IT"S OVER......TILL NEXT YEAR !

Christmas morning here on the ridge dawned bright and clear, but the temps were just above freezing.
I was glad to see that it was clear, so that the kids that got new bikes, and outdoor whutzits could enjoy them.

I was raised in S.W. Michigan, the land of lake effect snow. I can recall that one year I wanted a new sled for Christmas. My old one was a hand me down, and the nails on the seat would rip the seat of your pants pretty good. Well, I got one, but that was the only year I can remember, that we did not have snow and what was there, was patchy. The paint on the runners, until it was worn off, slowed the sled down to a snails pace. Sliding on the patches was not bad until you hit the dirt, then every thing came to an abrupt stop, including yourself!

A few weeks ago, I was explaining to my Tennessee grand kids, what I did in the winter time in Michigan when I was a kid. I mentioned that a toboggan, on a long hill was a great ride. They both looked at me like I was nuts! Quickly, I realized that a toboggan, here in Tennessee is a wool, pull over cap! I also told them about walking a mile through the snow to go to school, but I could see the B.S. alarm was about to go off, so we changed the subject!

Sometime between now and the first of the year, we have to pack up what Christmas stuff we put out, and get it back out to the plunder house. Thank goodness, we did not go over the edge like several of the neighbors, boy have they got a job ahead of them!

This morning we had to go to Wally*World for a few items. The place really looked picked over.
There were people snatching up wrapping paper by the basket full. I was thinking that they are pretty optimistic, that next year they will have something to wrap, with the economy and job situation going down hill the way it is. Who knows what surprises lie in store for us?

Well, it's over. The best part was being with family. They are all well, and doing fine, what more could an old man ask for!

Windy on the Ridge.

Another Sunday has rolled around. Today is cold, overcast and windy. A good day for a hot cup of coffee and flying my recliner. The wife is nose deep in a good book, so she is happy. We have the TV on just background music, must of which sounds like some poor lonesome American Indian, in the woods hoping to attract a squaw with is dole full music. The bills are paid and the pantry is full. It just doesn't get any better than this. (At the moment!)

I sure am having a hard time getting into the Christmas spending spirit this year. Since we elected not to put up our Christmas tree this year. I was feeling a little like Scrooge, so we bought a small table top pre-lit
tree at Wally*World. The rest of the house is decorated with the wife's collection of snow men, so it kinda looks like Christmas around here, but for some reason, I'm just not into it. Maybe, the older we get, Holidays are not as exciting as they used to be when the kids were small.

The past week has been full of more dental appointments, and more to come. I also wedged in a trip to the lab for blood work to be completed for next weeks doctor appointment. I ate like a hog over Thanksgiving, so the A1-c, and blood sugar levels will be high I know. This leads to a lecture from both doctor and wife.
More "Shame on me's" coming for sure!

Yesterday, we received our notice of the increase in our S.S. benefits, boy, just don't know how I am going to manage that 1.5% increase. What a wind fall! Now I can buy TWO cans of spam. I guess I should not complain too much as there are a lot of families struggling right now. Some I truly have compassion for, others, not so much.

Last week was gun cleaning time. The Ruger LCP, that I carry in my jeans pocket had a lint plug in it. I'm glad I didn't need it, for the lint plug could have created a problem. I need to keep an eye on it.
In the summer, I use a belt holster for that gun as I can wear my shirts on the outside. The rest of the arsenal
looked good. I still have not fired any of the bear loads through the 870 Wingmaster. I'm pretty sure they will destroy a door if need be.

If the weather we have had of late, is a prelude to the rest of winter, boy, it's gonna be a humdinger!
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Stay Out of the Kitchen !

Turkey day is tomorrow, so the kitchen is "Off Limits" for now. The house smells of pumpkin pies in the oven, and other treats for the over indulgence that will occur around 3:00 PM tomorrow.
We will pack it all up and go to my son's home, as he has a larger home than we do, and with all of his wife's family and ours we will need it.

I'm still nursing a sore jaw, the result of having a molar extracted earlier this week. The tooth had been filled once, and two crowns put on it over the years. I think that one tooth alone payed several car notes, and a house note for the dentist. The crown had decay up under it, and the only way came to light was a tooth ache from Hell! Nothing left to do but extract it. This was my first experience of being put to sleep while the deed was done. It's the only way to go, let me tell you!

