I Think

Among his other habits, Rocky barks non stop every time my wife and I have a conversation. He wants to stand exactly where we need to be when we want to get clothes out of the dryer, pick up trash with a dust pan, sweep, sit in the recliner (lies in it), go down the porch steps and so forth. His few times getting stuff off the cabinets got him banished to outside so quickly, he got the message and stopped doing it. One of those times he got several cookies, which had raisin bits in them.

More coffee, anyone?

I must have missed something. Rock hasn't been posting lately.

Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 Black children where they marched, sang and celebrated.

I wish tossing the dogs outside would be effective, but now that it's warming up Ruby searches relentlessly for geckos while Sofie searches for wild animal waste to roll in. If Ruby spots a squirrel, she becomes enamored with running around the large tree in the side yard hoping to catch a glimpse of the critter. Now that the tree is greening up, it's harder for her to see critters, but the gecko is still in trouble. I don't think she can actually ever catch the gecko, but she is fascinated with its agility. She sits by the French doors waiting to the gecko, and if she spots it, she starts whining and biting the window. So, I have to clean dog slobber off the glass twice a day. But that's still easier than dragging out the vacuum when they come in and drop mouthfuls of mulch on the carpet.

There is rain in the forecast, starting in earnest, Tuesday of the coming week. Four high percentage days. Very good news.

Stories that are important to me rarely touch the TV news. I don't watch Fox, so I can't comment on them. But, the Republican filibuster that killed a bill to bolster GI benefits, the impending loss of net neutrality, outright lies being spread in the media - None of it mentioned, when I watch.

I have spent much of Saturdays, of late, watching a digital channel that plays Tim McCoy, Buck Jones and other old time stars, often with John Wayne playing supporting roles in them. I noticed while reading up on Wayne, that in 1931, he played a corpse in a movie. I rarely watch the entire films, but wander in and out while they are on.

CNN gave up any pretense of news reporting some time back. Every story is breaking news, that awful shooting yesterday of the young people in California was not just reported, the woman reporting the story appeared to be auditioning for the role of a tortured soul in some drama. I couldn't watch her, her faced contorted as if she was channelling the pain of the victims. It's already a horrific story, I was distressed like many other viewers, but I want to hear a reporter telling the known facts, not all this "we're not sure but it could have possibly been a terrorist attack, we have no confirmation that might be the case and for that matter, I just dreamt it up now where I stand. We also have no information indicating its an invasion by North Korea nor the zombie apocalypse however at this time we can't rule it out. However, we must tell you we have seen no evidence yet of zombies, that's not to say they won't turn up later, but again, right now we don't have any confirmation nor information from the FBI, we will remain here all night to bring you the latest information. Even if we have no information, we promise to tell you everything we don't know yet as well as any speculation that our media consultant can dream up

That's not news, that's an endurance test. It's shameful, and it drives me nuts. I'd be happier hearing nursery rhymes than all the inflated non news stories reported by Wolf Blitzer, who once upon a time actually seemed to be a good reporter. Now, everything is stated loudly almost shouting, like an claustrophobic trapped in a dark elevator.

Even the weather is reported as if it was of biblical proportions. I am happy to pay close attention to impending tornados, floods, fires or anything else that might be a catastrophe, but my eyes start to glaze over when they tell me the humidity level is the lowest it's been since August 24, 1909. Probably because if it hardly ever drops below 95 during August and I can't feel the difference between 95 and 94. They are both awful.

I just wonder who they hope to target with this stuff? Apparently not people who can remember Walter Cronkite.

OK, I'll stop grumbling.

When they do cover something, they report suppositions and rumors as if they were facts. They often begin coverage by saying, hundreds confirmed dead, but the total soon gets pared down to a couple of injuries.

The recent heat we have been having has caused the moringa tree to accelerate growth, so that it's already knee high. There are limbs on either side of the trunk, both equal in growth. It's almost the same as having two trees in one.

I saw another musical artist I like has died. Herb Jeffries. At one hundred years old. He had a good voice.

Putting this here so I can't lose it. Want to try it on poison ivy.

I just thought of a reason to hustle on getting my wheelchair ramp finished (which I have started, but was procrastinating on, partly due to low funds). When I moved my refrigerator in here, I could not get it up the steps, even with a furniture dolly. Then, I leaned it backward, against the porch and tilted up the bottom, until I could slide it firmly onto the deck. It was easy enough to get it inside, after that. But, now, the porch is enclosed. No way could I move a refrigerator or other heavy object up without that ramp.

Watching a very old western the other day, I was shocked when Buck Jones had a conversation with a bartender. When he voiced his noble intentions, the bartender said, "You're white." It's not really surprising, I guess. When I was very young, some of the paperback westerns I read voiced the same attitudes. Some used the same expression. A few cowboys who notched their guns did so only for a white kill - no Mexicans. I glibly read on, back then, but, now, I had to change the channel.

Finished out the week and did fairly well. Back to the regular routine, next week.

Having a hard time finding a publisher that will consider my semi autobiographical fiction. I fear it will get lost in the shuffle, if I self publish. The presentation could be too bizarre to be accepted, anyway. I sent a copy to a friend I have had since the mid 60s, over a week ago, and he has not gotten in touch with me since.

My newest effort is a lightweight fiction, expected to be a little over two hundred pages.

The neighborhood association put up a notice at the mail boxes, a few weeks ago. It pondered the state of our streets and other improvements, when virtually no one is paying their dues. Residents put up their own notes, disrespecting the association. One note revealed that there is no legally recognized association for our neighborhood. Meaning, the original owner of the development likely formed it on his own, without doing the formal work. So, they appear to have no grounds to be collecting dues. I have never missed a payment, in 18 years and I don't know where my money goes. The only activity I see, they mow by the entrance and pick up trash there. But, my consternation lies not with the association, but with the ones who refuse to pay up. There has to be street repairs, and soon. We have so many potholes its hard to get down the street without dropping in a succession of them every few feet. Who do these people think will pay for this, if not them?

Picture worth/speaks a thousand words. Old Asian proverb.

I mixed a couple of gallons yesterday and , despite the chance for rain, tried it. Before a shower came and washed it away, it killed some growths of poison ivy. Now all I have to do is apply the rest of it on a dry, hot, day and I expect that I will be very satisfied.

Odd, that weed killer. Some of the plants I drenched with it promptly lay down and died. Some are only slightly affected and many don't seem fazed at all. Hopefully, results are just slow, on these last.

I awakened from a light sleep, last night, thinking a sound I was hearing to be thunder, initially. As the noise rounded off and quickly ended, I decided I had listened to an explosion. I thought of propane. I got up and peered through some windows, even turned off the porch light, so I could step out in my boxers, and look for any activity on the street. Nothing. I considered, as I went back to bed, that it might have involved a falling tree. I will ask around, later in the day.

I had some work done on my truck the other day. The mechanic did a wonderful job, but his assistant told me the battery would no longer stay charged. I didn't want them to supply the new battery, for economic reasons, so I got a jump and drove away. Found a new battery. When I began the removal of the old battery, I discovered that the whole problem was based in the fact that somebody at the repair shop did not tighten the connections. The battery felt hot enough to explode, so, I replaced it anyway.