Took the last blue pill today....

 And I saw no reason to refill the prescription for another bottle, so I didn't.  Life goes on, on Facebook there was some software to make you participate and go 'Ah!' for Friends Day.  Nice little application of fun stuff.  But "Hi, William" never works on telephone solicitations, used car salesmen, nor on Facebook fun... They think I am like all the others.

  As I sweated gently and pushed weigh around (mine and the machine's) at the YMCA yesterday I marveled at the heroic efforts of many of the patrons, there are tons of folks in recovery, or physical therapy, or just trying to remember how the feet need to roll with the walk as they hold on to the railing to keep from falling.

  My wife comes in to ask why her phone says that it can't make a connection - and I don't know, since it isn't my universe, if I were to guess she hasn't waited long enough for it to wake up, or the end of the world is just outside our door, or someone touched the machine to inhibit her happiness. But it wasn't me...

   I didn't do a hard workout yesterday, started feeling ill and so took a hot shower and went home early, and this morning, although I have packed and am dressed for attending the YMCA again, I don't think so... should we blame it on the election cycle, the total failure of government to get it right, this time since they didn't get it right the last time? No, I think it is just olde wearing on me.

  Which is in a way sad, but again it is the way the world works. I spent some quality time, last night,  with the Awana, nothing holding back joy in playing with the children. I was teased by a five year old seeing if he could move faster than I could turn to look. And we don't even know each others name, but I tickled him behind me and he ran away laughing.  Then off to study Bible Verses and be tested by an adult on their memory and understanding. Only pretty smart third grade girls in our group, but now I know where the young ladies that charmed my coffee time as they ate seaweed soup came from, they have much better pay attention skills than I do.

  Am really thinking hard about that ride to the Class Reunion in Ligonier, PA.  It will probably be my final fling at adventurous glories in my own mind.  A good number of folks have said they would like to meet on my route, imagine, meeting real people and sharing a meal and time... like it was in the good old days.  I have to do much better planning about how long it takes to cross country, even my sleeping on the benches at the rest stops won't get me faster than sixty miles per hour when riding, just lots more hours of a day on the Trusty Triumph and down the road. Will have to find a mapping program to share as the planning unfolds, I did get the H-D Ride Atlas out.

   Idaho, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana/Ohio, the rest of Ohio, Pennsylvania, maybe New York and Ticonderoga if they change governors, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama Arkansas, North Texas, Colorado and then streaking for home maybe stopping in rest of Idaho for a bit... whew! That should eat up a lot of August.  Remembering that pictures of me only work if I have given you time for a shot, and here are two from my 2010 trip.

   Take the time, talk and share, for people you could love a little more won't always be there, and there are so many really wonderful ones awaiting us all in the hereafter, but I don't know if they allow motorcycling in the Heavens, only Ghost riders in the Sky....

Who wins? How do we do that?

  So the question of taxes came up in my house yesterday, and my wife wanted to know how much money she had in her IR accounts.  Imagine her shock when I told her the last time I knew or had paper for was from 2013, the year she had set up her automatic distribution, some step on that process had stopped their sending paper copies to our home. I do keep too much old paper records, I still have LES copies, and I can tell you what my budget was in 1973 through Feb 1985 when I went to computers. She would go to the credit union to get the quarterly reports for the in between and I hope start again that wonderful system of mailing the full quarterly report to the account holder.

  This was caused a bit by the Iowa caucus news reporting, very nice MicroSoft app, and sure enough the little captains could figure out how to boost their candidate's numbers quickly, and seemed willing to do so for the cause. Which means to me that not enough has changed in politics. I was pleased that the media darling front runner Mr Trump came in second. He was very gracious after, and that stands him very well. I was pleased enough that Senator Cruz and his team did very well, but mostly happy that Senator Marco Rubio came in a very close to second, third. That was great, the next thing was that before I moved off the cable to our evening WWE session, I get to hear the third place finisher give the victory speech. Wow! How he was covered first, had family and supporters in front of the camera immediately and broadcast first, I don't know. But it happened, he spoke very strongly and well and about all that was important. Finished and I could move on (after all I am not paid to pay attention like the reporters and pundits are)...  

