Work? Not to Me

We are back in Illinois for a bit to enjoy things we can do here we can't do in Georgia. Try getting a Midwestern pork tenderloin sandwich in Georgia. You know the ones. Those deep fried beauties that the golden fried loin is two or three times the size of the bun. Getting to go to your favorite bar to have the best pizza around and a lineup of craft beers to match with any meal. Maybe even the chance to ride in the combine while corn is being harvested. 

The young man we have mowing the acres of yard doesn't weed the flower beds. So when we came back they looked like this. 

After a couple of days crawling around pulling weeds and figuring out what flowers survived they now look like this. 

It might look like work to you. It didn't feel that way to me. There is something about getting out there and working in the dirt that always feels satisfying to me. We aren't done yet but the progress is clear and makes me feel good. 

I'm a Simple Man

I think I learned a long time ago what the key was to open the lock on happiness. It is quite simply, low expectations. Not low expectations for myself but of what I expected from everyone else and from life in general. 

I was thinking the other day about cell phones. I have an Apple iPhone. It does lots of things that I don't understand, don't need and don't use. I told Carol in keeping with my low expectations that I only want two things from my phone. It must be able to make and receive calls. It must not catch on fire and burn down my house or burn up my car. 

Isn't that an interesting turn of a phrase. Why does my house burn down and my car burn up? 

Is it wrong to want politicians to tell the truth? Talk about issues and not the alleged shortcomings of their opponent? I did however enjoy the comment last week about Hillary Clinton. An Hispanic follower of Donald Trump stated if she won there would be taco trucks on every corner. If I had been on the fence it would change my vote to Hillary. 

There are lots of jokes out there about Chuck Norris. I think my favorite is this one. Why does Chuck Norris sleep with a light on? Because the dark is afraid of Chuck Norris. Why are there no Bruce Lee jokes?

Seems reasonable. 

I kept going to McDonalds and being disappointed with the alleged food. Was it too much to ask that the meat, cheese and condiments be inside the bun? I realize these are low paying, low skill jobs. Don't they still demand the employee take some measure of pride I their work? I have determined the best solution is to never eat at McDonalds again. I doubt they will miss me. 

In closing, shoot low and you will never be disappointed. 

Leave That Alone and Eat Your Corn Flakes

In 1894 Dr. John Henry Kellogg and Keith "WK" Kellogg operated a sanitarium and health spa in Battle Creek, Michigan. John was the Superintendent and WK was the bookkeeper. The brothers were Seventh Day Adventists. They were fundamentalists who believed in strict Biblical literalism. The body was the temple of God and was o remain pure. They were also strict vegetarians.  

Treatments offered at the sanitarium included hot and cold water baths, hydrotherapy with water enemas, electric current therapy, light therapy, exercise and message. Clients included Henry Ford, Johnny Weissmuller and Emelia Earhart. 

John Kellogg was convinced that sex was impure and harmful, especially masturbation. He did marry but never consummated the marriage. He and his wife had separate bedrooms. John wrote several books condemning sex and promoting celibacy. His books described the evil health effects of masturbation which he claimed included epilepsy, mood swings and dementia. One of his books contained the following. "Neither plague, nor war, nor smallpox have produced results so disasterous as the pernicious habit of onanism. Such a victim dies literally by his own hand."  John Kellogg proposed treatments to prevent masturbation that included piercing the foreskin with silver wires to prevent erections and using carbolic acid to burn the clitoris to prevent it from being touched. 

His treatments to prevent masturbation included diet. He was convinced that meat and spicy food increased sexual desire. He prescribed a bland diet of whole grains and nuts. The two brothers experimented with different types of bread. They rolled whole grain dough into thin sheets to make toasted crackers. One day after cooking some wheat for rolling they were called away. When they processed the cooled wheat through the rollers each grain was crushed into a flake. They thought it was a wonderful health food and began to serve it to their patients. In 1898 they tried the same process with corn and "corn flakes" we're born. They served corn flakes to patients and WK wanted to add sugar to take away the cardboard flavor. He wanted to sell them as a breakfast cereal. They patented their flaked cereals and formed the Sanitas Food Company. In 1906 WK purchased the rights to make corn flakes from his brother. He changed the recipe to include sugar and formed theBattle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. After a later legal battle with his brother it became the Kellogg Cereal Company. 

So there you have the twisted tale of corn flakes. So keep in mind, one hand on your spoon and the other one on the cereal bowl. Be K-e-double L- o- double good and keep your hands above the table at all times. 

Around Town

I walk most mornings and some evenings with Rose and Lily. I'm always surprised that I can walk by the same place every day for weeks before I finally notice something. 

This house is over on Second. I could get a better picture if I was willing to walk up in their yard. I just can't do that.  I get mad when someone trespasses on our property in Illinois. It keeps me from doing that to someone here. 

Lily, Rose and I were out walking over the weekend and the Lighthouse was adorned with a flag in memory of those lost on September 11th. I got Rose and Lily to stop long enough to take some pictures with my phone. 

The picture above has not been photoshopped. It turned out pretty well. 

The one above now has been tweaked quite a bit. Perhaps too much. 

This one was lightly edited. Seems like a better idea. 

The next two pictures were not taken by me. 

The anchor was located off Tybee beach and dates from the 19th century. It has snagged numerous shrimp nets over the years. A couple of locals decided to raise it up and bring it to shore. I included the second picture just to show how big it is. 

The last picture is one I took at the Wilmington Island Farmer's Market. I can't tell you what make of car this is. I talked to the owner briefly and he told me it was a 1911. He was trying to get his dog tied into the seat and his wife walked up with their purchases. He said he drives it on a regular basis. The lamps on the side are kerosene so I'm guessing no night driving.