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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. 
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| What a day, and what a way to start a new year! I'm talking about the chaos in Washington that took place today. But, we have seen as much across the country over the last year. I'm not talking about legal assembly and protesting, even though I personally do not believe in it; I do support it as one of our important freedoms and rights. I'm talking about violence and the destruction of freedom that is spreading across our nation like cancer. It seems like that is the answer to any disagreement today, answer with violence. It's this concept that if I believe in something and you don't, I should strike with violence and destruction until I get what I want. Half the time, what is wanted isn't even justified, it's just sore losers and temper tantrums from not getting one's way. When I see people protesting because they believe in something or some change, I respect them even if I don't agree. They are exercising their rights to bring attention and thought to their issues. But, when I see a mass of people destroying property, burning, stealing, and inflicting personal harm and or death, I have one thought; terrorists! What else could you call them, they rise up in riots, they destroy property, and they use fear and violence to try and force us from our way of life. Today I avoided the news, knowing from the past year that things would not go the way they should, but tonight I read through the news only to confirm what I already knew. It doesn't matter if a person supports Trump or not, that is no longer the issue. As the president of our nation, his job should be to protect this nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic, as well as to use his power and position to bring all sides closer together, not drive them further apart. In my opinion, he has shown that the American people and our nation come in second to his own desires. It is also my opinion that he should have been addressing the crowds and asking them to stop and go home and when the rioting started he should have announced his decision to resign as a show that he does not support the rioters. It amazes me and it fills me with concern, for years we, as a nation, have watched as corruption and violence have spread in other countries. We cry in outrage at corrupt elections and we condemn those who fail to accept fair elections. We have even given aid to countries that have held elections and then seen chaos and riots have risen up. Now, we see our own country falling to the same violence and corruption. It seems we no longer need to fear a foreign enemy or terrorism from overseas, we face a much more dangerous enemy... ourselves! We the people, unable to maintain a more perfect union, do hereby use chaos and violence to gain what we want and destroy what our forefathers so bravely fought and died for. Can we stop it? Can we repair the damage already done? Can we come together as a nation and rise up and be great again? Or, do we continue to fight, to riot, and to destroy this nation until it becomes easy pickings for whoever wants to invade our shores with false promises of peace and unity. Perhaps it's time to bring back the Pledge of Allegiance, the original version;  |
| Another night where I cannot think of anything to write. I've read through prompts and searched headlines, I've looked back over the day, and nothing comes to mind. I know a lot of it has to do with being tired, I was up early this morning after getting to bed very late last night. I had about six hours to sleep, but it was interrupted and troubled. Another part of the problem is, I'm stuck here all day keeping an eye on the girls who are doing distance learning. In fact, I saw a post from a teacher who stated how great distance learning is because she has time to work on her crafts and even take a walk during the day now. She's getting paid her full salary and meanwhile, I'm stuck at home doing most of her job for nothing. So, not doing much doesn't give much to write about, and then people petting my peeves gets my goat riled up. Hey, has anyone actually thought about some of the goofy things we use in speech, like pet peeves, and something getting one's goat? Sure I know what it means to get peeved; to get annoyed or irritated. Of course, a pet is a tamed animal kept for companionship and pleasure. So how does it work to put the two together when they are all but opposites? It's probably why I state it wrong so that it's more accurate; do not pet my peeves! Why? Because I finally got the irritating little s***s settled down and out of my mind, and if you pet them, they're going to get all wound up again. And, that really gets my goat. What the hell does that mean? Well, it's quite similar to peeves; to bother or annoy someone. In looking this phrase up, it's origins are unclear, but it's meaning is very clear, it means to be peeved. So then, it only stands to reason that someone had a goat that was in fact a pet. But, when the goat got worked up, it probably did a lot of damage and maybe even sent the owner for a tumble, causing him or her to be peeved. In fact, let's take this whole thing a bit further and name that ornery goat Peeves. So Peeves is a pet, and sometimes Peeves is friendly, tame, and great companionship. But when something or someone gets Peeves worked up, all hell breaks loose. Of course, this kind of behavior upsets and annoys the owner so anything even remotely similar is referred to as a pet Peeve. Likewise, certain actions are equally annoying to the goat's actions, so the owner informs those who are annoying him, or her, they are getting his, or her's, goat. There now, it all makes sense, and if someone switches them around, we will still understand what they are saying when they state, "That really gets my Peeves." or, "That's one of my pet goats." |
