Here it is Tuesday and my crud is still with me, not so bad, but still there. This is the first cold I've had that makes my diaphragm hurt. The hypochondriac in me vacillates between pneumonia and now, swine flu. The realist in me says you've milked this about as far as you can, now pull up your big boy shorts and get busy. I really do have a yard out of control, the squirrels are getting lost in the tall grass. If it is really something dire, Jean can have my gravestone engraved, "I told you I was sick". Actually, she has been super, as she always is.
Got to go check out "Mad Priest" he missed out on a super job and he's really bummed. Can't blame him though, I can remember being sure I was going to be Arnie's replacement as head wrestling coach, only to be aced out by the new English teacher. I had put in 10 years as Arnie's assistant, several of them unpaid, and Arnie had recommended me, I just knew I had the job. Took me some time to get over that, eventually returned as an assistant, but there was still resentment. They finally gave me the job 10 years later when the head coach got into some trouble and had to leave. I took the job, but the thrill was gone, it was ten years too late.
When it came time for me to retire I rigged it so my assistant was sure to get the job. He was like I had been 30 years before, gung ho! He found it wasn't as easy as he had thought and quit head coaching and went back to assisting. He had his shot though and didn't have to spend 10 years wishing he had gotten the job, knowing that he would have been a great head coach.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
For Better or Worse
I have spent the past three days battling a cold that really laid me out. I was beginning to think I had Pneumonia because it hurt my lungs to cough. Coughing was counterproductive because it hurt so much to cough and I was unable to do anything in the way of breaking up the congestion. This is the first time that I have been so sick in 15 years or so. Other times, if I had a cold I took some decongestant and blew my nose a lot, but I really didn't feel bad. Jean has been Florence Nightingale, she has waited on me hand and foot. It is nice being pampered when you feel lousy. Today is the first time I have been at the computer since last Thursday. It's nice being back to feeling good.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Hate Mongers
I just got an email from an aquaintance about the US Government giving
China the right of Eminant Domain if the US defaults on the debt owed to China. I checked it out on Snopes.com and found it was completely false. I then went to the site quoted by my friend with the thought of pointing out that the statement was false. It turned out to be the blog of a Hal Turner which was filled with inflammatory rhetoric. There were a lot of comments so I read down them to see if anybody had already pointed out the falsity of the blog. What I read were some of the sickest racist comments ever. There were a few comments stating that the facts given were, indeed, false. They were promptly rebuked by the followers of Hal Turner with some of the most vile stuff, including death threats, to those opposed to the Hal Turner set.
I knew there were racists and haters in our country. but I was not ready to what I encountered. I know that we must protect freedom of speech, but this Turner guy is ;ile someone yelling fire in a crowed theater. I guess what startled me was how easily his followers swallowed his line, no questions asked. I hope the FBI is following this site, there were some pretty explicit threats against President Obama's life. Please don't check this site it is pure evil.
China the right of Eminant Domain if the US defaults on the debt owed to China. I checked it out on Snopes.com and found it was completely false. I then went to the site quoted by my friend with the thought of pointing out that the statement was false. It turned out to be the blog of a Hal Turner which was filled with inflammatory rhetoric. There were a lot of comments so I read down them to see if anybody had already pointed out the falsity of the blog. What I read were some of the sickest racist comments ever. There were a few comments stating that the facts given were, indeed, false. They were promptly rebuked by the followers of Hal Turner with some of the most vile stuff, including death threats, to those opposed to the Hal Turner set.
I knew there were racists and haters in our country. but I was not ready to what I encountered. I know that we must protect freedom of speech, but this Turner guy is ;ile someone yelling fire in a crowed theater. I guess what startled me was how easily his followers swallowed his line, no questions asked. I hope the FBI is following this site, there were some pretty explicit threats against President Obama's life. Please don't check this site it is pure evil.
Friday, April 17, 2009
New Picture for Title
Those of you who have been following my pitiful attempts to be a big time blogger may have noticed that I have changed the picture under the title. It was a picture of Bridal Veil Falls taken from the South Tunnel Entrance of Yosemite National Park. As I looked at it this evening I noticed that the falls were nowhere to be seen. Blogger somehow shrunk the photo by cutting off the right (waterfall) side. I decided to put a picture taken a little closer to home. This photo is Kieger Gorge in the Steens Mountains about 40 miles south of Burns Oregon and about 150 miles southwest of our home in Eastern Oregon. The heavily glaciated canyon is typical of all the canyons in the Steens which are an uplifted fault block. The eastern rim of the mountain overlooks a steep drop to the White Horse Desert over 5000 feet below. The western side rises gently from the Playa Lakes, Malheur Lake and Harney Lake. There is a good graveled road up the western slope all the way to the summit. A beautiful unspoiled part of Oregon.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
More Musing
Do you get pissed off when a waitress calls you "hon" or "sweetheart"? It feels condescending to me like I'm a little doty and need someone to take care of me.
I have just gotten a new one: when I ask for my Senior Discount the little punk at the cash register says, "Can I see your ID". I want to punch him in the mouth and say do you want more of my ID?
Why are people too lazy to put their shopping carts back where they're supposed to be? You start to pull into a parking spot and there is a cart smack dab in the middle! So out of the car and move the cart out of the way.
What happened to the fifty cent piece? Did they stop making them? My pocket gets so full of change that I have to off load it and give the cashier exact change for a $2.42 item. That's 9 quarters, 3 nickels and 2 pennies. And I still have a pocket full of change.
Why do people get onto the freeway at 37 miles an hour, while heading straight onto the freeway like they have the right of way. It's especially tough in Idaho, as they come off the on ramp without looking right or left. On the same vein, why do people get into the fast lane and drive about 5 - 10 mph below the speed limit?
