Something Fishy?

     I like fish.  I have had it many ways and prefer a good red snapper grilled on the bar-b-que.  When I was in WINCO, our local grocery store, they had fresh snapper in the seafood display case.  It looked very fresh, and was.  I asked Denise if she had ever had grilled snapper, and she said no. Ah ha! Time for an experiment.  I will introduce her to the delicate and subtle flavors of grilled red snapper.
     I think it should be said that I am of Greek and Italian extraction.  We Mediterranean types eat a lot of strange things.  Who would of thought that wrapping up rice or meat in a grape leaf would be appetizing?  Oh, but it is.  What about goat's cheese, AKA feta? Yum!  How about squid or octopus, you say?  They are the ugliest creatures on the planet, but stuffed squid in sauce over fettuccine-to die for. I'm not much of an octopus man myself, its too tough for me. I think you get the point.  Who would have thought that combining egg and lemon in chicken soup would taste so heavenly?
     I dearly love my wife.  So much so that words can't express.  We have much in common and enjoy being with each other.  There is one thing though that I must say.  Her epicurial tastes are fairly limited.  I have sprung some different things on her for dinner.  Some were hits with her, some were dismal failures.  I know now that grilled red snapper is not on her #1 hits list.  She ate it, she didn't want to hurt my feelings but I know it was pure torture for her.  Oh well, cross red snapper or any other fish off the list of menus. That's OK.

Fish comes from the ocean and are caught in boats like these.  Some fish come from fresh water and are caught in rivers, streams and lakes.  This is a boat filled with brave men who are going out to catch red snapper.

     

Monday

     I don't have much to write about today.  I am doing OK and My Dad's funeral has been scheduled.  My kids have all been told when it is, but I don't know if they all will be there. Denise may be doing the music.  That's it for now.

Passages and Memories

     This post is going to be very different than most of the posts you are used to.  As You can see, I am even posting on Saturday, which I normally don't do. Today is different.  There will be no funny stories, no puns, no irreverent humor, no sarcasm or wit.  This is a different day.  My father passed away on Thursday night.
     Dad was many things.  I was proud of him, although it was clear that I didn't want to take the same path in life that he did.  He was an entrepeneur, in the truest sense of the word even though he worked as a manager in a grocery store. His gift of buying and selling real estate and investing was exceptional. His job was a base for his other dealings.
    He was a man who could effect others, and mentored others. I still remember many of their names. Stan Johnson, Jim Mille, Neil Bering, Ken Gayer and Larry Armstrong were just a few that dad groomed and mentored.  He always saw the potential of a person, and brought that potential out.
     Dad was a member of  "The Greatest Generation" who fought and won WWII.  As a machinist living in Connecticut after Pearl Harbor, dad was working in a job that was deemed necessary for the war effort.  He was safe from the draft and going into the military. That wasn't enough for dad, as he wanted to do serve his country to the best of his ability, even if that meant dying for it.
     Dad liked flying.  He decided to enlist in the U.S.Army Air Corp to become a pilot.  Funny thing is that he was a few pounds under weight--dad was a small man at 5'7" and 130 pounds almost all his life--and remembers eating bananas before his physical in order to get up to weight.  Dad was always a determined man and would do what it took to get the job done, including eating a hand of bananas to put some pounds on to pass a physical.  I remember him telling me about after that physical and that he barely made it by about half a pound, and the results of eating all those bananas.  But, he had made it.  He passed his physical and was on to army basic, and then on to flight training school.
     Dad told many stories about his time in flight training, but there is one that he always came back to. He told and retold this one over and over.  It seems as though he was on a solo flight when he was stationed in Florida during his flight training. He was up in a PT 17 biplane doing aerial maneuvers when the cap came off the engine oil tank.  Oil came spewing out of the engine and he was pretty much blinded by it.  Dad managed to get the plane back on the ground after a heroic fight with the airplane to save it--and him.
     Unfortunately, dad didn't make it into the cockpit as he washed out of pilot training.  The war was winding down and the need for pilots wasn't as critical as it was, so standards were very high.  One small mistake and you failed. Dad moved on to gunnery school and became an armorer on heavy bombers.  He never went overseas and spent the duration of the war here in The United States. When Germany surrendered, his unit trained to go to the Pacific, but by the time they were ready to go, Japan surrendered. Dad also built in me a love for airplanes.
     Dad was most proudest of his military service.  It was a great time in his life.  His request is that he be buried in his Air Corp corporal's uniform in the Veteran's Cemetery at Santa Nella, California with full military honors.  As it stands now, that request will be granted.
     I have many fond memories of Dad.  I remember the many baseball games that we went to in Candlestick Park watching the Giants.  Oh the stories I have of those trips.  How about the time he took me on my one and only "Deep Sea" fishing trip.  Everyone on the boat got sea sick except me and I think I caused most of them to get sick because I was continually eating.  It was exciting, especially when the captain of the boat let me steer the boat underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
     Our back yard was a great place.  We would play catch after he would get home from one of his long, hard days at work.  One night, he missed a throw from me which careened off his glove, over the fence and into the neighbor's widow.  Crash went the glass.  Dad was a little embarrassed and our insurance agent said the he couldn't say that dad was the culprit, so I took the hit.  That's OK.
     We also set up a badminton court in our back yard. That was fun.  I still remember the summer nights of beating the pants off my dad, and him wanting to play one more game so that he could have bragging rights.  I let him win a couple.
     The back yard was also the place where we would pull up a lawn chair and watch the stars at night.  He taught me where the big dipper was and we would look to the night sky for satelites.  I had a small telescope that we would gaze at the moon and the planets.  You could make out Saturn's rings and the stripes on Jupiter. I miss that.
    Life has moved on and things have changed.  I have my own family now, and have made memories with my own family.  The cycle of life continues