| We had a beautiful day here, sunny and warm; mid-thirties, warm for us. I finished cleaning up the snow the plow missed and salted down the walks this evening. With the warm weather, the snow is melting and everything was getting icy as the temperature dropped below freezing. I was very tempted to go out on the lake and do a bit of ice fishing this afternoon since it was so nice out, but my wife was at work and I was watching over the girls. They should be old enough to be home alone, and most times they do fine, however, they had distance learning today so I needed to hang close in case they needed any help and to keep them on task. Also, if I did head out to the lake when they are home alone, I already know I wouldn't get any peace and quiet, they would be texting me about everything and anything. Hell, since we live very close to the lake, they may even show up to see what I'm doing. My next thoughts were to go after my wife got home, but by then it's getting late and dark. So, instead of going out for some time alone, I worked on our supper, helped the girls, and just did some odds and ends around the house. I was right in assuming that if I tried to get some time for myself I'd be interrupted, and so it was trying to get some stuff done out in the garage and even while I was working on supper. But, being at home it wasn't too bad. Besides, I know how to counter it at home, I just put them to work on dishes or something. They hurry and get their tasks done and then they vanish. Once schools are open again, I'll have plenty of time t get out fishing, I hope. It depends on the weather, the temperatures, and what else happens to be going on. Normally, they would have gone back today, but with so much shut down here again, the schools are doing distance learning through the seventeenth of the month. Of course, things may change a bit this Wednesday when the governor lets us know if he's going to lift any restrictions. I could really go a want over this whole thing, but what good does it do? Everyone is tired of hearing about it, tired of living it, and I think if it was up to the people, we would pretty much go back to life as normal. If things don't pretty soon, we may forget what normal was. |
| Another day down, a weekend over, and the girls go back to school tomorrow. Well, if they had school; they will go back to distance learning. I don't know what your thoughts are on distance learning, but I'll be happy to share mine. I think it stinks! The girls both want to be back in school with their friends, of course. From my side, I want them back to school, too; it's a lot of extra work and a headache having them schooling from home. For one thing, I cannot do much of anything or they will be off their Chromebooks and on their phones. I also have to help them with their studies, but unlike at school, they tend to try and get me to do most of their work by asking about everything. At the same time, I still have my regular work to do around home, as well as shopping and trying to do my own thing. Meanwhile, the teachers wait for students to contact them with questions and seeking help. But, once the assignments are posted, the kids are driving their parents crazy and not contacting the teachers at all. In our school district, the teachers have to work from school, so they bring in their hobbies and crafts to keep busy through the day. Meanwhile, at home, I'm too busy to work on any hobbies or crafts and am doing good if I can keep the girls focused on their schoolwork and get lunch cooked without burning something. Meanwhile, the teachers and school staff are collecting their salaries the same as any other time. Now, I don't think they should have their pay reduced, not at all. But, since I'm doing a great deal of their work, I think I should get some kind of compensation, too. No, not as much as the teachers, but a little something for all the added work I'm doing. I'm sure if the forces that be had to start paying parents who stay home to teach their children because of distance learning the schools would reopen. Maybe not full time, but at least back to the hybrid we had before Thanksgiving. Now, it's time for me to get to bed, I have to be up early to play the part of a teacher's assistant, an unpaid teacher's assistant. |
| 2021 seems to be starting out pretty good. Sure, there's still plenty of the same old crap, but one can hardly expect everything to just suddenly change overnight; it's going to take a fair amount of time for things to turn around and take on any semblance of normal. Hell, somethings probably never will return to what was normal. And, even as some things return to normal, there are bound to be new problems arising. Let's just hope and pray that the new problems are far less severe than some of the problems in 2020. But, as I was saying, the new year seems to be starting out pretty good. First of all, I purchased a small snowblower to save my back from shoveling snow. It's nice that our landlord has someone come in and plow out the driveway, but the person doesn't plow behind my pickup and doesn't get very close to the garage. He, or she, also leaves a lot of snow around the dumpster and the mailbox. Of course, we are responsible for removing snow from our sidewalks and patio. So, I decided to get a small snowblower to clean up around the garage, behind my truck, around the mailbox, and around the dumpster. I also figure, and this is just based on how things usually go, but if I'm shoveling all that snow, it's going to snow frequently and we will get a lot each time. But, with a nice little snowblower that makes it almost fun to clean up after it snows, we probably won't get near as many snowstorms and they will probably not give us a lot of snow when they do hit. Also, I received a check in the mail from the telephone co-op I used to be a member of. I haven't used their services in a few years, since we moved, but I still got a dividend check from them this year. Not just a couple of Andrew Jacksons, but five Benjamin Franklins and four Andrew Jacksons! It's like getting paid back for what I spent on a snowblower. I also gathered up all my ice fishing gear and did a test fit in the sled I purchased to haul it all out on the ice. It's a tight fit, but everything fits and will ride nice. Well, almost everything, I will still need to find a place to stow a thermos of coffee and a couple of bottles of water, and my tackle box. I won't have any problems fitting in the thermos and water, but I'm kind of short on space for my tackle box. I can't believe I forgot it when I did a trial set-up today, but I did. I'll figure it out tomorrow, I think there's room in the very front, but if that doesn't work out, I can always set it on top of my five-gallon pail or on top of the minnow bucket and use a bungee cord to hold it in place. I also checked out the area I want to ice fish and it's plowed out to the lake and there are a couple of wheeled fish-houses out kind of in the area I want to fish. That's a good sign that the ice is thick enough, they had to use something to pull them out there. Not only that, but their fish-houses easily outweigh me and all my gear. I'm also pleased that they didn't set up in the area I want to fish. Their close, but missed the mark for the bottom contour, at least by the map I looked at. Now, however, it's getting to be time for me to wrap this up and head off to bed. I have quite a bit to accomplish tomorrow and if there's time, we may have to go do a bit of shopping with the gift cards we received for Christmas. My wife has one for Dick's Sporting Goods for a new bike she asked for, and I have one to use for whatever I decide I want to get. I was thinking about a new camera with BlueTooth and wifi, something with a little better zoom than our old one. There I go, rambling on again. Good Night |
