Rambling

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

I’m not much of a writer. I can’t get up and visit my friends like I used to. 
 

Sitting  in my chair Ive slowly gotten to know many people that I wish I could at the very least have a meal and a cup of coffee with. The inspiration for this post is the many encounters I’ve had both online on this site ( best ever group I’ve Been a part of). 

I would list them, but it would be to many.

 

Anyway, this I would like to see has a post to just ramble on about whatever. It will go where it does, kinda like sitting on my grandma and grandpas porch, backyard, or pole in hand at the creek in his mothers back yard. I always was mesmerized by their rambling. I am who I am today because of their rambling on.

 

My siblings (5 of us) would look to get away. So you read or not, up to you. Heck maybe this post goes nowhere or it becomes a post that we can share our learning and whatever, but developing more friendship without ever having that cup of coffee. After all these years on the wire I have witness to sharing of a great deal of wisdom. 

 

SJ, I look at the post as the Viands and Victuals of the brain. 

 

Let’s ramble. Ill start with the first actual post and see where this goes.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Okay, here goes. 

 

I had to go to town today for a doctors appointment. What used to be a 15 to 20 minute drive is now a 35 to 40 minute drive due to the influx of others. 

 

I now drive with my radio off, my German Shepard in the cab back with me and just think. 

 

We have a new restaurant in town “Slim Chickens” . Chick Fillet is mt favorite but I always want to check out anything new at least once.

 

I pull in and I’m in a line longer than chick fillet normally is. However this place is not set up has expertly for the customer as chick fillet. I decide to get a large fry as I tend to rate on a fast food joint on fries, If they not good then I don’t go back unless a friend recommends sometime else that they know Ill like. I was in line for fifteen minutes.

 

I get my fries. Holy Cow. $7.56. These better be some dang good fries. When they gave me the order, I instantly went back in time to 1979-1980.

 

It was a huge order. Enough to feed five individuals. I had ordered a large fries. They thought I ordered a Gigantic fry. Never seen than before….except one other time

 

1979, training in Yakima Washington, one of my favorite places. I got introduced to Miner’s. The whole town was full of the best restaurants Ive ever eaten at. Then on weekends all the hot rods would cruise up and down the main drag. I could sit outside a local cafe and talk with the old timers for hours. this place is or at least was in the middle of Stuart Anderson Cattle.

 

Back to miners and the memory connection

 

Their burger was the size of a dinner plate and came in a wrapper that said No Bull. It came with literally a boat load of fries. The burger was the best Ive ever eaten and was only $3.25 with the boatload of fries. As a 22 year old I had to prove to my friends that I could eat it in one sitting. I did, over and over again.  Today it would take me days to eat that meal

 

I checked, Miners is still in business, don’t know about prices or the size of the meal, but I really would love to find out in person. 

 

I will be eating Slim Chickens fries for the next couple of days. They are BTW very good fries.

 

Well, there it is. I hope my fellow cowboy jump in and share their days, thoughts or whatever.  

 

Bac

[Presidio]

I miss the days growing up in the country on a small farm.  Early up with Grandparents to do morning chores and help get my brother's and sisters ready for school.

 

In the evening after school, take to tending care of more chores, and helping siblings with homework.  Grandparents would get with Mom and Dad after dinner and just chit chat on any number of subjects.  I and the next eldest brother would sit quietly and listen to their conversations.

 

Weekends were special for either wodd projects with Dad and Grandpa or Grandma would gather us up for a fishing trip either to the lake or most times to the creek.  Sometimes Dad would take us hunting for Dove or Rabbit.

 

Those days a long gone now.  But I sure wish I could revisit them soon one day.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Gigantic fries from Slim Chickens

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

10 minutes ago, Presidio said:

Those days are long gone. But I sure wish I could revisit them soon one day.

 

You Can Presidio. Do it here. Share. The young man i took at age 24 til 30, and although he has moved on. I still have him over. I tried to get him involved in Cowboy but his disabilities were to great. However the wisdom, experience and knowledge that I didn’t know I was passing on, has really paid off. I intend to have him read this post every time he comes over. So share. Others who need it are listening.

[Subdeacon Joe]

I've taken to ordering just small size fries.  About what a large used to be.   

 

Growing up THE place for burgers in town was Pepper Tree, I think actually Pepper Tree Frosty.  Burgers, hot dogs, fries, malts, ice cream cones.  Loved the half and half medium cone dipped in chocolate.  I think it was 45¢.  They didn't dip the large because half the time the ice cream would fall off.

 

Burgers were a quarter, lettuce, tomato, and what was basically Thousand Island Dressing as the sauce.