 Hope you enjoy these pictures Dad. As you can see, you gave me a love for airplanes as well. THANKS! 

and the wheels of time keep moving on.  Dad, you have given me many memories which I will cherish.  The cycle of life for you has come full circle, but a new journey is about to unfold for you. You will be missed but I wish you the best of luck on that new journey.    
     





 
   
     

Guess What Day It Is...Friday!

     Yes, it is Friday.  This is the end of the workweek and the beginning of the weekend. I hope that you will get out and do something fun this weekend.
     Here's the problem with that for me.  I'm retired.  If you look at that closely, it can be said that for me every day is Saturday. In all actuality I write every day, so it can be said that everyday is a Monday.  Let's not say Monday, that is just too scary.  How about we say Tuesday or Wednesday.  I like Tuesday because it is a good TV day.  I like Thursday as well because I know that the next day is Friday and there is a feeling of anticipation and excitement that the weekend is coming the next day.  Hey wait a minute, I don't have a weekend because I'm retired and I still write

This picture has got nothing to do with today's post.  I just thought I would show you where old pianos go to die,and share the picture for no real good reason.

.
     I feel sorry for the Japanese.  In all honesty, I feel sorry for all those west of the International dateline.  It is tomorrow there today. They spend their Saturday nights dreading the next day because it is Monday when they wake up and have to go back to work.  We here east of the dateline still have a day off, Sunday. Of course, when we are making our weekend plans on Thursday, it is Friday and they are getting a jump on the weekend. Are you all following my logic here.
     Now do you want the truth behind all of this? Truth is that I am tired of the Airwolf rerun on TV and thought that I would get this post out of the way and written.  When I came to my computer, I realized that I couldn't think of anything to write about. If you can figure out what I have written today and why, you will be a lot further along and ahead of me.  

King Kong Lives!

