Monday, December 31, 2018

12-31-18

Monday, Dec. 31, 2018 waiting for the new year's eve program to start on TV.  I'm sitting here eating toast and drinking a glass of tomato juice laced with salt and Tabasco. I could be watching A&M play at some bowl game; but, I really don't care.  I rarely get upset when any team wins or loses.   Instead I have Criminal Minds Season 13 Episode 10 playing on the tube.

Recently I finish watching every (THAT'S EVERY) episode of Perry Mason and Matlock.  I feel qualified to take over the defense of anyone wrongly accused of a murder.  Obviously, law schools should include binge watching these two  before issuing a license to practice law.  Now, I am working on watching all episodes of MONK.  Pretty soon I should be qualified to apply for positions as Police Chief most anywhere.

Speaking of Matlock - I love those episodes which are sprinkled with music - all types of music.  That reminds me that I watched a few episodes of Peter Gunn recently...a 30 min show from the 60s, which I didn't enjoy watching - the music (jazz) is great.  I mean it is really good.  The bad guy on Criminal Minds just poked a man's eye out with a needle.  I'm not sure I need to watch this one.
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Weather was nicer today - in the 60s - light wind - but, they say colder weather is coming tomorrow. When you have an RV, all water must be drained from the system before freezing weather.  I had hoped to go on an adventure before colder weather - didn't make it.  So today, the wife and I drained the water system and blew air through the pipes to clear them out.  It is a process which must be done one step at a time.

For those who don't know, you have 2 sewer systems on an RV:  the black and the grey.  Gray is just water - showers, dish water, just water.   Black is the heavy duty stuff from the toilet.   2 different system.  When you empty the system, one dumps the Black first using the Gray as a method of cleansing  the sewer hose.

I am about to admit to a crime.  Today when I was doing the blow out of pipes, water went into the Gray system as it exited the pipes.  Knowing that I didn't want to leave water in the Gray tank, I pulled the gray valve and put the hose out to drain it.  Gray water is not truly filthy.  I had a cap on the hose - forgot to take it off.

About the time I was nearing the end, I remove the cap and let it flow - THE CRIME -  out of some form of stupidity old guy not thinking - I had pulled the Black valve instead of the Gray.  It had "stuff" in it.   The goop flowed - or is it flew?  My shoes were hit - the ground reeked.  What a stupid mistake.   Embarrassed I am.   I had no water available to clean up the place,. nothing.   The EPA will be looking for me, I know.   Tomorrow I should go over there with Clorox, a brush, and several buckets of water.  But, I won't.

Tomorrow is a new year full of new expectations and events - we shall leave 2018 and all my stupidity behind.  I may look for a chapter of PSA to join (Pooper Scooper Anonymous).
later,
m

Sunday, December 30, 2018

12-30-2018

Sunday, Dec. 30th nighttime
It came to me today that I should not write one of these everyday,  Burglars could figure when I  have left town by reading this.  I would hate for someone to break in - to set off the alarm - to have to deal with our German Shepherds - to meet our next door neighbor who recently retired from being a police chief .... you got the picture?
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Today is my oldest daughter's birthday.  Christine was born in 1964 - guess that makes her about 54.  No way I have a child that old.  She was a cute baby and little kid - full of intelligence and go go go.  She was reading way before the first grade. So another birthday has passed.

Other than that, the weather continues to be bad - cold & starting to rain right now. 
I did go out and play ball with Oscar this afternoon.  That boy would play ball in a monsoon. 
Lunch:  we tried something different.  I bought a few pork ribs the other day.  I was thinking we might cook them in the smoker.  Wrong.  You don't smoke stuff in this weather.   My wife browned them on the stove - grill thingy.  We have this pressure cooker - you've seen them advertised - the ribs went in and came out 20 minutes cooked to perfection.   Well, maybe the local BBQ place would argue that opinion.  But, what do they know.  I liked them. They were good.   A little extra BBQ sauce helped.   Ranch Style beans and a baked sweet potato.
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tomorrow is new year eve.  I always enjoy the TV broadcasts of the fireworks and music...except when all they have is country and rappers.
enough.
later
m

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Sat., Dec. 29th 10 pm

Sat. Dec. 29th abt 10 pm
non- eventful day.   cold outside with a north wind.  My dock is dangerously close to being under water.  It is splashing up on the sides as I write.  also, I have this little boat slip cut into the shoreline.  It is underwater and taking quite a beating.  I can see future major repairs on this.  Weatherman is talking about more rain.  We had 3 inches just a couple days ago.  It is possible for us to get another 2 this week.

We started putting away Christmas decorations.  Tomorrow they'll go up into the attic to rest for a few months.  Circle of Life.  You take the decorations out - you put the decorations away.  So far I haven't bought any new decor on sale.

Flipped over to see part of the OU / Alabama ballgame.  OU is in trouble.  Just for a moment I thought I was watching Tech play.  New coach at Tech for next year - I wonder how long he will survive.

Mail brought only bills - the newspaper - and an advertisement to take river cruises in Europe.  The cheapest  cruise is around $4000 - up to ;$11K or more. I'm thinking I don't need to get my passport anytime soon.

I am doing Ancestry stuff.  Last night I ran across someone who has my ancestors.  This person has tracked that line all the way back to near 400 B.C.  When I see stuff like that, I wonder how they were able to get this done.  Sure, I'm gonna put this line into my family tree.  It could be right.  It could be wrong.  Either way, putting it online is free.  Now some other klutz (like me) will read my family tree and copy it way back to 400 B.C.   Ya see, it is the Circle of Life again.

