Tested

It happened a few nights ago. I was tested. As I was sitting at the computer desk, about five a.m., the power browned out, immediately my hackles raised. The power came back on, only to brown out several more times, and go dark a few minutes later. In my little computer closet, at the dark end of the house, with little warning, I was in the dark. To my surprise, my training took over. I had rehearsed the move many times before, closing my eyes, and trying to find the flashlight I had stashed in a corner of the desk.  I had also rehearsed the same move finding the 357magnum, but this time I needed only the flashlight. finding it, (and grabbing the 357) I checked the house just like I rehearsed. I shined the flashlight into the back yard, making sure the back yard was empty, and the back gate still locked. It was, then going to check on my still sleeping wife. yes- still sleeping, although stirring fitfully. Whispering "its okay, I'm up", she relaxed somewhat, and I went about checking the house. Finding nothing out of order, I went about my pre-arranged duties. It was then, the power came back on. I relaxed. Twice more the power browned out, and went dark. Although there was much computer work to do, and a few clocks to reset, I was satisfied. Realizing my training and preperation had paid off, I was content. Next time, who knows. Can you say the same?

Taken for granted

I was just thinking earlier, how many things we take for granted in this life of ours. For example, how different life would be without electricity. Would you know the time? No television, no computer, no fans, no night light for those middle of the night bathroom trips. Yes life would be very different. Indoor plumbing, and running water would become a luxury.
How about security. How many of us sleep well at night, knowing a police department is patroling the streets, looking for evil-doers. Life would certainly take a drastic turn without the all important microwave oven. Here is a thought, how about your spouse? How different would life be without them? In this life, nothing is permanant. As "kansas" put it, "nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky".
Look at the people around you, think of how they have enriched your life, then try to imagine a day without them. How many words have been said in anger, that really weren't that important to say? How many times might we have done something nice for them, but didn't because of one reason or another? In a span of only ten years, it would be impossible to count how many ways in which someone we treasure enriches our life. Yet, words spoken in anger, hurtful deeds done, or worse yet, words not spoken, can alter our life with someone. How many good times does a angry word cost? How much trust does a hurtful deed destroy? It is, perhaps, much more important to take a longer view, to see the bigger picture, than to allow shortsidedness, or foolish pride to take those we treasure from us.
"Friends will keep you sane, love can fill your heart, a lover can warm your bed, but lonely is the soul without a mate" ...David Pratt

Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly...Rose Franken

The road

The last two years have been difficult. I had gotten complacent, had become master of my own destiny, and leaving little to chance, charged forward, forgetting the most basic principles. I only walk the road, I do not decide its destination. The road goes everywhere, and the best I can do is to chose from the options given.
The road can be hard, and cold. At times it seems without friend, or familiar surroundings. Faces on the road often turn, and go their own way, with barely a passing glance. Having learned the rules of the road long ago, alone, there is no comfort to be found. Comfort is found in a companion, a kindred soul, who like ourself, has walked the road, and known its anguish, and joy. A friend with whom to share the trials life's road can bring.
The road, even speaking the name invokes a sense of melancholy, and longing. Do not cry for me when I am gone, for I am still out there somewhere deep in the night. Under a million lonely stars, with the full moon for a lover, and the highway for a friend.
I walk the road with my companion. For now there is dark forest all around, with pitfalls, and a stormy sky. Beyond the next hill, perhaps around the next bend, brighter skies, and easier times await. We forge ahead, my companion, and me. Hand in hand, we weather the storms. Sharing a secret smile, we continue, we have survived the hard times before. 