 

60 years later the place is still there, still a favorite meeting place.  They did take out the pepper trees last year or the year before because they became a safety hazard.

 

I left in '78, haven't been back to Vista since '07.  But still have fond memories of growing up there.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

When I first joined SASS and got on the wire, I recognized quickly all the experience that was there for me to collect. The first individual to nail me to the wall Was Phantom.  I was truly butthurt. He reminded of myself as a drill sergeant. Sometimes the truth hurts, but you learn. I recently saw he finally got back on the site.  If you’re out there Phantom. Thanks. I hope you join us.

[Subdeacon Joe]

This thread is a great idea.  Random rambling of remembering.  

 

Now I'm thinking of the smell of .22 ammo and sage brush, two smells that are always mixed in my mind.   Oh!  And the smell of Dad's thermos of coffee on the shooting bench.

[Yul Lose]

We spent the weekend up in the redwood country around Arcata and Eureka, California. It was a family trip with most of the family flying in, my wife and daughter and I are the only family members that drove up and then a childhood friend of my granddaughters and her husband and son joined the family up there. We rented an Air BNB house in Arcata that was built in 1889 with 8 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. You could tell that it had been remodeled and redone in the past, probably numerous times but it was still a pretty nice place. 
 

I’ve seen a lot of elk in my life, having lived in the mountains of Colorado as a kid and then hunting them a lot when I lived in Arizona, but seeing them in the numbers that I did up in Northern California was impressive. President Ronald Regan once said “If you seen one redwood tree, you’ve seen them all”. or something to that affect and I’d have to agree with him, elk on the other hand I could watch for hours everyday. 
 

I like to visit with the locals when I travel and nearly everyone of them I visited with encouraged me to do the Cannibas Trail tours, none of them said anything about seeing the beautiful coast, the redwoods, the elk but they were sure pushing the tour of all of the dispensaries up there, seemed to be very popular. I suggested it to the family one night at dinner and didn’t get any takers, I think that’s a good thing.

 

Instead of driving back down the 101 Mrs. Lose and I shifted over to interstate 5 for the return trip home and made it in about 12 hours with fuel, restroom stops and a quick lunch. We were fueling up and I had gone in to use the restroom and a young Hispanic kid came up to me outside the store asking for gas money. I was wary of being conned but he took me over to the family and their old beat up vehicle on the next island from mine and I knew I had to help them. I filled up their old Ford explorer and took the kids inside and bought them snacks and drinks and their folks were too embarrassed to come into the store so I bought drinks for them that I sent out with the kids. We got in the truck and started backing out and the entire family was standing there waving at us and thanking us. Maybe it was a con but I felt it was the right thing to do.

 

We got home about 6:30 Sunday evening  and Mrs. Lose went out to attend her garden and saw a black cat hanging around that was very skittish. She set out food and water for it. Yesterday morning on my way out to the shop I saw the cat and I could tell that it is a nursing mother and someone probably dumped her and her litter. We looked around and found she had them hidden under a shed and we couldn’t get to them so we put out some more food and water close by. This morning I checked on them and the food hadn’t been eaten and the cat and the 4 kittens were gone. She must have felt threatened and moved her litter.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

That’s awesome Yul. Having traveled from Presidio ove to 101 all the way to Washington with just my father. The beauty and time with Dad will never be forgotten. You just added to my experience vicariously. Thank you.

[Subdeacon Joe]

If I get conned by trying to help someone, I get conned.  That's on them, not me.   If I can help someone who is really needy and don't because I fear getting conned, that's on me.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

When I was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas in 1978. Living with my Girlfriend, soon to be wife. Dad was in Presidio as a Chaplain and they came to visit. We all loaded and went into Mexico. I was a growing boy and needed a new belt. I noticed among other things the number of belt and leather vendors there for making that American dollar. I found a dealer that had some awesome belt. Beautiful stamp work. I believe his price was $6.00. I gladly paid and immediately donned that sucker. Before I knew it my Dad was scolding me for not bidding Not bidding him down. I once watched my father bid down an item in Walmart and walked out with it at near half price.

 

I was never ashamed for buying at that price, I thought it was a fair deal, however, Dad’s lesson was simply that working them back would get you to a price point that was fair for both. Tourists are an easy target. I was the target. On some level I still am but I get more educated before I submit. 

 

Your experiences on this thread will read and passed on. Helping someone. A 1000 cowboys might review and walk away, but someone will come learn and comeback. Am I selfish? Absolutely! If you have something that I can learn from, I want it. I thirst for knowledge. So, shame away. As much as I’m in front of this IPad reading anything you write I’m absorbing and hopefully passin it on. 

