Do ya know the feelin'?

When your belly button sticks right up on your backbone? No, well I have heard about it before, and on that long ride across Montana I started feeling that way - not that I had lost a lot of weight or girth, but the feeling was just that - my belly button was resting on my backbone. I decided I was seriously dehydrated and made a fluid and fuel stop to fill the void.

Watching the children after church run screaming in fun away from each other, at play, I wonder when the adult will take them and quell the pure joy of the chase and flight. As I slog along on the now almost daily gentle jog, I wish I felt that free and fast, have I been there before - sure, and I might not be too far from it now, but... my mind is full and wandering it slows the pace of the body down. Has to be the mind, it wants attention, in a race one is concentrating on the movement, the pace, the breathing, the place in the pack - the focus of the mind is on getting the body to the finish. In the gentle jog - it is more, get on with it, I have stuff to think about and don't disturb 'ME'.

The rowing machine at the YMCA will just record what I perform, I won't sink, move up or down the lake or river, just a static machine, pretending I have done something - and I haven't tipped the boat over yet, nor run into any of the other rowers. But I do feel the rhythm and like the workout for its concentration on the legs, arms and back. No seasick pills needed. The bicycle machines have links on Expresso.net, under my Ride History, where I can see what I have virtually done so virtuously. No, I don't work out that hard, I am a real SENIOR on Medicare, I only think tough and fit. Although, since biking is the second YMCA machine workout, I leave more sweat behind. Then I go for weight machines, or the rope trainer.  Maybe, I will work out on one of the Eliptical machines, while watching Neil or the Five on FOXNews.

Wonder why I do all of this? Well, one of the nicest compliments I ever received was the one word said with pleasure by a lady that had touched me, 'muscles!' That was a great feeling, haven't had that said about my jelly doughnut texture for a long time. It is paying off, I get to see the ladies in their workout clothing, and I am losing weight and gaining tone. Hopefully, getting fitter. I do feel my body better than the recliner (don't use the recliner much anymore, either). Think in August I will add swimming a couple times a week. Maybe.

So you haven't been to the Fish Camp...

For years I have been saying 'No' when asked if I wanted to go fishing. Don't ask me why, I just have this dollar limit on my idea of fun and the cost of fishing, in the ocean, wasn't inside that limit. But my wife said we should go visit the Fish Camp for a day and see what is going on. The women don't seem to fish, it seems to be a man thing, in this group - not on the boats.

I needed a break from the Jog/YMCA routine and only one day wouldn't turn me back into the horror that I could be without trying. So I copied the directions, and promptly lost them, looked it up on the internet and copied them, and punched the destination into my GPS. On our way!

Considering how far away I normally drive for Appleseeds and visiting folks, this was a short trip, about an hour and three quarters. I passed the Stafford Creek Corrections Center, I once visited there for an outreach ministry.  I knew the library staff there, once.

I find the Twin Harbors Beach State Park, which is where the crew has three campsites reserved and are set up. They lock in, in January for July. They say they come and camp on Thursday, Fish on Friday and return on Saturday after Noon. But they had come out on Wednesday this time. I couldn't find them immediately, so my wife grabbed her cell phone and called and as she got someone to answer, I was driving directly at her as she waved and talked to my wife.  Cool.

We park and say hello, get something to drink and grab a chair and start talking. This is a group of old folks, I hear complaints about noisy neighbors (children!), and that the women are going to take a hike to the beach, the men are going down to pick up tickets and check out this day's catch as the boats return to the floats. That was a good way to slowly make me think I could have fun with this event. I am always open to seeing more about something I don't know about, just not always willing to spend dollars on it.

I did get a good tour, some pictures and enjoyed the day - which for us included a tour of the yurts (no, the Mongols wouldn't recognize them) but a fine place to live on the edge. So after a grilled on the grill steak dinner, corn on cob and baked potatoes. We said good-bye and thanked them for the great time and drove on home. Which is always faster than the trip away.

So today, Friday, they got on the SLAMMER and went out deep bottom fishing, and they expect to have a great time. The weather was great here, they had all the seasickness patches or pills to keep them fishing instead of puking. They should have had a great day.