     I want to shout it from the mountaintop!  This is great news.  There is good stuff happening in the world, not just the old negativeness that we have been accustomed to.  Here it is.  King Kong lives!  I know because he lives in my office.
     It is time for the story to be told.  King Kong did not die on the Empire State Building as is generally thought.  After all, there is no such thing as a 20 foot ape.  Come on people, where is your sense of reality?  We all know that was just a small ape that they used to distort perspective.   After the filming the producers of the movie had no use for Kong so they let him go.  From there, his history is a little bit clouded.    
     What do we know?  First, it was believed that he went to Las Vegas and gambled all his fortune that he earned from the movie.  He became homeless and drifted around the country, trying to find work in traveling carnivals and circuses. The war hit, so his gigs became few and far between.  From there, the path goes cold.
     A few years ago, I visited my daughter in Missouri.  There is a shop located between Fulton, Missouri and Jefferson City, Missouri that is called "The Swap Meet Shop".  We stopped there right after doing some wine tasting in the Missouri Wine region. Don't laugh, they do have a wine region and we did go wine tasting. I won't say anything about the wine, me being from California and all, but it tastes a little like Welch's Grape Juice and is said to be "fine wine", at least that is what the advertisements say. That is all I will say about Missouri wines.

He is alive and well! He misses his old home though.  

.
     There, in the back of  "The Swap Meet Shop" he was.  A little rumpled but there none the less.  Our eyes met.  He sort of knew that I was from California-We Californians have that look you know-and his eyes said, "Take me home."  I knew that I had to comply with his request. He looked lonely and forlorn-without a friend in the world. I had to do it. He is with me now and we have developed a deep and lasting friendship. I am glad that I did what I did and am not ashamed.
     In case you are wondering, yes I did have my coffee this morning.  I bought some beans and made a pot earlier this morning.  I even had a bowl of Cherios.    
 

Coffee...NOW!!!!!!

     I know that I have posted before about my relationship with that wonderful dark brown hot liquid called coffee.  I also wanted you to know that I totally intended that today's post would be on a subject that would have you rolling in the aisle.  It was going to be hilarious even if you didn't have an aisle. All that went out the window this morning when I went to my secret hiding place for my coffee bean stache and the container was BARE...NADA...EL EMTIVO......Uh Oh.
     Who's fault was this.  Who allowed this disaster to take place. Who did not have the foresight and brains to take a good look at the supply of coffee?  Who did not check the coffee bean level? I would like to find the culprit that did this. That person will be severely reprimanded and punished. You are off the hook Denise, you drink Diet Coke--by the way, when are we going to have the intervention in order to get you to kick that destructive habit--so you are off the hook. Oh Ya, you don't even know where my coffee stache is.
     Let me see, what kind of punishment awaits the culprit after I catch them? How about tying them to a chair and forcing them to watch the highlight film of this year's San Francisco Giants season--over and over again.  No, that would be cruel. I've got it! How about tying them to that same chair

I said coffee, not margarita.  See what happens when I don't have my coffee.

 and making them listen to either the you tube disaster that I made or to hours of my best puns and silly stories. That would do the trick.  That would make them remember to check the coffee bean count.  Ah, my demented mind.
     Wait a minute, it is my job to make sure we have coffee. Never mind.      

Different Is OK

     I like being different.  Is it wrong that I take a hard look at the world around me and see it in a light that many would consider a bit tilted?  I'm sorry but that is just me.
     Don't get me wrong.  I know that there is a time and a place for everything and in most circumstances I am very much the conformist.  For example, I wore a shirt, shoes with socks and long pants to my mother's funeral.  I had to fight off the urge to wear black shorts and sandals, but I totally knew that would be inappropriate. Give me some credit for crying out loud.  But I did go with tradition.  However, what is wrong with shorts and sandals in church? I know the difference between a regular Sunday service and my mom's funeral.
     The world to me is a playground.  Besides, why not be happy and enjoy life.  I suppose it is a "Glass half full" type of thing.  You are on this Earth, why not enjoy it to the fullest.  And why does some set of arbitrary rules set down by who knows dictate how we live. There are some rules that we are fortunate to have in place and to understand and follow that have to do with the makeup of the universe such as me not working on cars.  That is an absolute. I do stay within the limits of natural law sometimes.
     Bungie Jumping--now there is something that I draw the line at.  It is not that I am a coward, its that I have a bad back and the force of the cord snapping would just about end my career in walking and maybe living as well. I do exercise some discretion and honor some boundaries in my life.  But I would like to try parasailing.
     You kind of get a sense of my "differentness" when you come into my office.  It is a strange place. Denise wanted to shoot the decorator and has said that it is "too full and busy".  However, if she shot the decorator she would have shot her beloved husband--me.  I like it and is full of some of my most prized possessions.
Each of these has a story, real or made up by me.  My "Dogs Playing Poker"

No, That isn't me parasailing.  Besides, how would I have taken the picture?

painting inspires me everytime I go to write.  What can I say.      