 

Quick Salute to Marshal Mo Hare taking on those young men. I know how tough it is to take that path. Ive done it courtesy of my lovely caring wife for over 40 years. You’re a brave and good man.

 

Dang am I rambling. …………..

 

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Trapper Tom said:

Dang am I rambling. …………..

 

 

Um....

Isn't that the point of this thread?

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

Um....

Isn't that the point of this thread?

Lol. Yes sir.  Ive got a mouth full waiting for others to chime in. With everything going on with our country I’d love to just sit back and listen. As I have to so many of you. But I want more. If I stay awake all night watching westerns and reading history books or whatever, I’d love you wonderful intelligent individuals to share by the fireside.( I started a big bonfire tonight ) This IPad is my main company, For now.

[Subdeacon Joe]

35 minutes ago, Tennessee Trapper Tom said:

wonderful intelligent

 

So.....

 

Only Forty and Utah Bob? 

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

No sir. The list is as long as you could count cowboys, veterans, police etc.  Americans. !!!  However, I would love to hear more from them as well I have much respect and admiration. Hey maybe they’ll join in sometime by the fireside. I now treat my days with more respect than ever and very glad to be here. 

[Yul Lose]

Many years ago when I lived in Arizona I had a customer who was also quite involved with the prison ministry over at Arizona State Pen in Florence. He would tell me stories about the work that he did and the successes that he’d had ministering to convicts, rarely did he tell me about any failures. He was really committed to it. I was doing some work on his two-way radio in his work truck one day and he told me about this convict that he was going to sponsor and have him move into a mother in law flat next to his house. I asked him if he knew the guy very well and he assured me that the guy had changed his ways and was ready to become a productive member of society again. 
 

I needed a person to do clean up and some other odd jobs around the radio shop and hired him on a part time basis. I can’t remember how long it was but in a very short time tools and other things started to disappear. One day I caught him stealing a drill and fired him. I told my friend about it and he assured me that there had to be a good reason for him to have done that and that he doubted the guy had anything to do with the other tool thefts, I knew better. 
 

Well one day my friend tells me that he’s taking his family on a vacation and will be gone 2 weeks and the ex con is taking care of his place. I told him that wasn’t a good idea and he got pretty upset that I would say such a thing and left in a huff. A couple of weeks later when they returned from their trip they found their house cleaned out, furniture, appliances and even their clothes and bedding were gone and so was the ex con. The cops caught the guy but all of the stuff from the house had been sold or disposed of.  A while later my friend apologized and told me that he should have listened to me and learned from when the guy stole from me.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

2 hours ago, Yul Lose said:

Many years ago when I lived in Arizona I had a customer who was also quite involved with the prison ministry over at Arizona Star Pen in Florence. He would tell me stories about the work that he did and the successes that he’d had ministering to convicts, rarely did he tell me about any failures. He was really committed to it. I was doing some work on his two-way radio in his work truck one day and he told me about this convict that he was going to sponsor and have him move into a mother in law flat next to his house. I asked him if he knew the guy very well and he assured me that the guy had changed his ways and was ready to become a productive member of society again. 
 

I needed a person to do clean up and some other odd jobs around the radio shop and hired him on a part time basis. I can’t remember how long it was but in a very short time tools and other things started to disappear. One day I caught him stealing a drill and fired him. I told my friend about it and he assured me that there had to be a good reason for him to have done that and that he doubted the guy had anything to do with the other tool thefts, I knew better. 
 

Well one day my friend tells me that he’s taking his family on a vacation and will be gone 2 weeks and the ex con is taking care of his place. I told him that wasn’t a good idea and he got pretty upset that I would say such a thing and left in a huff. A couple of weeks later when they returned from their trip they found their house cleaned out, furniture, appliances and even their clothes and bedding were gone and so was the ex con. The cops caught the guy but all of the stuff from the house had been sold or disposed of.  A while later my friend apologized and told me that he should have listened to me and learned from when the guy stole from me.

Wow. Hard lesson for your friend. I easily could have been that friend. With todays current events, I would many have been like him. Your shared memory could have saved me from a few post retirement blues. Thanks for sharing that.

