Bugs

One would think with all the rainfall we’ve had, all the bugs would have drowned by now. Not so. In East Texas there are bugs left over from the ice age. And, since the sun came out, all the bugs are out getting a tan or something. It is my job to spray the bugs so they will move somewhere else - like Florida.

Over the years I’ve used several types of insecticides, but now about the only one the government will allow is a fruit flavored diuretic, or some such concoction.

I happen to have a bottle of stuff that is not only supposed to kill the little pest, but make them suffer before they die. Not sure of how much to mix with water in a sprayer, I usually just use about ten ounces per gallon. I test it for potency by spraying a few spiders. When they fall instantly, the mix is right.

Maybe next time I will try the fruity diuretic.

PMO
©2015

Plan B

Living in East Texas has it’s challenges. But, lately, the weather has caused me to switch plans. With all the rainfall we’ve had, I am now shopping for a lawnmower with pontoons. Somebody has got to make one.

And, this week after working outside for a couple of hours, I told my financial controller, "The next time I work outside, remind me to take a bar of soap." "Why would you need a bar of soap?", she asked. To which I replied, "With the humidity here, when I finish the work, I can lather up, so when I come inside, all I have to do is rinse off."

You have to get up pretty early to out think me.

PMO
©2015

500 Questions

There was a short run TV program, this week, on ABC called 500 Questions. The idea of the game show was to have some genius answer 500 questions without missing three in a row. The contestants were supposedly those with high IQs and knowledgeable on a wide field of subjects. The few minutes I watched the show did demonstrate that there are some really smart people, but they don’t know everything. Again, I started to thinking.

What if we had a game show to elect the "geniuses" we send to Washington. They think they know everything and never have the wrong answer. It would be a simple show that contained questions about what is reality in America.

We might have to change the rules a bit. Like, finding someone that could get three questions answered correctly out of 500.

I’m betting that none of them could do that.

PMO
©2015

A Solution To World Problem

Those that know me know that I am super conservative in my political views. I think Rush Limbaugh is a wild-eyed liberal. Believe it or not, I have many liberal, "progressive," friends. One of which is a man I will call Mr. K. Mr. K is typical, he wants to give everyone’s money away, but not his own.

In a conversation this week, he came up with an excellent idea as we discussed all the troubles in the world. It is his opinion that ISIS wouldn’t always be mad and want to fight, if they just had air conditioning. That way, they could do as he does, sit inside where it’s nice and cool and watch TV. Of course he wants us to send them the units. I added, maybe we should send them toilet paper, too. He agreed, if we send the kind with aloe vera. That certainly would get them in a better mood.

Whoa!  A liberal may be right once in awhile.

PMO
©2015

Don't Ever Get Old

I’m not exactly sure how to live a long time without getting old, but surely someone is working on a pill to do just that. Of course, it will have to be Medicare approved. Getting old just has too many challenges to be much fun.

My in-laws have gotten old. They are in an assisted living center, but still require a lot of attention, especially trying to fix what ever they have done on any given day. They have the cable company out more than often to work on the TV service, which is fine. Then there was the incident where my mother-in-law lost her old dentures when she got them replaced. The dentist had given them to her in a container so she would have them if she had any trouble with the new chewers. She blamed everyone but my ace number one daughter’s two dogs for them being lost. The dentures were found several days later in the underwear drawer of her check of drawers. Don’t bother asking how they got there.

Father-in-law lost his wallet last week. It contained a credit card, although I don’t understand why. The mystery was solved three days later when said wallet was found on a shelf under some newspapers. Are you starting to understand why getting old is challenging?

I, myself, am discovering that I forget a lot more than I used to. Or maybe, I never had a good memory to start with.

The only upside of getting old is that you don’t know that you don’t know.

PMO
©2015

Sales

In one of my previous lives, I made a living in commission sales. That means that if you don’t sell, you don’t get paid. I’ve sold cars, insurance, advertising, electronic resistors, and lumber. Strange as it seems, I enjoyed sales. When others would ask, "How can you stand to not have a regular income?", I would reply, "It’s easy, because I have sensitive hearing. When, my wife and daughter start to cry because we don’t have any money, I go sell something."

