August 31

Here we've been blessed with another day to spend however we want to. You've got to spend them for it is impossible to save one. Now do you want a 'good time Charlie' or a 'good time Charlie's got the blues'.

Because I've come up empty in the head again or the thought trigger has a safety problem that won't allow it to fire, I'm going to put a thing that I read on Boogie Jack by Dennis Gaskin I think.

This is who we are. A roiling river of consciousness comprised of who we were, who we are, and who we hope to become. Who we were and want to be are but a shadow and a ghost of who we are at the moment. Who we create ourselves to be each day is the master, though many give over their sovereignty of self to the shadow of the past... Heavy stuff huh?

Now that I've gotten this far down the page I believe it to be far enough at this time.
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I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all.

--Joni Mitchell

August 29

Gonna be hard put to put anything on this page today. My interest here-in is not. Unfortunately I've hardly ever let that stop me from stumbling along in the past and so far I'm doing the job okay this time too. I don't mean the job is okay, just that I've stumbled clear down to here okay. Okay?

I like to make e-cards and have just got back from trying to make one to add to this thing today but the inspiration just isn't there either. So still stumbling..................

Some people don't believe in ghosts but what is a breeze but a ghost of a wind. Well you can't see a wind either so that must be just a larger ghost. Yeah, that's what it is a weather ghost. You can't ever see it but you can feel it as it passes and you can see the leaves, bushes, flags and everything else responding. Sometimes a breeze is a joy but I've never seen a wind bring real long lasting happiness. Tho it wouldn't be possible for some plants to procreate if it wasn't for the wind. I think that might be why it is sometimes referred to as a fu**ing wind. I've heard it called that many, many times, especially around the golf courses in Boulder City where it seems to never stop. Funny thing, there are not as many trees and plants there as there is in Missouri. I guess that must be why it blows full time. It has got to blow the seeds and pollen a long way to find a receptive recipient.

I may have gone a little overboard this morning and for those of you who think so I apologize. I just did as well as I could. But we do wish all of you a nice day anyway!
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Blow, blow, thou nasty wind. Thou art not so unkind, as man's ingratitude.William Shakespeare (edt)

August 26

I get up around 4:40 every morning then after a few usual duties I do my walk. It seems that dark is hanging on longer into the mornings each passing day. It is still doggone dark at 5:50 which is the time I head'er up the hill. It was 5:30 and I liked that a lot better.

On my first mile around walk it is still fairly dark so I carry my extendable Gazaway supplied walking stick. There are a few places where the dark is so thick that I've had to extend the stick and use it like a blind mans cane.

During the trek I've come upon fox, coon, coyote, deer, possum and walked through a sharp strong odor of a close by skunk so the stick could come in handy as a defense weapon too. I can say that it does not keep the hair on my the back of my neck from standing up. The first and second walk around I tend to walk in the middle of the road. This is so if attacked I might have time to draw the thing back far enough to get a strong swing at the whatever.

For the third time around I exchange the stick for a fly swatter to fight the horse flies off. The other day on the third trip while only armed with the fly swatter, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed some movement to my left. I turned my head that direction but didn't see anything so walked on. I hadn't taken many steps when I noticed more movement to my left. The third time and still not able to see anything I decided that I was being stalked by something. I increased my speed but the whatever was still staying with me.

In the end I thought me and the fly swatter should take over and put a stop to this hair raising incident and discovered that it was only my shadow walking along with me. The sun was filtering through the trees in several small spots. When I would break the little beam I would notice the movement but by the time I stopped to check it out I was out of the beam. I added to my relief by stepping off the road and releasing a bit of body liquids.

Almost every morning there is a little something that causes my hackels to raise. Do you think that could make my hair grow faster?
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"Somebody has well said there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and there are those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."

August 24

I've heard people say about others that they are 'fat and sassy' which I always took to mean something like contented and maybe a mite overly proud about it. Well, I had half that feeling yesterday morning. Felt awfully fat and I'm not proud at all about eating like a pig Saturday night. A great meal always makes me hungry the next day so a large breakfast increased the feeling.

We attended a benefit in Eldon for a friend who was in a terrible motorcycle accident. A perfect and tender huge and thick grilled pork steak prepared in a little different way or something different on it that has caused the taste memory to linger, still causing me hunger pangs this afternoon. This served with new potatoes, green beans and all that other usual stuff....Woweee!

