Resolution

Okay, here it is, "resolution time." Exactly why we are supposed to make New Year resolutions I don’t know. I guess it’s fun to make them and break them.

On my serious side, let me offer you one that you can do. You only have to do it one time and the only time line is before the end of 2013. Simply resolve to do something nice for someone you don’t know and that can’t pay you back. Pay it forward. Will it make the world a better place? Maybe not, but it will for the person that receives.

As for the rest of the year, remember, "give without remembering and receive without forgetting."

Happy New Year.

PMO
©2013

Lou Got The Flu

Roger Miller had a song many years ago about Lou got the flu and he died. Well, I’ve got the flu and I think I’m dying. Sure, I did the manly thing and tried to ignore it and do my home remedies for two weeks, but I finally gave in and tried to get into a doc in the box. That’s one of those corner medical places that you go when you don’t have a doctor to call.

My financial controller drove me to said medical facility. She didn’t want me dying and wrecking the car. We arrived at the site and found there were no parking spaces - there had to be over 100 cars. I’m talking cars parked in fire lanes. Estimated waiting time to see a doctor - four to five days.

So, I will try another location tomorrow. It is closer but was not open when I finally gave up and agreed I need medical attention. When I agree to go to a doctor, it is serious business.

The last time I felt this bad, I died.

PMO
©2012

Will Got It Right

Will Rogers said, "we’re all ignorant, just in different subjects." As I watch and listen to reports about our elected officials, I wonder if they are ignorant in all subjects. From financial planning to gun laws, these people don’t seem to have a clue. I’m not the brightest star in the sky, but I do have enough sense to keep my mouth shut when I don’t know anything about a subject.

Even I know you can’t spend more money than you make for very long. Credit only works when you have the means to repay the loan. Yes, it is that simple.

Guns are no more than a tool. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. We’ve all heard that before. If you take away guns, killers will use what ever weapon available to kill. You can kill someone with a #2 pencil. Taking away guns only makes would be victims more defenseless.

Ol’ Will also said he didn’t tell jokes, he just watched Congress and reported on what they do.

They’re not funny anymore.

PMO
©2012

Ice Trucking

I have been caught in a few snow storms in my life, and the one on Christmas Day was a good one. We had traveled into far North Texas where blizzard conditions prevailed for awhile. My best guess is that we got four to six inches in just a few hours. There was at least a foot of snow on top of my pickup truck. Maybe two.

I said all that to say this, "if you don’t know how to drive on snow and ice, stay home!" The next day we had to drive back to East Texas with all the crazies on the road. We didn’t go far until we came upon a woman driving well below the flow of traffic - about 40 miles per hour, and staying in the ruts. She forced everyone, including me, to eventually have to change lanes which is not a good thing on snow and ice. As we got next to her, I want to tell her she was number one, but I was not allow to do that. The woman was driving while she talked on her cell phone - on icy bridges.

Many years ago, I was driving under similar conditions trying to inch my way to the top of a hill when a man came flying around me at about 60 mph. When I made it to the top of the hill, I saw his car sitting in the middle of a plowed field. He had gone through a fence, spun around numerous times and finally stopped in the field. There were a number of people in the car with him and from what I could see they weren’t complementing him on his intelligence. I crept on by at 40 mph, honked my horn and waved. I think he may still be in that field. Before you condemn me, there was a house within walking distance for him to go to and explain how he got into their field.

Here’s a tip. Slow down - way down - and don’t use breaks unless it is absolutely necessary. Maintain a constant speed and if you start to slide, let off the accelerator and turn into the skid. And, remember, ice is much worse than snow.

Or, you can just jump into the buggy, tromp down on the gas and see where you will wind up. I already know the answer.

By the time we got back to East Texas there was little to no snow on the ground so normal driving resumed. All the snow is stuck in the top of all the trees.

I’m inside my lean-to waiting for it to fall all at one time.