| And so ends day one of the new year. I was up late last night, or would that be early this morning? Either way, I didn't hit the sack until about 3:30. The girls didn't get to bed until after 1:00, and the youngest was up reading until after 2:00. Then, finally, some quiet time for me, even if I was almost falling asleep in my chair. I did sleep in late today, not getting up until a little after 10:00, and just kind of loafed around while I waited for the coffee to kick in. This afternoon we headed over to pick up the snowblower I had purchased online. It was a nice day and I nice drive, but when we arrived at the store, a Menards Home Improvement Center, it was packed. I was glad I had purchased online and just had to drive to the back to pick it up, but after we did venture in to pick up a few items. I really don't understand why we have no inside dining, yet we can be in stores that are wall to wall people? Seriously, with that many people wondering the isles and handling anything and everything, is there any greater risk to sit in a food establishment? It's really kind of a bummer, man! I mean, our entire family enjoys the occasional going out to eat as a change of pace. But on days like today, when it's just my wife and me, stopping by some nice restaurant and having a good meal and time to sit and talk to each other is the highlight of our shopping trip. It's a nice respite for us and something we seldom get to enjoy. I'm sorry but stopping anyplace and ordering through a speaker, waiting for someone to bring it out and hoping it's not messed up, then sitting in a parking lot and eating in the car is just not the same. That's another of my pet peeves, I've got a small herd of them started now; ordering take-out food. First is the fact that the speaker never works right and you can barely understand what they say. Then, you're trying to tell them the order with a car full of people reading off the menu that is always placed so someone can't see it. I have yet to order drive-through and have an order come out correct. Sometimes it's pretty close, but there's always something missing. The closest we have come to getting our order was all the food was correct, the drinks were correct, but instead of a double order of chicken nuggets, they only sent out a single. Oh, and they didn't include any dipping sauce, ketchup, napkins, or straws. The worst was getting someone else's order and not a single item we had placed. Then, once the food arrives, it's a matter of where to eat it. We're all hungry, that's why we stopped to get food, so we don't want to wait till we get home, besides, the food isn't' all that good to begin with, and it never improves with time or a drop in temperature. But for all four of us to eat in the car is a pain and a mess. It's extremely difficult to try and drive while you eat, and if texting is a distraction, what about trying to find the ketchup to dip your french fries? Of course, having sauce, bits of lettuce, and other sandwich fixings falling down the front of your clothes is always a nice experience, especially if you still have more shopping to do. And then there's the mess in the vehicle; we could probably support a large family of rodents for a month with the food that gets spilled inside the car. Now, I'll probably have drive through nightmares! m |
| So, this is 2021 and another year passes. Will the new year be a good year or not? For that matter, was the last year a good year or not. It was, from a historical point of view, an interesting year. Sometime in the future, it will be read online or in textbooks and there will be those who refuse to believe what we lived through; hell we're still living through it. Others will believe it but think we all blew everything out of proportion. And, then there will be those who will be convinced it was some kind of conspiracy. I know it's been a difficult year for many people, there has been loss, there has been destruction, and there has been fear. We also had a lot of terrible things we lived through, a lot of frustrations, a lot of fear of not knowing what was going to happen to us. But, we didn't bury our heads in the sand or close the world out. We did what we needed to do, difficult as it was, and we pushed forward and survived. Now that it's all done and we enter a new year, I look back and instead of focusing on all the negatives, I look to see how many positives we gained through the year; there are a lot. The choices we made would have been different if not for the pandemic and the problems that arose from it. It's like looking back upon one's life and realizing that if we were to go back and change anything, it would change us. I'm not saying that we are shaped by our circumstances and our environment, but by the choices we make in regards to our circumstances and environment. I don't know what 2021 will bring, will it be a good year and we will see an end to the pandemic, will people set aside their differences and we will enjoy a period of peace and prosperity? Or, perhaps the virus will continue to mutate and stay a step ahead of our vaccines. Perhaps people will become frustrated and look for others to blame and civil unrest and lawlessness will break out around the globe. Perhaps some madman will take advantage of the problems the world is facing and rise to power and engulf us in yet another world war. Hell, maybe this year the aliens will arrive and enslave all of us or exterminate us completely. Anything is possible. Well, almost anything. I did read a headline that stated the aliens don't visit Earth because it's too expensive. But, that's for another day, for today, what I'm saying is what the year will bring is unknown, but I do know this, I'm going to focus on the positives and have a good year and wish the same for all of you. |
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