Jasper Littlebottom just peered out the door. The moon is up there in a partial eclipse by the Earth. Kadizzle is quickly pushing 69 years on the planet. This morning is a first in those 69 years. The Kadizzles at 5:20 A.M. are going to watch a Netflix series. Jasper is gets going on a series and there is no stop. The series is " Place to CAll Home". It takes place in Australia and the plot is a bowl of spaghetti with twists and turns.
So much of the plot evolves around the transition of society that takes place in the fifties. Social change is always an interesting thing. A major theme is a homosexual man and his marriage to a woman that realizes she has to help him cover up his true sexuality.
Well it will only be a short time before we are loading up a Forest Service Truck and heading out a desert trail to do some work. Last night the volunteers gathered at the scenic overlook for a moon party.
So the Earth and the moon will keep spinning about, and life goes on.
Checking out the door there it is the full eclipse. Dare say it is better than a sun eclipse. So this has not happened since 1866. The moon is close to Earth, the eclipse, and a blue moon. Add to all this a mentally ill president and indeed we are experiencing the Chinese proverb, " May you live in exciting times".
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Back in the Saddle
Quite filled the air back at Lake Roosevelt. Isolation from so many people buzzing about in their buzzmobiles. Flying into Phoenix was interesting. Out the plane window it was great on a clear day to see so many of the places the Kadizzles have explored for years on the ground. The plane gave a great view of Lake Cochiti near Santa Fe. The terrain around Lake Roosevelt was easy to see and decipher.
Tonight is a moon event when some of the volunteers will gather to see the blood moon. A potluck is planned as part of the event. Darch will show up and do some bike riding. Here we sit in one of our other worlds.
No exuberant "Hi" from Evie every morning. That was the highlight in Philadelphia. At one Evie only knows one word distinctly and it is her special greeting to everyone with a one year old wave. Sam and Megan love being parents. Kadizzle awaited forever the day when Megan would have her own little one. Megan always loved talking to dolls and making little doll scenarios. Now seeing her undivided attention to Evie is fun to watch.
Sitting back in the hinterland Kadizzle reflects on what a mess the outside world is. Cars, cars, cars, everywhere. Flying you look down and see acres and acres of parked cars. Cars are the worst drug ever for man kind. Sure they may have been a necessary evil, but it is time to have a different transportation system. The idea that it takes a five thousand pound vehicle to move one person is insane. The wasted fuel, the wasted resources, the wasted time, the wasted lives, and on it goes. Surely humans can come up with a better way to get from point A to point B. Planes also need to become a thing of the past. So much time is wasted sitting and waiting to get on a plane. Planes are packed and inconvenient. Think about the world. What if humans had put the effort into improving the lives of people instead of making sure there are as many cars as people in our country. One good news story. The next generation does not seem as infatuated with cars as the previous. Let the day begin.
Tonight is a moon event when some of the volunteers will gather to see the blood moon. A potluck is planned as part of the event. Darch will show up and do some bike riding. Here we sit in one of our other worlds.
No exuberant "Hi" from Evie every morning. That was the highlight in Philadelphia. At one Evie only knows one word distinctly and it is her special greeting to everyone with a one year old wave. Sam and Megan love being parents. Kadizzle awaited forever the day when Megan would have her own little one. Megan always loved talking to dolls and making little doll scenarios. Now seeing her undivided attention to Evie is fun to watch.
Sitting back in the hinterland Kadizzle reflects on what a mess the outside world is. Cars, cars, cars, everywhere. Flying you look down and see acres and acres of parked cars. Cars are the worst drug ever for man kind. Sure they may have been a necessary evil, but it is time to have a different transportation system. The idea that it takes a five thousand pound vehicle to move one person is insane. The wasted fuel, the wasted resources, the wasted time, the wasted lives, and on it goes. Surely humans can come up with a better way to get from point A to point B. Planes also need to become a thing of the past. So much time is wasted sitting and waiting to get on a plane. Planes are packed and inconvenient. Think about the world. What if humans had put the effort into improving the lives of people instead of making sure there are as many cars as people in our country. One good news story. The next generation does not seem as infatuated with cars as the previous. Let the day begin.
Monday, January 29, 2018
The Transition
9:00 A.M Eastern time. By 5:30 mountain time the Kadizzles will make the transition from the hustle bustle of big city life to the quiet of the desert. Seems like two such different worlds. Here people are packed shoulder to shoulder. Tomorrow no doubt we will be hiking somewhere with no one in miles. What a strange planet. Always overhead there are people in the aluminum tubes moving from one ant mound to the next.
In the background is CNN. On they go about nailing Trump. Just do it get rid of the pox on America.