PMO
©2012

ID Required

According to the Paragould Daily Press, Mayor, Mike Gaskill and Police Chief Todd Stovall, of Paragould, Arkansas, have implemented an extreme solution to violence. They are using armed police to patrol the streets on foot. Stovall says that police will be in SWAT gear and have AR-15s around their necks. "If you’re out walking (in high crime areas), we’re going to stop you and ask why you’re out walking, check your ID," he said.

Should an individual not produce identification, Stovall said his officers will not back down. Individuals who do not produce identification when asked could be charged with obstructing a government operation, according to the newspaper report. Let me be sure I understand. You don’t have to have an ID to vote, but you do to walk on the streets of Paragould?

Looks like this small town in Greene County, Arkansas is gearing up alright. I'm just not sure what for. The article went on to state that someone just out walking their dog could be stopped and asked for ID.

It did not say if the dog has to have ID.

PMO
©2012

Beer In The Bale

The Drovers Cattle Network reports there is a cattle ranch outside Houston, Texas that is pairing beer with it’s hay supply. And, they are using an award winning brew from Saint Arnold Brewing Company. Not the cheap stuff.

Texas T Kobe ranch in Wallis, Texas adds the beer to the hay they feed to "improve digestion" on their Kobe beef herd. Kobe is the taste good meat with marbling. Ranch owner Gene Terry says the cattle prefer the hay with beer mixed in over the regular hay, according to the report. Well, I can see why.  Talk about your contented cows.

I wonder if that would work with shredded wheat cereal. It looks like hay, taste like hay and comes in small bales, and people eat it to help digestion.

Just asking.

PMO
©2012

The Morning After

Get ready.  Get set. GO!  Start shopping the after Christmas sales.  You may want to pick up all the wrapping paper first from the boxes you opened on Christmas.  Or not.

I for one will not be making the after Christmas sales.  It is now a three hour drive to the in-laws for the usual dinner.  Then we have to stay over for even more fun.  And, since it snowed over four inches at their dug-out, we get to drive back on icy roads with all those idiots on the way to the sales.

Since we are a nation of "bans", let's ban after Christmas sales and icy roads.  Come to think of it, why not ban trips to the in-laws too, as an extra touch.  Just think of how much fuel we would save, not to mention the wear and tear on grumpy old men as they try to survive on the road and be nice to the in-laws all in one day.

If this sounds like I'm just complaining and being grumpy.  Your are right.

I'm entitled after fifty years.

PMO
©2012

Merry Christmas

It’s not a holiday tree, it’s a Christmas tree. Those aren’t holiday presents, they are Christmas presents. You don’t get off work because it’s a holiday, you get off work because it’s Christmas, a Holy Day.

According to Webster, the number one definition of holiday is an observance or celebration of a religious event. That would be Christmas or Easter to the Christian believers. Yet, for centuries there have been those that protest the celebration. That just doesn’t make sense to me. Why would you protest a day off, even if you don’t believe. Best to keep your mouth shut and hope somebody gives your dumb butt a present.

Meanwhile, we that know the truth will continue to celebrate and wait for the promise that comes with Easter.

Merry Christmas. Peace on earth to all.

PMO
©2012

Harrold

In west Texas, at the intersection of US Highway 287 and State Highway 240 in Wilbarger county sits the tiny town of Harrold. "So what?", you may ask. Well, I am going to tell you. In 2007, the school district voted to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons to protect the students against potential shooters.

According to a report from CBS Channel 11 in Dallas/Forth Worth, the school district’s methods are getting a lot of attention. Superintendent David Thweat is quoted as saying, "the district’s ‘Guardian Plan’ is a way of taking charge in the chaos of a potential shooting. Teachers are the true first responders. We need to be here to protect our children. Not four, five or six minutes from now."

Thweat went on to say in an interview with Fox News that he is not sure the plan would have stopped the Newtown massacre, but he contends, "active shooters go where there is no one there to resist."

The teachers must receive special training along with the gun license training and are only allowed to use ammunition that doesn’t ricochet.

