Snow? Cabbagestalk? Covid?

 

                                              Snow? Cabbagestalk? Covid?

 

I woke up this Saturday morning and looked out the window.  There was a bit of ice and/or snow there, but not nearly as much as had been there at 2 in the morning when our dog Stella and I took a look out our back door and decided “no, a walk outside was not what was needed at that time.”  The snow was definitely there at that time, and pretty it was, if not something my almost 2 year old friend recognized.   So, back to bed we went.

 

Oh, well, here we go, Saturday at 8:30, and we are up again.  No real options this time—Stella was ready and willing, very willing, for a break outside.  Shortly later, the wee break having been accomplished, she was back.  The scene outdoors was one of a fine snowfall that covered our backyard.  And, in spite of that, all was well for Stella’s brief walk.  Told Jennie about the situation and she said “fine.”  Back in bed with channel 6’s Shawn Cabbagestalk and his weather girl taking care of letting us know what needed to be known on today’s Saturday morning review.  All OK, we thought.

 

Now Mr. Cabbagestalk is someone we (well, I) had met one time before.  Change that “we” from Stella and me to Jennifer and me, and that “we” would apply to the situation that occurred a bit over a year or so earlier in the covid time frame when Jennifer and I went to Aiken Tech to take our first covid inoculation.  Which was the time we first met, in person, Mr. Cabbagestalk.

 

Mr. Cabbagestalk, Shawn to most of us, was there to record this first inoculation of quite a few Aikenites in our area, and we met him when he unmasked briefly for the three of us to recognize one another and have a little laugh over the situation (I had asked if he was still growing that goatee.)  Shawn and several other members of the press, as well as many of our Aiken area politicians were there to recognize the beginning of inoculations in Aiken County by Doctor David Fallaw and his Augusta University staff.  This being done, we were there early (we were expected,) and we were on the initial agenda for inoculations.  Mr. Cabbagestalk, and other attending members of the press, provided post inoculation reporting to all CSRA residents, and we enjoyed watching the provision of these initial shots to us on channel 6 a bit later in the day.

 

But all that aside, the snow (or whatever it was) was not exactly expected, but, for this one-time Indianan, it was, as always has been, appreciated.  It lasted just a while and, another day having arrived (today being Sunday,) there are just a few spots where just a little bit lingers.

 

Fun in the snow?  Well, maybe for our extension in Columbia, yes, I’d have to say.  But, for we Aikenites, not much!  Still—it was good to see!

Problems? Who has problems?

 

So, here we go MB Deux—here we are early in 2022 and it seems things are going to Hell in a handbasket!  Problems all over the world:  Here, in our Eastern area, we have a winter storm coming at us.  Probably no problem in Aiken, but, who knows.  An underwater volcanic explosion threatens our US West Coast with Tsunamis, who knows what might happen there.  And to add to problems with the weather and our Pacific Ocean we have our nice neighbor Russia starting to cause a war with one of their neighbors, and for virtually no good reason.  God, what else?  

Here in America, we seem to have problems with each other.  How many shootings are too many shootings?  What does it matter who gets shot?  Death, altogether too often, is their part of the problem.  And what does this bring to the shooter?  Well, a place to stay, and food to eat, and nothing else to do for life?  Is this fair?  Only, in my opinion if an eye for an eye is made a reality, and that life, if there are no extenuating circumstances, should consist of one, and one only, additional month following the trial.  What would we think about this?   And this is only one problem.  

Next there is the problem with our elected representatives.  Are they doing their jobs, or simply bitching back and forth with one another and getting nothing of use done for our Nation?  That's what they are getting paid for?  Not in my book.  

And these are just a few problems of many that all of us are aware of.  What needs to be done?  Plenty!

God help us--it seems we are not going to help ourselves!  Or are we?

In America, we have but one option--that is the political one,  

We, the people, need to get our act together!!

And, the sooner, the better!