Using what you have

One thing that amazes me these days is the number of speciality products available. One cough syrup company has so many different products, even the local discount chain doesn't carry them all. I went for cough syrup the other day, and it took me 20 minutes just to read through the selection. There are products for short people, with blue hair, who live in missouri, and go to church on every other tuesday.
Then there's my grandmother. (God loves grandmothers) This is a woman who lived through the great depression, the dust bowl, and learned to make do with what you had. When she passed away some years ago, she had 7 children, 13 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and 22 great great grandchildren. God bless her prolific soul. Grandmother bought as little as she could, and saved nearly everything for use later. Someone had given her a can of canary yellow paint that was wrong, and couldn't be taken back, so they gave it to grandmother. As a consequence of that, anytime something needed re-painting, it got painted canary yellow. It wasn't long before everything in her kitchen, from the match dispenser to the floorboards were bright yellow. Grandmother was a study in efficiency.
A big part of survival is learning to use what you have, to do what you need. Many of us at some point in our lives have used a butter knife for a screwdriver, or flicked our bic when we needed a flashlight, but in a survival scenario, our use of whatever we have must go way beyond this. Example, you have an electric pet hair clipper in a black plastic box, the clipper quits working (in the middle of clipping the pet). Throw away the box with the clipper? Grandmother would shudder. Of course not, keep the box, and later realize you could use it to make a shaving kit for your bug out bag, complete with mirror glued to the lid.  Go to the store and buy small trash bags for your bedroom,bathroom trash cans? Of course not, save plastic bags from the grocery store, and use them instead. They also make good car trash bags, fried chicken flouring bags, dog irritating devices, rain hats, spitunes, and packing material. Don't have a shovel? Use a knife, and coffee can. Don't have a ground cloth? Use an old shower curtain. Tea works as well as coffee, 3M oil does NOT make good cooking oil, however cooking oil will lube as well as any machine oil in a pinch.
While it is true that necessity is the mother of invention, It is also true that anguish rewards the stupid. Using what you have should be tempered with good sense. Screwdrivers do not make good eating utensils, and there is no good substitute for water.

The survival of sanity

Many things neccessary for survival,yet it is of supreme importance that sanity survive. Having experienced the death of sanity in an emergency situation, it is painfully obvious to me that when our own survival is threatened, our sense of justice, and reason is consumed in a blinding flash of panic.
What follows is a list of what I observed during the evacuation of Houston a few years ago.
1. Thousands of cars on the shoulder of the road, out of gas, and their occupants in a panic.
2. Lines to the gas pumps as much seven miles long.
3. Even small convenience stores completely emptied of all contents, and people still banging on the doors trying to get in.
4. Businesses closing their doors to everyone except those with copius amounts of cash.
5. Government agencies guarding food supplies at gunpoint.
6. Motels full.
7. Restaurants full.
8. People still looking for that "out of the way place, that no one else knows about".
9. Underground gas tanks empty, with cars at the pumps, and lines miles long.
10. The most impatient people risking life, limb, and property, just to move others out of their way.
When in a blind panic, a normal, free thinking person becomes an explosive, reactive, entity unable to think, or reason the simplest of concepts. When joined by a crowd of others in the same state of mind, this crowd becomes a herd of paniced human animals, and it is at this time they are the most dangerous. Having witnessed this state firsthand, I chose to prepare for disaster, to encourage family, and friends to prepare, and if possible to influence others to prepare, hoping that being ready for the worst to come, will stop the flood of stupidity that accompanies disaster.

What lies beneath

Even in a shallow pool, it is not always easy to see what lies beneath. It has been said "the eyes are the windows to the soul", yet to see behind the facade is much more difficult. Give a man a mask, and he will show you his true nature.
For quite some time now, we have been bombarded by Hollywood with disaster movies, one after another. Volcano, 2012, Armegeddon just to name a few, and the ending is always the same, the hero comes to the rescue, and everythings going to be fine. In life, things are not always going to be fine. What if in Volcano, for example, Tommy lee hadn't escaped the falling building, or if the eruption had triggered an earthquake that destroyed the entire pacific coastline?  Just as with the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the hero doesn't always ride to the rescue, and mostly, things are not going to be just fine. In reality, people die, homes are destroyed, and heroes just don't have enough time to save everyone. The difference between living, and dying is in our own hands.
So why is it I wonder, that in the midst of massive destruction, all the victims in Volcano, found racial equality, conquered mother natures destructive fury, or as in Armegeddon " a species has the knowledge to prevent its own destruction". Is this a message that is being bored into our psyche, not to worry about all this destruction, that a hero will ride to the rescue? What would happen to the electronics industry if everyone decided to prepare for an uncertain future, and understood that the latest electronic gadget is the first thing that is going to fail? Is it a coincidence that the largest, most prolific news media, is also an entertainment media? hmmm.