Truly there are two different worlds. The red world of rural American has no idea all kinds of people live in cities. The country bumpkins think the country is made of gun totting Trump voting fools. On the other hand the people in the metropolitan areas don't know of the bubbas in the hinterlands. So at 10:45 we get in the magic tube and go to the other side of America. Walking around here in Philadelphia we see a lot of young people with children. People who care about education and health care. Once we land in the land of old retire goats things will be different. The old goats got theirs, and they are afraid someone will get their gold. Old goats don't want to pay for schools but would like to have some more war machines to protect their gold.
The people in the city don't seem to be afraid, but back in goat land about half the people are armed. There is a reality in the city. In the city you quickly learn we are all in this together. By necessity a lot of sharing and close proximity goes on. You have to trust a lot of people you don't know. Out in the hinterland the idea of independence and self reliance prevails. It is an illusion, we all rely on each other. Sadly Trump plays on differences, greed, and the idea that we need to protect the rich from the masses of poor that want their money. So here we go another day, a long day sitting in the tube. Everyone trying to pry a nickle from everyone else. Everyone trying to keep someone else from getting their nickle. The saddest thing in this whole game is that we have plenty. We have enough for everyone to have a good education, healthcare, and a decent home, but we just cannot manage to spread it around. Instead one percent of the population gorges on too much while the roads, schools, and health care system crumble. This has been the lesson of history no one learns.
In the background is CNN. On they go about nailing Trump. Just do it get rid of the pox on America.
Truly there are two different worlds. The red world of rural American has no idea all kinds of people live in cities. The country bumpkins think the country is made of gun totting Trump voting fools. On the other hand the people in the metropolitan areas don't know of the bubbas in the hinterlands. So at 10:45 we get in the magic tube and go to the other side of America. Walking around here in Philadelphia we see a lot of young people with children. People who care about education and health care. Once we land in the land of old retire goats things will be different. The old goats got theirs, and they are afraid someone will get their gold. Old goats don't want to pay for schools but would like to have some more war machines to protect their gold.
The people in the city don't seem to be afraid, but back in goat land about half the people are armed. There is a reality in the city. In the city you quickly learn we are all in this together. By necessity a lot of sharing and close proximity goes on. You have to trust a lot of people you don't know. Out in the hinterland the idea of independence and self reliance prevails. It is an illusion, we all rely on each other. Sadly Trump plays on differences, greed, and the idea that we need to protect the rich from the masses of poor that want their money. So here we go another day, a long day sitting in the tube. Everyone trying to pry a nickle from everyone else. Everyone trying to keep someone else from getting their nickle. The saddest thing in this whole game is that we have plenty. We have enough for everyone to have a good education, healthcare, and a decent home, but we just cannot manage to spread it around. Instead one percent of the population gorges on too much while the roads, schools, and health care system crumble. This has been the lesson of history no one learns.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Mrs. Kadizzle has been intent on building a new home in Payson, AZ. Old Kadizzle is not sure this is a brilliant idea at this stage of life, but " she who must be obeyed" must be obeyed. So Kadizzle has spent hours designing the guest portion of the house. The plan is to end up with a three bedroom home. Two bedrooms will be in the main part of the house, and the third will be off the garage. One goal is to have the house surround a small patio area. Of course all of this is in the hands of the money gods. Shrining the house into the budget is a key. Builders assure us all houses run over budget by twenty to thirty percent.
Now to the nursing home. Once you blow your savings on a house you are on the path to a poor quality nursing home. Kadizzle doesn't plan on occupying the planet past the age of eighty. On the other hand Mrs. Kadizzle might well live beyond 100 according to computer simulations.
So what quality of depends will we get, and will we be eating soggy vegetables and mush? All these things need to be considered in building a house. The house itself will need wheelchair access, and if Kadizzle keeps eating large doors to remove his carcass.
It may be easier just to float to the finish line and continue to continue. Seems like most of our friends are lazily buzzing through their savings traveling and drinking good wine. Why are we bound to torture ourselves with a new residence.
Oh the hassle of getting rid of one home and building another. The hell with it, lets just stay put and fade away. This is the daily conundrum.
Back to Philadelphia, here we sit watching Evie like it is a Las Vegas production. Pancakes going in her mouth on the floor, and in the bib trough. Every move is eagerly awaited and fills the crowd with joy. The pumpkin who just turned one waves and says "Hi" . to grandpa as he comes down the steps. With this attitude she is assured of many happy returns in the future. When the pumpkin turns six grandpa will be 75. Lord have mercy. By then either the world will be blown up, or the world will have blown up people like the Trumpster. The grand finally could be the bursting of the stock market bubble. If the bubble breaks the Kadizzles may quickly be in survival mode. The future is a coin toss and uncertainty abounds with a mentally ill president, and a delusional Republican Party.