Let me just say this..........The desert wasn't usual stuff! I had a piece of coconut cream pie so good the last bite caused a tear to seep from my left eye to see it all gone. Glenda had a piece of pecan and I'm not so sure that I didn't see her eyes moisten up too, at her last bite. I'm afraid the memories that I just awakened typing this, added to the pork steak memory already bugging me, is about to cause another overeating binge at breakfast.

Just to let you know, fat doesn't follow me around. Hell, now it beats me everywhere I go. I remember back when in a lot of cases my nose was usually the first to arrive. Well, many years ago that wasn't always the case but now............my stomach always arrives first no matter what the circumstances. I guess I could back in......Nah, you're right, that sounds queer to me too. Old is sure a trying condition!

By the way our friend, one of the nicest person one will ever meet, is recovering pretty well.
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Two men were talking. "So, how's your sex life?" "Oh, nothing special. I'm having Social Security sex." "Social Security sex?" "Yeah, you know: I get a little each month, but not enough to live on!"

August 23

It slipped a tad past cool down into chilly here this morning. It was at 61 which isn't bad but you need to be immersed in it for awhile before it becomes good. Just about the time it begins to feel good we'll get our real weather back. Maybe we can use our memories of today to cool us some.

I checked our Lotto and Powerball numbers....................Just like millions of other people we didn't win anything. However, some poor soul is going to be paying a lot of taxes! It appears the ultra huge 250 mill power ball was hit. Must have been won on the 19th.

Other than that I know nothing and so far it hasn't seemed to have made me any less than what I've nearly always been.

I did ask Mikey what he thought about the idea of being really good for a day in exchange for me reading him another sent message. I'm not sure what he meant by this but it seemed to be his reply and he wasn't all that good during the day either.




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It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. Jerome K. Jerome

August 22

Saved the young coon again this morning. He was in the same trash can as last time and the lid was strapped down. It seems he is able to pry it up enough to get into the can but with nothing to stand on he can't pry his way out. I think his mamma sure did teach him wrong! As it was I think he may have been in there for sometime because he had no pep. I hadn't heard him but opened the can just to look. Lucky for him that I did.

Couldn't think of anything worthy of typing so dug around in the old music file and added the good morning...captain.

Well everything comes to an end sooner or later............This note should have been on of those sooners.

Sorry about that! ................. Nah, not really.
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The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.~Ivy Baker Priestgrow.~Rachel Carson.

August 21

Yessirree, as I topped the hill on my third time around this morning an interesting subject for my note blossomed in my mind. I worked on it some coming down the hill. Then home I went into the usual morning shower. What a nice cleansing activity. All those crusty salty perspiration remnants removed from my body and washed down the drain to help accelerate the rusting out of our drain pipes.

Another washed away was the blossom of the thought of an interesting subject that I carried in my mind clear to the house.

Oh well, my loss could very well be your gain. You'll have extra time this morning by opening such a short note and without the need to spend those minutes wondering what the heck did he try to say.

Well, I assume you read them.........................

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I was walking through the cemetery this morning and saw a guy crouching down behind a tombstone. I said, "morning." He said, "No just taking a shit."

August 20

'Nuttin Honey' just about sums it up for another days thoughts of my infertile mind, at least at this time. But hey, I never promised you a rose garden...one momento! I don't think I ever promised you anything.

Anyway, who would have ever thought that these notes would be so much like trying to get thru a blackberry patch. What a battle getting from one side to the other. Wow! Then to discover that you didn't even get one berry. I want to say too, if you think reading them and trying to make sense of them is tough you ought to try it from this end.

It isn't true that what you get out of a thing is based entirely on what is put into it. The possible interpretations are too varied from one person to the other, and it does take me an awfull lot of time slopping through the muck to find anything at all to type.

These, 'Nuttin Honey' days are so prevailing that they sometimes show their power by begining even before I get out of bed. Ohooo, that hurts!

That does give me a little more time to work on the note but it could be part of the reason why my mind can't zone in on a worthy subject. Hopefully the note can still work as a reminder, you rest fondly in our minds.

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If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.~Rachel Carson.

August 17

I think my first paying job was when I was around eleven. A neighbor had a milk route where he picked up milk in those big milk cans and hauled them to the creamery. He paid me fifty cents to ride along and open the gates on his route. Some I wasn't tough enough to open but he paid me anyway. Keeping him awake was part of my job too.

I think he got a real deal as my job evolved in milking his milk goat then carrying the milk into the house and waking him up. For me to wake I had a windup alarm clock that I sat on an upside down wash pan. It was a loud dude!