no kidding

I watched a news story today, and according to the report, the mexican border town of juarez, and its Texas counterpart, El Paso, is one of the most dangerous areas in the world. Even more dangerous than any city in the middle east. Those responsible, they say, are drug lords, and street gangs.  Oh really, ya think?  For many years now, drug cartels have had their way with the American people. The Mexican government did little to stop the prolific drug trade, because it is an American problem. Then a new leader in Mexico City gets a wild hair, and does the cartels major damage. Now the cartels are fighting back, murders occur regularly, and rampant. Although we see commercials constantly touting the wonders of a mexican vacation. A few days ago, four men were killed, and hung by their feet from a bridge in one of those tourist towns, not exactly the kind of thing you want to be exposed to on vacation. It's not just in Mexico, but in America as well.  With all the hooplah about illegal immigration, and the ensuing legal battles to maintain an open border, We have become desensitized, and see it as someone elses problem. Lets not forget, these are the same people who killed an Arizona rancher because he crossed them, and because his ranch was right in the place they wanted to bring illegal drugs, and immigrants. Meanwhile Washington debates the issue.
When one American dies, we all die a little inside. When we allow it to go unchallenged, our spirit dies a little at a time. The choice of what to do is a difficult one, but let us always remember, it is a war hammer, not a gavel that brought justice to the world.

prepare

The key to preparing for any emergency, is in organization. I found I have most of what I need already on hand, so the challenge is organizing it into a usable kit.
for example:
The old video camera long since quit working, I saved the 8"x10"x10" bag, to use as a small GHB. (get home bag) It has three exterior pouches, and a shoulder strap. It is sturdy padded canvas, and inside, I placed the following items. 2 small jars dried beef, 8 pouches tuna, 2 cans spam, 8 cans vienna sausages (I like them), a jar of beef boullion, 4 coffee singles, 4 tea bags, 2 dozen assorted bandaids, neosporin, a small bottle of handsoap, small roll paracord, small roll duct tape, bandana, mini binoculars, pen & small notebook, 4 pouches handwarmers, water purification kit, and to the handle I attatched a compass with a carabiner.
from September to May, I keep a large afgan (the wife made it, very warm),
and a bag of nine hour candle, with coffee can and dirt, and all year a bin of emergency food, and water. I am seldom without an emergency handgun, extra ammo, and hunting knife. It is not that I expect trouble, but in these days of people getting crazier by the day, it does not make sense to be prepared for emergencies, be it TEOTWAWKI, natural disaster, or whatever.

That one day

It can happen any day, when you least expect it. The folks in New Orleans found out it could happen on the morning of August 29, 2005. When the towers fell on September 11th, 2001, the people in New York discovered it could happen. That fateful day, the 5th of November, in Fort Hood, our soldiers discovered the worst can happen at any time, any place, the world as we know it can come crashing down around us. What will make the difference on that one day, be it natural disaster, terror attack, or the downfall of civilized man, is whether we are prepared. It can be argued perhaps, that one cannot prepare adequately prepare for the fall of civilization, or natural disaster. However, while having a good stash of food, and supplies may not mean we are fully prepared, it would certainly go a long way toward sustaining our lives. I have heard it argued that "if civilized society crumbles, I wouldn't want to survive". The greater truth here is timo mortis contrubat mae. The fear of death is within you. With our society crumbling, I doubt there would be mass suicide, more than likely, it will be mass panic. Of the people I know, none would simply lay down, and die. Thus, we must prepare. 
Imagine this. It is a lovely summer morning, a weekend maybe, and while everything is fine, there is that nagging little feeling that something is wrong. You have breakfast, clean up, and begin your plans for the day. While you are in the discount center, you notice people acting funny. They are wringing their hands obviously panicing, calling, texting, frantically running everywhere. Then from out of the blue, an announcement comes over the loudspeakers. Would everyone please exit the store by the most direct route. When you get out,  leaving all your prospective purchases where they were, as per instructions, you find out the reason for the announcement. Terrorists have attacked in several cities across the US, and martial law has been declared. All sales of food, and consumer goods has been suspended. Not to worry you tell yourself, we still have some food at home. Then you remember your asthma medicine, and the place where you get it is now behind locked doors. I'll get it somewhere else you think, only to find everything is closed, and you should have refilled it a few days ago. Rushing home, and turning on the news, you see pictures of the devastation. One city that was hit is a city you have relatives in, and long time friends, are they alive? Taking serious stock of the food in your cabinets, and fridge, you are feeling a little better about things when the power goes out. Part of your food supply is in the freezer, and the electic stove isn't going to work either. Of course the kids are scared, your spouse is scared, you're scared. What do we do? My laptop, you think, it has its own power supply, and surely you can find instructions on what to do on the net, right? Sorry, the power is out all over, and the net is down. The only information you're going to get is what you already have.
I hope this scares you. Then maybe you will understand the seriousness of preparing for the worst. Canned vegetables, canned meats, and dry foods, stored in containers, and put away will help you survive if that one day comes. You must also consider medications, security, and fuel supply. Can you cook food if the power grid goes down? If your family happens to be away from home, and you have to evacuate, would you know where to meet? One place to start is http://www.ready.gov/ . Your journey toward preparing can start here.