Now to the nursing home. Once you blow your savings on a house you are on the path to a poor quality nursing home. Kadizzle doesn't plan on occupying the planet past the age of eighty. On the other hand Mrs. Kadizzle might well live beyond 100 according to computer simulations.
So what quality of depends will we get, and will we be eating soggy vegetables and mush? All these things need to be considered in building a house. The house itself will need wheelchair access, and if Kadizzle keeps eating large doors to remove his carcass.
It may be easier just to float to the finish line and continue to continue. Seems like most of our friends are lazily buzzing through their savings traveling and drinking good wine. Why are we bound to torture ourselves with a new residence.
Oh the hassle of getting rid of one home and building another. The hell with it, lets just stay put and fade away. This is the daily conundrum.
Back to Philadelphia, here we sit watching Evie like it is a Las Vegas production. Pancakes going in her mouth on the floor, and in the bib trough. Every move is eagerly awaited and fills the crowd with joy. The pumpkin who just turned one waves and says "Hi" . to grandpa as he comes down the steps. With this attitude she is assured of many happy returns in the future. When the pumpkin turns six grandpa will be 75. Lord have mercy. By then either the world will be blown up, or the world will have blown up people like the Trumpster. The grand finally could be the bursting of the stock market bubble. If the bubble breaks the Kadizzles may quickly be in survival mode. The future is a coin toss and uncertainty abounds with a mentally ill president, and a delusional Republican Party.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Grandpa Joy
Kadizzle always knew youngest daughter would go nuts when she had a real walking talking doll of her own. So here are three adults just sitting watching Sylvie eat pancakes. Cheech is in heaven with Evie. Evie can do the most simple thing and everyone is joyful. Seeing the little lady smile and wave as old granpa comes down the steps is a good start to a day.
Oh yes the clutter. How soon we forget how every child's toys have a million parts. Evie just like her mom and every kid loves to just pull things out of the toy box and scatter them. The birthday brought a truckload of plastic to scatter about.
Tony Sprinkleton the dog is living high as Evie throws pancakes on the floor.
Kadizzle set a new record reading "Murder Never Dies". A real surprise came when it hit Kadizzle that he had gone to grade school with one of the gang members mentioned in the book. Kadizzle distinctly remembers a cool morning standing on the steps at Woodsdale School. Bob Dorn was there. Bob was a big fat kid. Bob who according to the book spent a great part of his life was in the sixth grade with Kadizzle. As Dorn was standing there he kept moving his hands in a strange way over his sweat shirt that enclosed his entire fatness. Puzzled about his strange antics Kadizzle finally said " What is wrong with you?". Dorn held open the sleeve of his sweat shirt and a hamster crawled out. Two hamsters were residing in his sweat shirt. The Dorn family was a strange bunch. The had a sister Lorreta that wore tight leather pants and it was rumored that when they misbehaved their dad beat them with a bull whip. Apparently the child raising technique did not bode well. According to the book Dorn ran a shoplifting ring that operated all over the country stealing high end items.
Dorn went by the name Skinner in prison. As Kadizzle read quickly it did not occur to him that he had known a Dorn. Then on the last page of the chapter was a picture of Dorn. All of a sudden the mind clicked in and said holy shit that's him.
The Dorn family lived down by Wheeling Creek across the street from my uncle. Supposedly there had been occasions when the Dorns randomly fired a handgun at my uncles house.
Now the puzzling part of this is that the book says Dorn went to Lindsley. Lindsley was a military school in Wheeling where all the rich kids went to school. Kadizzle's memory is Dorn disappeared about sixth grade. The family seemed to be poor and it made no sense he went to Lindsley. However, it did seem that someone died and they came into money. Another prominent crime related friend Kadizzle knew well and grew up with was mentioned in the book. Ironically that kid and his brother both went to Lindsley. Their dad was the kingpin for the local gambling machines and they made millions with their illegal activities.
One thing Kadizzle noticed the author did that struck him as dishonest was a little story he told. The author took a popular humorous tale and dressed it up as the truth then inserted it in his book. Perhaps the author did not realize he was using an urban legend that has wide circulation.
Oh yes the clutter. How soon we forget how every child's toys have a million parts. Evie just like her mom and every kid loves to just pull things out of the toy box and scatter them. The birthday brought a truckload of plastic to scatter about.
Tony Sprinkleton the dog is living high as Evie throws pancakes on the floor.