At that time we had no running water, only a cistern and a bucket on a rope. To have warm water it had to be carried in and heated. We were blessed with a two hole outside toilet too. this caused the need to get up extra early so that I might be able to meet my milking/gate opening deeds.

By the way, two holes???? Can you think of anyone that you would like to share that kind of moving experience with?
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When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and asked him to forgive me.

August 16

If, "Time is of the Essence", has anything to do with smell, our use of time this morning is about as smelly as it has been for quite awhile. I didn't use the word stink because we are retired and can use our time just about anyway we want to. Our lack of utilization of our time this morning so far smells to high heaven but it is such a sweet smell.

We go through everyday with the strong hope on top of our minds, that our funds won't get so low as to require us the need to find a paying job. Frugally, that's it! We try to live in a frugal mode which would be called by the folks from across the tracks where I was raised as a 'cheap ass'.

Let me tell you. Back when I was very young I put together a shoe shine box and went around town shinning shoes. The banker who always let me polish his shoes was a rough man to please but I was able and gladly accepted the meager ten cents that he handed me. I believe he was probably a cheap ass frugal person but unlike us he had money.

When I'd take my little box to the tavern, it was a different story. One time, just through the door a nice gentleman had me shine his cowboy boots and gave me a quarter. I polished a few more in there then as I started out the door the first person had me shine his boots another time and gave me another quarter. What a nice bunch. I messed around the square for about an hour then hit the tavern again knowing there was at least one pair of boots to be shined one more time but........the nice guy was gone.

Glenda is calling so I'm gone too.

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"Old times" never come back and I suppose it's just as well. What comes back is a new morning every day in the year, and that's better.-George E. Woodberry

August 15

Dagnabit! Those horse flies sure do increase the exercise required in taking the daily walk. They buzz me almost all the way around the horn. If I luckily kill one there is another right there to take it's place. As long as there is only one buzzing you and you can hear it you're okay. When the buzzing sound stops it's time to begin slapping the stick around.

Thinking about it, with the stick in my hand I could look like a great maestro conducting the orchestra in one weird wild ass piece of music. Without the stick I guess I would look more like a losing coach very rapidly sending signals to the players tho it would probably too fast for them to catch the sign.

I'm sure that neither of the above is what a passerby might think of. With all the motions and the fly buzzing creating lots of words to almost constantly move my lips, they probably say, "there is a crazy guy talking to himself", and then telling the kids, "that's a guy you be certain to stay away from."


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The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.~Abe Lemons

A little rehash of old news....

I suppose I could be called a life saver and not just because I'm round and have a large hole in my face. But coon saver works better for me and that isn't because I've a hairy rear, err I mean a bushy tail.

As I walked up West oak on Wednesday July 29, I opened and laid down a trash can to allow five young raccoons to escape. On Saturday August the 8th, I opened a can to let two young coons out. On Wednesday August 12, I again saved two by opening the trash can lid, maybe the same two but this was on Memory Lane. This can contained no trash.....Go figure.

Just this morning as I walked past the cans on West Oak a sound led me to un-strap a tightly strapped lid to discover a single young raccoon wanting out. That makes ten I've saved or it's possible that I've saved the same ones several times. Can't help but wonder what has happened to the other four. Soon I may not have any left to save.

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What other people think of you is none of your business.~ Regina Brett

August 8

A few days ago as I was walking past the garbage cans up the hill I heard a noise coming from one of them. Found the right trash can on the second try. I open the lid and cautiously peered over the rim of the can and found four beautiful eyes looking at me. Two small raccoons looking at me and another three with their heads hidden. I though those three might not be alive. Anyway as I turned the can onto it's side one youngen flashed past my feet but no more. I walked on. On the next trip around I looked and all 5 were gone. I sat the can up and pulled a strap over the lid.

This morning as I topped onto W Oak on my first round I saw an animal race from the cans. It was too dark to make out what kind of animal it was but as I got near the cans a hurried scratching sound came from one of them. I raised the lid part way and there were those little raccoons again. I only saw two this time but they were growling and were pretty scared so I didn't take but a quick look. I'd say the animal running away was their Momma.

With those animals so pissed off or scared, growling and yapping like a little dog I didn't want to be standing in front of the can if I turned it over so I just threw the lid back and walked on. The next trip around they were all gone so I put the lid down and hooked the strap that someone else was too damn lazy to do!
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You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.-Ralph Waldo Emerson