Grandparents House

 Between my childhood home and my grandparents house there was just one other home. My grandparents lived on the next street over. At one time my grandfather was mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia, and also a prominent attorney. He was one of the first professional football coaches ever, and refereed at the Rose Bowl. At one time in college he played against Jim Thorpe. 

My grandfather Russell Goodwin is in the Wheeling Hall of Fame. His house was very nice. At one time it was actually two nice apartment houses. My Grandfather took out the dividing walls and ended up with a nice home. Since it was two separate apartments the house ended up with two of everything. Two kitchens, two nice staircases, two nice bathrooms, and a hall on the second floor that was two halls wide now that the center dividing wall was removed. The bedrooms were large, but the most amazing part was a very large attic with a full sized bedroom, a bathroom, and a large room for a pool table. Neighborhood kids spent hours playing pool in my Grandfathers attic. He was tolerant of the noise created by a bunch of kids over his bedroom. In addition to the house there was a two story garage with several large rooms. One of the rooms above the garage was a dark room. Both my grandfather, and one of my uncles were very enthusiastic photographers. One large kitchen wall was covered with family photos. My Grandfather bought each of his five children a nice home in the area where he lived. My cousins lived within blocks and it was great to grow up with the extended family nearby. 

The Divide

 Nothing new, those with, and those without. Yesterday we met Marty walking down the road by the lake near our new residence. Marty and his wife have quickly become good friends. Marty walked with Winky up the steep hill while Kadizzle road the ebike. At the ranch the political discussion started. Marty is a good liberal and we plowed into a lot of subjects, and of course solutions to world problems. Why are people poor. Both Marty and Kadizzle told the tales of how a little luck propelled them to economic security. It is a long story, but Marty's tale of prosperity came from a call he got from England to capture Wood Rats in the desert. You probably know Kadizzle's career started when he took a nap on the porch swing in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Why do some people succeed and others fail? Of course there are many factors. Maybe daddy left you a piece of land with oil under it. You did not succeed, you just had the right daddy. Trump is splendid example of that. Maybe you got some good DNA and were smart enough to see through the trickery of those who prey on the less fortunate. Maybe you understood economics and saved. Maybe you listened to someone with knowledge. 

Society very much depends on the haves, and how much they soak from the have nots .  Shooting a cow is not a difficult endeavor, but a mountain lion is another category. Why shoot either one? Well you can sell a stupid person a Mr Pillow pillow and it is not hard. Kadizzle was at the Walmart hall where people go to buy items made of Chinesiem. You can get a decent pillow there for twenty bucks or less, but Mr. Pillow will sell you one for a hundred. Really, what can you do to a pillow? Well you can use pillows to bilk the Trump cult. Republicans have turned mental deficiency into a gold mine. 

The wandering Mind

Long ago Kadizzle was a college student in Huntington, West Virginia. The truth is Kadizzle was not the best student. Attention deficit disorder was a plague then and now. When Kadizzle went to the library to do research he would walk between the stacks of books. Before he ever got to the book he was looking for another book caught his attention. Before he knew it his time at the library was wasted. 

The modern version of this is Youtube. Kadizzle starts to look at one thing, and then something else catches the eye. The net result is now Kadizzle can captain a plane, a helicopter, and just about anything that moves. You can learn it all on Youtube. Once you start exploring the journey is endless. 

Morning has come to the mountains. A small skiffle of snow in spotty places. Tomorrow the trail crew will arrive for a turkey dinner. Winky is in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Ah stuffing, the fat mans nirvana. Kadizzle started syphoning the water out of our retention pond yesterday. Winky exclaimed " You will never get anywhere with that". Yes my child, but this morning the pond is dry. 

Our new headquarters sit on top of a hill up in the mountains. No one would have thought water would be a problem, but puddles have been forming in the basement. The blasted builder still has not put gutters on our home. Hopefully that will solve the problem. However, Winky wants to play drain the crawl space tomorrow. The mud here is something special. It is like walking through glue and sand. One step into the mud and your boot will pick up three pounds of mud.  It is easy to see how the Indians could make pottery out of this stuff. Almost like natural cement. 

These are Megan's two little monkeys. Love these little bums. 

 

Nope, you can't be a vagabond

The plan was to be without a home for a couple years, travel about, let the sun power the Earth Module, maybe some foreign travel. Nope, didn't happen. The Captain of the Universe Commander Winky wanted a home drilled into the ground. Here we sit at five thousand feet. After a long, very long wait, we are in our new home. Endless hassles, that is what home building is about. The house is not at the exact angle to the universe it should be. Picking out colors was like picking out lottery numbers, and of course the garage doors came the wrong color. The granite had to find a hiding place because of the building delays. The Earth Module will be a squeeze in it's home beside the home. On and on it goes. Since the builder has been too slow installing the gutters water is accumulating in the crawl space. Kadizzle has storage containers on the deck collecting water to keep it away from the foundation. 

All things considered we are actually in the lap of luxury, if you can be in that lap with no furniture. Just about everything got sold in North Dakota. We kept the kitchen table, some chairs, and a futon. The new beds are great. Setting up utilities, and getting mail service are problems of a large magnitude. Mail service has driven us insane. The post office and the builder cannot  manage the installation of the mailboxes. Over the summer we have had three addresses. Until you change your address you have no idea how your address is tied to everything. Not hard to see how the homeless cannot survive without an address. Credit cards, banking, the car, you name it. Without an address you do not exist. Then of course we have not entirely faced the mess of changing drivers license, medical care, and on and on. 

Prior to his insane debacle we were debt free. Now, maybe we can leave the children some juicy debt. 

Well, better go to the good side. We are in the mountains with endless trails. The weather is spectacular compared to a winter in North Dakota. Drive down the road and the temperature goes up ten degrees. Drive up the road and the temperature will drop five degrees. Life is too short to spend all in one place. Too many of the hillbillies Kadizzle grew up with never busted out of the hills. That is the report for this morning. Hope everyone had good holidays. 

A dusting of snow

At our refuge from winter we awakened to a dusting of snow. That can happen at five thousand feet. Kadizzle is trying to get the engine room in order. The engine room is world headquarters for The National Association for the Advancement of Humanity. The engine room has computers, music, a desk, and all the comforts of a place where you can be alone with your thoughts. Once Kadizzle manages to come alive in the morning he wanders to the kitchen and puts ten little measure of the coffee in the coffee pot. When he pushes the button the world begins to come to life. As the blood and caffeine bring Kadizzle back to life he checks of the evil Republicans and plots his means to secure a good life for the oppressed. At some point little Joey awakens and wants breakfast. With luck Winky might make some French Toast or an omelet. The main research organ is the New York Times. The NYT is one of the last bastions of democracy. Evil Republican agents are buying up newspapers like the Bismarck Tribune and turning them into right wing rags. The entire country is doomed as we turn into Fox News Nation. 

Back to the National Association for the Advancement of Humanity. Everyone gets those calls where the caller does not identify themselves. When Kadizzle answers the phone if he does not recognize the call he will answer " National Association for the Advancement of Humanity".  If you will not tell me who you are, then I will return the favor. So if Kadizzle answers that way don't be put off, just identify yourself. 

The Morning News

Once upon a time Kadizzle told himself his next house would be a small one. Here we are in our new home, it is not that small. The old house had a basement that basically doubled the size of the house. It was way more room than two old people need. Now, in our new home we just have one floor. That is what you do when you are old, no steps. The new house still has enormity. The living room is the main and perhaps the only public room, but it is huge. Filling it with furniture will break the bank. Kadizzle likes roomy rooms, but he may have gone overboard on the bedroom. Even with a king sized bed space is plentiful. The garage is also a vast warehouse. 

How many people in the world live in tiny apartments, huts, and cramped quarters. Maybe we take too much. Why? Because we can. Even when we attempt to take less we still fail. Our cars are too big, and pickup trucks roam like wild beast on our streets. Are the Kadizzle's guilty? Hell yes, but we are different, we deserve all this. Of course no one else does. We worked hard for what we have. That is a lie. We were born into families that had an extra edge. We had good educations, homes with books, and two parent stable families. 

Conservatives love the old saw " I worked for what I got, why can't you?".  Well, take a black family for example. Did they get help buying a house from mom and dad? Nope. Did they inherit a little money to help along the way? Nope. Did they sort of have a job fall in their lap? Nope. If you help poor people it makes them lazy and dependent. Of course that does not happen with upper middle class Americans. They always flourish with help and support. The wonderful double standard. The rules that apply to me are not suited for you. 

History Lesson

Babylon Berlin is an expensive Netflix production Winky and Kadizzle have been watching for days. A very strange production that takes place in Berlin around 1918 to 1929. The chaos and politics of the time was as strange as it is now. The theme reminds one so much of the Trump plotting to overthrow our government. History is always the same, some group sells a new society to the gullible. Like always the poor are the pawns. Like always the uneducated are the fodder. 