Kadizzle set a new record reading "Murder Never Dies". A real surprise came when it hit Kadizzle that he had gone to grade school with one of the gang members mentioned in the book. Kadizzle distinctly remembers a cool morning standing on the steps at Woodsdale School. Bob Dorn was there. Bob was a big fat kid. Bob who according to the book spent a great part of his life was in the sixth grade with Kadizzle. As Dorn was standing there he kept moving his hands in a strange way over his sweat shirt that enclosed his entire fatness. Puzzled about his strange antics Kadizzle finally said " What is wrong with you?". Dorn held open the sleeve of his sweat shirt and a hamster crawled out. Two hamsters were residing in his sweat shirt. The Dorn family was a strange bunch. The had a sister Lorreta that wore tight leather pants and it was rumored that when they misbehaved their dad beat them with a bull whip. Apparently the child raising technique did not bode well. According to the book Dorn ran a shoplifting ring that operated all over the country stealing high end items.
Dorn went by the name Skinner in prison. As Kadizzle read quickly it did not occur to him that he had known a Dorn. Then on the last page of the chapter was a picture of Dorn. All of a sudden the mind clicked in and said holy shit that's him.
The Dorn family lived down by Wheeling Creek across the street from my uncle. Supposedly there had been occasions when the Dorns randomly fired a handgun at my uncles house.
Now the puzzling part of this is that the book says Dorn went to Lindsley. Lindsley was a military school in Wheeling where all the rich kids went to school. Kadizzle's memory is Dorn disappeared about sixth grade. The family seemed to be poor and it made no sense he went to Lindsley. However, it did seem that someone died and they came into money. Another prominent crime related friend Kadizzle knew well and grew up with was mentioned in the book. Ironically that kid and his brother both went to Lindsley. Their dad was the kingpin for the local gambling machines and they made millions with their illegal activities.
One thing Kadizzle noticed the author did that struck him as dishonest was a little story he told. The author took a popular humorous tale and dressed it up as the truth then inserted it in his book. Perhaps the author did not realize he was using an urban legend that has wide circulation.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Reading for Hours
Kadizzle grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia. A couple days ago older brother Tom told of a book about Wheeling crime. "Murder Never Dies" is a complete history of crime in my home town. The book is fascinating because so many of the names and places are familiar. Additionally my grandfather was mayor when a lot of this was going on. To top it off a childhood friend was the son of one of the major players in the illegal activities.
The story revolves around the two men who were deeply involved in the mafia, drugs, gambling, prostitution, you name it. Once upon a time Kadizzle was walking across the Suspension Bridge in Wheeling. A convertible pulled up beside us. My friend knew the guy. Paul Hankish was in the car. He is one of the two men the book relates to. Kadizzle never had any idea this man was one of the biggest crime figures ever in the United States. Hankish offered to take us for a boat ride on the Ohio River. Not many weeks after the boat ride Hankish went out to start his car one morning. Explosives meant to kill him went off. He was not killed, but his legs were blown off. When he came to in the hospital he was asking for my friends father.
The book is amazing. How the author got so much inside information is amazing. Organized crime was connected in the book to the Kennedys, Eisenhower, Nixon, and right on down the line. The alliance between politicians and criminals was amazing. Reading frantically Kadizzle is trying to find mention of his friends family. It has not yet come up.
Reading familiar names and places is fascinating. What one quickly comes to realize is how dependent the city was on gambling a prostitution. The city fathers knew the economy was closely tied to the illegal activities and had a strange way of dealing with it.
The City of Wheeling levied fines on all illegal activity. No one went to jail, the fines were really a tax. If you had prostration, you were fined so much a month. If you had slot machines you again paid a monthly fine.
The hypocrisy was insane. One story in the book relates to how a charitable group wanted to raise money for crippled children. They enlisted the local mafia to sponsor a casino night. Hankish brought in professional card sharks, and dice game managers. The crooked gambling with loaded dice, and marked cards netted the charity $25,000. The symbiotic relationship between crime and religion was incredible.
The story revolves around the two men who were deeply involved in the mafia, drugs, gambling, prostitution, you name it. Once upon a time Kadizzle was walking across the Suspension Bridge in Wheeling. A convertible pulled up beside us. My friend knew the guy. Paul Hankish was in the car. He is one of the two men the book relates to. Kadizzle never had any idea this man was one of the biggest crime figures ever in the United States. Hankish offered to take us for a boat ride on the Ohio River. Not many weeks after the boat ride Hankish went out to start his car one morning. Explosives meant to kill him went off. He was not killed, but his legs were blown off. When he came to in the hospital he was asking for my friends father.