Is this the answer to prevent future tragedies such as the one in Connecticut? I don’t know and neither do you. I am convinced that if it were possible, which it is not, to collect every single gun and every bullet in this country, it wouldn’t be a week before another shooting would occur. Killers love unarmed victims.

Watch and see all the reaction as politicians scramble to enhance their power. You are going to see things like in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Put a tax on ammunition.

I don’t know which is dumber. The politicians or the people that allow them to rule.

Maybe we need to elect people like Mr. Thweat.

PMO
©2012

Nothing Happened

Looks like the end of the world didn’t happen. At least not in East Texas. Or, maybe it did and nobody noticed, or cares. And, nothing has changed. We have the same crazies trying to convince others that guns and God are bad and government control is good. If they, being the real crazies, are allowed to continue to counter common sense and simple logic, the end can’t be far. So, don’t give up on the end of the world yet.

At least the electricity is back on at my house. It went off about 4:00 a.m. on the 21^st and didn’t reconnect for about 20 hours.  That's a long time without radio and TV.

It was very nice.

PMO
©2012

The End

If the Mayan calendar is correct, the world will end on December 21^st. I have not heard what time. And, if I knew the time, I probably wouldn’t know what time zone was used. Did they have time zones back then?

No matter, this blog will not be posted on the 21^st. That means I will not be near a computer and if the world does end, the computer may not work anyway.

For many centuries, there have been predictions about when the world will end. Obviously it hasn’t happened yet. However, I suspect that people will keep trying and sooner or later, somebody has got to get it right or at least close. The question then will be, "the prediction came true - now what do we do?

I don’t think the Mayans took into consideration there are parts of east Texas that are said to run twenty to forty years behind, so we may be spared over here.

If that’s true, I’ll post a new writing on the 22^nd.

PMO
©2012

Bad Boy

I must be a really bad boy because of all the things that have happened to me recently. Since moving to east Texas, nothing good has happened. I don’t know if God is mad at me or if He doesn’t get out this far to protect me.

The moving company that moved our stuff is not playing nice. They damaged some items and don’t want to repair them or pay a fair price for me to get them repaired. They are sneaky and tried to cover up some of the damage with a black marker. It really didn’t hide much on a light oak stereo cabinet. And, the grand dogs are going to be unhappy because they destroyed the dog house. Looks like small claims court is in my future. The stupid part is that it would be a lot cheaper for them to just repair the items damaged.

Then, there’s the trash pick up. We’ve been here about three weeks and have had no problems. They have carried away moving boxes and the usual stuff. Today, they carried off our garbage container - a rather large vinyl type with wheels and a lock down lid. I called the company and told them about their collector taking the container.

They asked, "why would he do that?"

Dang if I know.

PMO
©2012

The Whole Tooth

After much calling and complaining I finally got into see an oral surgeon with my broken tooth. I had a 9:00 a.m. appointment, which means nothing. To cut to the chase, a 30 minute procedure took about four hours.

When I did finally get into the chair, the room temperature was a very comfortable minus ten degrees. Then there was the part where the doctor used a jack hammer to get the tooth out. I had a headache when I went in, but I had shell shock when I came out.

Next came the list of don’ts. It has been many years since I had a tooth removed. I discovered they don’t want you to do anything for at least six weeks - like eat, drink, breathe. You get the picture. It sounds gross, but you are not allowed to blow your nose. And, if you have to sneeze, you are not allowed to block the sneeze. This is particularly upsetting to people within 50 feet. And, remember, you are not allowed to blow your nose - get the picture?

They did give me some stuff to swish around in my mouth which has directions not to swallow. I need to mention that you are not allowed to have any alcohol when a tooth is extracted. However, the label on the mouth swish stuff says it is eleven percent alcohol. That’s 22 proof in layman’s terms. It works a lot better if you swish often and swallow.

I have to go back. They didn’t give me the tooth to put under my pillow. Hey, a quarter is a quarter.