the great con

It has come to my attention that congress has failed to pass any of the budget items on its agenda. Furthermore, it has failed to take action on numerous politically uncomfortable issues placed before it.
Those of us with a history of being sceptical, and casting questioning glances toward congress can easily see what they are trying to accomplish here. Its been done before. Before the election, they spend, spend, and spend again on pet projects, and special interest bills to help them get elected, so that when that fateful day in November comes, they artfully place blame on someone else for the lack of action, and all the while tooting their horn on the wonderful job they have done for the country, and how much more is left to do. When they are safely back in their re-elected safety seats, they quietly pass all the uncomfortable bills, driving the deficit sky high. 
To paraphrase a line from the michael douglas movie, they are so busy trying to keep their jobs, they forgot to do their jobs. 
The opposite of pro is con, the opposite of progress, is congress.  

The Empty Nest

Some time ago, a pair of blue scissortails built a nest by our front door. Days passed as one by one they carefully gathered materials, and placing them just so, moved into their new abode under our front porch. The entire family became interested in the progress of this miracle of nature taking place before our eyes. We sent out progress reports, and when our adult children asked about "how the birds were doing", we would tell the latest news about momma bird doing this.., daddy bird doing that..., and all about whether or not there were eggs, etc etc.
Weeks passed, and one day the miracle happened. On this paticular evening we noticed both parent birds fly to the nest, then fly off quickly. "oh my god" my dear wife exclaimed, "they're feeding the little birdies". Sure enough when you looked closely you could see several little birdie beaks peaking over the side of the nest, and in birdie talk, cheeping, "mom, I'm hungry". When adult birds feed their young, they go out to a birdie restaurant, eat their fill, they come home, and puke up their dinner for the young to eat. Knowing this makes me very glad I am not a bird. This act of feeding the chirping little ones went on for several weeks, and to my amazement, the little ones grew steadily. We would watch, as the little ones would exercise their wings, preparing to fly, and all the while getting fed every evening from the parent birds.
One afternoon, our grandchildren were visiting, and we noticed only one bird in the nest. Another miracle, the young had flown, except for one. We saw what was apparently one of its siblings fly close to the nest, hover for a moment, then fly off. Whether it was encouragement, or "ha ha, look what I can do," I cannot say, but more than one sibilng was engaged in this little drama, and every time one of the sibings would fly and hover, the lone straggler would open its little beak, expecting to be fed, only to have its brother, or sister fly off. It only took a couple of hours of this torment, when the lone staggler flew off to find its destiny. After seeing the last bird fly, the other three siblings couldn't get back to the nest fast enough. There was mass confusion as the fourth bird realized it was being upstaged by the other three, and all the while momma bird, and daddy bird had flown the coup, and apparently had a place in a nearby tree that wasn't inhabited by four arguing babies. It was near dark when the arguement over the empty nest was settled, and all four baby birdies had gotten mad, and left.
So we are now the proud owners a slightly used Birdie condo, in good condition, in a good neighborhood, for rent or lease at a reduced rate. I must say I kind of feel sorry for the parent birds, watching their children grow, being proud of their accomplishments, planning their future, only to have them argue over ownership of the home, and make things so miserable that mom, and dad had no option but to move out. My only hope is that this doesn't happen to me.