The book is amazing. How the author got so much inside information is amazing. Organized crime was connected in the book to the Kennedys, Eisenhower, Nixon, and right on down the line. The alliance between politicians and criminals was amazing. Reading frantically Kadizzle is trying to find mention of his friends family. It has not yet come up.
Reading familiar names and places is fascinating. What one quickly comes to realize is how dependent the city was on gambling a prostitution. The city fathers knew the economy was closely tied to the illegal activities and had a strange way of dealing with it.
The City of Wheeling levied fines on all illegal activity. No one went to jail, the fines were really a tax. If you had prostration, you were fined so much a month. If you had slot machines you again paid a monthly fine.
The hypocrisy was insane. One story in the book relates to how a charitable group wanted to raise money for crippled children. They enlisted the local mafia to sponsor a casino night. Hankish brought in professional card sharks, and dice game managers. The crooked gambling with loaded dice, and marked cards netted the charity $25,000. The symbiotic relationship between crime and religion was incredible.
Thursday, January 25, 2018
The Skittle Bug
That same sun that will rise in Arizona is already up in Philadelphia. Megan is busy with her soon to be one year old Skittle Bug. Four adults sit in amazement watching the little girl do the things one year olds do. Of course the grandmas have gone crazy buying clothes and toys. This naturally leads to a house of clutter. Megan when she was little played with all kind of little animals. It only took 35 years of wondering about how Megan would enjoy a real live doll.
Now Megan is a full fledged Mom. Megan is our fashion designer. Meg or Cheech as Kadizzle likes to call her decided to go into fashion design. When Cheech decides to do something it is going to happen. Cheech graduated from art school and then took off for New York City. It was game on. Cheech started her own design business, but that takes a lot of loot. In no time she had a couple things mentioned in some national fashion magazines. Without enough capital the one man or should I say lady show came to and end and Cheech went to work for Macy's. Cheech went on to work for another big company and then on to her current job in Philadelphia.
So here we sit in the land of the crawling Skittle Bug. How exciting to have a one year old wave at you and say hi. Evie's cousin in Denver will have a blast with the new cousin. Sylvie is thriving in Denver. Since grandpa is bragging he may as well go on. Sylvie has been put in the special class for advanced learners and she has a great teacher. First it was Egypt the mummies, and pyramids. Then World War Two. Now Sylvie is fascinated with space and the universe.
Since both grandchildren are only children they thrive on attention. Old Kadizzle was just one of a litter of nine. Amazing he learned to read at all.
Now Megan is a full fledged Mom. Megan is our fashion designer. Meg or Cheech as Kadizzle likes to call her decided to go into fashion design. When Cheech decides to do something it is going to happen. Cheech graduated from art school and then took off for New York City. It was game on. Cheech started her own design business, but that takes a lot of loot. In no time she had a couple things mentioned in some national fashion magazines. Without enough capital the one man or should I say lady show came to and end and Cheech went to work for Macy's. Cheech went on to work for another big company and then on to her current job in Philadelphia.
So here we sit in the land of the crawling Skittle Bug. How exciting to have a one year old wave at you and say hi. Evie's cousin in Denver will have a blast with the new cousin. Sylvie is thriving in Denver. Since grandpa is bragging he may as well go on. Sylvie has been put in the special class for advanced learners and she has a great teacher. First it was Egypt the mummies, and pyramids. Then World War Two. Now Sylvie is fascinated with space and the universe.
Since both grandchildren are only children they thrive on attention. Old Kadizzle was just one of a litter of nine. Amazing he learned to read at all.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Urban Insanity
Up at 4:30 A.M so we could be off to Philadelphia to celebrate Smiley McGumphley's fist birthday. In the back seat of the truck was a bigger than life stuffed rattlesnake from the National Monument the Mrs. just had to buy for McGumphley.
There are just too damn many people on this planet. Phoenix and then Philadelphia both are just crawling with traffic and people. Jammed on the plane and in traffic is so different from wandering the mountains. Yesterday with Diane we were miles up a mountain stream with no other person anywhere. Then today the thickness of humanity was spread like human peanut butter everywhere. Airports say it so well, the hustle bustle of people going so fast to really get from one no place to the next. It seems like our cities have grown like diseases, no planned places for people to live. Every airport seems like it was laid out by a snake slithering through the sand.
Riding to Florida with Ned, Kadizzle figured out how much of our country would be covered if all the cars were side by side. The calculation ended up showing the state of Rhode Island could be completely covered with cars. Keep in mind this does not include the buses and trucks. We worship cares. In Phoenix we buzzed past people because we were in the HOV lane. The other four lanes crawled with one person per car.
