthday and her 5th. Really, what kid wants to share their special day? Her parents asked what she wanted and she told them to go to Tybee Island. What a great girl.

I will post party pictures later since all my stuff is packed and ready for the truck loading tomorrow.

Passwords

I miss the old days. The days when Password was a game show. Open a new account, buy a game, email, charge cards, debit cards, paperless billing. Every one of them requires a password or a pin. Which account, what password, which pin, what's my security question. So to simplify life we try to use the same password or pin for multiple accounts. Make it something easy to remember but hard for anyone else to guess. What? Don't write them down or keep your pin with your debit card. Be sure to put in a symbol like &@$(/?!+^#%}{<€£¥\|]. All that makes me so mad I could just *#%£!

We got a security system for our house. I tried to sign into my account today to view my bill. Password is wrong. Fuck you, I wrote it down when I set it up. Email is wrong. Wrote that down at the same time. Send me a new password? Email not on file! FUCK!!! Called customer service. Answer 40 questions to establish who I am. Have to confess to them I am too stupid to use a computer at times. They say, "Don't worry happens all the time?" I guess that was their attempt to make me feel like I was normal stupid and not extra special short bus helmet wearing, crayon eating, tater tot loving dumb.


So now I will track all my passwords on my phone and my iPad. All I have to do is keep track of my password keeper password. Anyone see a potential problem here?

Finishing

It is Thursday and the big move begins Monday. That is the day we get the truck and start loading things. Most of the packing is done and today's mail contained the final closing paperwork for the house on Tybee Island. This morning we took down Carol's quilting machine. The table is partially taken apart. We tried to do just enough so we could get it up the basement steps. It is the only thing I am worried about moving.
This afternoon was spent bottling a case and a half of cherry/ blueberry mead. We started fermenting it in early August and every time we have move it from one container to another to clear it the flavor has been better than the time before. The blueberries give it a bit of a spiciness and it has a hint of honey at the end. If it continues to age well it may be the best I have ever made. A gallon of cherries, 10 pounds of blueberries, 15 pounds of honey along with water and yeast. The other thing we bottled was a case of blackberry wine. This is wine made from blackberries picked out here by me in BFE. It has been fermenting since July and had a liberal addition of sugar. The result has been a very high alcohol wine. The alcohol level is so high you can smell it. It will be a very long time before this one is fit to drink. I doubt we will even sample it until around 2020.

So that is how the days go. Packing and stacking boxes to put on the truck and finishing projects that have been neglected. I am beginning to think that every 10 years or so everyone should be required to go through their belongings and purge what they no longer use and or need.

Times Change

One of the things that I enjoy looking at is pictures of old time farming. It is one of those things that has changed drastically over the last 100 to 150 years.

This is a picture of the farm where I grew up. It was taken around 1940 prior to the date the house I grew up in was built. It would be on the right side of the road between the two barns. If you look at the far left side of the picture you can see a grove of trees. They were walnut trees and we're cut down before my memories begin. It was common when homesteading to have a grove of trees because with horses and hand work 80 or 160 acres is lots of ground to cultivate. When we built our house we used some of the lumber from those walnut trees to floor one of the bedrooms. There was enough wood left that we had a dining room table and benches made.

The picture above means a lot to me. The fellow on the far right is my great grandfather. This picture was taken around 1910 on the farm picture above. There is nothing in the picture that can tell me exactly where they were working. Please note that there are 5 men out working harvesting corn. What would take them all day back then is now accomplished in less than one hour.

 The picture above was of hay harvesting in 1957 or 58. I'm the young fella in the bib overalls holding the hand of my mom's brother Johnnie. My dad is on the far right and the other small person is my older brother Jay.

 The tractor in the picture is an Oliver. I cannot see enough to be sure if it is a model 70 or 80. I'm sure it is not a Super 88 because that would be too much tractor for this job.

 The truck pictured above remained on the farm until the sale following the death of my grandfather. It was parked in the barn for years. I remember sitting in it as a young boy and pretending to drive.

Once again times have changed and very little hay is grown in this area. When it is, it is not grown on flat highly productive land like this. If you noticed in the first picture there were feedlots. Very few farmers in the area raise livestock any more and even less feed outside of confinement buildings. 