Seems people never change. You can always play on the same weaknesses, delusion, religion, greed, and the hope your side will win. It never happens and almost always ends in a mess. In the old days a mess was just a couple million people killed in a silly war. Maybe the next mess will include nuclear weapons. Chemical weapons made world war one a lot of fun, and phosgene plays a big role in this mystery thriller. 

History is always about those on top wanting more and manipulating those on the bottom to get more. Selling the foolish false hope has always been a big theme in history. The idea that our side is right, and those other guys are up to something has always been a big seller. The lesson of history is the common guy usually loses. 

OK, a little change of the tune. Yesterday Kadizzle took a test on his favorite database. Do you want to see a different world? Yup, the world is not what you think. Go to a site called "Gapminder". There you will find a quiz that ask you questions about the condition of mankind. The quiz will show you based on facts, that you are wrong. You are wrong about how many people can read, how many people have clean water to drink, and you are wrong about so many important things in the world. We have made progress, but we have a long way to go. Sadly those on top now want things to stay the same because they are on top and they like it that way. So the Republicans are suppressing voting,  and doing every evil deed they can to stay in control. 

Well the new year is coming, and no one can stop the clock. We are all marching toward the end. No matter how old, how tired, or how depressed we still have to fight so our children can have a decent future. Doing nothing is not acceptable. The grandchildren, Quinn, Sylvie, and Evie deserve the chance to live in a better world so it is game on. Talk to the dolts, ask people to vote no matter how hard it is. When that person on the phone says " Can I do anything else to help you?", here is the answer. " Yes, you can vote against every Republican that breaths".  You can talk to the clerk at the grocery store and explain that those who make more than 138,000 pay no social security. Watch their expression. You have the right to wake people up. If you let them sleep we all will slowly parish in the swamp of Republican lies. 

Sharing the family

Children are precious, in more ways than one. First they cost a fortune, but then perhaps they are worth it. Now our children have had children, which we may even enjoy more. You can turn them in when you get tired of playing with them. You don't have to feed them, and eventually you get some peace and quiet with grandchildren. However, you have to share the family with inlaws. In the old days in Hazen we had both extended families at Christmas. Now that we have moved to Payson we will be alone for Christmas. Sister Patty could not come up from Cottonwood because of the weather. Our new neighbors Larry and Grant brought us some cookies yesterday. Christmas will be celebrated with just Winky and the neighbors. 

Rain fell all day yesterday and the sediment pond in the back yard filled up. The pond was a strange aspect of the property Kadizzle is not to happy with. It is not actually a pond, but a cinder block enclosure. It should have been a pond. Kadizzle may turn it into a more attractive part of the yard, but that will take time. Rushing into this house purchase has had a few glitches, but Winky wanted a home in Payson. Our main reason for living here is the surrounding area. There are endless trails, mountains, and wild area. We have such a large new area to explore on foot, on ebikes, and on the motorcycle. Then there is the Earth Module which can take us out for longer trips. Waking up with mountain scenery is very different from the old prairie in North Dakota. We have not escaped the Trump flags and the redneck pickup trucks. Add to that the pretend motorcycle guys who would like to think they are part of some gang. 

Now Winky just came in the engine room and said Kadizzle must help her pack up the bar stools she ordered. Winky does not hesitate to order things and send them back. Not sure what color she wanted she ordered every color. Now out of four chairs three will have to go back, what a fun way to start the day packing chairs. Of course next the chairs will have to be hauled somewhere like UPS and that also will be fun. Money flies out the window with a new home. We are doing our part to support the economy and inflation. The trick will be for us to give out before the money does. 

The Lord'll Provide

What do you do?

 You have a good friend or neighbor and they reveal they have a problem. What do you do? Your neighbor could not be kinder or more friendly then one day they say " I could never vote for a black man". Almost falling out of your chair you realize an aspect of a person you never thought was there. Then one day you look at out the window and see a Trump flag flying next door. Again you are shocked. The person seemed rational, and intelligent, but no. One thing both these people have in common is a deep religious belief. What went wrong?

The real dilemma is do you say anything? The older generation thought you could mix religion and hate with no problem. You could despise other humans for no reason and that was just fine with God. Kadizzle wants nothing to do with that God. Part of the problem with these people is their minister knew better, but the man that stood in front of them in church needed a paycheck, and a job. That man up there in front of the church knew what those people wanted to hear. The preacher knew how to polish Jesus so he would shine brightest on white people, Republicans, and those who spiced their life with a little evil. 

Kadizzle has known two preachers that are good people, but they did not express their true religion until after they quit preaching. What a strange world. Good man who cannot speak out until it is too late. How many people will die wishing they had said more about the infestation of evil caused by silence. 

Another day for the old goats

The truck rumbled up to Peter Bigfoot's refuge deep in the desert canyon. The road was in the best shape ever. Floods had ravaged the road, but a lot of work put it back in order. Our mission was to re establish the trial for Campaign Creek. Peter is a lucky man. He has a friend with a D9 Dozer who is helping rebuild his ranch that was devastated by the monsoon floods. The amount of water that came down Campaign Creek is incomprehensible. A stream that normally you could hardly drink out of ran deep enough to surpass the top of the pickup truck. The evidence in the trees told the story. The Stream had been up to eight feet or more deep in place. The water moved boulders the size of cars, and tore up everything in it's path. 

Rain in the desert is an entirely different animal. The desert has no holding capacity for water and a big watershed will flood instantly. As Kadizzle writes it is starting to sprinkle. The prediction is for up to two inches. If it comes quickly look out. More sand will inundate the highways and the boulders will move. 

Heard from Dave

 Long ago and far away when Kadizzle was a surface coal miner Dave took care of putting things back together after the miners tore the land apart. Dave was dedicated and won several awards for his work. Like I told him most people would be hard pressed to figure out what land was mined and what land was not. In West Virginia, my home state, the land will never recover, but Kadizzle can be proud of the reclamation done in North Dakota. Dave played a key role. 

Sad that although we restored some land in North Dakota we are now endanger of losing the whole planet to Republican greed, and denial of climate change. Kadizzle and Winky are in the southwest which is burning up from fires, and ravaged by drought. With six thousand planes in the air at all times burning 3,000 gallons each, do the math about how much crap we are putting in the air alone with aircraft. Of course this does not include the cargo ships burning oil sludge. Who cares we will  all be dead soon, but the grandchildren may suffocate. 

Who reads this crap?

There was a song " I am going to sit right down and write myself a letter".  Kadizzle writes himself a letter almost every morning. Does this nonsense go out into the digital universe and then on into space? One thing Kadizzle has been to lazy to do it set up the comments section on this system. If you want to make a comment and you really want Kadizzle to get the comment you can use the email, dakotaquinn@gmail.com  Maybe you did want to communicate something and forgive this old man if he never got your communication, but now you have a means. 

We are back at the Earth Module and are going to go up the mountain today. My heart isn't in it. My hand is eaten up with arthritis and the hand needs a rest. Have not actually climbed up the mountain trail in many weeks. It will be interesting to see how much the rain, fire, and growth has damaged the trail. 

This new life style of having a lake home and a mountain home is a bit strange. Calling the Earth Module a lake home gives it an uppity tone. 

Two Old People

Our new yard is actually a rock garden. Rocks of every size dominate the landscape. Some weight a pound others six tons. Winky and Kadizzle moved rocks yesterday. Two old people in their seventies vs a two or three hundred pound rock. The old goats finally won, but Kadizzle is sore today. A handful of arthritis like never before. With rudimentary tools, a pick and a hand truck we took on the rocks. So far maybe three tons have been moved. Just prying one out of the ground is a job. Kadizzle lifts by prying with the pick and Winky puts some small rocks under it. The final victory is celebrated by hooking two old people to the hand cart and pulling the prize to its new home. 

Morning has come once more and it is feeling  more like home in our new home. If you are in North Dakota freezing your backside off come on down. No real furniture yet, but we do have a very comfortable extra bed. It looks like the new neighborhood will be mostly old folks, but a real mix. Kadizzle met two gun loving ex marines down below. The man and woman were both marines. She brought some damn good cookies up to welcome us the other day. Fred comes by pretty regular walking his dog. Fred and Deb have spent their time on the rock pile at their home. There may be some kids nearby. Kadizzle likes young people and cannot understand why old goats would want to live without them. They are the hope. Only the young can save us from the Republicans. 

A Changing World

 People's choices about how they live have become less restrained, and that is a good thing. In recent times we have become friends with more gay people. Our new friends are intelligent, and interesting. They add spice to our lives. Living in a tolerant society seems to be a good thing. Since we are in the heart of redneck Trump land seeing gay people navigate the landscape is interesting. The rednecks seem to have adapted. Gay people have money, and they spend it, just like black people do. No matter how right wing and redneck you are as a businessman you will not do well if you offend minorities.  In the old days we had unions to protect people, but strangely our economy protects minorities even though Republicans don't want them to vote or have a decent life. Every business caters to Spanish speaking people by giving them the choice to deal with the company in Spanish. Minorities are encouraged to boycott discriminating businesses. 