Will we go next year? If my wife wants to, we will get a yurt, same days and probably I will go fishing, just to say I have done so..... but actually,  I will start every day with a long jog, a shower, and then maybe row a boat or paddle a kayak around. My wife will want to walk with her friends almost every day, and I will have a kindle load of books to browse or read. They also do horseshoes and card games and watch the bonfire. Yep, best do it once before I die, these fellows aren't getting any younger. Ha, ha!

What are you? really?

As I work on my rowing without a boat at the YMCA, my rowing machine overlooks the two basketball courts and I can see through far windows the gymnastics floor area. A very nice distraction from the little computer screen counting the strokes, the pace and the calories. Today they will have the Zumba class and then the Get RIPPED class with loud rhythmic beat and bounce. Normally, I am only watching basketball players - making shot after shot from all distances. They will never talk me down on the court, they are all too good.

Periodically, they allow me to peek into their preparation to be better players. They drill. Yes, I have seen them play pick up games, and full or half court - they are fast. But what I mostly see is the drills. Only dribbling, passing, shooting. They are started young, in twos and threes - each with a ball, and sharing one basket and some older guy coaching. By the time they reach their teenage years they will have had more time moving the ball on the floor than I will have ever wanted to - that means LOTS.

As I looked at the young girls doing gymnastics I see them all walking on their hands, cool. I don't do that either. But they make it look simple, easy and fun. And it is part of their drill, and they roll out of it gracefully. I would just collapse into a heap.

I was reminded of the years in the military - doing drill to perfect the operations and tactics, so fewer orders are needed, so the right actions happen in sequence - so we can impress the Soviet Defense Minister - making him think we hid lots of officers in paratroopers uniforms so an airborne assault would look professional.  Made me wonder a little about the Soviets, but I knew it was all good training and DRILL, over and over the same stuff and finally they would give us some live ammunition and make our day.

Could you imagine how perfect you could be in music, dance, sports, grammar, shooting, in love and life - if you do the drill? If you knew the skill set?

Now you can see why dry fire, and drill is good. But also know why this foolishness about money and training value for the dollar is critical for the military. And our service members don't want to sit in the barracks talking about the good old days. They like to train as they will fight.

A world of wonder...

Human Evolution is... happening? Let me see, homosexual marriages will produce... another Human Era, or anther human error?

The World, my world, our world, God's world.... which is your perspective? How do you understand the little life you have been given, the opportunities, the challenges and where are you going to find solutions and will you get there before what you know is gone, done and only a memory?

Time to get off of the Martin Zimmerman collision. Just take the part of either person - all that you know about either of them. Then put yourself in their place, and the outcome is different. Even as a punk tough I was never going to pop someone in the face and then begin beating his head on the sidewalk, and I would never have told them they were going to die. As a gun carrier, I am a long way off from using my pistol to removing a threat on my life. Now, everyone will have different answers - those that say they wouldn't have been there in the dark - probably wouldn't have been - but then the local parks people have banned humans from the parks after the Sun goes down. They are so afraid.

I have been noticing the outrage (faked I am sure) from the international communities  about the American event. Those are the same communities that stood by while ugly has been constantly happening in Africa, South America, Asia and Europe.


Just finished watching Pacific, the HBO miniseries based on the Marines in WWII. Very well done, and I have no idea how tired they were, no air conditioning, instant communications home. The wrap up of the real Marines, old picture and current picture if they lived long enough, and their marriages and children, grand children and great grandchildren was a solid ending. As close to a happy ending as movies will ever get.


Anyway, I am not evolving - the species maybe - you can't show me proof. I know that with the physical, mental and spiritual capabilities built into our design - very few of us ever reach our ultimate potential, most of us humans aren't even trying to do more than find the good stuff. Whatever that is in your life. The next time you talk to young people find out why they think money is their purpose. Ask them the path they are going to take to success. How different is their success from your own?

So we need to teach people to be polite... and aren't...

So a young black man comes out of the darkness and says "Excuse me, sir (or Ma'am) I am on my way home." Helpful Earl says "Do you need some light?" and turns on his flashlight. No punches exchanged (Earl is an old man) no one feels threatened and the two go their own ways.

I normally try to display a kind of a smile, but offering a light in the darkness is positive. Maybe I should get some dental LEDs so like the cat from Alice's adventures you can tell I am smiling.