So here we are enjoying our little grand daughter pushing herself with her walker around the dinning room table to our delight. Sam and Megan have bought a home they are remodeling to move into and they are excited to show us the new place.
There are just too damn many people on this planet. Phoenix and then Philadelphia both are just crawling with traffic and people. Jammed on the plane and in traffic is so different from wandering the mountains. Yesterday with Diane we were miles up a mountain stream with no other person anywhere. Then today the thickness of humanity was spread like human peanut butter everywhere. Airports say it so well, the hustle bustle of people going so fast to really get from one no place to the next. It seems like our cities have grown like diseases, no planned places for people to live. Every airport seems like it was laid out by a snake slithering through the sand.
Riding to Florida with Ned, Kadizzle figured out how much of our country would be covered if all the cars were side by side. The calculation ended up showing the state of Rhode Island could be completely covered with cars. Keep in mind this does not include the buses and trucks. We worship cares. In Phoenix we buzzed past people because we were in the HOV lane. The other four lanes crawled with one person per car.
So here we are enjoying our little grand daughter pushing herself with her walker around the dinning room table to our delight. Sam and Megan have bought a home they are remodeling to move into and they are excited to show us the new place.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Down to Six
Yesterday Kadizzle lost a sister. Kathleen passed away at noon. That leaves six of us out of the original nine. Kathleen was taller and bigger than most of us. When a family squabble would break out among us Kathleen was like Russia. She was a big country and when she chose a side that side would win. A fond memory of Kate as she wanted to be called was watching her on the diving board. The sisters went to the YMCA and did a lot of trampoline work. Kadizzle tried all the time to be good on the diving board. On a good day Kadizzle could do one and a half flips before hitting the water. Kate was a much better diver and could do some amazing dives. At the time like every member of the family she was in athletic shape. Later in life like everyone else she put on some weight. Always in later life Kadizzle would look at Kate and see her as a shapely diver, not one afflicted with gravity.
Kadizzle and Kate turned out to be the two writers in the family. Kate was into history and wrote many articles about West Virginia History, Wheeling History, and also wrote several articles for the West Virginia state magazine. She ran a blog site for the neighborhood where we grew up.
Our home town of Wheeling, West Virginia had some incredible cemeteries. The old rich folks had astounding grave markers that today would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kate did a historic cemetery tour every year with friends. As part of the tour the guides dressed in period costumes. Kate loved to make costumes.
So last night Kadizzle laid in bed and thought about how we are being picked off. By no means are we being taking in order. The original shock was when Colin died at age 49. That inspired Kadizzle to retire at 50. Louise who is fourth from the beginning got up in the middle of the night and went to sleep forever on the couch. Now Kate is gone. So Melissa the oldest, Tom, Amy, Suzie, myself, and Patty are still in the game. No one is looking forward to the next dice roll.
Kadizzle and Kate turned out to be the two writers in the family. Kate was into history and wrote many articles about West Virginia History, Wheeling History, and also wrote several articles for the West Virginia state magazine. She ran a blog site for the neighborhood where we grew up.
Our home town of Wheeling, West Virginia had some incredible cemeteries. The old rich folks had astounding grave markers that today would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kate did a historic cemetery tour every year with friends. As part of the tour the guides dressed in period costumes. Kate loved to make costumes.
So last night Kadizzle laid in bed and thought about how we are being picked off. By no means are we being taking in order. The original shock was when Colin died at age 49. That inspired Kadizzle to retire at 50. Louise who is fourth from the beginning got up in the middle of the night and went to sleep forever on the couch. Now Kate is gone. So Melissa the oldest, Tom, Amy, Suzie, myself, and Patty are still in the game. No one is looking forward to the next dice roll.
Monday, January 22, 2018
How much do we need?
The thought just flashed through my mind sitting here in the Earth module, how much do I really need? If I need to eat there is a table right over there. On that wall is a TV. There are two comfortable chairs. The view if we had to pay for it would be worth millions. The bathroom is just fine. One good shower will come from the water heater then person two has to wait 15 minutes. The stove is right there and Jasper Littlebottom cooks up a storm. Everything is about three steps away.
Back at the mansion in North Dakota we have a basement with two bedrooms. Sometimes it seems like months before we ever even see them. In the upstairs in ND the living room is rarely used. The fireplace often goes for a year with no use. There is no yard here, but the one in North Dakota takes money, hours of work, and waste water, fertilizer and time.
The Earth Module is about eight feet wide and 27 feet long. The living room at home is almost three times bigger, but you cannot hook a truck on the living room and move it to the side of a mountain. We have great neighbors in North Dakota, but the nice thing about the Earth Module is if the neighbors are mean or noisy, just hook up and move.
