Just a walk in the park

I have been earning my deep sleep, recently...

Tour guide for my sister into the Great NorthWest. We moved to Washington in 1994, and have finally seen Mount St. Helens, and Big Foot territory. Very surprising to me, since I have used the exit to Castle Rock many times in support of Appleseeds, but never turned to the East to see the epic record of how tiny our efforts are to control the Earth we live upon.

On the way back to the computer cave and safety from the terrible world outside of the internet connections I stopped and had dinner at the Hawks Prairie Restaurant, a favorite hangout of bikers on a run, coffee and breakfast are done right there. I ordered a modest rib eye, 14 oz was a bit much. Life was perfect until I tried the steak knife provided.

It wasn't sharp, I was carrying three knives that would have cut that wonderful steak so much cleaner and as it deserved. But I didn't complain, didn't ask for another knife, and didn't whip out my own. I just hacked away with vigor and wept internally. Well, I did mention my discontent to my sister and wife. Which started the tales of our personal knives. Mine is always of my mother asking at a luau for my knife so she could peal her fruit. My brother Wynn was shocked when I pulled it out and opened it and handed it to her. He was so sure that the air line would have kept me disarmed.

My sister had a similar story, she carries apples to snack on, and Mom wanted one and she gave her one, then she said it had to be pealed. So my sister took out her knife and pealed it for her. My other sister was also surprised that she was carrying a knife. Now to me, that is evidence of parallel universes, one in which my older sister and I were raised and one in which my younger brother and sister were raised by parents with exactly the same name but different results. All the other siblings are basically nice people, and I may grow into it, but I won't hold my breath. Still except for our various talents and interests - one would expect us all to be less different in having a tool to cut things as needed in our purse or pocket.

Could be there is hope for intelligent life in Washington DC one day. It is on the same planet as I am, we could better prepare for the time we will need a sharp knife to cut the budget spending and federal government waste and personal enrichment programs. Could happen, but I might become a saint first. Don't hold your breath.... I drive my sister to sleep at night with my political rumblings or is that grumblings. Tis Sunday and we will go to worship the Lord. Be good out there.

Visitors and we search for monsters in the great NW

I still haven't forgiven America and its leaders for Vietnam...

Long ago, probably in Vietnam I forgave the godless communists for trying so hard to kill me - that was part of the war, very like what I had found in Korea and later Iraq.
They were just the otherside, the enemy and would get over it. The clock would run out, the game over, the score tallied and victory declared. I visit the Wall in Washington, DC to remember it wasn't worth the price. Have you read every name on that wall? I always think Presidents should be required to read them aloud before they launch the next attack against some other nation in error. I am sure they would have someone else do it for them. I do think that fighting a war to unite Vietnam under a representative government of their making with a capitalistic economic system of their choosing would have been worth it. But that is part of the blame, because that wasn't the goal, nor my mission.

Being a student of History, being betrayed by Kings and causes is not new, or even only my problem, nor my only problem. So, I was really happy to have stayed in uniform and doing it right in the first Gulf War. But then watched the reaction to 9/11 and two more phoole campaigns to re-wright the world as we want it. I said then that a police response was what was required, not a war against a nation or a terror. Since you are all glued to defeating the Taliban, which most of us didn't know existed before then, and make Afghanistan a wonderful place it wasn't designed to be by God - well, I expect a failure in policy. Not a good business model, it is based on Vietnam, again. Without the draft and poor military tactics, operations and strategy. It is not those serving in uniform that are the problem, unless they spent too much time in Washington, DC and have no real world experience.

I am smart enough to know that John Wayne wore that bracelet for the rest of his life, it was on his wrist in the Shootist, I can't tell you where mine is, it was with me in the picture. I shouldn't wear it around my soul, should I?

I should get over it, especially, since most of the country doesn't get it. Therefore, it never happened and if I am still bothered by that, there are programs with professionals for me. And if it works the media would appreciate an opportunity to proclaim it proudly for commercial reward.

I will continue to take the medicine my father did, you just can't really share those burdens and scars, just know that you couldn't stop your children from their lives lived in futile efforts to make some people feel safe from the evil intentions of  bad men in other worlds.

The best part is one day seeing that what you did was worth it, although often for none of the reasons that your silly leaders had sent you into the fray or fury for. But God does move in mysterious ways. There are Vietnamese I have worked with here in America, if we accepted them better, like all those that come to America for reasons we think we understand, they will make our nation stronger - but we will have to get much smarter. Could happen.

I will go off to pick up my visiting sister at the airport today. Remembering that we are still suffering from the phooles in Washington, DC.  If I were really afraid I would carry a gun, but then those same phooles think that would be dangerous. My whole way of life has barriers in it, that make me unable to be at the place where she will exit the airplane. Our father flew for joy and his living, we know not to get near propellers or jet exhaust and wait for the plane to shut down, and the door or ramp to open. So, for whatever the reasons the terrorists attacked the United States, we are still in the posture of surrender to their will and intent. We are not standing with a foot upon their rapidly cooling body, posing for pictures we won't show anyone not our best friend back home after the fight is over.

So, remembering that London under the blitz, never really closed down, but the entire United States was grounded and closed to flight of any except the President's friends and military services. I will have to seek more forgiveness for the nation that cares too much, and is still so frightened. Where are those bold missionaries and pioneers so sure of their righteousness and mission to convert the wilderness, to tame the savage land and create the United States of America? If it is true that England has disarmed its citizens then maybe it just takes longer to surrender to one's fears?

Well, I grow old and useless, and even blogging isn't cool, so my problems with my American experiences will not affect the course of future fine folks. I should forgive those that know not what they do, my Lord did. Then again, Americans still don't understand what it was that drove people to attack us, it was their fear that their homelands were going to surrender to our unholy domination, do y'all? I must rely upon the Lord much more, myself and my representatives much less - for we hardly know what we do. Amen.