Time To Get Back To Work

     Have you missed me?  I bet you thought that I took that trip to the Himalayas and was eaten by a Yeti.  No, but close.  I really am not going to get into all the good stuff of why I have not posted in a long while.  Let's just say I'm hungry and I need some cash.  If I don't work, I don't get paid.  My Obamacare bill is in the mail and I have to pay for that.  That was a cheap shot, and I know it. Anyway, back to posting as I know that you have missed me and your lives are not complete unless you read my posts.  Seriously though, thanks!
     What got me started today was Airwolf.  I love Airwolf and for the longest while you could not find it on TV. It seems as though the Esquire channel is running Airwolf re-runs all day.  I am in Airwolf heaven.  Many of you don't have the faintest idea of what I am talking about, do you.  Just go with it.  It was a series about a  top secret classified helicopter that was built by the CIA and was taken by a former CIA operative and operated for the good of the country, not the devious schemes of the hated CIA. It is truly 80's TV heaven. Jon-Michael Vincent starred in it, at least on the days he was sober and my favorite character actor Earnest Borgnine.
I miss Earnie.
     One problem though.  I found myself mesmerized by these reruns and was doing nothing but watching Airwolf reruns all day.  This can turn into a problem.  Denise was getting a bit...um...let's just say pushed out of shape that all I was doing was watching Airwolf all day. Wanting to keep the peace on the home front, I decided to turn off the TV and post. I am glad I did, because it seems as though, just like a chameleon, my skin is turning a strange color of brown, almost like the couch.  I was becoming one with the couch. That's not good, is it?
     I have got to run.  The next episode of Airwolf is about to begin and Denise is going to be gone for a couple of hours so I am safe. For those of you who don't know what Airwolf looks like I am including a picture.




                                                       CLASSIFIED!!!!!!!!!!!







That should just about do it.  Hope you liked the picture.  I snuck it in and I hope that the government doesn't find out.  Just a minute, there is a knock at the door.  I guess I'll go answer it....






                

Changes...Part One

     Who would of known that the world would changed so fast? Life has changed, and not necessarily in a good way.  Change can be good, but it also can effect our lives in some unintended ways as well.
     Everything now is fast.  I want it now!  This causes some problems as to human contact.  The human touch as far as dealing face to face with people doesn't exist today.  Tender loving care, problem solving and customer service has been thrown out in favor of  "This is the way it is going to be, so get used to it."
     As for me, I hate pressing "1" for English an again pressing "2" for customer service.  Even then, "Customer Service" is a sort of oxymoron. What happened to the time when if we had a problem and called on the phone, we didn't have to press anything, but were directly connected to the person we needed to talk to, and not a computer I might add.  What ever happened to going down to the company branch office and talking to a live person. That rarely happens because the branch offices have been closed in favor of the phone.  Press "3" if you are not getting the computer you need to talk to. If you do press the "3" you get disconnected.
     My wife loves technology. She banks online and does as much as she can by phone.  I respect her for this.  Believe it or not we are the same age but I am sorry, I want to talk to a real person and I want to do it face-to-face. I want to look at paper or a lease a computer screen.  I want to see a human face and hopefully see a smile.  What I don't want is to talk to a machine.
     Maybe I am old fashioned.  I am sorry, but not all change is good.

The "Old"

The "New"

Don't Let The Grass Grow Underneath Your Feet (supplemental)

     The deed is done.  The lawn is mowed and the flowerbeds weeded. My grandson was found safe at his campsite.  He actually was upset when we told him that he had to break camp and be picked up by his mother to go home. I really like him. 

     It was kind of fun working in the yard.  I took my shirt off to get a tan and now look like a Maine spiny lobster after just coming out of the boil.  That isn't exactly true.  I am sunburned a little, but this happens every year when I take my shirt off for the first time and go out into the sun. The truth is that I tan very well. 