The Earth Module is so small heating it is a snap. If one wanted the solar panel could be hooked up and the sun would provide the electricity. Worst case scenario in the Earth module would be buy some propane now and then, but it is magnitudes cheaper than the home place.
Cold outside? No problem with an Earth Module, just move farther south. Too hot, go farther north. Taxes? What are they? No property tax no house payment.
So this all comes full circle to one of Kadizzle's rules to live by. " A man is rich in accordance to what he can afford to do without."
Back at the mansion in North Dakota we have a basement with two bedrooms. Sometimes it seems like months before we ever even see them. In the upstairs in ND the living room is rarely used. The fireplace often goes for a year with no use. There is no yard here, but the one in North Dakota takes money, hours of work, and waste water, fertilizer and time.
The Earth Module is about eight feet wide and 27 feet long. The living room at home is almost three times bigger, but you cannot hook a truck on the living room and move it to the side of a mountain. We have great neighbors in North Dakota, but the nice thing about the Earth Module is if the neighbors are mean or noisy, just hook up and move.
The Earth Module is so small heating it is a snap. If one wanted the solar panel could be hooked up and the sun would provide the electricity. Worst case scenario in the Earth module would be buy some propane now and then, but it is magnitudes cheaper than the home place.
Cold outside? No problem with an Earth Module, just move farther south. Too hot, go farther north. Taxes? What are they? No property tax no house payment.
So this all comes full circle to one of Kadizzle's rules to live by. " A man is rich in accordance to what he can afford to do without."
Will the sun come up?
With the government shut down Kadizzle sits here looking out the window. Will the sun come up? There seems to be a sliver of light. Remember the old saying about the rooster crowing? The Rooster thought his crowing was what brought the sun up. That chicken ended up on the table fried. If only the chickens in Washington could be fried.
The heat puff is going full bore. The thermometer in the bedroom read 41 when we awakened. Now in the main salon it is cozy and warm as we drink our first cup of coffee. Mrs. Kadizzle is chomping at the bit with an unexplained desire to wash the sheets.
It looks like a trip to Globe is in order for groceries today. Kadizzle will get to try out his new credit card and see if he actually gets thirty five cents per gallon discount on gas. Later to day an old North Dakota sailing friend will show up and join us for some exploring and hiking.
The clock reads 7:08 and they seem to be having problems getting the sun up. It is getting red in the East.
'
The heat puff is going full bore. The thermometer in the bedroom read 41 when we awakened. Now in the main salon it is cozy and warm as we drink our first cup of coffee. Mrs. Kadizzle is chomping at the bit with an unexplained desire to wash the sheets.
It looks like a trip to Globe is in order for groceries today. Kadizzle will get to try out his new credit card and see if he actually gets thirty five cents per gallon discount on gas. Later to day an old North Dakota sailing friend will show up and join us for some exploring and hiking.
The clock reads 7:08 and they seem to be having problems getting the sun up. It is getting red in the East.
'
Sunday, January 21, 2018
The walker
Grandpa and Grandma just got a joyful video of Evie putting along pushing a cart learning to walk. So much fun to see the little girl make such great accomplishments. Videos of Sylvie skiing, and Evie learning motor skills are a delight.
Now the bad news, It wasn't but a couple weeks ago Kadizzle was in a Florida nursing home watching seniors progress with their walkers. Here is Evie about to turn one, and it makes Kadizzle realize someday there will be an Evie about to turn one hundred. The future is something we would all generally like to ignore. Time has a way of working with the sun to fade everything. Our strength fades, our sight fades and so it goes. There is hope, spring, springs eternal The old life is replaced by the new.
The big question comes. What do we leave for Evie, and Sylvie? Do they get clean oceans, air, forest, trails, waterfalls? We can ignore the moving hands of the clock or we can embrace the future. Kadizzle feels like he lived in a somewhat golden age. Never hungry, never cold, never really wanting, a good life unfolded. So much of what Kadizzle enjoyed came because of the people before him. Soldiers saved our country, scientist made life better, teachers taught us to learn and enjoy, but now there is uncertainty. Going backwards has been made acceptable. Selfishness has reached a new popularity, religion has been turned on it's head, community spirit has disappeared, and the workplace has just become a means of exploration.
So we had our fun, and now our fun is watching the little ones enjoy life. Are we going to sit idly by and let Donald Trump usher in the Dark Ages?