As mentioned before, I try to learn something from everyone I meet. No matter what you know, everybody knows something you don’t. Such was the case of one of my sales trainers. He gave me all the product knowledge, rates, and commission schedule. Then, he taught me that when you go through the work of identifying a prospect, setting up an appointment, driving to the appointment, knocking on the door and waiting for the person to answer, you need to remember the most important part of sales. When you get in front of a potential client, you must say something. It might as well make sense.

I wonder why so many sales people haven’t figured that out.

PMO
©2015

Who Would?

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those Americans that gave their lives in service to this country. Truth is, no U.S. soldier ever goes into battle wanting to die for his country. Yes, it does happen in other countries and cultures, but Americans value life, especially their own.

Soldiers are trained in devotion to duty, honor, integrity and a strong sense of right and wrong. They believe by their service, the nation is a better and safer place.

So, we are now left with the question, "If they knew how this country would turn out after they gave their all, would they still run toward the sound of battle."

Would you?

PMO
©2015

Remember

Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War with a desire to honor our dead. General John Logan in a general order, proclaimed May 30, 1868 as a day to decorate the graves of those fallen to defend the country. Originally called Decoration Day, it was changed to Memorial Day after World War I. It is now observed on the last Monday of the month of May.

Traditional observance of the day has diminished over the years. There used to be parades, decoration of graves at cemeteries, and people even wore artificial poppies to show respect for those that gave their lives, as described in a poem by Monia Michael - "We cherish too, the Poppy red, That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies, That blood of heroes never dies."

In 2004, Washington DC held it’s first Memorial Day parade in more than 60 years. I can barely remember seeing a Memorial Day parade as a boy.

Tradition for the flag is different for Memorial Day. It is to be raised quickly, at sunrise, and then lowered to half staff until noon. At noon, it is to be raised quickly again. This is to honor those that gave their lives and to resolve by the living not to let those lives be in vain.

The "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in December 2000 and asks that at 3 p.m. local time, all Americans, voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of Remembrance and respect, by observing a moment of silence from whatever they are doing, or by listening to Taps.

Between 1775 and 1991 there has been over a millions lives given in service to America. Today, brave young men and women are still making the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and liberty.

It’s not known where the phrase began, but these few words summarize why Memorial Day is so important: "All gave some, but some gave all."  It is right that they should be respected and remembered.

Freedom is not free. It never will be.

PMO
©2015

Happy Mattress Sale

Here it is again, national mattress sale weekend. The day we all pause to think about wether we want the pillow top or maybe the therapeutic gel type that keeps you cool. Yes, it is truly a day to remember all those nights we tossed and turned on a lumpy mattress. The agony of it still lingers in our minds.

Imagine just for a moment, what would it be like not to have this special time each year. So, while you are cooking out and drinking beer or just racing across the lake at insane speed, there is a mattress manufacturer worker that gave at least part of the work week to make this all possible.

Don’t forget to display a pillow case in tribute to this memorial event.

PMO
©2015

Roads

I’ve been observing again. That is what I do. This time, I have been noticing how many kinds of roads we have. There are interstate and state highways. And, there are pikes, loops, spurs, bypasses, toll roads, county roads, streets and private roads. Usually, all of these are designated by a prefix when identifying them. For example, I35, Texas 131 or CR 1111.

But, in East Texas, although they are not official roads, we have more. There’s DR for dirt roads. CT for cow trail or PT for pig trail. BR stands for back road.

If you see one that has the prefix, HNIWIG, pronounced hiney'-wig, it’s best not to take it, especially if you are in a hurry.

Have No Idea Where It Goes.

PMO
©2015

Minimum Skills Equal Minimum Pay

So burger flippers want $15 per hour. That’s $31,200 per year, based upon a 40 hour week. Exactly what kind of skills does it take to turn a ground meat patty? Let’s compare the skills to an active duty soldier. A private, E1, makes $18, 378. His/her skills are a lot more complex than taking an order for fries. When that private is promoted to E2 with two years on the job, the pay jumps to $20,602.80. After four years of service and promotions to sergeant, E5, the pay goes to $30,661.20. And, an officer, 2^nd lieutenant with 2 years, makes $34,862.40. The pay scales are based upon 2014 pay tables.