The most important thing for minorities to realize is who their worst enemy is. The answer is pretty simple, it is the Republicans, and coming in second is probably religion. What religion? Thing about it. Religion robs the poor with the TV preachers, and look what the Catholic Church has done to women, native Americans, and the poor in general. Then look at how the fundamentalist have supported Trump. 

Yelling at the Computer

Winky is driving  Kadizzle nuts. Winky gets frustrated dealing with computers on the phone. The new voice technology has been adopted by just about every company. Computers that analyze  your voice do it by analyzing the electronic signature for the words you say with an algorithm.  When you yell and say something quickly it is self defeating. Getting angry with a computer is insane, and sitting next to Winky in the morning while she yells at computers drives Kadizzle nuts. Realizing if she would just say " Yes" slowly the computer would understand yes, but if she says it at the speed of light it creates a problem. Old people and technology is a recipe for mental illness.  

Awakening in the Morning

Cloudy and overcast in the mountains. Here we are in Payson, Arizona. Endless task await getting into the new abode. Spent yesterday assembling a desk. Instruction said one hour. Into the third hour the desk is still not put together. 

Kadizzle awakened in the middle of the night to a noise, and could not figure out what it was. There is a small airport within hearing distance. It sounded like someone was reving up the ending of a turboprop ready to take off. The sound persisted and the brain expected the plane to go into the air. Nope, just the sound. Suspicious that it might be coming from the house Kadizzle went into the living room. When he opened the bedroom door the noise stopped. It turned out the noise was from the furnace sucking air through the crack of the bedroom door. 

Kadizzle is cheap, no question about it. He saves a nickle where he can. Today you will get a lecture on banks and credit card companies. Refuse to pay their fees. Kadizzle just avoided $70 in surcharges. Credit card companies pay a lot of money to get a new sucker. Over the years Kadizzle has save hundreds of dollars by calling the credit card companies and telling them to remove late fees. If they have any sense they will remove the charge. With our moving our finances are a mess and things are all mixed up. The bank wanted to charge $39 for an overdraft fee. A mix up caused about a two day delay in the money transfer. The bank removed the fee by simply asking. Now think about it how many billions banks and credit card companies make charging these insane fees. These companies have no compunction about abusing the costumer so why shouldn't the customer fight back? Another case if Verizon. Often because we travel we get terrible internet service. At the end of the call with Verizon they always ask "Is there anything else I can do for you?".  Kadizzle says yes, you can take $25 off my bill for lousy service. Usually they do. Once Kadizzle asked for $25 and they took off $70. You may want to purchase the new book put out by Lord Kadizzle enterprises. The title of the book is " It don't hurt to ask".

The Year of the Dog

Last night Winky and Kadizzle watched the movie The Year Of The Dog. It was strange western with a theme about a young homosexual, and another older gay cowboy.  Kadizzle would recommend it. The movie was set in Beech Montana. Perhaps the movie makers did not know Beach is in North Dakota. The movie was set in 1925 which meant there were cars in the movie. 

Today the plan is to go up to Payson and the new home. Living in two places has complications with what goes where. 

Waking up in the morning and perusing the news is depressing. The real virus is stupidity and it's spread has brought the planet to it's knees. The years spent with both Trump and Covid have just worn people down. The Supreme Court is scary. It is now a political arm of the Hoopleheads. Think about the implications. 

 

The right size

We live on a planet that has always been the same size, but our cities have not, our use of the atmosphere has not, and so the planet is being overwhelmed by human termites. Capitalism is premised on the idea of infinite growth. That doesn't work in the giant terrarium we live in. Go into just about any public space and it will be posted on the wall how many people can occupy the space. Perhaps we need a sign on the planet that says how many people it can hold comfortably. Sadly we have long past the comfortable level. 

Awake next to the Catalina Mountains

Here we are at Debbie and Al's in their home they don't live in. Debbie and Al prefer their fifth wheel out back in the little RV park they are building for friends, so Kadizzle and Winky have this huge home to ourselves when we visit. Al made a wonderful homemade pizza last night. The view from here is fantastic, so are the bike trails, and hiking. 

Al is a craftsman and has gone insane buying nice equipment for his shops. The garage is a metal working shop, and the living room is a woodworking shop. Al bought a professional grade lathe and it will be interesting to see what he makes. Al has surrounded the home with an artistic steel fence. Each of the three gates will be works of art.  

Arabic Numerals.

Republicans have successfully fought CRT, critical race theory. Now, Kadizzle ask you to help fight the teaching of Arabic numerals in the schools. You can see where this is going. The Republicans will take up the fight clueless of what Arabic numerals are. The Hoopleheads will go to school boards and blast the members. Like Jewish space lasers any cause is worthy. Kadizzle has had a long running Jihad against Rob Port, but today he wrote an excellent article pointing out the grifters in the Republican Party. Covid did something to Port's brain that resulted in a massive improvement. It seems he is gradually becoming a liberal. 

Today we head to Tuson to visit friends and do some bike riding. 

Two days of fighting brush

Day two of fighting brush on the Deer Creek trail is over. Six worn down old people stopped for ice cream on the way back from the trial. Carrying the motorized weed whackers in three miles to start work was chore, but many hikers will be happy to walk the trail unaccustomed by thorns. 

Rain may fall this evening, and the desert can use a dose. Tomorrow we head to Tuson and perhaps some ebike riding. A hot shower will feel good, and then wonderful rest. 

Here we go

It is not even five in the morning, Winky and Kadizzle are up buzzing about in our new home. We are at a new level of luxury. A huge kitchen, instant warmth, and a king sized bed. On it goes every convenience we could dream of. So like fools we will go to the Deer Creek Trail and work for free in about two hours. Blasted brush and desert cat's claw that tears your arms apart. Kadizzle has been assigned to run the weed whacker. It is sort of fun to curse the blasted brush and then give it a dose of spinning blade. The victory is short term when rain hits the weeds they come back twice as strong. 

If you are a reader in good standing of this nonsense you are certainly invited to stop in Payson and spend the night. We like company, and have already made many new friends here. Some nice lady brought cookies for us yesterday as a house warming gift. Good cookies. Just what Kadizzle needs as he approaches the weight of a black hole. 

Paper Houses

Kadizzle has seen a lot of homes built, but never like what they do in Payson, Arizona. Most houses have plywood or strandboard placed over the studs, not here. Many of the houses here have the exterior siding, some weather paper, and then insulation. Apparently the building code allows these paper houses. We insisted on a real house. Just looking at a home you cannot know if the walls are substantial or paper. Kadizzle thinks if you put a light fixture on an exterior wall and there is no sheathing behind he exterior siding you may be in for some sagging fixtures. Builders will make a nickle where they can. 

Kadizzle grew up in a home built in 1914. That home had one hardwood floor on top of another for a total thickness of about two inches. That does not happen any more. Hardwood was used everywhere in older homes. Today softwoods are pasted and glued to come up with a home. Maybe one is not better than the other, but the old homes had copper pipes. No more of that. The wires even seem smaller. Well the insulation is better. Craftsmen built the old homes, the new ones are build so quickly and the old fashioned woodwork is just not there. In Europe they build homes to last centuries. Here they might last until the paint dries. Once upon a time Kadizzle had a job supervising the demolition of homes where an interstate was going to go. The big endloader would put it's bucket under the corner of one of those well built homes and the entire house would come up as a unit. Now if you did that to a modern home you would just tear a hole in the corner. 

 

Our New LIfe

 Last night we slept in our new home in Payson, Arizona. We met the neighbors this morning. Two figure skating instructors. Seems like they will make good neighbors. Already we have made many friends in Payson. Payson is a cowboy town. No shortage of rednecks and Trump cultist. However, the people are friendly, and helpful. The worst thing is the traffic. How such a small town can have so much traffic? Payson is at the intersection where people go North, East and West. Most of the streets are quiet, but the main street through town is always busy. 

We are near a nice little park with three small lakes. People are always fishing there. How they can fish as much as they do and not run out of fish? The home sits high above town and gives us a good view of the lights at night. Working all the bugs out of the ceiling fans, the garage door openers, the fireplace, and so on is a daunting task. The kitchen is very large and Winky should be very happy. As usual we have more storage than junk to fill it. 

Tonight is night number two. The area is quiet and the National Forest is just on the other side of the Street. We took our first walk in the local forest and elk tracks were everywhere. It will be fun to see the first elk wandering around. 

I know where one good person is.

Kadizzle was a bit shocked to see a vicious attack on his good friend Dina Butcher by Rob Port in the Fargo Forum. Dina had a measure passed that irritated the Republicans. Dina's group called the Badass Grandmas has promoted transparency in North Dakota government. Of course this makes it hard for the Republicans to harvest bribes. Port is a pathological liar much like Scott Hennen. Kadizzle personally has experienced Port's lies. Port once asked Kadizzle to appologize for stuffing money down Kevin Cramers shirt. Kadizzle was to call in to the radio show and an agreement was made about what would be discussed. Port totally broke the agreement and used the opportunity to promote Cramer.  Before this radio interview Port called Kadizzle to arrange a time. Kadizzle was riding his bike north of Hazen when he got the call. Kadizzle told Port he was on his bike and he would call Port back. For absolutely no reason Port said Kadizzle was not on his bike and lying about it. Kadizzle reached the city landfill north of town and called Port back. Kadizzle offered to have the landfill people verify he was on his bike. Port did not want the proof. This is the way he operates, and so does his buddy Scott Hennen. Lying is a way of life for these guys. To top it off Kadizzle did a little research and it turns out Port is funded by right wing groups. Port accuses Dina Butcher of taking out of state money, yet he takes dark money himself. 