     Speaking of me going shirtless, If you don't know me I would like to say that I look like a Greek God with my shirt off.  My arms are as toned as Hercules and my legs are as strong and muscular as tree trunks.  The six pack abs that I have stand out and gleam in the sun like well tanned alabaster.  What image can I give for well tanned abs.  What does alabaster have to do with it?  I don't know.  

      Those that do know me can tell you that I am full of it and am a big liar trying to impress those of you that don't know me.  The sight of me with my shirt off kind of makes them cringe.  My arms and legs are not muscular, and I don't have six pack abs, but abs that look more like a keg of  Old English after a Frat party. Oh well, they are mine and I love them.

     At any rate, the yard is done, and I am at rest in the knowledge of a job well done.  Thank you Denise for doing it.

P.S.:  She didn't do it alone. After all, we are newlyweds. We did it together and it does look good.

See what a great job Denise did.

  

Don't Let The Grass Grow Underneath Your Feet

     That is a well know saying.  It is not exactly accurate first off, because your feet mus be off the grown in any given spot so that the sun can hit it.  Grass doesn't grow when there is no sunshine. Everyone knows that.
     Our grass has been growing.  Here in California where we live, people plant Hybrid Bermuda.  This kind of grass can still grow after a nuclear attack.   You just can't kill it.  I know, I have tried. Even if you don't water it, it still grows and grows...and grows. You can't pull it out when you weed, because it is EVERYWHERE.  The roots spread, sort of like the head of the hydra.  I can make that hydra reference because I am Greek.
     We have to go out this morning and do yard work.  The lawns needs to be mowed and edged and the flowerbeds need to be weeded.  God bless Roundup, by the way.  Unfortunately we have let the grass grow not under our feet, an impossiblility, but in our yard.  We  have been busy and have not been able to get back there to work.
      I think my grandson came over a few days ago to spend the night, and he went outside in the back yard to play.  He may be on safari back there in the tall grass because we haven't heard from him since Tuesday.  Don't worry, I think he's OK back there.  There is plenty of food and water back there, bugs and such. I think I saw the smoke of a campfire. He is a pretty self sufficient kid at four years old.  We are going to mow and edge so we will find him, rest assured. I am not 100% sure he is going to want to come out though.
     Looks like it is time to go out and do the dastardly deeds: mow, edge and weed.  I'm off.  What's that honey?  The British Open is on T.V.  Well......

My Yard and House.  See how much work we have to do.

William Shatner, My Hero

     Today, I am going to finish what I started.  Don't get me off the subject because I need to do this.  This is critical and the world needs to know.  I think William Shatner is one of the smartest men on the planet.  Notice I didn't say best actor.  That would be a total lie on my part.  He is one of the smartest.
     Enter Star Trek.  For almost three seasons, William Shatner (a.k.a. Captain Kirk) roamed the heavens in the Starship Enterprise boldly going where no man had gone before.  We can talk about that a bit as well as to the meaning of that statement, but this is a family blog and we won't even mention that kiss with Nichelle Nichols. Actually, I don't blame Captain Kirk. Uhura was hot, especially to a 14 year old adolescent boy like myself at the time.  As a matter of fact, she still is pretty hot.  OK, I'm off the subject again so back to William Shatner.
       Shatner was typecast.  there was not much else he could do to find work.  After all, he was James T. Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise.  What did he do? Unlike Adam West of Batman fame, he refused the typecast role and became a police officer.  He scored the role of T.J. Hooker.  What can you say?  Not only that, but his co-star was Heather Locklear.  What a babe!  I want some of that Bill Shatner charm and Moxie.
     After T.J. Hooker was cancelled, It looked like Bill was washed up in television and show business.  Not so fast, Cowboy.  He came up with the idea that if he was washed up on T.V., why not take his act on the road.  People still loved him.  Take the act out on the road and come up with some unique way to package that act.  Why not make Bill Shatner a characterization. How to do this was the question.
     People like rock stars.  Why not come back with a band?  This could have posed a problem because Bill sort of realized that he could not sing, unlike Russel Crowe in Les Miserables. Captain Kirk, uh William Shatner, saw this as an opportunity.  Don't sing, recite.  Have a band behind you and recite using his Shakespearean training.  Since it was viewed he was a bad actor, act as a bad Shakespearean actor while reciting the poetry. "Has Been" was born and toured to packed houses and wildly screaming and appreciative audiences. Shatner was on top again touring the country and becoming a sought after guest on the talk show circuit. Smart man.
     He began doing guest roles on T.V. again and finally landed a permanent role on the series Boston Legal.  The character he played was much like himself.  Well done, Bill!
     I admire a man who can look at himself and laugh.  I do it everyday as I look in the mirror.  My problem is I don't have the money and fame that William Shatner has.