I am hoping that all the jurors are anxious to get back home to their normal lives. The Media doesn't really want to talk about why it is so important that Zimmerman hang for having the right to carry a firearm and shoot it in self defense.  I think that is where the judge is - on the side of disarming victims and prey. I don't know that, if Trayvon Martin had killed Zimmerman and gotten his gun, he would have been a more non-entertaining case., little news there. How many black sitcoms are there on television now? Mainstream ones?

Is all black and white in the criminal and romantic potential realms? Media still polarizing us?

So is Earl changing when and where he carries his firearms? No.

So is Earl afraid that the laws will change? Earl knows the laws always change, and people will never study History enough to learn from mistakes and know the difference between fantasy and reality.

I think I will work on my manners right after I get my hard bodied sexy fixed. The visits to the YMCA and the short slow daily jog are producing results - and I am happy to have an eight station weight circuit added to my weekly base exercise routine. Yep, I will work on manners next.

Pictures, the fledglings are flying now, the nest will soon be very quiet and empty.



My wife's war with the mole is interesting, she moved the photocell mole annoyer, and of course the mole covered it with dirt, she cleaned it off and the mole returned and did it again.

Responsibility...

When you are armed you are responsible for your weapons, their effects and control. So the trial of George Zimmerman is about to finish. And he will soon know what Shane knew, there is no living with a killing. I can't tell you that he acted in self defense, I know that he thought he did, that the original police investigation thought he did. Do I think that Treyvon could have killed Mr. Zimmerman? At seventeen I could have killed him, so yes, I think that Treyvon could have. I don't know that he wanted to but he seemed to have bad intentions, at seventeen I got into fights but never to kill, really harm or hurt whom I fought against.

There is a lack of responsibility in the media, slanting and reporting what will bring consumers to your vending stall. Five black men killing two white folks - never got national media coverage. All the black on black crime will never get national media coverage except as an excuse to disarm the white populations as much as possible.

If you carry a firearm or knives, you are responsible for their control and proper use. Don't think you are going to shoot and everything will be alright, don't think you are going to show a gun and get everyone to do what you want - crazy people aren't sane - and the best defense against an ambush is to attack it. What you have learned on entertainment and news media - is probably wrong. No matter how many women heroines win on television and in the movies, they normally pay big ugly men to protect them when threatened in real life. Make no mistake, ladies, if you are attacked I expect you to fight to the death of your attacker. Just remember that human males make violence a reasonable option, females will negotiate.

When you get older than dirt you can decide to die instead of taking another's life, if you are young you probably have others that count on your future performance and wealth creation - so fight like you want to make it to the next level. Christ loved us all enough to die for our sins, still uncommited, but then he really loved us. We are not so perfect. Raise our children with love, to respect and honor others, but never to fear anything nor anyone save the LORD. Be responsible.

Fears are only to be met...

All ones fears, need to be met and conquered - don't you think?

I had a medical problem, my body wasn't working as it had for years. Went to the doctors and nothing, got a second opinion and there was something but nothing that they could fix... death by recliner sets in and 24 hour mindless mush slowly rots the brain and spirit.

I started out by walking, a little, very slowly. No pain, small gain, but moving. Kept at it, and then added the visits to the YMCA, pick your poison - lots of stuff to do and learn. Then I started to combine a jog with a walk whatever is left. The biggest thing was to get past the little voice in my head that said I didn't have to jog, I didn't need to go so far, so often. I don't jog on Sunday but a rest day is good.

Anyway, the biggest  change is the weather, no rain, and lack of fear that I won't finish the little jog I have around the block, 3.1 miles or 5 kilometers whichever is most impressive. I don't go fast enough yet, but it does make me breath hard and sweat - who could ask for more.

Good health is important as a base, but I think you have to put fitness right after returning to health, your body is designed that way. Fitness is measured by endurance, speed, agility, strength, flexibility and coordination... that is the direction I work on improving them.

I am using my calendars for recording weight, Blood Pressure and activity, using MapMyRun for mapping and measuring routes, and recording workouts. Still, I am not monitoring my heart rate, since I am not training hard enough. I have dropped twenty pounds since joining the YMCA in December, but the next twenty will be tougher to shed - one pound of fat is about 3500 calories, and muscle burns fat better than fat does - duh.