morning coffee

I sat by the window this morning, and watched as a slow rain fell on the small Texas farming community that is my home. I drank my coffee, watched the birds in their morning routine, saw an early riser leaving for work, and thought of my many blessings. This one most of all, to have the time to watch the world go by, and contemplate. I love my wife dearly, my children, and grandchildren, but I treasure my time alone. In this society of instant access everything, so many are never truly alone. The Declaration of Independance was written by a man alone. In silence, we hear the still, quiet voice of our own creative spirit.
A term that is so over used these days is "soul mate". This term actually refers to the moment of creation. The spirit of God, the creator of all things, split into two parts, these two became four, and on to become all the spirits living now. Soul mates are created when a single soul becomes two. Two halves that make a whole being. It is perhaps sad that the term has been reduced to someone on a computer dating site.
As I sat, and listened to the sound of the world, I wondered about choices. The turn of a single key, the speaking of a single word, a look, can change our life forever. The choice to pursue a certain lovely young cowgirl many years ago, changed my life forever, and extended the line of my family down through the ages.
Many years ago, in the days before Texas was a republic, a group of men in Gonzales were faced by a contingent of soldiers. There was a choice to make, fight, or run. One man made his choice. He set to light a six pounder, and the revolution began, which became the Republic of Texas. Life is about choices. 
A slow rain fell this morning, and as the sun hides his face behind the clouds, I make an important choice. pancakes. Yep, today, I make pancakes.

The problem

Fox news is running a story about a plan to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. Well hell why don't we just eliminate that irritating border thing, and just call ourselves the united states of america and mexico. The reason for having a border is simple, keep non americans out. According to cityrating.com, pheonix, being an amnesty city, is above the national crime rate in all areas. Car theft rate is three times the national average. In Arizona alone, the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge has been closed to americans, warning them of violent drug smugglers, and people smugglers. Lets think about this shall we. The immigration issue has become such a problem, ranchers in southern Arizona being killed, crime skyrocketing on Tuscon and Pheonix streets that we are going to grant them amnesty. HMMM. They kill our people, and we forgive them. Rather nice of us isn't it? How about instead of forgiving them we send in Special Forces, along with A-10's, and apache gunships, clean up the Buenos Aires NWR, turn the ICE loose with a few battalions of soldiers, and stop all this illegal immigrating once and for all. We Americans must make our wishes known to our elected officials in overwhelming numbers, so there is no mistake. When our representatives in government do not do as we wish, vote them out. Most of all, get our heads out of the sand, and look around. America is under invasion.

to Grandpa on fathers day.

These are my memories of the man I new as grandpa.
Grandpa was an old school man of the world. A hard line southern democrat, he was a deacon at a small baptist church, and though strict, he was always good to me, and life was simple with him.  From my earliest memories I remember grandpa with his pipe, and the sir walter raliegh tobacco he always smoked. Years of smoking this same old pipe had made his left index finger crooked, and that crooked finger had the magical ability to freeze me in my tracks. For a kid, grandpa's garden was a wonderous place. I was always digging fox holes, or forts, and always seemed to finish them, and play in them for a while before grandpa, and that crooked finger would make me fill it in. I remember walking through the garden, and sometimes in the summer picking peaches, or cherries from the tree, and only today realize just how good they were. My early life was a collage of sliding down the cellar door after a rain, and saturday afternoon wrestling on TV with koolaid to drink, and sometimes having to adjust the antenna. Grandpa grew honeysuckles in the front yard along the fence, and the sweet nectar they yielded was always a welcome treat.
Thank you for all my memories, and for giving me the moral standards that serve me well, even today. Happy Fathers day grandpa.

gas prices and other irritating stuff

I have heard all the rumors, gas prices five dollars a gallon and higher, rationing, yadda yadda yadda. I bought gas the other day in a rural farm metropolis for 2.52, and it made me think. The normal summer price hike hasn't happened, and oil is spewing into the gulf at an alarming rate, both of which should send gas prices soaring, but hasn't, why?
Any time a corporate giant misses a perfect opportunity to make a larger profit, I get skeptical. Just the mear mention of a hurricane hitting an oil processing plant was enough to send prices three to four dollars higher, if only temporarily. That temporary hike was enough to net millions in profits. So, why now, with the perfect excuse polluting the gulf, have not the oil companies raised prices to the panic level? Are they sending donations to BP, and in sympathy chosen to mimic them? Is there a BP benevelant society that oil companies are joining now? Sorry, my smart ass is showing. But then by all accounts, I am a fifth generation smart ass. The generations before me all had terminal smart ass. Both my daughters have it, my grandchildren have it.
Its genetic.
While we are discussing irritating things, here is another one, condo's. The thing that irritates me is they are apartments, and someone convinced others to buy them. "here, here is this apartment, it's 1200 square feet, built shoddily,  but we want to sell it to you, wanna buy it?". By the way there's this bridge in NewYork that is up for sale.
Another irritating thing is iphone aps. Who cares if your iphone can access your DVR, and make it record, it would have been much easier to just push the record button on the dvr anyway. Not to mention cheaper. Now there are aps that will let you corner the market on precious metals, check out day care establishments, schedule a dentist appointment, or even buy a car. I have noticed an interesting phenomenon amoung the american public these days, thumbs are getting more well developed, and backsides are getting wider. All those things you used to have actually go, and do, you can now do by iphone. See the movie "surrogate", and take a lesson.

