Utah Bob #35998

A haunting song about WW1. ANZAC Day is on the 25th of this month.

Best version ever! The actress who played Yvonne was in fact a French national. Her tears were real.

For the Apocalypse. Just in case.

Coots are important. Especially in the morning. In lakes. 😄

Wonderful

Sweet Springtime this morning with dawn’s rosy fingers New flowers are blooming, on the breeze their scent lingers Sometime after breakfast, Summer dropped in From the shed roof I heard the crisp popping of tin That lasted awhile, let’s say maybe till noon I figured the clouds might roll in pretty soon I was right and Fall hit just about 2 o’clock You get used to this here, so it wasn’t a shock Threw a tarp on some tools I had laying around Just in time to hear rumbling thunder-type sound Dark skies swept in like the Angel of Death In a minute or two you could see your own breath With the roaring wind suddenly I was surrounded And the rain was froze up long before it was grounded In a Wintry hailstorm I dashed for the house Took some refuge and cuddled up warm with the spouse Could be latitude, altitude or maybe just fate But the weather here’s something you love or you hate Now I love them 4 seasons but here’s what I say I’m just not sure that they should come all in one day

That’s a shame. This is the biggest complaint I hear about posts and one reason it’s difficult to recruit members. Fortunately my small town post has no bar and we are very much involved with the community. Overall the VFW does a great job in fighting for veterans’ benefits in congress.

You know how sometimes in a restaurant you take a sip of your drink expecting Coke but you forgot you ordered an ice tea? Well I’m sitting in the Fortress having coffee and a seegar watching tv. I finished the voffee but not the seegar yet so I grabbed the bottle of Crown Royal Black that was conveniently situated on the table next to me and poured a wee dram in the coffee cup. Then in the midst of watching an exciting police pursuit. I picked up the coffee cup and took a big ole swig. Forgot it wasn’t coffee. Yeah.HooHa! 🤪

Illinois State Police was one of the first agencies to switch to semis in the 70s. Smith model 39 iirc. There was a prejudice against semi autos among many departments and the ww2 era firearms instructors. When I went to the academy in 74, semis were prohibited. My department switched to Glocks in 1989.

10 years with any electronic systems is pushing it unfortunately.

VVA was formed after so many of us were rejected by VFW and Legion posts. I eventually joined the VFW. The problem with the VVA is they are rapidly running out of eligible warm bodies. Vet groups that limit themselves to one conflict eventually just fade away.

I’m the Senior Vice Cmdr of VFW Post 5181, Dove Creek Co. It took me 42 years to join the VFW. The post I attempted to join after I came home from Vietnam wasn’t interested. Too many WW2 vets. Said I wasn’t in a “real” war. Different times.

OMG!🤢

Thank you.

And I dressed appropriately 😂

Someone on the inter-web yesterday was asking people to describe Mesa Verde in one word. Can’t do it. But I can describe his question in one word. Impossible. This morning I scribbled this down and read it at the monthly Spoken Word open mic night in Cortez. The Mesa This magic scene of rock and shadow and pinion pine I stood at the base and my gaze lifted toward the heavens I wondered what the ancients thought When they stood in my place those centuries back in time A home? A castle? Perhaps a refuge in the sky? A place for raising families, and crops perhaps A place of worship protected by the gods? Did they envision homes of stone in places eagles fly? I travelled then from base to top and I saw then what they had seen To the south, a rock with wings rose majestic in the desert And to the east a river flowed from white topped peaks far away Places near and distant painted strong with colors brown and green I walked among their houses in the heights hewn from cave and solid rock Just simple tools they had but used with spirit, drive and strength Inch by inch the houses grew. And storage places for coming drought Then the round worship kivas formed the sun and stars their only clock Imagine winter with warm fires burning. Families together in the stone Snow and wind and hail and all of winter’s fury unleashed Colors of grey and white replaced blue skies and red earth A group of families in the wilderness. Struggling, surviving but not alone With spring the hunts commenced. Wild game for food and hides and tools They learned the habits and trails of deer and bear and elk Crops were harvested and storage places overflowed They carved and painted. Danced no doubt. And preyed. And hoped. They were not fools And as the centuries spun by and earth and sky revolved and changed and changed again Their trials were great. The challenges immense. Tragedy and triumph And yet they persevered. Thriving in some years. Tortured in others Until at last they stood alone. No hope. No enemies. No friends And so they left. Perhaps en masse or one by one over the years And over time the homes and kivas stood abandoned in the sun Abandoned in the rain. Abandoned in the snow. Silent sentinels now Monuments to a peoples lives and hopes and fears We no not what they called this place. No evidence of that we see They may not have been concerned with names as we think of them For centuries this place stood unknown till other people ventured here The called it the Mesa Verde, Green Mesa. That should be good enough for me But how do you condense such a story of success and privation so high above? How can you boil it down to two words? The building and improving and problems faced and solved? The children raised, the sunrises viewed. Births celebrated and deaths mourned Songs sung dances danced. Games played. Smiles and tears through the centuries No. It would take some very special words to name such a place. Words that I don’t have and probably never will be able to utter But they’re in my heart

Laws vary. Depends on the location. A thing that confuses the hell out of British visitors. 🤔

Imagine living on the Navajo res and working in town! 😖 A daily time change!

Time change has got me bamboozled. Instead of gettin up at 5, by the time I roll out at 6 and get situated I’m burnin daylight. Birds are outside screaming for breakfast and next thing I know it’s lunchtime! if I have to go into town it’s late afternoon when I get back. Leave the dang time alone or I swear I’ll move to Arizona!!

In Hollywoodworld vehicles blow up if: they roll over they go off a cliff get shot catch fire are owned by a mobster.

I think about screwdrivers a lot. But more about Manhattans, Old Fashioneds. And Margaritas.

Cooking is an enjoyable, creative, intellectual, artistic, and dare I say spiritual experience for me.

And also nothing new

It’s the Saloon.😉