[watab kid]

i was watchin an old episode of twilight zone tonight - it was some guy that bought his wife a player piano for her birthday and different rolls of music inspired truth from various people - it was an ok show and i enjoyed the premise but it made me remember the player piano we had when i was a kid , it was really nifty and worked well - we had lots of rolls of music for it - mostly old jazz and honky tonk rag tunes , a lot of stuff you heard on old gunsmoke episodes at kitties place , 

 

i remember it getting played a lot when my folks would throw party's in the basement in the late 60s early 60s , folks would sing along , it had to be pumped with the foot pedals till my dad rigged up a vacuum pump to it - not sure what ever happened to that [disappeared after i left home in 69] but i can still hear some of those tunes in my head , 

 

the old 78 records used to come out and get played on the "hi-fi" back then too im going to guess it was mostly 1920s music some might have been older some newer but i really have no way to find out anymore , they are all gone too , 

 

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Wow, the more you guys post. The more it sends me back to my past. We had an old player full of 78 s that always got carted from one place to another thru dads assignments. I can still hear his favorite Benny Goodman swings. He loved to play them at night home from another hard day..  maybe if I had that I wouldn’t be as manic(wife’s description) and go off to sleep. 

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Any of you out there remember the expression “Pigeon Toed”? I guess I was according to my Daddy and Grandpa.

 

“Sit up straight boy, square off those shoulders quit slouching and when move you walk like a man, quit looking like you don’t know where you’re going”

 

There a lot to be garnered from that statement in all things. I heard it a lot as a kid.

 

I remember Dad would get up at around 3.30 am when he was not deployed somewhere. I would get up too because I wanted to be with him. He would prep his uniform for the day, make a breakfast and coffee and let me sit at the table while he worked on the days sermon, or notes to deal with soldiers issues that were returning from their deployments.  No talking. Just sit and watch him concentrate, an occasional acknowledgement of my being there. Enough to keep me longing for more. Off he’d go, back to bed for me.  Usually he’d hug me me and say. Walk straight son.

 

If it was a Sunday. Same routine, except he would come home to get me. (I was one of five siblings). He would inspect my Sunday dress to ensure I was presentable. Never understand why I got special attention.

 

After Vietnam, he moved us to base housing for the rest of my growing up. Housing for the base Chaplain was always near the Church.

 

He would then make me walk to church with him, the only words were the ones I started this post with. I still don’t know why I was singled out among my siblings (Grandma always told people I was the devils child). I grew up with these words resonating within me as well. She even told that to my wife on the first time they meet. Still don’t know why.

 

ANyway, He made me walk kicking my feet out wide to the outside. Very exaggerated movement to the point of being exhausted from it by the time we got to church. Silence…………. Then “Go sit with your mother” .

 

I had an allergy to women’s perfume. (The purpose of perfume is to mask body odor and leave an undetectable pleasantness. Not to smell like a flower in a cow paddy. My bodies reaction to this menagerie of chemical was like an  anesthetic. With the combination of the walk and church women perfume I almost immediately upon sitting would fall asleep.

 

Here it comes.  Slap, Slap. ( I swear I developed a permanent bruise on my face). The result of my mother trying to keep me awake. Only one of the five of us that sat with mom in church. The others were where ever they wanted to be. 

 

To this day. I don’t know why I was so special to be raised this way. When I was about 16 the doctor informed my mother that I was having an allergic reaction to the chemical in women’s perfume. When I dated and married my wife , one of my rules was that she stay au natural. No perfume allowed. It is probably the only rule that still stands to this day. She smells wonderful. Too bad though. I could use the sleep.

 

Anyway, I don’t walk Pigeon Toed anymore. However, standing up straight without a slouch is difficult at best. But mentally I have that strength in meeting my day! Words matter growing up. I thank my Dad for his quiet guidance. I really miss him. 

 

My best friend and gun guide (so to speak) Cedar River Kid is one of those kind of individuals. One heck of a parent. Today he raises his grand children, works repairing equipment, running a small home farm, and helping his wife in her restaurant. ( its nice to have a friend just a couple of years older, that constantly reminds me of me dad through his daily actions).  Everything we do, someone is watching.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Can’t remember where this comes from in my past.

 

” My behavior affects your attitude. Your attitude affects your behavior. Your behavior affects my attitude. My attitude then affects my behavior. “ ( A circle).

 

You can change the course of every interaction with others. It starts with your attitude and your behavior as to what the outcome will be.

 

What do do want it to be? Everything in the universe is circular, except the boxes that we humans construct, which is the weakest structure. Why is that?  Why,  with all this intelligence do we still resort to a box. The circle is the strongest structure that exists.

 

The ancients knew better, just examine their lives, heck from one culture to another the circle is overwhelmingly imprinted. Their homes were half domes above ground. Their defensive postures were constructed in a circle. Seems as though instead of learning from the past, we go backwards. 

Karma is circular in thought. Evident in all cultures around the world.