The Adults Prevail

You would have thought we were trying to get them to eat freshly dealt reindeer snot.
The baked squash my wife made, with carrots, and bok choi, was seasoned just right, baked in a foil pouch, and yummy. We had determined, my wife and I, that the two grandchildren visiting our home would eat some infinitismal amount of baked squash. We lit candles, made the secret sign, and with our hearts, and minds hardwired together, we set on our task.
The meal the GK got was, I thought, wonderous in its complex simplicity. Using the desktop grilling machine to its fullest potential, she created mini corndogs out of a pack of weinies, and store brand cornbread kits. Her creativity in top form, and kitchen skills never finer,  she weaved her web of culinary art for these two, whom our hearts love, and adore, and amid flying, and twirling utensils, set the meal before them. Myself, playing devils advocate, informed them they would have to eat all the vegetables, and  hinted at a treat if they did so easily.
It was here the trouble began. The younger realized carrots are the least offensive of the two, and ate them quickly. Amid hurled threats of violence against his person, ate the offending vegetable, and so earned his reward. The older of the two, somewhat set in her ways, tried valiantly to refuse this assault on her humanity, and with all the weapons at her disposal, fought bravely to win the day. In the end, the battle knowleldge, and experience of the grandmother won. The last ditch effort to spit out this offending morsel, was met by me, and with all my determination, down the morsel went.
Later that night, when we were alone, the GK tucked in, and sleeping, this woman I love and I shared a secret smile, and reveled in our accomplishments, for despite the trials of veggie eating, we had won.

The circle

It has often been said that life is a circle. Seasons come, and go,and come again. Todays predator is tomorrows fertilizer. The weak feed the strong, the strong become food for the weak. The great circle. It is true of all things in nature, the animals carry the days, and nights within them, the birds carry the cycle of migration, from where they depart, only to return, again and again. The great circle. We as humans walk on four legs in the morning of life, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening. From seed we are born, to seed we return. ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The great circle. In this world, what is not being born, is dying. It is perhaps comforting knowing ones place in the world, we are born with a purpose, to create life. Not just to procreate, but to leave with others our knowledge, our experience, strength, and hope.
Today I looked into the eyes of a child. She was the flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood, a child of my child. I saw in her eyes, complete trust, and perfect love. For a moment I saw forever, the line of my family from the beginning,  far into the future. In her small hand, was hope, the hope that one day far in the future, nothing I have done will have been in vain. That of my family, she will remember. That of my life, she will smile. That I have lived, one small child will know.  The great circle.
 

The Road- review

I just watched "the road" with Vigo Mortensen, and Charlize Theron. This movie is not acceptable for most people. It is a realistic view at a post appocolyptic society that, unlike most feel good movies, does not end happily. I must say that it is masterfully done, and as for me, I quite enjoyed it, but then I am not normal. In this movie, there is no hero, no one rides to the rescue. There are however, plenty of villians. Robert Duvall gives his typical great performance, although in a bit part, and Charlize Theron is totally beleivable in her role, albeit a little vague.
It takes a strong constitution to watch, and enjoy "the road", and the typical human will not. It brings to stark reality just what will happen if we as humans, and americans fail to save this society, indeed, "the road" is a wake up call.