Like many of you, we had a little dusting of snow earlier in the week. You would have thought a blizzard was coming! The salt trucks here on the ridge went into full frenzy and spread the stuff every where. The snow on the ground lasted about four hours! If we had several inches on the ground, I'm sure the salt trucks would
have all been at the Warful House, drinking coffee! Good 'ol boys, fer sure!!
The next day we had to go Wally*World for a few provisions, and found the folks had panicked and picked the grocery part cleaner than a hounds tooth. I think these "Preppers" just might have something about storing up a few food items for an emergency.

I have noticed food collection box's everywhere. I hope the food will go to people who really need it,
rather than the "Welfare Queens" who know how to use the system, and deprive a family of a decent meal due to their greed. Well, 'nuff said, I suppose.

And We Didn't Even Get Kissed !

A few nights ago, I was catching the national news on the TV.

They slid by the Social Security increase for this year so quickly, that I'm sure a lot of retired folks missed it.
I was bowled over by the 1.5% increase they said was coming. Now I have to try to figure out what I'm going to do with all that extra money!

The CPI figures the government uses,  is just another tool to screw old folks out of a reasonable increase of a few more dollars. We all know how groceries, property taxes and just about everything else has increased in price, and it's sure more than 1.5%.

It's pretty evident that the powers that be, would like to put all of us retired folks on an ice berg, and float us out to sea on a warm day! Their next big step coming in the revamp of Social Security! Boy, I can hardly wait to see what the dumocrats come up with. You can bet it won't be good, just more cuts and restrictions on people who can least afford it.

Generally, I don't blog about the government, at least not openly. Not much you can do until election time, just suck it up, tighten the belt and go on. But 1.5% is absurd, and a real kick in the pants to us old geezers!

Another Sunday Morning.

Another Sunday morning has rolled around, and after a busy week, I'm glad for it.

The house is quiet, no TV blaring, or some lawn mower off in the distance making a steady hum.

I like to use this time for just reflecting. To look back down the road that has brought me to this point.

The food stamp SNAFU, of the past few days reminded of an encounter I had when we were living in a small mill town in North Carolina. We had been transferred there and were very fond of the folks that we had come to know.

Coming home from work, the wife had asked me to stop at the town grocery store for a few items that she needed for supper. After filling the list, I headed for the check out counter. I could see there was only one elderly lady in front of me, and she had all of her items on the counter ready to be checked out.

They were quickly bagged, and she pulled out her food stamp booklet to pay for them. After that transaction was done, she placed five small metal cans of Tuberose snuff on the counter, and got out her change purse to pay for them. Out of curiosity, I asked her if that was her favorite brand?

She turned and smiled at me, "Mistah, one little dip of Tuberose, will take away all the problems in your world."

Later, I got to thinking about what she had said. For her it seemed to do the job! I remember as a teenager I tried a "dip," and could not stop shaking for the rest of the day. It sure made more problems in my world that day!!

A Brand New PC !

I must be the PC destroyer! The daughters old Dell that I had been using, bit the dust just like my old HP did a few weeks before. They were both old, and I am sure they were loaded to the max with old files. Anyway, yesterday I dug up a few jars out of the back yard and went and bought a brand new PC. This one has a seventeen inch screen, and plenty of speed and storage for what I need.
I am putting up with Windows 8, new tricks to learn, but not as bad as I had envisioned, so, once again I'm flying high on the net!

This past month has been wild around here. Started out with a quick trip to Michigan to visit the wife's brother and his wife. We drove the trip up at night, with very little traffic, but coming back in the daytime, it seemed like I-65 was a parking lot. Construction all the way back to the home place here on the ridge. It was a safe trip, despite one scare with a trucker who lane drifted on us.

I have been losing my hearing in my right ear for sometime now, finally figured I needed to see the EENT doctor to see what's up. After all the tests, seems the parts are just wearing out, and a hearing aid in the immediate future should help. What that boils down to is, I will have dig up a few more jars out of the yard to pay for one. Until then, it's "Huh, wha'd ya say?"  Just more of the joys of old age! 

We enjoyed having dinner with Dapper Dan, (The Cumberland Post-blog) and his lovely wife Joyce.
It had been a while since we both managed to get our schedules together. It was a great evening, good conversation, and the meal was fine as well. Can't beat good friendships!

The leaves here on the ridge are still green, our peak for Fall colors here is around mid November, so we still have a little more time to go yet, more grass to cut, and weeds to pull until a good frost will slow things down.