 

”What comes around goes around.

 

The bible (just as one example) Galatians 6:7. What one sows, One also Reaps

 

It is a character weakness to give into hurt feelings, forgetting that none of us are infallible, and through our actions, words etc., we might give cause for the grief now coming back at us.

 

Again……………..The mighty circle. 

 

The circle in some form can be found in most religions and cultures of our past and present. 

 

It represents a oneness. We must learn from our past in order to have a future. So pass your learning on to the rest of us. It will come back to you. The circle is incomplete without each of you representing the point in which you exist. (Ok, maybe I have been awake for to many hours)  

 

[Kid Rich]

One of the better threads I've seen on here. Thanks 3T.

kR

[Subdeacon Joe]

7 hours ago, Tennessee Trapper Tom said:

“Sit up straight boy, square off those shoulders quit slouching and when move you walk like a man, quit looking like you don’t know where you’re going”

 

7 hours ago, Tennessee Trapper Tom said:

Usually he’d hug me me and say. Walk straight son.

 

Good advice.  "Walk straight son" is a good metaphor for how to go through life.  Just "walk straight" no matter what you do.
And your bearing, how you carry yourself, affects your attitude and demeanor.  If you slouch and amble as you walk, you tend to go through everyday life that way.  

I've found that when I am on a long drive, if I'm dressed sloppy - dirty pants, sloppy shirt, etc.  I am really tired at the end and just want to flop down.  But if I have on dexcent pants, and a good shirt (usually a button front white shirt, can be short or long sleeved), I may be tired, but am in good spirits after the 10 or 12 hours.

But, yeah, "Walk Straight" in everything you do.

Thanks for the post Triple T.

[Yul Lose]

About the same time that the ex con thing was going on that I mentioned above I had the opposite experience with someone down on their luck. A two way radio customer of mine who had a low band radio system out near Maricopa needed their tower replaced that had come down in a recent storm. We were able to mount their antenna temporarily but the tower mounting base and guy wire anchors were pretty well rusted and eroded away and that’s why the tower came down.

 

I went to the local lumber yard to buy the ready mix that we’d need for the job. When I got my truck situated to load up all of that ready mix a man came up to me and asked if I needed help loading up and that he needed some money for gas. We made a deal and he helped me load up and as we were loading up he told me about his predicament. He was the owner of the old van out in the corner of the parking lot with his wife and 2 kids in it and they were on their way to California from Florida. Well I was short handed and asked him if he’d like to help me mix and poor the cement for the tower base and guy wire anchors the next day and I’d pay him for his time and he agreed. I knew one of my customers, a local cotton farmer had a camping trailer that he might make available to the family short term. So they were set with housing for a couple of days and I arranged with some friends of mine that owned a local restaurant to feed them.

 

Well this guy turned out to be such a good worker AND he had electronics training in the Air Force that I offered him a full time job. He consulted with his wife and kids and accepted my offer. He turned out to be one of the best two way radio techs that I’d ever known, he could diagnose and repair down to the component level on anything he touched. His son, who started helping out around the shop cleaning up and learning two way radio installation working part time after school and full time in the summer turned out to be a pretty good tech himself and joined the Air Force when he graduated from high school.

 

 

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Feel like crap. some kind of weird crap hit me last night.It’s like a sore throat combined with a very high in the chest, really don’t know how to describe it. Since I got the long term Covid lots of weird stuff pops up. My rescue inhaler only made things worse. (Typically does that for about an hour then gets better. Not this time, and my pain meds aren’t really helping much but it makes it on the edge of tolerable. Oh well gotta move on.

 

With the influx of people to our area there’s almost nowhere to drive without being in heavy traffic. Dang, this is the country and not some city where expect this kind garbage.

 

The night before last, the wife and I are viewing the news and discussing the run of those this area. One of the commentators on a local Louisville channels remarks about a quick change coming in gas prices due to current events overseas. Both of us were on the low end of our vehicle gas tanks. I had already filled all our Gas cans. I have and keep on hand close to 30 gallons locked away. During the summer well use that for mowing, trimming, and whatever. This allows to constantly turnin over the gas in the containers.(gas does go bad)

 

So she says let’s load up and go in convoy to fill our tanks. She had never experienced how long it takes nme to fill u and I had let my tank get to near a quarter tank. This is very unusual I normally will fill up when I am at the 3/4 mark. WHen I bought this used 1500 Silverado one of the few things wrong with it was a bad Tank vapor filter. (Can’t specifically remember the exact name it has. Kinda embarrassing for an ex mechanic). I told her I’d take the dog in the truck follow her.