Especially at the prices they charge.

PMO
©2012

Talking Heads

Just turn on your TV and you will have all the answers you need about the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. BAN GUNS. There are even some tweets that demand that the president to of the NRA be killed and all the members. No one remembers that those NRA members have guns and don’t want to be killed.

It is to be expected that another tragedy would prompt the same old argument that guns are the culprit and should be banned. Truth is that if someone wants to kill another human, there is always a weapon to get the job done. Another truth is that the guns to murder innocent children were stolen from the mother of the perpetrator, whom he killed too.

Guns have long been the target of those illusional people that think they can make the world a perfectly safe place. Truth is, the world is a dangerous place with evil people that will kill for no reason.

There are million of gun owners in this country that don’t kill people everyday. Facts are, that those gun owners prevent more rampage with their sheer presence. Even the insane know that if you attack someone with a gun, you just may not get out alive. Take the case of the killing spree in Waco when an officer in the U.S. Army killed soldiers in an area where he knew they would be unarmed. He didn’t jump in and start shooting at the rifle range.

Yes, I am a gun owner. I have been for years. I shoot for sport. It is a challenge to try to hit targets with any accuracy and consistency. And, yes, for the record, if you break into my house and try to harm me or my family, you will likely get shot.

All the countries that have banned guns have seen the use of guns in crimes go up, not down. Think about it. If you have a gun illegally and know that the majority of others do not have one, it really makes your intent easier.

There is a reason for the 2^nd Amendment. There is a need for people to protect themselves from criminals and government.

I am not likely to change any views about guns because you can’t change emotional actions and irrational thinking. I do find it interesting that those that yell the loudest - celebrities - have armed security.

Can you say hypocrites?

PMO
©2012

Shady Hook

The epitome of evil or insanity occurred Friday at Shady Hook Elementary school in Shady Hook, Connecticut. Adam Lanza, 20, entered the school with two pistols and killed 20 children and seven adults including himself.

What kind of person would do something like this? Why would he do this? Why did innocent people die, especially little children? How can something like this happen in America?

There are no answers. Only more questions.

Would one be correct in concluding Lanza was insane? Or, would one be right saying he was evil? Yes, would be the answer, but why will never be answered.

I know that there is evil in this world. We see it everyday. But, I do not have the capacity to understand an event such as this. I doubt that anyone does.

In the coming days, the families will deal with unimaginable shock and grief. The country as a whole will seek answers and try to come up with a plan to prevent future occurrences.

You don’t want to hear this, but reality is there is nothing that can be done that will totally eliminate the insanity and evil of human kind. The best we can hope for is to be prepared to fight back and stand strong. Unfortunately, people have short memories and commitment quickly wanes, until the next time.

Don’t go with the media and try to find a blame. It was not the guns, nor the school security, or anything else. It was just pure evil played out by someone truly insane. That will always be the case in events such as this.

Pray for the families. There is power in prayer.

If you don’t pray or believe, keep your mouth shut and let those of that do, morn in our way.

PMO
©2012

Spoiled Redneck

Okay, I admit it. I’m a spoiled redneck. After living in the big city for so many years, I grew accustomed to being able to get what I needed and wanted without too much hassle. As a result, I thought that people everywhere were geared to getting things done within a reasonable amount of time. Not so in our new found land.

I had mentioned earlier that I had broken a tooth on a Sunday night - eating a pizza. I was able to get into see a dentist on Monday morning, but he could not help. So, he referred me to an oral surgeon for Thursday. That’s four days with a really bad tooth. Being the crazy person I am, I called Wednesday afternoon to confirm the appointment with the surgeon. Guess what? They had me down for the following week.

The internet provider technician that was supposed to be at my house on Wednesday showed up on Thursday. And, he was in no hurry to get my problem fixed.