Woke to rain today, God loves me.

Lightly and very politely during the night, the grass is wet, the slugs happy, and Earl may delay front yard maintenance for a bit. My sister is coming to visit, so the grass will be greener tomorrow.

I also had motor vehicle maintenance to have performed, and off the exercise machines and into the van. I don't have enough fresh memory of how the world about me works (the world around me?). I am on Facebook too much to have a real interaction with real people. I drove roads I once biked on to go to work in the South Tacoma Library branch, as I drove by I couldn't tell if it would be open later. Budget problems.

I have a nice young man take my requests, key and gets my mileage and I go off to glance at the Jeeps, which really aren't (power everything? why?). I am quickly attached to the young lady that follows me to make sure I will have my questions answered and can find my way to the salesmen in the tower. I thank her and decide just on my financial diet, there isn't anything made in the USA that I can afford to dream about acquiring. Not in the wheels variety. Mine are all paid for... except for taxes and insurance premiums. I am so old.

I read my kindle, stuck in the days of Merlin, as a child.

As I read I keep thinking that we, the current culture, have little idea of climate conditions long ago and far away - we expect that is was very like it is now. But I keep thinking that Genghis Khan had much good pastures to produce many more Mongol herds, flocks and babies to become conqering barbarians. That kind of thinking gets me seeing the expansion of Germanic tribes, Viking raiders, and such - all because the climate changes, allows more growth, which demands expansion into new areas for exploitation. All because of the charcoal fires buring brightly to make steel. Along with the warming of the north to produce grapes, you get the slow expansion of the mosquitoes, flies, ticks and fleas from the tropical viral breeding grounds that will kill off humans.

Nothing is controllable, ask a bull rider. You have to go with the flow.

The Greatest generation wanted to feed a family of six with one bathroom and one car on one job. They did it. My generation wanted to take a lease on a normal family for a few years and have no more than two children and two and a half baths, and a bed for all, and a television, two jobs and college degrees for everyone, and manageable debt up to the eyeballs. From afar view, the next generation will know less, do more and be entirely unsatisfied in the result -- because History started when they opened their own eyes in comprehension of their centrality - the universe revolves around them, reported immediately on twitter and Facebook. The nicest thing, as the EMP wipes out the digital history of the moment, no one in the future dark ages will burn the bits and bytes to start the fires of destruction, like the library in Alexandria.

Who are you, do you think anyone knows?

Are you working class? Lower class, upper class, rich swell, homeless drunk, single mother, deadbeat dad? What is your color? Black, white, red, yellow? Your tribe: Zulu, Saxon, Roman, Spartan, Mongol? Does seem to be lots of pens to separate the sheep into, or is it cages for you dangerous gun toting ones, mansions for the government elite, you can have your place - just accept the way the World works... it isn't a computer program, but we will pretend it is.

Sorry, I don't want to play, and it always upsets me to hear that I must be something because of what I have on my collar (too much time in the military and rank is often equated with brains and behavior) what I look like as I dress. The amount of total lies and foolishness about war, about History, or about science that someone wants to be true --- or even worse their thoughts on God or religions (which are never the same thing). But no one wants to admit that they must constantly question, for the truth to ever be found, you must test and taste and then you can own it. If you are living on someone's thoughts or their story - are you going to make all their mistakes? Standing outside without emotional attachment you can see what went wrong... but you don't do enough after actions, nor spread the wealth of your new knowledge and tactics quickly enough to change.

The government has no interest in treating you as a thinking caring human being. They live on the idea that they will have to beat you to get enough work out of you, pay you money for not rioting, and feed you because you can't feed yourself. I have been in countries where none of those things exist - and they function as well or better than here in the United States of America. A truth is, humans will cooperate and solve problems to survive and grow. Considering that teachers unions didn't exist when Lincoln was growing up, in the 19th Century, one wonders if we would all be able to make moving speeches, if we hadn't been burdened with the 20th Century educational goals. Since the goal of the Union is always to control the employment of their members and to leverage the employer to the point they almost expire - I have always wanted a union that qualified and certified its members and negotiated their contracts, and stood proud of their quality members, instead of just confrontational accepting guilt and responsibility for poor performance. But I have always wanted too much.

Anyway, you can label me whatever you believe, but I answer to Earl much better than Bill or William. But you would have to know me, and no matter what cage, pen or pasture you think you have put my into - I don't fit any of them. But rest assured, I don't want to put you into a box, and mislabel all you are or could be to my goals in life. Be blest, live long in love.

I want to pay attention but I am busy...

I did notice that the man at the microphone for either party at either convention, will declare the winner of a voice vote, no matter which Yea or No is loudest. Both parties.

I did notice, and brightened both my day and my wife's that President Bill Clinton really is rousing, and then too long and wandering, as the Cowboys were playing the Giants. So we switched back. The officials were interesting, the tons of holdings were finally being caught, now if the receivers caught more, or the passers weren't over throwing. Still I expect both of those teams to settle into practice and performance and professional entertainment value. Do you notice a theme? I expect better of the football teams than the politicians or their political parties or our government in general.

I finally put together an 'I love me shadow box' for my time in the military, and turned it into the professionals to finish up. I have some ideas about making one for my father, and have some serious ideas that include his war trophy and stuff. I threw lots of little forget about it, it is over, stuff away tonight. If I did swap meets or gun shows I might just have sat and sold it cheap just to get a chance to swap stories with the young and the ones that have no idea. I don't so I didn't.

Take care out there, lots of work still waiting to be done, and tomorrow is another day to start upon it, again.