Times change but there is still something special about walking on and working the same land that was farmed by your great great grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather and father. 

No Doubts

Yesterday's project was removing the snowblower from the tractor. Snow was predicted and Mother Nature did not disappoint. You can always count on Murphy's Law. You know, whatever can go wrong will go wrong. You put on your best clothes and new shoes to go on a very important job interview. You walk out the door and head for your car. Along the way you step in a big pile of dog shit. You stop and clean off your shoe and proceed to your interview. In you mind you know your shoe is clean. You worked really hard to get every speck of dog shit off. Yet, while you sit there your nose twitches a bit at a little whiff of poop. Panic ensues. What if they smell it? How did I miss any? Did I step in another pile somewhere else? What was that question again? Oh, my greatest weakness? Given my current state of mind probably irrational fear of social embarrassment.

Here was the view out our back door this morning.

 Then the weather folks said flurries. It doesn't show we'll here but this was way more than flurries.

So, if you remove your snowblower count on getting snow. 

Winter is Over?

Today's project was taking the snowblower off the Kubota and putting the mower deck on. So it is official I am done blowing snow.

 Here is the tractor with the snowblower attached. There is still a little firewood in the rack on the right. A cold night or two will finish that off.

Step one is disconnecting the hydraulic lines and removing the pin from the quick detach. In all of two minutes the snowblower is off.

Quick attach removed and ready to install mower deck.

Deck is under the tractor and ready to be attached.

Tractor is up on blocks so I can slide under it and hook up the mid mount PTO shaft. This is always the worst part because the splines must be aligned exactly and there is only one correct combination. Today it went well and got hooked up on the third try. 

Final bit of work was taking the front wheel off and taking it to town to have the tire repaired. As soon as it is fixed we will be ready to cut some grass. 

As a side note, the prediction for tonight into tomorrow is for two to four inches of snow. 

Mother Nature you are a BITCH!!!

Sick

It is not a good day to be at our house. I've had a cold for a few days and it is slowly getting better but my energy is just sapped. Carol got up this morning and I think has gotten what I have. You never want to be the guy who makes his wife sick. Having said all that today's post will likely be short.

I love, love, love the new iPad. Last year we got a new laptop that runs windows 8. Still trying to figure out how to make that machine cooperate. In less than a day with the iPad I have my music transferred, pictures are coming along, email is working flawlessly, Facebook is updated, almost everything is right with the world. Almost. I'm not a big gamer. Really just three things I like to play. Spades is a good card game even though my computer partner Megan makes some stupid plays. She can't comprehend how to protect your nil bid and she doesn't always trump right. The best thing to do to compensate is bid one less trick than you would with an experienced player. I have one driving game called Zombie Highway. You have zombies jump on the sides of your moving vehicle. You can remove them by brushing them off against a wreck car along the highway or you can shoot them. There are various vehicles and weapons you can earn based on your accomplishments. On my old iPad I had all the vehicles available and all the weapons. I had driven over 3,000 miles and killed over 103,000 zombies. The best weapon was the flamethrower. I had to load a new version on my new iPad so I have to start all over. That sucks. The other game I play is Candy Crush Saga *hangs head in shame*. I am on level 201 on the old iPad. Once again I had to start over. The final thing I
am having to adjust to is the sound effects in the games. They didn't work on my old iPad. Damn the music on Candy Crush is annoying.

All in all the iPad Air gets a huge two thumbs up!

Test Run

Carol got me a new iPad for my birthday. It's over a week off but she decide now was the time. I have been posting on an antique Dell laptop running Windows Vista because it was the only computer that would allow me to upload pictures. So here is the test.

We'll I can use pictures I have put on the blog before.

Mike, you post lots of pictures, how about some advice?  

Maybe I got it. Can't get a spot on the couch. Miss Lily on the left and Sissy on the right. We are dog sitting Sissy for a couple of weeks for our nephew. She is a very sweet and obedient young lady. 

Whatever this mess is

Might as well start with a little juvenile sexual humor.

 

I think this would reduce my personal willingness to do violence.

 Now we know how Lassie knew Timmy was in the well.

 

 

This has to be a sign from a WalMart somewhere.

 

It's not ttue. I was never considering giving up beer.

 

 

We finish where we started with some wisdom from Yoda.