  So we ended the evening with juvenile pleasure in watching wrestling tomfoolery and sipping adult beverages, enough to loosen my tongue and ensure conversation and arouse worry about if I had too much (its okay dear, I can walk to my bed). She remembers long ago and far away and having to care for a much lighter, stronger and handsomer fellow deep in his cups. To sleep to dream and then wake.

   I wake early, as normal, and get up and write up seven checks, put into six envelopes and mail them off.  Looking at the amount left, I will be careful the remainder of the month. Have to learn to spell frugal with a capital letter or all caps.  The Democratic Party sent me a survey to help them against the rascally Republicants, and as long as it isn't on my stamp, okay.

   I go off to the YMCA for sweat producing and stress reducing. Nineteen point seven miles worth. Light conversation but lots of time to reflect as I mindlessly row and pedal ... lots of time. I come to the realization I am not enthusiastic about this election, I am sure the fix is in, as it always is the money folks behind all the contenders are doing more than the voters. In the end, the election held the markers will be called, those responding correctly will be well rewarded and gain power and loot. And that loot is from the nation and the peasants plundered by a very corrupt system. And the fools will respond with it has always been that way.  So maybe this year they, the powers behind the curtain, need to buy my vote and attention.  But they won't.

   It is too costly, and the control of millions is impossible.  I can make my nation and community great, wonderful and powerful again.  At my level, right here in River City.  First response of a real American, question everything and don't comply until it makes sense... and that won't happen too often.  Kind of like wishing for the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, well, where you are act like a saint and it will begin.  Act like a great American and that great America will rise up around you - where ever you go and what ever you do - do it well, do it with courage and love and always do your best, so it maybe blest.

Incoming mail made me laugh...

I graduated high school in 1966, so the fiftieth reunion will be this August 20, 2016. Although the announcement letter is written as 2011, five years ago. Hmm, maybe some one didn't really update the last announcement? 

Ligonier Valley High School class of '66 in 2006

Junior Picture ,65

May 1982 Graduation in Heidelberg

Get some muscle over here...

  Famous last words of the folks that don't do their own enforcement during confrontations. The college lady that thought people should be treated as enemies and terrorists, had to ask for muscle and I understand may be charged with inciting violence for those choice words.

  On the other hand, the FBI and OSP killed the old white man protesting government overreach in Oregon, like Waco, like Ruby Ridge. It will be written in History that the killing was justified, the agents of the government, with body armor, fine weapons and super intelligence knew they were going to be killed as an organization and individual agents by a middle aged white guy with his hands in the air and the potential to not cooperate when confronted by fools with guns. Notice the difference in the Ferguson protests and the Oregon one, all that property damage and death is so different.

  I have long held beliefs that godless government has no intelligence nor soul, and certainly doesn't love anyone. And the government, if it is to replace God, needs to get on to loving everyone -- and I hold that truth to be impossible. Institutions are built by men, and are only as good or bad as the men using them. Corruption is always possible, and seems to be a design feature of using failed humans.

   I did notice that the political candidates for Republican Presidential primary in Iowa (I to have been to that state and used Great Uncle Ernie's outhouse, admiring his matchbook collection, and his wife's button collections and their display.) were running out their Christian values, support of the veterans and ability to fix problems. They didn't convince me of much except they are willing to serve, and only two of them were focused on the problems. The others seemed to focus on their capabilities... this is, after all, a 'me' and 'I' generations. 

  Ah, well, certainly much to pray about, the answers are not on the media feed, nor in the ramblings of old fat men with sleepless good intentions to provide for his loves everywhere and knowing there really aren't supermen or even common heroes when needed, just the very best that he can do will have to be good enough, and it should be if done with love and the LORD. Amen

Still waking too early to have any benefit from beauty sleep...