The culture here is, "if you wanted it today, you should have told us two weeks ago." Let me tell you that the people I’ve meet here are really nice. They are friendly and helpful. But, they are not in a hurry - no matter what. Just imagine having a heart attack and being told you will have to wait until when? I really don’t want to think about it.

In the city, I could get up at 4:45 a.m. and be at the office by 6:00 after a 20 minute drive. Now I find myself getting up early but not getting anything done until after 8:00. Sometime, I’m barely finishing my coffee by nine.

It’s contagious.

PMO
©2012

To The Point

With all the problems I’ve had with the internet provider, it is amazing that I get any information at all. The service has been mostly off for the past week and I’ve been on the phone for hours.

However, today an email got through from my brother-in-law. It’s not often he sends anything worthwhile, but he did today. An excerpt pretty well sums up everything.

"If you can’t fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem."

What else can I say?

PMO
©2012

Women 100+

According to a story from Reuters and posted on Yahoo News, women are more likely to live past 100 than men. Just 2 out of 10 Americans that live past the century mark are males.

The data was collected during the 2010 census and included information about those that make it past 100 are more likely to be white city-dwellers in the Northeast and Midwest. I don’t know if that’s a good thing. From my perspective, living in a big city is not living.

Now, so far as women living longer than men. This has been the case forever. I don’t know if Adam died before Eve, but I suspect he did.

Women living longer than men is not news. I knew that and I know why men die first.

They want to.

PMO
©2012

Happy Day Continued

My financial controller is in charge of pizza. And, I understand that a really good pizza in our new land is hard to find. So, she has tried a few places including a home delivery. All I can say is it must have been one tough crust. I had taken only a couple of bites when I fractured a tooth.

Of course, I had to wait until the next day to find a dentist in a town I know nothing about yet. I located one that could get me in and ran down for an early appointment. He did an exam and told me that I would have to have a crown. With some doubt, I agreed to come back in the afternoon.

At the appointed time, I showed up to get a crown on my broken tooth. About one second into the drilling for the crown, I discovered the anesthetic wasn’t working. After they scraped me off the ceiling, the decision was made that the tooth was damaged more than they thought and it would have to be extracted. The dentist assured me that he would get me in with an oral surgeon immediately.

It will be three days before I can get the tooth pulled. He did give me a prescription for pain medication.  I think he did that for self protection.

Now his whole office knows what a "real" grumpy old man is like.

PMO
©2012

Oh Happy Day

Just when things can’t get any worse, they do. I have found a phone company worse than any experienced in my lifetime. Terrible is considered a compliment for their service - or lack thereof. The best internet speed is way below what was promised, but they make up for it by charging more than I was quoted. And, the internet router died.

I called customer service many times and each time they recite from their little book to run all the test and resets. When I finally got them to understand that I know how to reset a router and had done it many times, the representative finally listened to me and said she would send another router. In five business days. After I explained to her in "grumpy old man" that five days was not acceptable, she said she would ship it next day. And, she was not going to charge me for overnight shipping.

So I look forward to getting a router after being off line most of three or four days. If it shows up, I get to do all the set up.

Stay tuned. I also broke a tooth while eating a slice of pizza.

PMO
©2012

Things To Do

I have a things to do list that is getting longer and longer. Don’t think I haven’t tried to prioritize it. In fact, my number one thing to do is prioritize the list. But the problem is I don’t have time. Every time I begin to work on a project, another one becomes priority. My financial planner always has a higher priority over what ever I am doing.

As usual, I have a plan. Just sit back and wait until something falls, breaks, fails or causes a very loud noise. When it happens, I will at least take notice that this may be a priority. Until then, I will do what I do best.

Play computer games and wait.

PMO
©2012

Shopping

Let’s get something understood, I don’t shop - unless it’s in a gun or hardware store. I do however have to make the runs to grocery and super centers. At our old house, I had multiple choices to get the weekly spending done. In the new house, there are few choices and most of them are miles away. Therefore, I want to be sure that I get what has to be got.