Our military place their lives on the line 24 hours per day without extra pay, learn skills that are essential to keeping America free and do it all because they take pride in what they do.

Yes, the military has benefits, but so do a lot of people that are "low income." And, remember, the burger turner goes home at the end of the shift. Far too many soldiers never go home.

The way the system works is that one must have skills to earn more money. If you have no skills then you have chosen to work for less pay.

And, half the time, your burger order is wrong.

PMO
©2015

Minimum Wage

The city council in Los Angeles have approved preliminary support of rasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. It is currently $9 per hour. Wouldn’t you like to have a 67% pay increase when you don’t have to do anything to earn it?

Currently the federal minimum wage is $7.25 and Obama is supporting raising it to $12. The business community has serious concerns and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why.

For example, take "Joe" who makes $10 per hour or $20,800 per year. At $15 per hour, he will get $31,200. Sounds great, but not so fast. Joe will move into a higher tax bracket and will end up paying taxes. And, he will no longer qualify for federal and state programs for the poor. In the end, Joe will lose ground. But, government gains twice.

The other working people that make more than minimum wage will have to have raises too. That’s called inflation. When the cost of labor goes up, the cost of materials goes up. It’s easy to see what’s going to happen to Joe’s increase. At $9 per hour, he could buy a burger and fries for less than an hours work. But, when his increase and everyone else’s raises, he just may not get that burger and fries for less than an hours work.

Government is great at giving the peon’s the illusion of helping them. For everything government gives, there are many more they take away. Like pride, dignity, and self worth.

Sadly, the trick works every time.

PMO
©2015

Regrets

According to the grumpy old man rules of life, rule # 48, "You will have regrets." Reality is that we all do things that we would take back if we could. The trick is to not do stupid things and certainly things that hurt the ones that love us the most. Personally it seems that having a choice to do right or wrong just gets me into trouble.

One would think after doing so many things to regret, we would learn.

PMO
©2015

At War Part 2

Earlier I had posted how we are a nation at war but, I left out the battle of the sexes. That war has now become more complicated. It used to be the battle between men and women. The women always won in that war. But, now, I am confused about who is at war with whom.

Today, we have male, female, transgender, female males, and male females with a mix of any which way at the moment.

How are going to keep score to see who wins?

PMO
©2015

One Generation

Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

A generation is 40 years. Therefore we are in a constant cycle of replacing the powers that govern us all. If one uses historical facts, and logical thinking, it would seem that freedom is on the way out. At best, we are in the beginning of the end.

And for those that say, "It will never happen here."

Tell that to all the great nations that fell before us.

PMO
©2015

Nation At War

We are a nation at war, and we have been for a long time. There’s the war on poverty. After trillions of dollars, we haven’t made any progress. The poor are just as poor as they have been since the beginning of time. At least now, they get free cell phones, which is more than I do.

There’s the war on pollution. Simply stated, we are going to do away with all pollution. Again, that doesn’t seem to be working out well. It has made some politicians very rich, and they in turn pollute more than they did, if that’s possible.

We have a war on racism. This is where some people take from the poor to make them poorer while keeping the peoples divided. The future of that war looks pretty bleak.

I keep hearing about a war on women. There isn’t a man in the world that would ever think they could win that war.

The war on nutrition is to mandate what you can eat and what you cannot. All you have to do is not eat anything that tastes good. Sounds like to win that war, you have to lose.

Perhaps it is time to declare a war on the people that have declared these and a lot more wars.

If we win that one, everybody wins.

PMO
©2015

Ragged Old Flag

Most of you probably don’t read the Herald from York, South Carolina, but there is a story there about a high school student being forced to remove the American flag from his pickup. Officials at York Comprehensive High school made the student remove the flag and put it in the bed of his vehicle.

York is a town of about 8,000 and as word spread, as it does in small towns, a lot of people got very upset. They protested by flying flags on their vehicles. And, the school backed down with a statement that it was a safety issue, but would allow flags if they did not obstruct the vision of drivers.