Willam Shatner was unavailable for a picture so enjoy this one of me.

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide

     I ran.  I tried to hide, but it found me again.  Not all of it, but a good portion of it.  So, my decision is clear.  I must run again among,
other things.  I can't hide though because it will find me again.
     No, I'm not talking about the law.  All is well in that category, except for a few bill collectors but I will take care of that soon. Oh, and the bank robbery charges were all a misunderstanding but I have taken care of that as well as the speeding ticket. What I am talking about is the weight I have gained.
     Two years ago, I lost 70 pounds.  Sorry those of you in other countries, I don't know how much that is in kilos, you are going to have to do the conversions yourself.  I actually am pretty good at metric conversion, just not in weight. What I am talking about her, I promise I will get back on the subject I promise, is that I gained 30 of those pounds back.  I feel terrible.
     When I am trying to loose weight I do it fairly quickly.  The big thing is making the decision to loose the weight and do what it takes to get rid of the extra poundage.  That is where I am at right now. In my mind, I need to make the decision to do the things that need to get done in order to shed those added pounds.  As Captain Picard would say on the bridge of The Enterprise in Star Trek, The New Generation, "Make it so, Number One."  (By the way, I am going to finish that piece about William Shatner) As far as starting the weightloss, as Nike puts it, "Just do it!"
     I have to run now.  No, I am not going to run run, I just have to go.  I don't like to run.   When I workout, I use the treadmill and walk or I use the recumbrant bike.  Its easier on the old knees.  I never did like to run. What I am going to do now is do my crunches and stretching routine.  I have to start somewhere and I promise that I will get back to the gym to do a full workout soon. Not just today.

This is how I feel right now after gaining my weight back. 

I'll Be Back

     OK, so I haven't posted in almost two weeks.  Have you missed me?  Don't answer that question.  At any rate, I have been on vacation and away from my blog for too long. I promise a great post tomorrow.

Movin In...Movin On--Part Zwei (For My German Readers)

     This is going to be a very short discourse on my thoughts.  Here goes.  I have finished cleaning and organizing my office. Just finished, but I am tired, so I am not going to write much as I said.  I will share before and after pictures as I am really proud of how it turned out.

Before

After--OK, so I didn't have a picture of a clean office. Oh well, it was worth a try.

Movin' In...Movin' On

     I suppose that you were expecting the second part of my ode to William Shatner.  don't worry, I will get to that but I think I am going to put that off until tomorrow.  Why, because I am still moving into my office and it is a mess right now.  I cannot create when my work space is in such turmoil.
     I thought that I had it all taken care of.  That is until those dreaded extra boxes showed up.  I don't know, do boxes get pregnant and have children?  That is what it appears to be happening.  I put one box's contents away, and two boxes appear.  Why is that.  Is this some evil plot brought on by the box monster?  I don't know.
    I feel sorry for my paper shredder.  Why is it that I keep what I keep?  You should see some of the stuff I have squirreled away. There is one good thing about this though.  I think I can get a free car wash, because I have kept all those "One dollar off" car wash coupons I would get when I would get the car washed.  They are a pretty pink.

Each one of these is worth one dollar.  That's not my car, by the way.
 

Nope, I counted them.  I'm about ten washes short of a free wash.