The legend of the yellow rose

The yellow rose of Texas was born into providence, and priveledge, near the end of the eighteenth century, to Mexican nobel mother, and a politico father. She was given a formal education in Madrid, and Paris, and was known to be quite a lovely woman, with a gift for conversation. At the age of twenty two, her mother died after a lengthy illness, and she took her place in the Mexican heirarchy.
The events in Texas interested her greatly, and she saw an opportunity for a powerful ally, should the Texians be freely given independance. The greed of the government surprised, and distressed her, and when violence broke out in Gonzales, she became an ally of the Texians, secretly providing them with guns, ammunition, and food. When news of the fall of the Alamo reached her, and the massacre at Goliad, she realized drastic action must be taken to gain independance.
Assuming the identity of a madam, she turned a modest hacienda into a house of prostitution, and used her gift of conversation to gather intelligence on the mexican army, and secretly passed this information to General Sam Houston, hiding her communcations in bottles of wine.
According to a secret plan between she and General Sam, a good supply of wine was furnished to Santa Anna's army on the twentieth of April near San Jacinto, and The Texas army attacked the next morning, Texas independance was won.
On his trip back to Mexico, Santa Anna realized he had been manipulated, and by whom. He sent a small contingent of soldiers to the converted hacienda, and The Yellow Rose was secretly executed.
Some years after her death, a city in Texas was named for her. What is not well known is that her name literally means yellow rose. The name of The Yellow Rose of Texas is Rosa Amarillo. Rosa meaning rose, Amarillo meaning yellow. 
To this day, in Texas, we honor her memory, for her sacrifice, and love of freedom. 

livin' in the moment

I have read much lately about remembering how it used to be. I have seen old television shows revisited, how cheap things were, and remember how easy things used to be. When I turn on my memory, I can remember with great clarity how it was. While alot of life was easier, some of it wasn't.
Life today isn't so bad. I have seen my children grow to be adults, and have families of their own. I must admit that sitting in front of a computer screen with a coke, and a smoke, beats the hell out of hours in the library trying to research a report for history class. Things were cheaper, yes, but I also worked for 1.25 an hour. As I remember it took years for us to learn of the watergate scandal. today we broadcast the scandals as they happen on a satellite channel called C-span. I remember it was alot harder to seperate the crooks from the basically honest. Today it is alot easier, they are all crooks.  
I find it comforting living in the moment. I once heard it said that if you have one foot in yesterday, and one foot in tomorrow, you are pissing all over today. Yes I know the world is going to hell around me, but I also know that come what may, myself, and my own will survive. Living in today with the full knowledge of surviving tomorrow is one part preperation, two parts attitude. Focus, and vision are parts of the equation. If I focus on the bad, the bad increases. If I try to see the positive, the positive increases.
The place I am in today is a result of the screwups I got through yesterday, hoping to not make the same mistakes tomorrow. My only true course of action, live in the moment.





   

Prodigal post

It has been quite a while since I last posted. Much has happened, I have gotten lax in my preps, and in my homelife. This ends today. I have much to say, and it is difficult to use analagies, as there are none. I intend to simply write what I feel, and think.
Amnesty cities-
There are a number of cities in these United States that have made it a matter of public policy to ignore, and thereby condone, illegal immigration. Pheonix in paticular. City officials have directed peace officers to "don't ask-don't tell" in all dealings with persons illegally in this country. This is NOT  a race issue, as most of the pro-illegal try to pretend. The biggest arguement we hear is that it could lead to...could promote feelings of.... raises certain issues of... etc.etc.etc. CRAP! In its purest form, this is an issue of law. An example of this is, illegal wiretapping. Not only is it invasive, dangerous, and expensive, it is simply illegal. illegal immigration is also invasive, our social services, have become immigration services, and previously strict laws, and policies have been extremely relaxed to accomodate illegals.
 In the early 1900's immigrants came to our shores by the millions. They came by way of Ellis Island Immigration Center, and while it is true they brought with them their own cultures, and language, they came legally. America has been called the great melting pot, with many diverse cultures, and people lending their own identity to our common heritage as Americans.  It is easy to see we are not isolationists. The issue of illegal immigration is the first word in the term, illegal. Immigration is NOT the issue.
How can any elected official, in any city in America, who has taken an oath of office to uphold the law, direct police officers not to contact, or even make issue of, a persons citizenship status, and still expect to retain their office? When a person commits a crime (illegally immigrates), and another person condones that action, or turns a blind eye to it, that person is guilty of conspiracy to commit.