There are two important points in this story. First, the progressive mind set is everywhere, even in tiny York. The second and most important point is, that there are a large number of people in this country that still believe in the flag and what it stands for.

A number of years ago, country music artist, Johnny Cash wrote a song about a "Ragged Old Flag." These are the lyrics of that song:

"I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench an old man was sitting there
I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down"

He said, "No, it'll do for our little town"
I said, "Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit
And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it"

He said, "Have a seat, " and I sat down
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is" He said, "I don't like to brag
But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag

You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it, writing 'Say Can You See'

And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams
And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag

On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp and low by the time it was through

She was in Korea and Vietnam
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
And now they've about quit waving her back here at home

In her own good land here she's been abused
She's been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused
And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land

And she's getting threadbare and she's wearing thin
But she's in good shape for the shape she's in
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning, we take her down every nightWe don't let her touch the ground and we fold her up right
On second thought, I do like to brag'

Cause I'm mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag"

May 16 is Armed Forces Day.  Salute.

PMO
©2015

Worthless Information

What makes trivia so interesting? More often than not, it is worthless information. Wait! I think I just answered my own question. Anyway, here’s some worthless information to think about.

Did you know that the tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself? And, May 11 was national root canal day. Been there and done that.

Mark Twain never went past grade school, but there are more than a dozen schools named after him.

Zoo keepers at a zoo in Japan have abandoned an attempt, afer four years, to get two hyenas to mate after they discovered both were males. In this PC world, I am not going there.

High heels were originally worn by men. Again, I’m not going there.

Seattle, Washington has more dogs than children. There’s a good reason for that.

And, finally, a goldfish has a memory span of about three months.

That’s better than most people I know.

PMO
©2015

Deportations

According to a report from the Secure Communities Program, the East Texas county where I abide has deported 227 illegal immigrants between October 2008 and February 2015.

We sent them to Little River County, Arkansas. They hadn’t deported any during that time and we figured they needed some.

Don’t you love the way government works?

PMO
©2015

Appreciation Day

Perhaps you have heard about a barbecue restaurant in Millkien, Colorado that has proclaimed "White Appreciation Day," on June 11. Edgar Antillon,owner of Rubbin’ Buttz BBQ says all Americans should be celebrated and pointed out that there is Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, so why not at least a white appreciation day.

Guess what? That is racist. At least according to civil rights activist in northern Colorado. I suspect that all those that make their living off racism claims around the country will chime in with agreement.

Yes, there were times when racism was common in this country.  And there will always be a few racist - in all races toward all races. But, America as a nation has gotten past that, or at least we are trying to.

Unless the race baiters bring it back, and there is money and power in hatred.

PMO
©2015

Naked Truth?

KGTV in San Diego reports that a professor, Richard Dominquez, at UC San Diego is forcing his students to strip naked for their final exam or face a grade of F in the visual art course. This is only one of eight "gestures" students must perform in the class. I can think of a gesture I would offer to the professor.

Better yet, I think he needs to come to Texas and teach the class in our little commune, where the average age is about 70. Just one class ought to do it.

He would never be able to get the images out of his brain.

PMO
©2015

Another Thought

Depending upon which report you read, since Rowe vs Wade in 1973 there have been around 55 million abortions. That’s a little over 10 million per year.

Of all the things in life that are certain, here’s another one.

Not one of the 55 million ever said, "Happy mother’s day."

PMO
©2015

Shower Leak

We’ve discovered a leak in our master bath shower floor. It has obviously been leaking for a long time. But since we have lived here only a couple of years, it just now revealed itself. What could have been a simple fix years ago, now is a major project. So, as usual, it’s up to me to find a qualified contractor to change out the shower, and repair any other damages.

The first contractor came out and by the time my financial controller got through telling him all the other changes she would like to get done at the same time, he got on his phone and told his kid that if we make a deal, his eight years of medical school will be paid for. I told him I’d call him back if I wanted to accept his bid.

The next contractor seem like a nice guy and mentioned a couple of logical approaches to the shower problem. Then, she stepped in again. We went from getting the shower replaced to replacing everything in the master bath and the hall bath.

Did I mention we’re now getting new tile all through the house?