Where are the good people?

" Evil prevails when good men fail to act".  Evil in the form of Republicans is prevailing. Good men are failing to act. Reading the news and seeing how openly the Republicans cheat, lie, and steal is discomforting. Thugs have learned from the Republicans with the new mass stealing at stores how to just overwhelm normal people. Stupid people act in mass to destroy our democracy. The assault on the Capital was no different from a smash and grab operation. The Hoopleheads cheer the bullies. Republican congressmen are cheered when they promote the virus. Again normal people idly stand by and think it will all come out OK. Normal people are nice, polite, and thoughtful. It does not work anymore, but normal people continue to be nice to the Hoopleheads. Normal people do not realize there are far more Hoopleheads than they ever thought. 

Rape by banks and title loan companies

It appears our loan will be wrapped up on Monday. Kadizzle spent the morning dealing with the title company and the loan company for our new home. When it was over it felt like financial rape. It is like buying a car. You are dumb enough to focus on the cost of the car, but whoa, what about the tax, the license, and about ten things the dealer dreamed up like air in the tires. The title company plays the same game and so does the lender. There is a fee for spelling your name correctly, and another fee to have someone else check the spelling. All of this nonsense has been invented to provide vacation money for bankers and title company owners. What do these people actually do? Most of it they learned from the Wizard of Oz. Like the funeral industry which made it so expensive to die people go on living, these rats manipulate state law to make sure they can be paid well for doing little or nothing. Now, everyone gets cremated. Of course it cost way more than it should. You are already half burnt up when you find out what a traditional burial would cost. Parasites live on fees, and by the way there is a cleaning fee, a service fee, and a fee for me smiling while I cheated you. 

Free at Last

Our builder said we can move in. The world will  change. We will have a home without wheels. Friday the junk will flow into the new home. We have already met some new neighbors. Kadizzle has always wanted to live on a hilltop, or maybe a mountain top. Sitting on the massive deck Kadizzle can sip some wine and drench in the sun and shade. Landscaping will be equivalent to building a pyramid. There will not be a blade of grass. The home is in what might be called high desert. Cedar trees dominate the landscape. 

The news is playing in the background on NPR. The school shooting. As in many things a simple solution is there, but Republicans love to get some gun votes. Kadizzle has advocated making it mandatory to put a chip in guns. The chip would give off a radio signal. Stores use these chips to keep people from stealing liquor, clothing or expensive items. The chips are cheap. Imagine molding a chip into a gun. When the chip is exposed to microwave energy it gives off a radio frequency with a message. If anyone goes into a school, a church, a bank with a gun the gun itself triggers an alarm. However, the gun nuts would go nuts. The military already uses this system, and so do many police departments. Gutless coward Republicans will do any spineless thing to placate the Trump cult. 

Aggressive Drivers

Kadizzle spent six hours yesterday going over the defensive driver course. This is a requirement to drive a government vehicle. Of course there were all kind of statistics to scare you about driving. So many of the offenders could be caught with modern technology. Aggresive drivers are the ones Kadizzle has the biggest problem with. These nut cases weave in and out of traffic like it is a game. Computers could catch them. Computers can detect many traffic violations, but oh, oh no, catching people with computers is a violation of their privacy. Like the right to carry a gun and kill anyone you want, you also have the right to drive a car and kill anyone you want. In Arizona traffic cameras reduced accidents by 20%, but the delicate people objected so we went back to killing people. 

Review

Hope everyone had a great turkey day, Kadizzle certainly did . Kadizzle comes from a family of nine and a big chunk of the offspring were here. Some Kadizzle has not seen in twenty or thirty years. As for children we had six of the bumkins on hand. This gang has cooks of the highest caliber so the belly swells with food. Plenty of lubricant was also available of the finest quality. All of this took place in a rented deluxe home with a pool. To summarize it was a great holiday. Indeed we can be thankful. Considering the number of relatives in the clan the number of flumpers is small. What is a flumper? A flumper is a fish on land that just flumps around and accomplishes nothing. If you look most families produce a few flumpers somewhere along the line. Every pie does not turn out perfect. No one ever becomes a complete flumper. Everyone has a virtue or two. Then again, who gets to decide? The worst flumper ever was Donald Trump, yet his cult loves him. 

Well the plan today is to pack the tribe into a car and drive to Payson to see the new home. At last it is officially done. When we move in Winky and Kadizzle will welcome guest. Sitting around in the mountains with old friends will be great. If you are reading this you are an old friend. If you get the desire to escape the cold come on down. 

Payson is about five thousand feet or more, but it is not that far from the Mexican border. That means you get a lot of sunshine, snow once in a while, but generally good weather. As to the outdoors, if hiking and mountains are your thing we got em. 

The Sun is Creeping in

 The two little monkeys are up early as usual playing with Megan the mom. Coloring is keeping them occupied. Quinn has become very good at the word grandpa. Evie has already become skilled for her age with coloring. Too much turkey was a disaster for digestion last night and the battle against fire belly took five Tums to put the fire out. With leftovers sitting around this old fat guy is in big trouble. 

Staying in this luxury compound Kadizzle thinks of trail crew member Ken. Ken is color blind. This airbnb is very nicely done, but every item is either black or white with no exceptions. Well there might be some tones of grey, but there is not an once of color. In a strange way it is sort of pleasing. Even the pictures on the wall have no color. 

Peaceful Political

 Gathered for Thanksgiving the family has had endless political discussions. However, everyone is on the liberal spectrum. Consequently the discussions are calm and peaceful. So much is written about political fights breaking out at the dinner table. The massive feast will take place later today. 

Yesterday son in law Sam and Kadizzle went to the grocery store. As we approached the automated checkout area Kadizzle sensed something was amiss. A couple was about to check out with two grocery carts, one was loaded to the brim. Another questionable character was checking out and having trouble with his credit card. It happened that Kadizzle purchased a bottle of gin with one of those locked tops that stores use to keep liquor from being stolen. The attendant at the checkout had to take the gin bottle somewhere to unlock it. After we left the store Sam asked Kadizzle if he noticed the strange couple stealing stuff. Kadizzle did not see it, but suspected they were up to something. While the attendant was away they stuffed things they had not scanned into their bags that had been scanned. Thinking about the incident Kadizzle realized the man with the credit card was in cahoots with the other couple. He had a credit card that was in bad shape, and it looked like it would not work. With the bad credit card he had been distracting the checkout woman earlier while the other couple was stealing. No doubt the store cameras recorded what happened, but they will never catch the people. Nothing taste better than stolen food apparently. 

Who can you kill?

The verdict just came in for the three white men that shot the black jogger. Amazing, they were found guilty. The rules for shooting people need to be refined. It is not clear who you can shoot now. It was a white guy shooting white guys and the jury said that was OK. Police have seemed to be able to shoot black people indiscriminately. Women have a pretty good chance of getting off for shooting husbands. Since we are now a gun toting society we need to get some rules. In the old days duels were very formal. There was a strict protocol for killing someone you had a misunderstanding with. It was all very polite and a referee was present. Can't we go back to the good old days? Sir, you have offended me and I would like to kill you. Can I drive by your house about ten an shoot my AR-15 multiple times into your living room? Well, maybe we could meet at the park, and I could bring a friend and he could count to three and we could each shoot at each other. Not a bad idea. OK, see you at the park tomorrow. That is how the shootings should work. We have lost all decorum. 

Cars are insane

The NYT had an article today suggesting a city give everyone an ebike. Think about the insanity of cars. In a car you are using a six thousand pound car to move a two hundred pound person. It simply makes no sense. Kadizzle was very disappointed he could not bring the ebikes for Thanksgiving. It would be fun to buzz around her on an ebike. In a car is is painful. If cities were designed for ebikes, and tiny electric vehicles think of the savings, narrow streets, cheaper streets, safer streets, less pollution, people would get exercise. The obsession with cars is insane. Kadizzle has put over four thousand miles on his ebike. To go that distance in a car would take 200 gallons of gasoline. At three dollars a gallon that would be 600 dollars, just for gas, but what about tires, oil, and all the other crap? This gets us to Denver where Erin lives. Kadizzle takes the ebike and puts it on the train two blocks away. Once downtown Kadizzle unloads the ebike from the special spot on the train and off he goes, no parking fees, no hassle. Look at the Europeans who ride bikes way more than the lump ass Americans. The Europeans are in much better health. 