Feel free to add your own pet peeves. Lord knows there are lots of them.
I have just gotten a new one: when I ask for my Senior Discount the little punk at the cash register says, "Can I see your ID". I want to punch him in the mouth and say do you want more of my ID?
Why are people too lazy to put their shopping carts back where they're supposed to be? You start to pull into a parking spot and there is a cart smack dab in the middle! So out of the car and move the cart out of the way.
What happened to the fifty cent piece? Did they stop making them? My pocket gets so full of change that I have to off load it and give the cashier exact change for a $2.42 item. That's 9 quarters, 3 nickels and 2 pennies. And I still have a pocket full of change.
Why do people get onto the freeway at 37 miles an hour, while heading straight onto the freeway like they have the right of way. It's especially tough in Idaho, as they come off the on ramp without looking right or left. On the same vein, why do people get into the fast lane and drive about 5 - 10 mph below the speed limit?
Feel free to add your own pet peeves. Lord knows there are lots of them.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Silver Threads Among the Gold
Does everybody wind up with slick fingers with no finger prints? I have a terrible time holding on to things, especially those huge soft drink cups you get as a medium size at fast food places. And look out when I try to pick up something with wet hands, it's headed to the floor.
Another question, does everything you eat give you gas? It seems as though whatever I eat soon gives rise to a huge gas bubble, generally when I'm in a crowded space. Of course, the problem is worst with the foods I like best.
If your mind goes blank when you begin to speak of a person you know well, is it an indicator of the onset of Alzheimer's disease? I'll be talking merrily along and all of a sudden -nada, nothing, a complete blank- and after mumbling around for a while it comes back.
When did bowel movements become so important? A good bowel movement becomes an event. When I was younger BM's were a regular part (no pun intended)of your daily routine, something you were hardly aware of, they just were. Now, you feel as though you should shout from the roof tops, man, you should see it.
When did doctors become specialists? I have a family doctor (now called a primary care physician), a nephrologist, a dermatologist, a neurologist, an orthopedist, actually, for a while I had separate knee doctors, one for the right knee and one for the left, and my opthamologist. I would have a dentist, but I have false teeth so there is not much of a need there.
When did music from the 60's and the 70's become golden oldies? Golden oldies should be from the 30's and 40's. And when did chanting some bad poetry to a beat become "Pop Music", I can't even tell what they are saying so I don't even know if they're shouting obscenities, but it sure doesn't sound like music to me.
When did bedtime become something you looked forward to instead of something you fought? "All nighters" now mean you made it through the entire night without having to get up and going to the bathroom. And we brag about it; "well, I only had to go to the John once last night." Speaking of bedtime, it is mine, so good night all.
Oh yeah, how many of you say, "bye bye" at the end of a telephone call?
Another question, does everything you eat give you gas? It seems as though whatever I eat soon gives rise to a huge gas bubble, generally when I'm in a crowded space. Of course, the problem is worst with the foods I like best.
If your mind goes blank when you begin to speak of a person you know well, is it an indicator of the onset of Alzheimer's disease? I'll be talking merrily along and all of a sudden -nada, nothing, a complete blank- and after mumbling around for a while it comes back.
When did bowel movements become so important? A good bowel movement becomes an event. When I was younger BM's were a regular part (no pun intended)of your daily routine, something you were hardly aware of, they just were. Now, you feel as though you should shout from the roof tops, man, you should see it.
When did doctors become specialists? I have a family doctor (now called a primary care physician), a nephrologist, a dermatologist, a neurologist, an orthopedist, actually, for a while I had separate knee doctors, one for the right knee and one for the left, and my opthamologist. I would have a dentist, but I have false teeth so there is not much of a need there.
When did music from the 60's and the 70's become golden oldies? Golden oldies should be from the 30's and 40's. And when did chanting some bad poetry to a beat become "Pop Music", I can't even tell what they are saying so I don't even know if they're shouting obscenities, but it sure doesn't sound like music to me.
When did bedtime become something you looked forward to instead of something you fought? "All nighters" now mean you made it through the entire night without having to get up and going to the bathroom. And we brag about it; "well, I only had to go to the John once last night." Speaking of bedtime, it is mine, so good night all.
Oh yeah, how many of you say, "bye bye" at the end of a telephone call?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Gardening
Today has been one of the first nice days we've had this year. It was a little chilly but a sweat shirt was enough to keep me warm. I would like to get my shorts out but it is a little too cool to show my great legs and draw attention away from my oversize belly. I have started wearing suspenders to hold my pants up because my gut is bigger than my butt and when I bend over I tend to show my plumber's crack. Not a very pleasing sight. I did a lot of bending over today because I replaced all of my rose bushes in front of the house. I removed the old bushes and then had to remove all of the Bermuda Grass from the flower beds. Bermuda Grass is a bane to me. I suspect that one of the previous owners planted some of the Zoizia grass plugs to get a drought resistant lawn. It is indeed drought resistant and every other thing resistant. Twenty years ago I tried to kill the Bermuda Grass completely from my lawn. I sprayed it with Roundup every week for two summers. I roto tilled it a number of times and dug up the roots each time. I got a pickup load of roots some were growing into the concrete foundation. The grass grows in long runners with an icepick like tip. After I did not see any new growth for a month of the third summer I planted Oregon Kentucky Bluegrass. The lawn looked great for 15 years until the Bermuda Grass began to rear its ugly head. I don't think I have the stamina to try to get rid of it. The kids will have to sell the house in the summer or winter when the yard looks pretty good. I swear that the stuff I have in my front yard drinks Roundup like Champagne. Oh yeah, this is not the small bladed stuff found on golf courses. This grass is broad bladed and sharp on the bare feet, an overall nasty stuff to have in your yard.
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