                            Incidentally  the only benefit of this condition is that if a station is somehow over oxygenating their fuel is that I can tell if I’m being                

                            Ripped off, I can tell. I’m never able to set the pump arm in the tank, lock it and do other things like normal individuals with their 

                            I have to stand there the entire time barely holding the pump handle. Takes awhile, perhaps as much as fifteen minutes. However if a 

                            Station has adjusted the pumps (they can do this, all our stations have their blends delivered from the same company) anyway if they 

                            I can tell because I’m unable to pump their gas. The back pressure from my bad vapor filter will constantly shut the pump handle off,          

                            And i end up stopping and moving on to another station. If this condition is present, after you fill up, within a day or two, even without 

                            Running said vehicle, the gas will settle and you’ll notice a difference on the gas gauge. You’ll actually have less fuel.

 

Okay moving on. W decide on the station to go to, load up and take off with her leading the way thru the country in order to avoid the most traffic as possible. As we are approaching the cut thru of Cecilia ( I have my following distance around 70 yards or so at 35 mph, when from a side road on my left a Nissan SUV suddenly jumps out in front of me. The vehicle doesn’t move into the right lane, just pulls out into the left oncoming lane and stops. I’m clear in my lane but I stop anyway. What the heck he the driver doing. I now have my right hand on my firearm to prepare for whatever. Then the other drivers turns on their turn signal wanting in front of me. Traffic is by this time approaching in the opposite lane coming out of Cecilia. Halfway into my lane (just a two lane road) and stops again. I honked my horn twice and flashed them with my headlights to let them know to continue on. Finally they moved on.

 

In the middle of Cecilia I turned onto a slower but less travel road the wife had taken in order to get to the station we wanted up in edge of Elizabethtown. ( I had, noticed the make, model, color and Plates of the other vehicle as they headed straight. Easy enough to remember as the pates were from Oregon.

 

After another ten miles or so we arrive at the station I had to move to the other side of the islands for my fuel. When I stepped out to get gas I noticed that the vehicle on the side of my pump. It was the vehicle that pulled out in front of me in Cecilia. I said nothing and went about my business. I did notice that it, I assume was father and son. Okay that explain things. Dad is teaching his son to drive.

 

             Now for a quick diversion. All this open border crap. These individuals that are crossing into to the USA haven’t come here with the excepting desire to try to fit in. Those that take the usual path, have learned our language (English) and generally have studied our culture and have a desire to fit into the American Culture. They are willing to change and adapt in order to fit in and maybe have a better life, while the illegal crossers do not posses this mentally. (My brother-in Law is a just retired SWAT officer who filled me, of the circumstances exisint in Texas on a recent visit. So, I’m not dumb to what’s going on. 

 

So. Where am I headed with this.  Okay bear with me I’m getting. Due the the political atmosphere in this country, individual that are dissatisfied where they are at, are moving to other locations where its more in line with their beliefs. Again. There are social attitudes and habits that are differences between where they come from and where they are are headed. Example: A Conservative  living in LA, is very different from a conservative living in Louisville. Take it one step further. LA to a country county somewhere off the beaten path of Kentucky. Living habits are dramatically different. dealing with traffic situations are very different for how they engage, and deal with driving. No offense to anyone reading this (if can can survive my rambling and can keep reading.

 

Swing back to the dad and son at the pump on the other side. Obviously the wife finishes her fill-up way ahead of me. So she drive around and stops on the side of me to talk. We are on the outside of the island and she present no obstruction to traffic. She starts in immediately about our encounter with the Oregon Driver. (Who is still on the other side of my pump. Not wanting to cause a situation, that we had already survived. I made up a story, and raised my voice just loud enough to ensure they could hear.

 

     Her (my wife) first words proclaimed: “ Can you believe that Arshole that jumped in front of you in Cecilia. Darn Transient. Worse than an Illegal in here collecting my hard earned benefits for free.  (I quickly gave the hush signal and point across my chest at the two on the other side of the pump)

Then I started in. Hey, you realize that was just some dizzy Blond like your sister.

 

At this point she got a little confused and waited for more. I explained to her fairly loudly that my headlights had been bright enough to she inside the vehicle. I described how she was stretched across to the passenger side doing who knows what and still driving instead of staying put at her stop sign and dealing with her predicament before returning to the business of driving. Hook, Line and sinker, both the wife and the individuals on the other side of my pump bought into my tale. I reminded her of where she was parked, whereupon she got in her vehicle and moved to a safer out of the way location and waited for me to complete my task at hand.