 This is the fiftieth year since I graduated, class of '66 from the Ligonier Valley Senior High School. The Mountaineers, applied to only two schools of higher learning Drexel and the University of Miami. Intending to study Metallurgy, kind of...  If you really knew me you might think that I wanted associated with that logo more than anything, but I don't think fifty years ago that was its logo.

  Drexel was just down Route 30, which made it too close to home, and I really hadn't considered the Pennsylvania Military Academy, but as they said, their last casualty of the Vietnam War was the Corps of Cadets in 1972.  But then my whole life would have been very different, if it hadn't happened the way it did.

  Getting better at using that bowl holder in the microwave for my breakfast oatmeal, nice, very nice.

   While eating I viewed the cable and find no excitement for this years Presidential primary nor the contenders.  Probably not going to get interested again until November.  I have trouble thinking that any of them are going to do a better job than I am, and I have a lot of my own goals to get under control - triggers being one of them, my relationship with the LORD, and stupidity that once made me so very angry now just makes me want to cry for their misery, especially those that have no idea what they are in my mind.  Too well brought up to mention it much? Yes, but recently it is much more the certain knowledge 'I can't fix stupid' not beyond my personal space, anyway. 

   Time to pack out the YMCA gear and head off to watch the MixxedFit class as I row, which always slows me down. I did a minute on Jacobs Ladder, need to do many more minutes of that each session, along with my normal stuff.  So much to do, so little time, and it does seem to be all my own... and I am talking to myself on the blog again. Take care out there.

The weekend without the snow in the Great NorthWest

  I went to the YMCA, rowing and upper body weight machine circuit, since I hadn't visited the Y the day before. I don't go on Sunday.  After some good conversations, I showered and drove off to the Range, to fire my pistols.  Feeding the Browning Challenger II with Winchester bullets instead of Remington seemed to help, many more rounds will also, and I do need to mark the sights with white or quit shooting at black targets. Since there were two other shooters to my right I was very happy with the target engagement and I was flinging brass at the nearest, especially when I was firing rapidly. The Walther P22 had not a problem. More work on trigger control is called for, especially when I finally get all the other bad habits out of the way.

The top target is the Walther P22 and the bottom target is the Browning Challenger II, the trigger control for both, lighter sights for the second and always more practice. Distance is about 7 meters.
Hot dogs and beans for lunch at home, still trying to warm up, since shooting in rain after working out doesn't seem to do much except accept the chill all the way to the bones.

Live the life of a quietly aging gentleman... and to die a free man...

  We do pick up stuff along the way in life, and some of it we love, some of it we need and much of it was thought to be worth the cost for some comfort... and we have been wrong before. Anyway, when I figured out that I wasn't going to get that Idealimage to make me young and beautiful and noticed that I could be debt free before this year is out. Now I can do that. Then when Hillary is elected by voter fraud in November, by January 2017 I can die and not bother my wife. Or when the dollar collapses or the Communist Controllers take charge, or anything that will stress others because they still have to service their debt masters, it won't bother me.  That National Debt isn't mine, I hold no bonds since President Clinton got funny with the interest payouts.

  My new improved concealed carry is wonderful, no one sees it, comfortable and always at hand.

  Not that my world has ever needed me with a pistol, thank God for His love.

  I am alarmed that the Academy Awards are for movies I wouldn't go see on my dollar, and we should have more diversity... but then the Academy isn't America, just a bunch of folks in the movie industry that are trying to make more money by having an awards ceremony for the public, who can't vote in the selection, see how they discriminate?  Well, I for one am not going to the Academy Awards, and I don't watch them either. I do like to see which movies were nominated and which ones were winners, they are usually worth watching.  I won't be buying them anymore, I have too much and I have noticed that as computers and film making become better and better that I am no longer their audience.  Strange, they don't accept me as I am.