Settling in

 It is that time of year with the family when we settle into the lap of luxury. For Thanksgiving we are all gathering in Phoenix. With a heated pool and all the amenities it will be great to be with the children and grandchildren. Laying in groceries was one be task. After purchasing $450 of food yesterday the shoppers will go back for more. 

Kadizzle hates large metropolitan areas. Visiting is fine, but who in the hell would want to live here. The crowded insane traffic, and shopping mall pollution is so depressing. Give me the middle of nowhere any day. In the country you can always go for a walk or a hike. Here you really have noting to do. If you are into music or art, sure you can see some stuff, but everyday? Cities are just plain depressing. To see how run down and poverty stricken the cities have become is sad. Most American cities have no character. Every city is polluted with the same malls, signs, and general mess created by mass consumption. 

The Snoocher Bear, Sylvie, and Fran will be here

The tribe is coming for Thanksgiving. Erin and her family will be here later today. Megan and the magic snoochels will be here on Tuesday. Once a year we live like the one percent with out children. Sunday we move to a luxury house with a heated pool. After living in the Earth Module for a year this will be a big move up. Our new home in Payson is done and just a few bureaucratic hurdles to jump. We will meet Erin and her gang in Payson today to view the new residence. 

Astounding that now shooting protesters is a new Republican sport. The country is paying the price for endorsing the NRA mentality. Recently for about three weeks Kadizzle owned a handgun. Bill was moving out and threw a loaded small handgun in the garbage. Kadizzle fished it out. Kadizzle did not want to have a handgun in his home, so he sold it to the Mexicans working on the sewage dump. The fellow was going to give it to some young girl for self defense. No doubt Kadizzle will be involved in a murder trail. Had the gun stayed in the dumpster who knows what might have happened. It might have fallen into the hands of children. Two things are rising in the world, sea level, and stupidity. 

A sad thing in North Dakota. The people in the legislature that seem to have the ability to think are leaving. North Dakota will end up with a solid mass of idiots running that state. 

Help spread the rumor

This morning Kadizzle contacted one of the complete idiots that is in the North Dakota legislature. The idiocy of the man who is a plumber by trade is absolutely astounding, and should strike fear into any normal person. The plumber said he could have been a scientist, or a general,but chose plumber. So far Kadizzle has talked on the phone to two of these complete dingers. Both of them went to the My Pillow convention in South Dakota. 

Now to the main event. Venting to Dina about this insanity, Dina said she discovered that her pillow was a " My Pillow".  She said she found a microchip in the pillow. You help is needed. Kadizzle wants to play on Dina's idea and spread the rumor that the " My Pillow's " have microchips in them. There is Russian writing on them. When you get the chance, and you know you are talking to a dolt, this is what you say " Did you hear about the woman who found a microchip in her my pillow? Apparently it had Russian writing on it".  Of course if they ask for details use the Republican technique. Say you were told this by a neighbor of the woman.  Add anything you want like the CIA is examining the microchip. The woman was having strange dreams about election fraud. The goal is to see how long it takes to spread a silly story among the Republicans. If anyone can call into Scott Hennen at KFYR and ask " Did you hear about the woman who found a microchip in her My Pillow?" that would be worth 100 Kadizzle bonus points. 

 

Up Early

Kadizzle is up early. Winky is in Sedona on a bike ride expedition. The world is still as crazy when Kadizzle went to sleep. People still believe the most insane things the Republicans can dream up. The people with functioning brains are leaving the North Dakota legislature. What is left is a bin of loonies. The new Republican modus operandi is twist a story, or make one up, use the fabrication to scare the Hoopleheads. Scared Hoopleheads will vote for anything the Republicans propose. It works every time. Trump showed the Republicans how to make the Hoopleheads dance. Hoopleheads love crazy talk. Say anything that makes no sense and it will attract the simple minded. 

The FBI interview

 All the gang sat around the campfire ring including the new neighbors Colleen and Dale. The new neighbors had not met everyone on the trail crew so introductions were in order. Everyone gave a synopsis of their life. What did they do for a living, where did they live, children, education, and so on. Somehow Rita gets these things going. More than once Kadizzle has seen Rita do the FBI interview. She is pretty bold about asking people the details of their life. A lot of times this can be a little messy with deaths, divorces, and maybe even criminal records. It is kind of nice to get it out in the open. You never really know who you are dealing with. Kadizzle remembers once meeting a couple in a van here. It seemed they were down out and maybe broke. It turned out wrong. The guy was a nuclear physicist, and they had a strange way of traveling. For three months they would travel a foreign country, and then they would live in their van for three months. 

So it is up on the mountain today. It will be the first real hike for the trail crew.  The game plan is to go to the Four Peaks trail and try to clear the logs from the trail. This will mean a rope puller, block and tackle, and carrying some heavy stuff into the wild. Kadizzle is not to enthusiastic about hauling the tools. 

Wacking Weeds

 Six old people from age 68 to 75 up in the morning and setting off to fight the brush in the Tonto National Forest. The trails all over the forest don't clean themselves. Nasty thorny bushes grow at amazing speed. Hikers will be cut to shreds if someone does not fight the cat's claw into submission. Volunteers and prisoners are on the front line in the battle. So much of this work has to be done by hand. Throwing the brush off the trail is like handling razor wire. 

Meanwhile the country falls apart while the Republicans make sure the rich are never taxed. There are some groups of young people that work on the trails. The young people are paid a mere pittance, but it does get some city kids out in the wilderness experiencing a different phase of life. For what it cost to give one billionaire a space ride thousands of people could be put to work making the country better for everyone. Who cares? The head of Walmart makes 8,000 dollars an hour. Meanwhile the poor old granny at the door gets 8 dollars an hour. No problem this is capitalism in action. Are we really that stupid? 

Reading the New York Times this morning it is obvious the country is on the wrong track. Republicans will take us toward a Nazi type country very quickly. Manipulating stupid people is a technique the Republicans have perfected. It is all about protecting the rich from taxes. The rich buy all the politicians they want. With the politicians on strings they make them dance. Recently the head of Sanford Health was ousted with a 49 million dollar bonus. Nobody noticed the robbery. This is America, as long as you have gas for the boat and cable tv on the flatscreen who cares? Suffering is the only thing that works. Long ago we had a depression. People got cold, hungry, and were suffering. Those people were on the verge of communism and socialism. Then the smart rich decided it was time to throw some crumbs. So here we go once more toward a peasant revolt. We just don't learn. The world is melting, people are starving, but the tv works, and the fish are biting. 

Don't believe your lying eyes

Last night Kadizzle watched a video explaining why a pendulum would not work in a plane to help you determine up down and sideways. If you had a pendulum in a plain don't believe it is pointing down. Now on the other hand if you see something on Fox News it might also be a good idea not to believe it. The pendulum in the plane is influenced by things you may not be aware of. You also may not be aware of what is influencing the news. What do you believe? Don't believe that skinny guys are the cause of the food shortage. Don't believe poor people are the cause of poverty. Don't believe you can pick up the change falling out of rich peoples pockets and survive. Don't believe anything the Republican Party supports.

What can you believe? Gravity is pretty reliable. Exploiting ignorant people is pretty easy. Psychopaths are good at running for office. If you buy enough lottery tickets you will win the lottery. Who knows what to believe?

Born again with Covid.

North Dakota has a couple of right wing newspaper writers. Scott Hennen is the worst, and the Fargo Forum sponsors a couple of other despicable characters. Now and interesting phenomenon, Rob Port used to be caught up in the right wing fantasy, however a strange thing happened, Port got Covid. Kadizzle had a Jihad going with Port for a long time, but after Covid, Port seemed to become more rational and moved away from his right wing positions. To the amazement of Kadizzle a bad case of Covid seems to have cured Port of a bad case of Fox News mania. Today Port wrote a very good article about the simple mindedness of the Republican Party as it destroys itself with the Trump gang. Kadizzle actually wrote Port and congratulated him on a good job. Never did Kadizzle think such a day would come, but if more Republicans would seek to save their party from the insanity that has infected it, it could be a good thing, and perhaps there could be some good come out of Covid if it is attacking the Republcian brain cells that infested Trump. 

An Ex Eskimo

 Kadizzle used to be Quin the Eskimo living in North Dakota, but since assuming life in Arizona we are dedicated snowbirds. Losing track of the seasons happens when you live in perpetual summer. Friends back in North Dakota are experiencing the usual cold winds, wind chill, and ice with snow. Life in the Earth Module has been full of perfect days. It seems too lucky. Some sort of winter is bound to come. The temperatures are easing down and soon we may need some heat puffs in the morning. 

The trail crew has managed to clear some of the local trails and the ebikes have been humming along. Now we have several sets of ebike buddies in the campground. Kadizzle took a couple of uncoordinated ebike newbees on the trail. Their incompetence was dangerous, and they had some low end bikes that made it worse. If you buy an ebike to go on trails get a good one. Make sure you get tubeless tires. Another important thing is full suspension. It makes a big difference. If on the other hand you want to be a sidewalk putter, a less expensive bike will do.  There are two types of motors. One type is called a hub motor, and the other is a mid drive. Kadizzle suggest the mid drive for serious bikers. The hub drive does have some advantages. Some bike have throttles, and others you must peddle to make the bike move. If you have any questions feel free to call. 