There are problems with going to a new store, even though it is a chain. You’d think that they would put stuff in the same place in all their stores. Well, they kinda do, except they like to mix it up in the middle. I wandered around a super center today trying to get the things on the list. If it’s not on the list, I don’t need it. I must have walked up and down every aisle at least fifty times. And when I would get to the end of an aisle, they had changed the store layout every time.  You may think that I am exaggerating, but it’s true.

The one thing that seems to be a constant, no matter where I go, is the check out. As soon as I get in line, the line stops.

That’s not good for a grumpy old man’s nerves.

PMO
©2012

The Beat Goes On

Someone said, "there are those that make things happen, those that watch things happen and those that wonder, what happened." Unfortunately there are too many wondering what happened.

As I gaze out between the tall trees, I see the world hasn’t changed. It’s the same old story. We’re going off a fiscal cliff, the government has access to all your emails and texts, everything is or will soon be banned, taxes are going up and government is growing beyond any imagination and everyday we get more and more people signing up to be slaves to little potentates.

Moving has some therapeutic value because you don’t have time to keep up with all the things that are happening. As time allows, I do spot checks to be sure we are still on the path of destruction. Yep, we’re still making good time. The beat goes on.

Until we hit the wall.

PMO
©2012

Can't Stand The Truth

My friend, Dr. Wild Bill, the preacher, writes a blog. He presented an argument about truth and how churches and society are denying Biblical truths. I think I have heard this before.

The truth is that people don’t want to know the truth if it doesn’t match what they want to hear and believe. As a society, Americans have drifted so far from truths, they probably would not recognize one. As Dr. Bill states, churches want to keep people in their congregations. Especially young people. The problem is that the young have made up their own set of truths and they don’t match the Bible.

I am reminded of Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, - A Few Good Men - as he was questioned by young Lieutenant JG, Daniel Kaffee demanding he tell the truth in trial. Jessep shouts, "You can’t stand the truth."

That’s the truth.

PMO
©2012

When You're Ready

Scouting out the area of our new digs, I saw a huge sign, "Cremations $825." It made me wonder if one should feel really bad, if one should stop and lock in the price. You can never tell when they may go up.

In East Texas, people burn things. It’s a cultural thing. In the spring, I remember seeing fires every where. If you don’t have anything to burn, you get something from your neighbor. This takes me back to the cremations.

I do hope they don’t pile up the customers and wait for spring.

PMO
©2012

One Ringy Dingy

As we have established, grumpy old men do not like to be annoyed. And, there’s the new phone company we have. I try hard to understand that not all the services we had in the metroplex are available here. But, one would think that simple phone and internet service would be somewhat up to date. WRONG.

First, the provider does not deliver the internet speed they promise. We get about half. And, that’s when it’s on. You can never tell when it will be on or when it will just stop. Calling the customer service department is a waste of time. All you can get is recorded messages that they are aware of a problem and will correct it as soon as possible . Why didn’t they work out the problems before I got here?

The phone works, so far, but is not user friendly. For example, the phone voice mail takes a lot of button pushing to get any messages.

For some reason every time I use the phone I visualize Lily Tomlin.

One ringy dingy, two ringy dingies.

PMO
©2012

Just As I Expected

Okay, our stuff is now in East Texas. At least most of it is. The movers dumped everything here about a week ago - in the dark. And, I have been in the dark ever sense. I can’t find anything, but I do know that what ever I’m looking for will show up in a box sooner or later. Sooner, means I have to unpack faster, so I’m guessing later will be when I find most of the stuff I needed yesterday.

My evaluation of moving is that it’s like going through a tornado; you are in a different place, you don’t know where you are and you hope you find something useful.

I have noticed that during the past two weeks that the world has kept on turning at the same pace and nothing has changed. Dang it. I’d hoped that after being out of touch there would be something new.

As you might expect, for the next few missives will certainly highlight some of the adventures in our new land. After all, Texas is like a whole other country.

East Texas is a world of it’s own.

PMO
©2012