I enjoy spending time with my son. He is a Luthier, in other words, he builds and repairs acoustic guitars. He got a lot of excellent training from former Gibson guitar people, and what he can do with those skills baffles me. The contacts he has with many of the country music folks in Nashville keep him busy. A few weeks ago, I was in his shop and there was a guitar in for repair that caught my attention that had several bad cracks in it. Earlier this week I saw that same guitar, and you could not tell where the cracks had been. He amazes his old dad to say the least!

That should about catch me up with life here on the ridge. The rest is just day to day things that most of us deal with.

I think this new computer is going to do alright.

 

What's Next?

Well, for starters, the HP laptop I have been using for years finally decided to kick the bucket. I could see it coming, but managed to squeeze every thing I could out of it before it just up and died. I could smell something burning just before it fizzled out, so it must have cooked it's own brain!

Now, I have my daughters Dell laptop she no longer needed, and it is doing just fine. It did take me a while to reload the blogs that I normally follow, but other than that, the transition has gone well.

Just when you think every thing could not be going better, the water heater also felt the need to start leaking. This past week I have felt a little "Snake bit," with things going out, but, hey, that's what keeps life interesting.

I am so ready for Fall to get here. It was 92 degrees (again) today here on the ridge. The weather is supposed to remain somewhere around that figure for the rest of the week. Come on cool air!

Say It Ain't So !

I normally do not tell a story on the wife, as I would not want to embarrass her, but we have both laughed many times over this one, so I know she won't mind.

A few weeks back she had a doctor's appointment with a specialist to try to pinpoint a circulation problem she is having. It was an early morning appointment at one of the major teaching hospitals in downtown Nashville. So we set the alarm clock, which we had to locate, since we rarely use it,  retired, don't you know, and set it for 6:00 A.M.

We were running a few minutes behind, threw on our "city clothes," and prepared to drive down off of the ridge in hopes the traffic would not be too bad. We made it with about ten minutes to spare.

There we are sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor and his intern, and she looks down and discovers that her shoes do not match. Same color and basic style, but no match! The doctor's come in, and she is doing her best to hide her feet.  I'm pretty sure they saw the difference, and figured it was a "geezer" thing and tactfully made no mention of it, and having better sense, I sure wasn't going to mention it!

After we finished up at the hospital, we were starving, so we headed for a Cracker Barrel for a little breakfast, she, still hoping no one would notice her two odd shoes.
After we order, I look across the table and on her blouse is a long plastic tape with the size on it, about three quarters down the front. A new blouse no doubt that she hadn't inspected yet. Now, I know we are both getting on in years, but old age can certainly humble you, with what it has in store.

Her explanation was that she had reached into the closet where she keeps her shoes, with out turning the light on and grabbed a pair of shoes. Same for the dresser for the blouse. We both had a good laugh thinking that the doctor's figured that we were just good country folks from up on the ridge, and old one's to boot!

She has another appointment coming up, and both of us agree that a full dress inspection is in order before we leave the house!
Oh, the joy's of getting older!

 

A Short Stroll

Our little village here on the ridge has a Greenway that circles the entire town.
The city fathers had this built some years ago and did a fantastic job. The pathway is twelve foot wide, black top and follows a creek through the woods for most of the seven miles of it.
I just noticed that I used the word "creek." Here in our part the south, there are no brooks, or streams, as they are called in other parts of the U.S. I have lived in.
Everything is a creek!
Anyway, yesterday was one of those days that is rare for late July, cool with just a touch of a breeze. So we headed for the Greenway for a little walk. One of the access points is just a short way from the house, so off we go.
The day was so nice, that we had strolled well over a mile and a half before we knew it.
Generally, we are good for about a half of a mile total. The rest of the story, is that we had to walk back! Now, for an old geezer and gezzerette, the stroll turned into a three mile endurance contest to get back to the access point. The old axiom, "With age, comes wisdom" certainly eluded us yesterday.
This fall, when the weather cools, I'm sure we will try the Greenway again, but with a back pack, plenty of water, and a few snacks. Lesson learned!