Jason Heitkamp a lying Republican

 Kadizzle was so disgusted with the story about Jason Heitkamp parking a truck at the legislature that had "Fuck Biden" on the tailgate that Kadizzle called Jason Heitkamp. The man is an incredible liar and does it very poorly. First he said it was not his truck, then he said a friend gave him a ride in the truck. He tried various ways to deny he had anything to do with it. The lettering on the back of the truck was very large and it would be hard not to notice, but Heitkamp said he did not know the sign was there.  Another fault of the lie was the truck was in his parking space. Unless his friend comes to spend all day at the legislature why was the truck there all day? 

Too Old to die young

If life is like a candle bright, death must be the wind
You can close your window tight and it still comes flowing in
So I will climb the highest hill and watch the rising sun
And I pray that I don't feel the chill 'til I'm too old to die young
Let me watch my children grow to see what they become

Oh Lord, don't let that cold wind blow 'til I'm too old to die young
Now I have had some dear sweet friends I thought would never die
Now the only thing that's left of them is the teardrops in my eyes
If I could have one wish today and know it would be done
Well, I would say everyone could
Stay 'til they're too old to die young

Let me watch my children grow to see what they become
Oh Lord, don't let that cold wind blow 'til I'm too old to die young
Let me watch my children grow to see what they become

Oh Lord, don't let that cold wind blow 'til I'm too old to die young 

A Dreaming disorder

 Sleeping seems like a job. Kadizzle wakes up exhausted. It seems to be the dreaming. All night long the head buzzes inventing insane plays. Kadizzle wakes up around three and wonders how does this work. The best explanation Kadizzle has been able to find is neurons fire at random. Each neuron seems to be a packet of information. The mind is very good at quickly patching things together. Think about it this way. You take a cup full of little squares, each square has a word on it, you shake it up and throw the words on the table. The job of the mind is to quickly make a story out of the words. Maybe that is what dreaming is. However, the mind is a super computer and can put together an entire play instantly.  How does this work? Every night Kadizzle awakens and tries to figure out how this happens. Sometimes the things that influence the dream can be figured out. One thing about the dreams are they get time so out of synchronization. In the dream Kadizzle is 70 in a play where he should be 20. His mind might be his current mind, but his body is twenty. Is there such thing as a dreaming disorder? One dream a night would be fine, but this goes on all night long. 

Happy Hour

About three in the afternoon happy hour takes place at the Earth Module. Yesterday sounded like a book club meeting. The intellectuals were recommending books to each other. The topics at the meeting are far ranging, whatever you read, Forest Service gossip, politics, and of course story telling. The group has a wide range of backgrounds. One has a PHD, another  masters degree, and Winky and Kadizzle are each 3/4 masters degree. Naturally we are all experts on just about everything. All the attendees are liberals, Republicans are strongly discouraged. Should one show up they are welcome, but will be attacked viciously on their views. The group has people from diverse backgrounds, university teachers, coal miner, banker, forester, warehouse worker, nurse, and investigator. 

A long time ago Kadizzle worked with a wise, but little educated man. Duane had a saying Kadizzle liked. Duane would say " He lives in a small world".  Too many people live in a small world. 

An eight hour day for old people

Jackie is now part of our trail crew. Yesterday we officially went to work. Jackie discovered that in Old hours about four hours is eight hours. All the trail crew is over 71 years old with the oldest 75.  Jackie is the only one under 70. After a hard days work we knocked off about 2:30. Jackie asked if this was a typical day. Yup, an eight hour day after you are 70 is closer to four. The trail work is not easy. We are brushing trails near camp. The worst part are the thorns. When your done it looks like your arm was in a shredder. 

Was interesting seeing the reporting on the "big" rally at the capitol in Bismarck. Realistically the crowd of 3,000 was missing a zero. It was more like 300. When North Dakota holds an idiot's  convention that is considered a good turnout. Kadizzle could sense the right wing nature of the North Dakota newspapers when they tried to puff up the numbers.  

Sad News

You can ask the computer when you will die. The first time Kadizzle did this the computer said he would die at 1:00 P.M. on October 1st of this year. The day came and Winky was disappointed. She had marked on the calendar the date hoping for some relief. Since Kadizzle is still alive he decided to ask the computer again about his time of death. The news was devastating. Kadizzle should already be dead. The program asks about your weight, your drinking habits, your exercise and if you are right or left handed. Not sure what that has to do with living, but maybe left handed people die sooner. Before the program calculated death right to the hour. Now it says there is 0 time left. Kadizzle is literally living on borrowed time according to the computer calculation. Not sure if Kadizzle feels lucky or scared. Well it does offer some opportunities. If someone says they are going to kill Kadizzle he can reply " That is ok I was supposed to be dead a few weeks ago." If anyone says " I wish you were dead", Kadizzle can say, well technically according to the computer I am."  Maybe I am dead and just don't know it. At any rate it removes a big burden knowing you are already dead. They should have a special rate for dead people, just like they do for senior citizens. When they ask how old you are, you can say " I am dead".  How do you prove your dead. Well you will need the internet.  Kadizzle may go back to the computer program and adjust a few things to see if he can eek out another year of life. A little more exercise and less drinking could bring him back to life. 

Well, Kadizzle adjusted his life. He moved to the country, gave himself an average body, changed his outlook from realistic to optimistic, and upped the exercise a little. Good news he is alive again and will die in 2023. To be exact he will live for one year, 45 weeks, six days, five hours, 26 minuters, and it was 14 seconds, but now Kadizzle has used up several minutes. Oh, it is so good to be alive again. Now to figure out when in 2023 Kadizzle will be dead again. Of course there is the nuisance of having to exercise more. Not sure how Winky will take the news. She was kind of looking forward to less of a mess around here. 

Nimblewill

What a surprise today on the NPR website. An article featured Nimblewill. We met him years ago when he hiked through Hazen. He stayed with our friend Myra Axtman. Not so long after we met him in Hazen we were driving down the Columbia Gorge in Washington, there was Nimblewill walking down the road. The man has hiked tens of thousands of miles. When you turn off Fox News, put you gun down, and get off your ass you meet a lot of interesting people.  

The Blasted Coyotes

Howling coyotes kept us up all night. It was continuous. Kadizzle got up at 5:30 and chased them away. On the bike with the spotlight Kadizzle peddled in the dark. Down towards the lake he saw one big guy cross the road. Then he saw a pair of green eyes looking back in the brush. The coyote party will not be tolerated tonight. Usually they howl for a little while then stop. These coyotes have become very used to humans. Once when we were near Death Valley Winky set out some meat to thaw on the steps of the camper. Withing minutes a coyote was there to steal the meat. Kadizzle saw his reflection and chased him away just in time. 

A couple years ago the coyotes could be seen walking by with a domestic dog following. The coyotes tolerated the dog, but made him walk about ten yards behind the pack. It is interesting how animals have become used to humans. A huge Elk walked through the yard of our new home in Payson. Elk wander the city. Somehow animals seem to know when hunting season is. All the fires have forced many of the animals to move closer to humans.  

Crumbling

Each of us has driven by an old building along the interstate. The roof is sagging and the wood is coming apart. That is crumbling. People crumble. Do you have a plan to crumble? Moving close to the kids is one way to crumble. Downsizing is another. Facing the reality of crumbling is part of life. Someday you have to use glasses to read, the volume on everything has to be turned up. Yup, you are crumbling. Holding on to things, and going down stairs slowly, yup crumbling. The brain crumbles to. Forgetting, can't remember names, walking in a room and forgetting why. The reality you just can't do it anymore. Worse yet, you don't want to do it. So do what you can today, and enjoy what you can today.  Tomorrow you may not be able to.  

Where to?

 Here we sit trying to figure out where to go today. Winky wants to go up to Parker Canyon and find out how the canyoneer people get down in there. Kadizzle wants to ride the ebike, but one spoke is broken. So Winky and Jackie are trying to look on the google and figure out where you drop into the miniature Grand Canyon. 

Kadizzle fired off an email into the wild. A writer for the NYT had a nice article on work, and how people are abandoning it. The problem is that work is not shared. About one third of the population does nothing. That means the rest have to do a lot. If we did not work in an infinite greed system no one would have to work more than three days a week. Europeans have figured out working to make someone else rich is insane. In Merica we are having a hard time figuring out we are on the plantation of the rich. 

Rampant Insanity

 Sitting in the car in the parking lot at the grocery store in Payson Kadizzle noticed a degenerate type ride in on a bike. The bearded fellow dismounted the bike and went in the store. When he came out he started yelling obscenities into the sky. Kadizzle was jealous. It seemed like the thing to do. Our frustration with getting into our new home is getting to the point where we may have to yell into the sky. The home is essentially done, but now we are in a bureaucratic battle over a certificate of occupancy. Because of delays the cost overruns are mounting. Now we cannot get hold of the builder. He will not respond to text or phone calls. 