 

      The father and Son, who had heard everything, and I guess they realized they were the Blond Ditz.

 

They had their hood up while dad had been doing some kind of instructional moment about the care and maintenance of said vehicle. (I respect that)

I heard him sort whisper to his son that it was time to go, and shut the hood. Now dad is behind the wheel and they abruptly pull out. Literally seconds later, finished filling up. I join the wife for the trip home

 

     She evidently decided to travel the main roads home, I just followed. No crap, I find myself being tailgated hard for about 2 miles, and the vehicle suddenly swings around me with oncoming traffic. I brake to make sure it could get around me. I’ll be darned if it isn’t the same Father and son. Nw they are tailgating the wife.(At this point Dad is no longer teaching good driving habits. He is displaying his habits from living in Portland Oregon. (Remember I saw the Plate)  The wife pulled off at first chance and waited for me to do the same. She was livid. With my left arm out the window I motioned for her to move on to home.

 

     Now safely at home, I told her the truth. I could see her anger rizing, and then she suddenly busted out laughing. We both knew that we were the being forced to change our habits based on the habits of the incoming individuals. Just feels so wrong.

 

20 years of military service, traveling overseas, you better prep for the culture of your new habitation. Otherwise you’ll find yourself nin very uncomfortable circumstances.

 

     The same things apply for those Americans moving to new new locations around the country. It’s YOUR job to do the necessary adjustments and adapt to your new environment. Ive meet 2 wonderful people from Monterey California. I meet them at the LGS. Conservatives. They both. Have asked me why so many people are seemingly angry with their presence. I just shrug my shoulders. Proclaim to them that I don’t feel that way and that maybe they should look more closely at their actions to see what’s occurring in these interactions. Kinda like explains to a new incoming soldier at Camp Casey, Korea.  

 

Having made my own plethora of dumb mistake in other countries. Old habits are hard to break, but when you can change it sure makes life a lot easier on everybody. 

 

Keep on Rambling!

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Normally I can ramble on about almost anything, or maybe nothing.  But when I try to think of something to ramble on about, I get bupkus.  Just like when I'm in a group and the jokes are flying thick and fast....I got thousands of jokes, but can I think of one to share?  Not to save my life!  Anyone else have that problem?

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

25 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Normally I can ramble on about almost anything, or maybe nothing.  But when I try to think of something to ramble on about, I get bupkus.  Just like when I'm in a group and the jokes are flying thick and fast....I got thousands of jokes, but can I think of one to share?  Not to save my life!  Anyone else have that problem?

Evidently, unbeknownst to me. I’m discovering that I do. Blows the wife’s mind. Normally I’m just as quiet as a church mouse. Maybe when I find a way to sleep. You guys wont hear much from me.

[J-BAR #18287]

Subject for much rambling: looking for love.

 

For a long time, as a young bachelor,  I attempted to date young women whom I found attractive.  A few accepted my offers for dinner and a movie, but rarely did a relationship develop.  Until I was lucky enough to be introduced to a young woman who found me attractive.  We've been married 53 years.

 

So this isn't a very long ramble, but to summarize, instead of trying to convince someone to love you, accept the love that is offered to you.  It's a more harmonious outcome.

[Subdeacon Joe]

I was raised in Vista, San Diego County.   We were on the west side of town, really outside the town limits.  About an acre and a half, maybe 120 feet wide and about 550 feet long.  Nice house, not fancy but comfortable.  Almost always had a small truck garden, the usual, beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, radishes, strawberries, sometimes peppers..  Two apricot trees, a peach, and a nectarine. One of our neighbors had 15 or 20 pomegranate trees that we could pick - two or three of the old style big brown paper bags.  We'd take them into the back yard with mom's cutting board and the Ware Ever juicer and spend an afternoon cutting and squeezing them, pouring the juice into a couple of plastic pitchers, and mom would make jelly.  She also make strawberry jam and apricot jam. Neighbors with the pomegranate trees always got a couple of jars of each, and we would trade pomegranate jelly and apricot jam with friends for peach jam.  Some of my parent's friends would go up on Palomar Mountain and gather rose hips and the wife made a sublime rosehip jelly.  Sparingly gave out half cup jars of it on special occasions. 
 

With the depth of the property and the lay of the land, it ran uphill slightly to the next street, we always had BB and pellet guns, and dad put in a small 50 foot range alongside the house, the backstop was a plywood box about 2 foot square and maybe 18 inches deep and filled with sand, It was up against the red brick grill he had built.  Good for the .22s we had.  Contests to light matches and other such fun.
 

 

Good times.