PMO
©2015

Simply Put

Often there is many ways to say something, and mean the same thing. I have addressed the apathy of the American people before. Truth is that all people are apathetic, until their little world is disturbed. Unfortunately, according to history, it is too late.

While watching a television program this week, there was a quote in the script that got my attention. It is simple and to the point.

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." Albert Einstein

Albert was a smart man. And, he could add 2+2 and get four.

Quite unlike modern math.

PMO
©2015

Day Of Prayer

In 1952, Congress established the National Day of Prayer as an annual event by a joint resolution, signed into law by President Harry Truman. The NDP designation (36 U.S.C. § 119) calls for the nation "to turn to God in prayer and meditation." Thursday, May 7, 2015.

All believers were to pray at noon, for the country. You didn’t have to spend the whole day in prayer, although that would have been nice. In 1775 the First Continental Congress called for a day of humiliation, fasting and prayer. Along the way, we have lost the fasting and a majority isn’t humiliated by anything, and that’s a problem.

A lot of people don’t take time to pray for our country because they forget, it’s not important, it won’t do any good, or numerous other excuses. Heck, they won’t know what happened when all the prayers are answered.

The prez says we are no longer a Christian nation. He may be right. There’s a lot of evidence that points to that fact. But, there are enough to change the path of destruction to a path of redemption.

It’s never too late to pray.

Make it a daily event and see what happens.

PMO
©2015

Read The Sign

Unless you live in a cave, you have heard about the terrorists that drove from Arizona to Garland, Texas to kill people at a free speech meeting. ISIS has claimed credit for the attack, though I don’t know why. Their guys were killed.

It seems to me that the two radicals should have read the signs when they crossed the state line.

"Don’t Mess With Texas"

PMO
©2015

Cinco de Mayo

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican independence day. That is not until September 16^th. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory at Puebla over a French army that was marching toward Mexico City to collect some war debts. Against overwhelming odds and against all logic, the Mexicans won a huge victory, but the French army regrouped and eventually took Mexico City.

The holiday is barely noticed in Mexico, but is remembered in the United States, especially along the border. It is a good excuse to party. All it takes is some burritos, salsa, and Margaritas.

The two important things to remember is that it is not Mexico’s independence day.

The second is that it always falls on May 5.

PMO
©2015

I'm Not The Only One

If you’ve read this blog more than a couple of times, you should know how I feel about politicians - 99% of them. Well, guess what? God doesn’t like them either.

(NIV) Proverbs 6:16-19 says:

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."

Sounds like the description of a politician to me.

PMO
©2015

What Is Heaven Like?

I really don’t know if the streets in heaven are paved with gold. My guess is, they are not. And, so far as pearly gates go, I’m thinking, maybe or maybe not. The beauty of heaven won’t be determined by the architecture or amenities. But, there is one thing about heaven that I’m pretty sure about - the look on the faces of those that make it there.

As mentioned before, we have a special needs granddaughter. I am sensitive to her actions and moods and her facial expressions. Every now and then, when she is so happy it hurts, the look on her face is indescribable. There is no measure for the joy on her face.

That’s what heaven is like.

PMO
©2015

#106

From time to time I offer a few rules of life, according to a grumpy old man. Rule #106 is one that most people violate everyday. "Know when to shut up."

I’m shutting up now.

PMO
©2015

No Oreos

I used to enjoy finding little stories that demonstrate just how stupid some people can be. But, now, they seem to dominate the news. And, when you factor in the network news anchors, you get stupid X 2.

This week the story about a preschool student in Aurora, Colorado takes the cake. Or, maybe I should say, "takes the Oreos." Seems the child’s teacher would not let her eat the Oreo cookies her mother had packed in her lunch. Said teacher even sent a note home with the little girl to direct the mother what to pack for lunches. OMG! It’s Moochelle gone madder!

And, the big one of the week was Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the mayor of Baltimore that gave protestors, a.k.a. thugs, a "free space" of that city to destroy. I wonder if she has a new area in mind for the next wave of loot and burn?

Grumpy old men just don’t understand how these events make sense to anyone.

I noticed that one person looting in Baltimore took some toilet paper and Oreo cookies.

That speaks volumes.

PMO
©2015