Decorating outside for Christmas can have nice results.  My son in Lubbock has a computer program attached to his decorations - it is "dance" of lights to a "musical concoction" - seen by hundreds in the Christmas season.
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We take the local Corsicana newspaper.  One of the syndicated columnist is a Dr. Don Newbury.  I enjoy reading his articles.  Often he talks about his Uncle Mort - "106 and counting."  His column toady was fun telling of misconceptions that Uncle Mort has had.  Newbury has a 817 area code, so he must live near Ft. Worth.  He gives speeches for money - a worth occupation.

A couple quotes (paraphrased):  The most exercise Uncle Mort gets is "jumping to conclusions." In this colun he talks about Dr. Nieder of Colorado - "the Jerry Seinfeld of Medicine."  Nieder has a website   www.healthyhumorist.com.    This might be a fun website to visit.
More tomorrow.   

Friday, December 28, 2018

12-28-2018 A.M.

12-28-2018  10:59 a.m.  FRIDAY
Here I go again.  I will try to do this better as the year goes by.  I have come to grips with the concept that if anyone reads this, nobody ever comments.  I read other blogs and never comment.  So, I suppose it is just the way it is.  My thought now is to keep a running diary (not dairy) of daily things - just to see how that goes.  Hopefully, I will be able to create this as a habit.

Friday:  wind is brisk from north and upper 30ish temp.   lots of sun - all dogs are inside away from the chill. Greta has had 2 successful trips  to "wet" outside.  Greta, my blond 10 lb beauty, has just turned 18 years old.  She is going strong other than visual and hearing problems.  It is getting to be that she sometimes won't (or doesn't care to) make it outside in time to woo or wee  ( a previous blog entry explains those terms).  

Yesterday was Sadie's 3rd birthday.  Sadie is three years old.  She had dogie ice cream - old fajita meat - shared a can of wet dog food with the others - and I sang to her.  She only truly appreciated the food even though as a whole, she doesn't care about eating.

Bruno & Oscar on the other hand have a completely different view of eating.  LET'S EAT  24 hours a day - continuously,  And Greta just snacks sometimes if she feels like it and the moon is in its 3rd phase and I hold my mouth in just a certain way.  Eating has never been her thing.  Maybe that is why she has made it to 18 years plus.

Went to town yesterday to deposit rent check and mail real estate taxes to Ellis county for the rent house on Johnston Blvd.   Over $4000 seems like a lot for taxes on a 3 bedroom.

I checked  Walmart's post Christmas sales - everything still is too pricey at 50% off.  I may wait for the 75% sales.  I ran into the FUMC choir director and her husband at Walmart when I was trying to buy printer's ink - they were out of style 250/251.  I  looked for another insulated coffee thing for BJ ... they were out.  I did find my seal saver lubricant for my new power washer.

Went by HEB and came home.  Mail was sparse.
Back to today:  Brenda, wife, mom, BJ, girl, etc. is sleeping.  i think she found someone's cold over the holidays.  I may be on my own for lunch.  I see lunch meat sandwiches in my future.

Other than cleaning up, I charged my phone - helped dogs in and out side.  Retired our 2018 desk calendar to the IRS Pile of Papers - and have now turned on computer to do this.  We'll see how the rest of the day goes as I started taking down Christmas... 

Monday, October 1, 2018

October 1st

Here it is October 1st - 2018.  I see my last post was in 2017.  I understand this.  While I can write stuff, nobody listens.  If I am the only one who listens to me, why write?  I can tell myself things sitting on the back porch.  I rarely argue with myself.  The debate is minimum.  I have been considering printing a hard copy of all my posts, past and future; then, I'll create a notebook - 3 ring type - and keep it on a shelf.  Is it possible that one of my future great, great, great, great grand children will find it to be worthy of a read?

I have been doing some genealogy stuff this year.  I find it quite interesting even though I really cannot prove most of my results are valid.   I can go back to great grandparents with some certainty.  But, when I get further back, there are some questions.  Too often I reply on research done by others. One of my lines goes back to a year in B.C.   Minus 325 I believe.  I do roll my eyes when I type that.  

There is royalty in my family line.  King de Bruce of Scotland - the 3 King Edwards of England - a couple of French kings - the Plantagenets -  even a King  back into Switzerland - the list goes on including a Queen from somewhere in Spain... I seem to be lacking any Romans.  

Maybe, someday, if I feel like it, perhaps, or not, I'll find a way to post my family ancestors.  Of course, if someone's research was faulty, then I'm probably just fishing here.   

Henry Hudson of the Hudson Bay Colony shows up in one of my lines.  An aside:  my wife is doing the same.  She has a couple of the King Edwards too - which makes her my cousin, or aunt - depends - she is not my grandmother.  Daniel Boone is one of her uncles (she descends from Daniel's sister)  Her list goes on too.   Right now my wife is in the process of gaining membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Me thinks this would be "swell."

So, I got my paperwork started for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution.   If I get approved, THAT and a dollar will buy you a big gulp.    Right now, I have 59 great grandfathers who were alive in the USA in 1776.  It is logical some of those fought in the revolution.  

WHAR'S MAH BIG GULP? 
(insert a smiley face here for me)😁