Leaf blower madness

                                SOB does stand for “Sweet Old Boys,” right?

 

Well, let’s see!  I wonder how many of my neighbors enjoyed sitting out on their back patios, or screened in porches, enjoying a nice cool or, perhaps, on a fine autumn day like this, a nice warm tea listening to the migrating birds sing their songs as they looked around for a tidbit or two in our or in one of our neighbors’ yards?  Well, I guess some might have enjoyed doing that, until, that is, one of those SOB’s decided he (or she) just couldn’t stand the thought of those leaves in their yard, regardless of how many or few there might be, and cranked one of those detestable noise makers they decided to invest in (for whatever reason.)

 

Years ago, when most of us moved into our newly constructed homes in my neighborhood, we used to spend just a bit of time looking skyward to see how many (or how few) leaves remained on some of our “Woodland Estates” trees.  The reason behind this would be, if the leaves were mostly gone from the tree limbs, it was time to do a bit of raking—collecting the leaves in piles that were destined to go either to a leaf pile, where they would rot and provide us with good material for our gardens the next year, or, for the occasional leaf burn that provided just a bit of material for the gardens, not nearly the same as the material from one of our rotted leaf piles, though.  Those were pre-leafblower days, for sure.  And, to my way of thinking, those days were preferable to what we have today. 

 

Leaf blowers are, for some of us, the curse of our daily lives on more than just a few occasions.  Of course those who use them are mostly denizens of a more recent “generation” than those of us who turned a bit of nature into a bit of a neighborhood for our earliest SRS employees, those whose work put us ahead of Russia in the arms race.  SRS, called the Savannah River Plant, SRP, at the time, along with Hanford on the west coast did what was needed for us to be able to out produce the Russians in the Nuclear Bomb department to the extent that they really did not want to go to war anytime in the near future (or, from their smart ones, anytime at all!)

 

This was done and we all are here today because of what America did back then.

 

And, thank God for that!

 

Now, about those “blowers…”

 

I’m not opposed to their use, so long as the SOB’s keep their darn noise on their own properties.  It’s quite possible, you see, the blower and it’s crew could do its blowing and they could at the same time tow around a wagon with a decent muffler to take care of the noise that their blower generates to the dismay of many of their neighbors.  And to the dismay of quite a few flights of birds passing through to get to their winter destinations. 

 

And consider this:  We still have a few shift workers in our environ.  Wouldn’t want them to band together and hire some enterprising attorney to make the minimalization of the noise those neighbors foist upon their neighborhoods a thing of the past. 

 

Pretty good idea?  Vote “yes” if you are a shift worker!  Or, of course, if you just value a quiet neighborhood. 

 

And why not?  Then, again, the city streets are carrying some advertisements to enforce the use of adequate mufflers on our vehicles.  Maybe the same could be made to apply to our leaf-blowing neighbors.  I suspect I’m not the only Citizen who would appreciate the Council doing something to cut down on this unnecessary noise.  And, by the way, I did check:  Our various hardware stores do still sell leaf rakes! 

 

And, those rakes are not nearly as expensive an those leaf blowers are.

 

How about it Council?  How about it!

Want to donate something that someone else just can't live without?

My next time will be:

 Dec 17, 2021 @ 1:00 PM

• Blood

Lessie B. Price Aiken Senior & Youth Center

841 Edgefield Ave NW
Aiken, SC 29801

Join me?  Give our American Red Cross a call!  (803) 641-4152

To be a writer--right

 

To be a writer—right

 

While walking Stella this morning, I happened to think about what I might be able to do to spend a little time being productive.  Seems like I often end up watching the same old things on the tube and getting nothing at all done.  Could I write productively?   I wonder. 