     O.K. now, back on task.  Doing this is a daunting task.  There are so many boxes and so much stuff.  Fifty-nine years is a long time to collect stuff.  It is also kind of fun to go down memory lane as well, viewing some of the treasure that I have had stashed that I haven't seen for years.  As you probably guessed, I keep a lot of stuff.  I even see the Olympic Airlines ticket that they tagged my bag with on my flight to Israel and Greece in 1973.  Wow, does that bring back memories. 

     There is a lot of other old stuff there too.  I collect maps and have a good supply of old National Geographic maps.  My, how the world has changed.  

     I had better get back to work now.  I have got a lot to do in order for everything to get put away.  After that, I have to get started on a new book project.  Tomorrow I promise I will write about William Shatner.

Just thought I would share with you a picture of what my office looks like right now.  Hopefully I will have another picture after I finish putting everything away to show you the difference.

     

All Hail, William Shatner!

     What does a supposedly "washed up" bad Canadian Shakeseperean (dikshunary please) actor do after he has been playing the role of the captain of a mythical spaceship in a marginally successful T.V. series do after the show has been cancelled?  Most of the time it is fade off into the proverbial acting sunset only to play dinner theater in Concawonka, Mississippi.  That is not to offend the good citizens of Concawonka, Mississippi but that about sums up the process.
     Take a good look at Adam West. Who, you ask? Adam West, otherwise known as Batman in the sixties.  He goes on the "What are they doing now?" list. He played Batman and after that disappeared off the performing radar, although I do see him do an occasional guest shot on T.V. show or hear his distinctive voice as a voice-over on a commercial.  Don't see him much though.
     Holy continuation, Batman.  I am going to close now, just whetting your appetites as to what I am going to say.  I know you love it when I do this.  Honestly, I don't do it on purpose. My ADD is kicking in and there is a Tom and Jerry special about to begin on Toon T.V. I can't miss that.  I write with the T.V. on because that kind of tunes out the distractions. I love Tom and Jerry.

That's not a rat, but I didn't have a picture of a rat so I used this one.  It is my dog Basher, who I lost in the divorce. We had cats too, but I'm not that much of a cat person and didn't get any pictures of our five cats before I had to move out.

     

Summertime...When The Living Is Easy

     Are we sure about that?  All I can say, living here on the West Coast in California, is that it is going to be very hot!
     That's OK because I have heard it said that it is a "dry" heat.  What is a dry heat anyway?  One hundred degrees is one hundred degrees and that is all.  Today is going to be 108 I think.  What about the other eight degrees,  are they dry? I think not, it is still hot as heck.
     What do people do in 108 degree heat.  As little as possible I would think. I am going to stay in my office and turn up the air conditioner.  The fan is going and I have work to do, so that is where I think I will hide.  "Oh honey, you know how hard I am working.  Could you bring me another fruit punch please?"  Somehow, I don't think that is going to work with Denise.
     There is one thing that is on the positive side in all this.  At least we don't live in Death Valley where it is going to be 129 degrees.

Maybe this will help you cool off.  I didn't take the picture though, Its not that great.

A Moving Story

      Today, my story is a very moving one.  Actually it is about moving.  I look around our new house and in the garage and all I see is boxes that need to be unpacked..  By the way, thanks for all the offers from you to come by and help.  We truly appreciate all the help.Hope that made you chuckle a bit, but I do thank the people that did come and help.  It was hard moving two people from two different places.  We made it to the wedding and still are alive after the experience of the wedding and the move along with other assorted bumps in the road.
     Little by little the boxes are coming into the house.  It seems as though the garage is growing, there is more and more space.  Wait a minute, its not growing.  We are just brings more stuff from out of it into the house.  The exercise bike is still out there though.  All right, we both don't like to sweat so give us a break.  We have made a commitment to loose weight and the bike will come in eventually, but not after the Baskin and Robbins schedule has been made out.  Got to keep the California dairy farmers in business.  It is our civic duty.
     My office is set up as I write this.  All of my pictures are up and my cups and nic-nacs have been put on shelves and displayed.  It is my home and I am comfortable in it.  There is a recliner and a T.V. but no refrigerator (sory, no d in refridgerator-how about that, the dikshunary wurks).  I didn't put a couch in there either.  I think that you know where I am going with this.  Denise loves me very much.
    I am a happy camper.  It is home as soon as my "Dogs Playing Poker" painting is up.  I am staring at it as we speak.  King Kong is also happy high atop his perch on the book case and he can endlessly stare at his beloved white ape.  I can even listen to my "space music" on the little CD player radio I have on my desk in my office.  Life is good.
    I still have a few boxes to bring in from the garage, but I hope to do that today.  It seems as though I have kept some things that I should have thrown away a long time ago, but I didn't. By the way, I didn't win anything from that banana contest at Wal Mart.
    Home, Sweet Home-