Every day Kadizzle gets more evidence the mental illness and stupidity are thriving. The political manipulation that is seeping into the minds of young people is frightening. Republicans have mastered propaganda. Perhaps the Russians have influenced the Republican party with some great ideas. Whoops, maybe Kadizzle is getting paranoid. Trump was a Russian dream come true, but now you have about six wannabee dingers already elected trying to do the Trump spin for the Hoopleheads. Sadly it seems to be working. Then you have Joe Manchin, a Republican plant in the Democratic party. His little buddy the woman in Arizona who also is helping screw up the one car funeral. 

Yesterday Kadizzle talked with a young guy about 28. He is the contractor building a sewage dump for the Forest Service. Seems like an intelligent guy, but like so many has fallen under the spell of the Fox News spin. People associate with people and the misconceptions spread like wildfire. Everything is now Joe Bidens fault, even thought Trump lit the fire. So many have very little understanding of how the economy or the government functions. This was the country that tackled polio, and won. Just thing about how far backward we have gone. 

Virginia

Making up some nonsense and selling it is an old tradition. Republicans have perfected it. Always add an element of fear. Hell was the original seasoning for selling religion. Republicans turned critical race theory into a best selling paranoid right wing game, and it worked. The Hoopleheads love to be worked up about Mexicans invading, Bill Gates putting microchips in the vaccine, and Hillary running a sex ring. Hoopleheads have Christmas and Halloween all year, terrific fantasies, with some scary stuff. The Hoopleheads are just children that are sixty years old. They can be told pretty much anything and they will believe it if it sounds fun. Churches were the first to figure out you could make up a story and sell it at a profit. Now the rich never want to pay taxes. What do they do? Buy the government and then run the government. The best story the rich have sold the poor is that the poor are the problem. The plantation is dire straits not because the master built a mansion, but because the slaves don't pick the cotton fast enough. Is that hard to understand. Now the good slaves have to understand it is the lazy slaves who will not show up to pick cotton that are causing the problem. Forget about all that wine the master imported from France. The best thing to do is cut back the food ration for the lazy slaves, then they will have to show up and pick cotton. Is that hard to figure out? 

All this nonsense reminds me of my old friend Daryl. Kadizzle for lack of anything better to do would help Daryl deliver the milk to stores around Hazen. One day we had to take some milk to Cenex. Daryl was taking the longest most obtuse route to get there. Daryl was obsessed with gas prices. Kadizzle asked Daryl why he was taking such a long route to the store. Daryl replied " I have expensive gas in the tank, I want to get it out and put cheaper gas in".  This is the way Hoopleheads think. 

Four Peaks Hike

Winky and Jackie are going to hike up the Four Peaks, not Kadizzle. That is a very difficult hike and taking little Joey up there would be a chore. Kadizzle is a bit upset with the Virginia election. It was just too easy for the Republicans to fool the Hoopleheads there. Using the school gambit they got to many soft Democrats to vote Republican. Nonsense about critical race theory abounded, and it worked for the Republicans. Are people that stupid? Yes, yes, yes. This so much reminds Kadizzle of a friend who did very well in business. The friend purchased water with natural hydrogen, and paid dearly to get the natural hydrogen. What she bought was natural stupidity. In case anyone is confused there is no natural hydrogen, natural H2O, or natural element of any sort. Sulfur is always sulfur, iron is always iron, and you cannot grow organic aluminum. However, confusing people and taking advantage of them is so simple. The water with natural hydrogen was selling for $24 for two gallons. A simple question would be " Where do you get natural hydrogen".  Nope if it says it on the box or on the google, then it must be so. Republicans know simple minded people do not ask too many questions. 

Part three. How not to do anything. Yesterday we had a meeting with the boss. The boss explained for some time how to use a chain saw. After informing the trail crew all the safety issues of chain saws the boss said no one was ever to use a chain saw. After the meeting several people wondered why in the hell would we spend time going over chains saw safety then be told never to use one? If you don't want to do anything in the Forest Service Culture there is a secret method for stopping all progress. Kadizzle has suggested he use a little tractor to fix the local trails around the campground. He has done this for two years. The new boss said no. There might be Indian artifacts that could be disturbed. They put the trail in originally with equipment, but we cannot maintain them with equipment. Any improvement that someone does not want to undertake can quickly be stopped by saying " We will have to do an archaeological survey. It works, progress is at a standstill, so that means we never can improve anything. Want to put in a new trail? No, an ancient person could have dropped an arrowhead just about anywhere. OK, so lets do the survey. Oh, that will take reams of paper work and months to get approved. Ok, lets just forget about it. Works every time.  On the other hand if you do want to do something then just sort of ignore the possibility that natives once used the land.  A great example is digging a hole anywhere. Even if a survey is done it only affects the surface. People from three hundred years ago could be buried anywhere. People were not buried on the surface. So even if you do a survey, you have really accomplished nothing. Now, consider Arizona. About 2/3 of the state is federal land. That means a vast area that keeps the Archaeologist in business. 

All of this reminds Kadizzle of the old days back at the coal mine in North Dakota. Someone needs to fund Archaeologist, so the Archaeologist dreamed up the idea that they needed to excabate two Tepee rings on the mine for 70 thousand dollars.  Carefully with tiny shovels, and brushes they uncovered the earth on the first tepee ring. According to them they did not have the money to do the second ring. Code for we can make more money not doing the second ring. So the professionals asked us to use one of the biggest motor graders made to plow the second tepee ring. The huge machine just turned over the soil and if there had been a treasure there was a good chance they never would have found it or it would have been destroyed. This made it pretty clear it the whole thing was just a ploy to make money. The first ring revealed nothing, and the second ring didn't either, but some company made 70k on the deal. 

Candy for the Hoopleheads

Rob Port is a right wing writer for the Fargo Forum. By some remarkable circumstance he got Covid and has become much more liberal. A very strange twist of events. Port wrote and article about the simple minded Republicans that have written over a dozen bills for the special session of the North Dakota legislature. The bills are nothing by candy for the Trump cultist. Bills about Critical Race Theory, Bills about mask freedom, and so on. Anything that will appeal to the most poorly informed conspiracy followers has been proposed as a law. If the Hoopleheads wanted witches outlawed, the Republicans would oblige to get their votes. The pandering is sickening. The special session was called to deal with distributing Covid money. So the Hoopleheads are suggesting laws that witches cannot get Covid money. Soon the Supreme court no doubt will totally destroy the constitution. The down hill slide is here. 

Living in a Fantasy

Each of us lives in a fantasy. The wonderful part is we invent our own fantasy and believe it is reality. We can watch Fox News, or go on the internet and find the information we need to back up our fantasy and prove to ourselves our fantasy is reality. Of course those around us have their own fantasy. So often the fantasies collide. The vaccine is a hoax, that is reality for some, and a fantasy for others. There is no reality except the one you have invented. Often we bump up against reality, and it is a constant problem. However, there are a thousand ways out. " It is god's will".  Worried about dying, just invent an after life. Concerned about global warming, just deny it. Don't like insurrections, ignore it and find a Republican to tell you it was nothing but tourist. See how this works? Now if you are starving or have cancer you may have to adjust your fantasy. Here comes the problem. Not everyone shares your fantasy. This is how wars and religious messes start. Well it is Monday, and Kadizzle has to get to work on his fantasy.  

Moving Bill

Moving Bill has been a week long process, maybe more. People accumulate stuff. If you decide to get in a pickup truck and drive to Arkansas not much will fit in a pickup. The Forest Service gives some volunteers a small container to store things. It is finally empty of a kayak paddle, a solar panel, motor oil, a portable generator, many tools, and so on. Where did the stuff go. A lot is now in the back of our bathroom. When people move often junk moves. Someday Kadizzle will have to move the treasures once more. The grand finale will be lifting Bill's bed. Since his surgery Bill dare not do it himself. What will be under the bed. Bill said he found five thousand dollars under the silverware holder. Unfortunately he put it there and forgot. It was not exactly a windfall. Maybe there is a fortune under the bed, or some old girlfriends. Today we may find out. 

The Forest Service is still dragging their feet and we have not yet been authorized to work. Not such a bad situation. 

The Day the Mexicans disappeared

 Someone made a movie called " The Day the Mexicans Disappeared". It was a science fiction satire on California. One day the people of California woke up and there were no Mexicans. Well Old Kadizzle just rode his bike down to where he Forest Service is installing a new dump station for RVs. Seven guys getting ready to pour cement. One caucasian, and six Hispanic. If if were not for the people of Mexican descent in Arizona the state would come to a halt. The Republican insanity of shooting your foot off in Arizona is insane. All the hard work is done by people whose parents were from Mexico. They are all nice hard working people with a good sense of humor. Arizona's economy is held together by these people, yet the Republicans do everything in their power to make life miserable for them. If they formed a union Arizona would instantly be incapacitated. As stated before they do it all. Drywall, lay pavers, framing, roofing, cement work. In just about every case they are exploited. Some white guy gets ten Hispanics to do the work and he gets rich from farming them out. Sorta like the good old days of slavery. Now there is a shortage of people willing to work. The border has people lined up to come here and make the beds in the hotels and put the roofs on. Nope, the Republican want to make the Hoopleheads happy by suppressing these people. Of course the good Christians who voted for Trump are all for going to the border and shooting at families wading across. What has Trump made us into?