 

Well, I did do that autobiography.  Of course, that was an attempt to do something while being forced away from my home during the repair time that was needed after the house fire.  And, while I have not exactly raked in a ton of money from the sales of that book (I’m not named Benjamin Franklin is one possible problem here) I have proven to myself, if to no one else, that I can write.  I guess my main topic might be:  What to write next?  But before that, I should remind you that that first book is on Amazon.  Got a few dollars you might be able to spare?  Check out:  https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-V.- Geddes/e/B07F64V892%3Fref=

 

(And, before I go any further, this program does not allow me to simply post a reference.  I do—above—and then I try to put a period for punctuation and it includes the period in the post.  Ergo, no period!) 

 

The first thing that comes to mind is to put on my tennis shoes and head for the woods—Hitchcock woods, at that.  I have told myself that would be a topic worthy of exploring and have begun several times to give it a start.  The problem is that is all I have done—give it a start, several times, at that.  So now what?

 

A good question, wouldn’t you say?  I know what I want to do, and I know what I have done so far, and nothing seems to be enough.  Well, perhaps what I need to do is write out a detailing of what I need to do to write that book. 

 

The first thing is the title: “Xxxxx xxxxxxxxx.”  (And I will fill in that name, as soon as it is done to the point where its confidentiality need not be protected.)  Easy, right?  Well, you might guess it would be easy if you had been thinking about it for several months.  Which is what I have done.  Now what?  Again, just a bit easy, but not anywhere as easy as I believe at this point.  Nothing to do but begin, I guess.

 

1)  Table of contents

 

So far so good, right?  Wrong—the work starts here.  Which is why I will continue this on another post. 

 

Work?  WORK!! Or so Gilligan would have said.

 

Hah!

 

 So, I’m done for the day.  You can continue on with the next post, though, in a few days, anyway, or so I hope!

 

Cousin John is gone

 My question is how and why, cousin?  Was it something in your past that we were not aware of?  The main problem with your leaving is your grandchildren will know nothing about the good man you were.  And your children will not have the benefit of your council from time to time (something we had for many years from our parents, thank God) something they will miss terribly, even if they don't know what it is that they are missing.   And, your cousins will miss having you on those occasions when we all might come together for whatever.  Well, I'd prefer not to get to hug my cousins, your sister, your brother, in the very near future.  Some things are better put off as long as possible, or so I think.  I will miss you.  Even though we did not correspond at all for many years.  My misfortune.  Sorry.  Will pass on to your siblings the fact that I am here if they have any reason to question an old relative.  Sometimes, though, we might be one anothers' best listeners, helpers, comisserateurs.  Sorry.  What else can I say?

Goodbye, cousin John.  Tell your mom and dad I miss them too!

My thoughts on a friend's column

Hope you had (or will have) a chance to read Jack DeVine's column in the AikenStandard this week.  He could use a few thoughts from the field, I think, and the AikenStandard would benefit by passing on those thoughts to its readership.  My add-on follows:

Good column.  I agree totally with the implication that our congress is not working properly for the American public when they fail to work together to agree or disagree and make changes to obtain a modicum of agreement on its legislation.  Everything in America is not top-notch, and that is a fact.  I have a very intelligent friend who lives in New Zealand and who is intent on staying there till he passes on.  Why not?  Good medical care, at reasonable prices, good food, good neighbors, and a beautiful environment.  We could do well to send a legislative delegation there, people who need to see how things could be changed here for the better, and people who  are disgusted with this two-sided standoff, failure to work reasonably together, that is our congress.  

If that congress cannot come up with reasonable ways to work together, I think they ALL need to be sent out to pasture and a new group returned to do the work we need them to do.  Republican, Democrat, or whatever be damned!

LIke I said, good column.  What we need, though, are thoughtful people in those positions of power who are dedicated to doing things RIGHT, not just in winning for one side or the other.  Hell, if that one side or another approach were what we took during WWII, we would be living under some sort of Hitler in Europe today.  And wouldn't that be something different?

Considered compromise is what those monkeys in congress have to learn how to do to give all of us a little bit of the benefit of our system of government.  Lacking that, we all are indeed going down the tube--one flush at a time!