My office as it looks right now.  You can just make out the "Dogs Playing Poker"  painting on the right.

   

Not Guilty! Well, Sort Of

     The verdict is in.  Actually it isn't in because the decision has been given a continuance until
all parties could be present and the correct case could be presented.  The hope is that the case won't be actually heard by the judge, but the two parties could come together with the mediator and decide on a fair resolution.  At this point, this is going to be the case-- hopefully.
     You never know about the American Judicial system.  It is a good one and in most cases it gets it right.  Sometimes though, it completely misses the boat and something happens that just doesn't make any sense. I am not being specific here, and I definitely will not state an opinion about today's Supreme Court rulings as I am not here to be very profound.  According to Denise I can never be profound as my brain does not work that way. But given the system, it works in most cases. (O.J. Simpson?)
     Here is what happened.  Seth's dog Maya-I forgot, Seth is Denise's 19 year old son- got out of the back yard and ran free. She is an Alaskan Huskie, and a pretty big one at that.  Maya is a good tempered dog but likes to play with smaller animals and doesn't know her own strength.  The dog is sort of like Lennie in Of Mice and Men. ( Do you like how I threw that literary reference in there? Wow, sometimes I amaze myself. Off topic again, sorry that is just my brain working again.). Sometimes she doesn't know when enough is enough and crosses some strict societal boundaries of accepted behavior. After all, she is a dog.
     As it turns out, Maya saw a chihuahua which lived down the street and decided to play football with it, using the chihuahua as the football.  Huskies don't have hands to grasp the football, so she used her mouth to hold tightly onto the football-uh chihuahua.  When Maya scored a touchdown, she decided to spike the ball-uh chihuahua-for the victory. The ball-uh chihuahua-didn't quite do well physically with this.
     After expending all this energy scoring a touchdown and then doing her victory spike, she was hungry.  There were no hot dog stands close by so she decided to use the closest thing, the ball-uh chihuahua. She didn't do it malisciously (where's that dikshunary?), she is a dog after all.  The bottom line was Maya 1, the ball-uh chihuahua-0.
     The ball-uh, chihuahua-was taken to the vet where a $800 plus veterinarian bill was incurred by the ball's-uh, chihuahua's-owner for repairing the injuries caused by Maya.  I think that you can see where this is going.  Who was responsible for this and who was going to pay the bill?
     Denise was served with papers to appear in small claims court.  I won't go into many details of what happened before and after she was served because my fingers are getting tired from typing and I am running out of words and ideas as to how to make this more humorous. I will cut to the chase-that was bad.  At any rate, as I said before, Maya is not Denise's dog.  She is Seth's dog.  The owners of the ball-uh chihuahua-were suing the wrong person.  They were suing Denise, who is not responsible for the dog or her actions because it is not her dog.  The dog could not be sued because-well-she's a dog. Like many people in our entitlement generation, she is not responsible for her actions.
    The mediator explained to the plaintiffs that they had two

This is not Maya after the incident.  It is my son and don't worry , its only make believe.

options.  First, they could go through the time and expense of re-filing their action naming Seth as the defendant.  The second option was that they could meet with Seth and discuss the matter, and Seth could make arrangements to reimburse them for the $800 Vet bill.  This was the route that was taken,with Denise telling the mediator that she would talk to Seth and have him in court on another day.  Basically, the case did not go before the judge but was delayed until we could talk to Seth and come to an agreement, keeping it out of the court.
     We live in a great country.  Disputes can be settled in a civil manner without anyone getting hurt or angry.  I wonder what the ball-uh chihuahua-thinks about this.