Ran across this video

Came across the video below of Lake Roosevelt where we are. The video is of the western end of the lake, we are farther down. May give you some idea of the area.  

Lake Roosevelt, Arizona (Mavic 2 Pro)

Obsessed with Stupity.

Gimble, I hope you don't read this. Gimble is the guy who is hiking the AZT.  Gimble thinks it best to hike the trail wearing sandals. His rational is early humans hiked barefoot. Kadizzle tried to point out the Indians in this area did not go barefoot. Now Gimbal has the problem that thorns and other nasty things are penetrating his feet. The solutiion is wear some decent shoes, but obsessed with some strange idea he will suffer with the footwear he has. Otherwise semi rational people seem to be capable of logical thought. Kadizzle pointed out to Gimble that Eskimos did not go barefoot. Gimble said there is a guy hiking the trail barefoot. The question is why? People like to challenge themselves and often adopting some goofy idea is the challenge. Some people get the idea radio waves are dangerous and think cell towers are dangerous, and so on. It may be true, but being obsessed with some unproven nonsense is a strange mental state. The whole health food industry relies on crazy ideas and people that adopt them. Republicans know some people love the idea of being stupid. So you tell these people something stupid and help them believe it.  A friend in Payson said he went into a library and the librarian believed Biden has been assassinated. She also believed a host of other insane ideas. Keep in mind this person is a librarian. You may remember Kadizzle wrote a story long ago about the librarian assistant in Hazen, who did not read anything.  Adopting some silly idea with no proof and running with it is strange, but very popular. Religion is the classic. A myth becomes reality. 

Picked up a stray

Kadizzle gave an Arizona trail hiker a place to stay last night, a beer, and a gin and tonic. The fellow pitched his tent near the Earth Module. Seems like traffic on the AZT has picked up. Hikers have to come down from the mountains for supplies and in this case the guy needed some money. He will have to hitch hike into Globe for money. 

Our trail crew has not yet been put to work. Cliff brought his camper down from the White Mountains. Ken and Rita are back and just bought a little refrigerator to sit outside their camper. Old Bill is pretty well recovered from his surgery. Bill is dragging up as they say. Kadizzle has been scavenging all Bill's old hoarder stuff. Jackie will be a new member on the crew this year. Jackie has a PHD in psychology, and used to be a college instructor. Our crew can use a good mental tune up now and then. 

The coyotes went nuts last night right under our window. Soundly asleep were awakened by the deafening scream of the wild dogs. 

One of the worst parts of establishing a new home has been mail, and money. Transferring banks, and credit cards is a mess, but nothing compares to moving mail. During the past year we have been using three different addresses. If you want a mess try that. The great combination is the credit cards and the mail. The credit cards are tied to your address. We are using a friends address in Bismarck. 

Winky is going to hike in the mountains today with Jackie. Kadizzle will have no adult supervision, yea.  More than likely will continue to help Bill pack up for his move to Arkansas. 

80 Years Old

My older brother just turned 80. His son took over his contracting business. My nephew's company takes care of the surface facilities for underground coal mines. Bob Murray who died, and was one of Trump's crooked buddies bought the coal mines in the Ohio Valley. The mines are going broke and owe my nephew well over a million dollars. Bob Murray who bought the mines is a typical crooked Republican. Murray used to be head of North American Coal. Murray's greed caused the death of many miners in Utah when a mine he owned there collapsed and killed the miners. Murray took too much coal out and the mountain caved in and killed the men. Murray blamed it on an earthquake and walked away. Republicans scammed my brother, and of course he is still a strong Republican. 

Part two. Kadizzle had to quit reading the New York Times this morning. It was just too depressing. Republicans now claim their right to privacy should keep the IRS from collecting taxes. The Republicans are selling the idea that the IRS has no right to know how much money you make. The sad thing is how absolutely stupid the public has become. The Republicans can rob people in broad daylight and tell them they are just removing the money from the bank for cleaning purposes. The American public has become so ill informed that collapse is eminent. It is reminiscent of when white people plundered native tribes. 

Grab some as it goes by.

Las Vesgas was the first to figure it out. Let the money go in a circle and grab some as it goes by. Take people's money, give it back, but grab a little as it passes by. Credit card companies make billions on this model. Insurance companies rip us off on health care, and every other type of insurance. Grab some as it goes by. Then you have the realtors. Same thing, grab some as it goes by. All these so called businesses are just sophisticated theft. Just get between someone and what they are trying to do and steal a little money in the process. Call it a service. People lived prior to credit cards. Other countries do not have health insurance, they just pay to take care of everyone. Nibblers, that is what the Insurance companies, and title companies are. The Kadizzles are purchasing a new home. The title company is a terrible nibbler. They want to charge us $200 for notarizing some documents. Most banks will do it for free. Credit card companies have a classic nibble. It is the late fee. Kadizzle has called the credit card companies and told them " I am not paying".  They say " Thank you, we will take that charge off your bill".  Kadizzle has done this dozens of time. How many billions have Credit card companies bilked people out of? The nibblers are everywhere. Do you want tires with your car? That is extra. Oh, you don't get batteries with the flashlight you just bought. On it goes. The best nibblers force you to buy something through the law. Only funeral homes can sell caskets. The best trick is to prevent competition. To give a massage you have to be licensed. What? Haircuts are another example. You need a license. Who invented these laws? Guess who. 

A Rant

Like a shadow that follows Kadizzle around there is the Republican Party out there doing evil every day. Years ago no one would have dreamed how blatant the Republicans would be about their evil tricks. Voter suppression? Invading the Capitol? and all sorts of underhanded tricks. Republicans cannot win honestly. The most devious thing they have done is take over the brains of the Hoopleheads. With Fox News and right wing media. Republicans own the dolts, the Hoopleheads, the simple minded and those who never can be bothered with deep thought. Kadizzle encounters these people and after a brief chat you can hear them echo the latest talking points of Fox News, or some insane right wing broadcaster. If you believe it, it is true. That is the motto they live by. Biden snapped his finger and raised gas prices. The virus is a hoax. Most amazing about the dingers is how they support the very people who are doing them the most damage. Then dingers do not have health care, they are living on next to nothing, have no teeth, no dental care, no future, yet the dingers blame it all on other poor dingers. Then Dingers just cannot see how they are being robbed by the rich. 

Gathering of the Tribe

 Jackie rolled in yesterday in her Snodpod. That is what she calls her camper. Jackie will be part of the trail crew. She is a very tough hiker. Yesterday Marty and Annette visited, two more strong outdoor people. Annette is going to hike across England for the second time. One thing about the people we know from our outdoor life is they are hearty people. Kadizzle could go through the list and name so many people over 70, and some 75 who are hiking up mountains, riding mountain bikes, repelling, and rafting. Can think of none that are Republicans. Oh the places they have been. Amazing that if you just sit in the right place the people you will meet. Just sitting in front of the Earth Module we have met some very nice interesting people. What happens is people wander by, but no one would wander by where we are unless they had an sense of adventure. We are in a campground, but where we are is closed off to the public. So when someone comes by our place on an ebike or on foot they have to be doing a little exploration. Usually we invite them to sit down and in no time we are having a beer sharing adventures and the Kadizzles are explaining the area to them. Swapping stories about how to explore Utah, New Mexicao, and the southwest enables everyone to share special places. One big item that works well is finding wonderful camp spots. Yesterday Marty wanted to find a crysilated cactus.  About one in two hundred saguaro cactus. These cactus grow in strange fashion and Marty is a photographer. Kadizzle drove Marty up towards Peter Bigfoots and showed him a nice example. On the road up to Bigfoot's it was amazing what the recent floods had done. Huge pieces of concrete meant to protect the stream side were tossed about. 

Til the Next Time I'm in Town

In Hell I'll be in good company

 Sister Patty put Kadizzle onto a song " In Hell I'll be in good company".  Has some damn good whistling in it. Find it and listen. Now to the theme. Think about it. Would you want to be in heaven with all the simple minded fundamentalist you met? I don't think so. If you were ever going to live with vanilla people heaven would be full of them. The fundies are not exactly original thinkers. Of course if you go to hell Hitler and Trump will be there, but you can punch them in person. One bad thing about going to hell will be the Republicans. Every Republican will be in Hell. It will be strange because the fundamentalist Republican will be there. Hell will be interesting. Back in heaven they will be eating hot dish and singing, but in hell there will be plenty of wine, and other enjoyable vices. Back up in heaven it will be all praying, and reading the bible. Your feet will be sore from walking on the gold streets. Back down in hell you can meet all the crooked preachers. Pat Robertson will be there and of course Joel Epstein. In hell you will be able to find the details of how Nixon cheated. Hell will be crowded, but it will not be boring.