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

I’m back……….lol (no surprise there)

 

Today I was very ill early on. Some kind of crap has invaded me body. (Courtesy of long term Covid, nasty junk) I thought I was having a heart attack, but the pressure was way to high. Resonated thru my neck with a nasty cough. Well, ain’t got much done since I died in 2003 and I promised God that I if he allowed to stick around that I would make good from whatever bad I’d done. Just let me finish fixing my home for the wife. After all I did make a vow to her in his Name.

 

So, I figured that the best way to beat this new ailment would be to make a quick list of things to do. I busted my butt all day. When she got home from work I was deep inside the Pellet Stove, taking it apart and cleaning inspecting as I went. 3 1/2 hours later I was satisfied that it was ready for the season. The wife had looked around to see all I’d done and was amazed. (I’d not accomplished this much in one day for nearly two years and I was exhausted. The pressure and cough was gone. I hoped now to actually go to sleep for once. HA!

 

So, after dinner, I retired to my chair, her in hers to catch up on the news. UGH! Depressing that our elected supposedly good leaders are so………Well anyway, I think you get the drift. 

 

Must have dozed off somehow. I remember Shiela saying something to me, and Kount was jumping around in joy to see her. He greets her every morning with about a 10 minute burst of joy and love. After which he somehow crawls under the extended leg rest of my chair and goes to sleep. Still surprised he can get that big body under there. LOL

 

So, I’m waking up. I felt like I had slept for hours. The last 2 things I remember was reading one of Subdeacon Joes posts and then dinner. 

 

But the greeting that Shiela got from Kount.??  Crap, it must be morning and she’s trying to get ready for work. I dash into the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. Go to the Head, wash up. I like to make her a fried hard egg for breakfast. I’ll bet she’s running late as usual. Gotta clean the thermos. Also I now remember I had been working on a pair of old spurs. Thank God she got in my butt for almost selling this pair to Dantakerous. She wanted them in the art room. After Visiting a website the specializes in Spurs. I discovered these are Anchors. The oldest successful Spur makers. I’m going to finish cleaning them up, taking pictures, send them off for a valuation and letter of authenticity.

 

Something is off here. The lights are all out. Kount is laying in the bedroom entrance guarding like he does all night. I take another sip of coffee (fully awake by now). Yes I still take a chance and I limit myself now to one cup.  I enter the Man cave and in front of me on the wall is my Big clock showing a time of 11:30 pm. Huh!

 

Quickly back to the kitchen to view that clock. No Way!  I’d only dozed off for about an hour and a half.

 

I’m feeling totally rejuvenated. Full of energy. My illness seems to have moved on. But……………………….I’m once again up for the rest of the night .

 

It’s now 3:20 am Oct 21 2023. I’m back to working on my spurs.

 

Thanks for letting me bend your ear for a bit. Although I’d like a normal life of activity in the day and sleep at night, I just have to settle for what the good lord gives me.

 

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

Still up and working on the Spur SJ. Lol. Think I’ll go make an Omelet. Need my protein you know

[Subdeacon Joe]

I've been seeing articles recently about how the natural natural sleep pattern for humans is a couple of hours of sleep, get up and do stuff, then a few more hours of sleep.

[Subdeacon Joe]

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

[Yul Lose]

Yesterday evening about 6:30 our doorbell rang, we hardly ever get visitors and there is a tow truck driver at the door. He’s here to repossess a vehicle. I asked him if he had the right address because both of our vehicles are paid off and they’re not going anywhere. He showed me his phone with the address on it and the name of the vehicle owner and I told him it was the house across the street. He didn’t believe me and called into his dispatcher. When he got off of the phone he apologized and said that the house across the street was the correct address. 
 

The house across the street uses an illegal driveway that comes out onto a busy road and you can’t see either direction because the bank the driveway is cut into blocks your vision in both directions. There is a much safer driveway that comes out onto another road but for some reason they won’t use it.The driveway also has a steep uphill incline as soon as it leaves the roadway.  I told the tow truck driver this and he thanked me and took off. I drove up the road and watched him try to get his truck around that sharp curve and up that incline but he gave up. I told him he might be better off going up the road and turning around and coming at it at a different angle but he drove off up the road and didn’t come back.

 

The reposessor showed back up this morning so I called my neighbor and he came down and talked to the tow truck operator and looked at the paperwork. He went up and came back down with the car. Seems his granddaughter bought a new car around the first of the year and didn’t make any payments. She moved in with my neighbor and his wife about 3 months ago and has never worked, just loafed around, he knew something was up. The tow truck operator told me that all new cars that are financed can be tracked so that’s how they located the car.