 

Flying With Red

When you get up in years, it seems you have a lot of time to reflect on the past. Things just jump out in what memory you have left. Sometimes happy, sometimes not so much.
The house is quiet, no TV blaring, and that's a good time to sit and just think.
So, hang on, and I'll share a little of my past.
When I was sixteen, I spent the entire summer with my grandmother in a small Mississippi river town. Next door to her lived a fellow named "Red."
Now Red made his living crop dusting, and in the winter went to Florida to do the same. I have always been crazy about planes and flying, so Red was a hero to me.
I had been badgering him pretty badly about taking me flying, I guess he finally got tired of it and caved in! I met him the next day at a small dirt strip he had on the edge of the Delta. He had two old Stearman planes, one rigged for dusting, and the other
somewhat dolled up in a red coat of paint.
Man, I was ready to go, didn't sleep much the night before in anticipation of the next day.
I put on the old cloth helmet he gave me, with goggles no less. clawed my way up to the front cockpit, and was told no matter what, not to touch the control stick or rudder pedals, and to pull the seat belt as tight as I could get it. The real excitement began when he started up the old Pratt and Whitney round engine! In a cloud of dust on that hot summer day, we lifted off. It was a ride I will never forget! I think Red put that Stearman through every maneuver he knew. Snap rolls, stalls, inverted flight, you name it. I couldn't get enough! Finally we headed back for his dirt strip. I couldn't thank Red enough for the ride.
Years later, flying the old Cessna 172 I used to rent, I thought about those maneuvers that Red did, but knew the wings would probably fold, if I tried some of the stuff he did on that day.
About four years after that ride with Red, he was killed dusting a field. They said he hooked a wire, and the whole plane turned into a fireball. Sad day, he was a good person.
Some of the happiest days of my life were spent in the cockpit. Great memories and plenty of stories to remember. The old saying among pilots still rings true.
"There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots."

Lucky Find !

I've been needing some more .*** ammo, as I had used some of it up a while back.
So, the search was on. I knew none of the big box stores had anything other than shotgun shells, and that the sports stores didn't have even that. I had heard that one gun store in our area, might have a few bits and pieces, and upon arrival, that's what they had...junk ammo!
Monday, the wife and I passed through a small village, and wouldn't you know it, a gun shop at the edge of the town! I wheeled the Pilot into the tiny lot, and like a kid at Christmas, could not wait to see if he had any ammo at all! When I opened the door to the place, there was an entire wall of cartridge box's, mostly pistol calibers and combinations.
Come to find out, folks in his area of the mountains don't shoot pistols very much, so he had a fair amount of stock, including my .*** personal defence ammo.
But, very few rifle calibers..... and shot gun  shells...forget about it!
Maybe I can work out a deal with him on an excess of **-** shells I have. So if you are having a problem getting the ammo you want, try the out of the way places.
I felt pretty happy driving home with the .*** ammo, that I had just about given up on finding, here in Middle Tennessee anyway.
 

What The.........

I'm about half afraid to post anything! If indeed "they" are watching us, why give them something that will put you on the list.

Sooo, I guess I will just stick to mundane post's, you know, the weather, and how fast the lawn is growing, that sort of thing.

I quite honestly never thought I would see a time in America when you had to guard your opinion of current news events, but, I believe that day has come, whether it be on the net or even on the telephone!

All of this makes me ask the question....What the Hell is happening to our great country, and WHY are we letting it happen?

'Nuff said.

Here On The Ridge

Looks like our winter snowstorm LOL, has finally blown to the east. We received about an inch and a half of the white stuff here on the ridge, the salt and brine trucks went into high gear spreading enough salt to rust out a battleship! I had to run to the hardware store to get a new light switch, and now my old Ranger truck which is black, has gray sides. We have so may hills and hollers here on the ridge, I guess the salt is needed. Maybe I can wash it in a week or so when the weather gets up around 60 degrees.

A few weeks back we had so much wind that it blew down 25 foot of my wood fence.
The posts have been set for the new fence, but the cold and snow halted any further work on it. Then the garage door opener motor gave up the ghost. It only took two times to manually open it in the rain to send me down to the flatland Lowe's for a replacement. The new one fit right up, but replacing it in below freezing temps was a challenge. My son lives not far from us and his help was most appreciated, especially for an old geezer like myself. Always something it seems like, but hay, that's just life.

Last month, we did manage to load the Pilot, and head for Longboat Key in Florida.
What a welcome break it was. 85 degree days and soft warm breezes. I somehow forget to pack some walking shorts, so a trip to Wal*Mart was the first order of business. I could sure use some of that warm weather right about now! We also celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary while down there. Seems like only yesterday we were both in college, and I was bird dogging who would become my wife and best friend.

This morning we woke up to what sounded like someone running a lawn mower. No way I thought, so curiosity got the best of me, I looked outside and saw two kids from down the road on a go-cart. They were hitting the icy patches in the road and making circles. Looked like great fun, but it was 32 degrees, and I'm sure their face were frozen in a big grin.

Come on Spring!!!!



 

Simple Truth

It's not about guns, it's the culture!

Think about it.