Now the bad news, It wasn't but a couple weeks ago Kadizzle was in a Florida nursing home watching seniors progress with their walkers. Here is Evie about to turn one, and it makes Kadizzle realize someday there will be an Evie about to turn one hundred. The future is something we would all generally like to ignore. Time has a way of working with the sun to fade everything. Our strength fades, our sight fades and so it goes. There is hope, spring, springs eternal The old life is replaced by the new.
The big question comes. What do we leave for Evie, and Sylvie? Do they get clean oceans, air, forest, trails, waterfalls? We can ignore the moving hands of the clock or we can embrace the future. Kadizzle feels like he lived in a somewhat golden age. Never hungry, never cold, never really wanting, a good life unfolded. So much of what Kadizzle enjoyed came because of the people before him. Soldiers saved our country, scientist made life better, teachers taught us to learn and enjoy, but now there is uncertainty. Going backwards has been made acceptable. Selfishness has reached a new popularity, religion has been turned on it's head, community spirit has disappeared, and the workplace has just become a means of exploration.
So we had our fun, and now our fun is watching the little ones enjoy life. Are we going to sit idly by and let Donald Trump usher in the Dark Ages?
Still Alive
When our kids were growing up we often thought they had two sets of friends. They had their lake friends and their town friends. Since we sailed every weekend the kids got to see their lake sailing buddies weekly. Now as adults we still have our sailing friends, and have added our RV friends. So from winter to summer it is like the stage set is simply changed. Living in the small confines of a sailboat in the summer and the small confines of the Earth Module in the winter.
Sailors and winter travelers all have that need to roam and explore. The sailing friends have pretty much been the same people for many years, but in the camping life new people constantly come and go. On the lake you gather up in a bay here or there. In the southwest you bump into friends in Utah, Nevada, or Arizona. Since we have wintered and worked for The National Forest Service we are mostly in the same place all winter, but that works too. Our traveling friends stop for a week or two and we hike, eat, and lounge together. The natural order of things is that one person is introduced to another because we all have the same interest. Everyone likes to hike, biking is also common. A few of the men like to explore the back country by motorcycle.
Everyone finds little gems of places to visit. There is a vast supply of nooks and crannies to park campers. Inevitably we end up at home in North Dakota and some of our traveling buddies stop by. Another certainty in this life style are invitations to nice home bases, and other adventures.
There is an international flavor to all of this also. About half our winter friends are Canadians. A few times we have become close with some Europeans. The mixing and matching is always fun. The great thing about this play are the characters that keep changing.
So as life would have it this winter a lot of our sailing friends are in the southwest and we will get a chance to share some trails with them. In the end life is what you make it. If you want to sit on your ass and watch television that is your choice, but until they develop 3D television you will miss a lot.
Sailors and winter travelers all have that need to roam and explore. The sailing friends have pretty much been the same people for many years, but in the camping life new people constantly come and go. On the lake you gather up in a bay here or there. In the southwest you bump into friends in Utah, Nevada, or Arizona. Since we have wintered and worked for The National Forest Service we are mostly in the same place all winter, but that works too. Our traveling friends stop for a week or two and we hike, eat, and lounge together. The natural order of things is that one person is introduced to another because we all have the same interest. Everyone likes to hike, biking is also common. A few of the men like to explore the back country by motorcycle.
Everyone finds little gems of places to visit. There is a vast supply of nooks and crannies to park campers. Inevitably we end up at home in North Dakota and some of our traveling buddies stop by. Another certainty in this life style are invitations to nice home bases, and other adventures.
There is an international flavor to all of this also. About half our winter friends are Canadians. A few times we have become close with some Europeans. The mixing and matching is always fun. The great thing about this play are the characters that keep changing.
So as life would have it this winter a lot of our sailing friends are in the southwest and we will get a chance to share some trails with them. In the end life is what you make it. If you want to sit on your ass and watch television that is your choice, but until they develop 3D television you will miss a lot.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
What?
You have probably had the same experience Kadizzle has had many times. You meet someone new. The conversation goes well and then suddenly it takes a turn. The person veers off into insane conspiracy theories. The Trilateral Commission was a typical one. A bunch of secret bankers that run the world. Now the Republicans are trying to fertilize a new one, the Deep State. Once you make up a magical organization all you have to do is blame everything on it.
Remember if you are an old fart the whole McCarthy thing. Communist were everywhere and every evil was caused by communist. It all blew up when McCarthy decided just about everyone who disagreed with him was a communist. You could not tell a real communist from an imagined one.
Well the communist went down the tubes. So now we need some good old fashioned imaginary enemies. Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News are right there to help. A popular new boggy man are socialist. Your typical American really doesn't know what socialism is, so it is just great to use socialism as the magical enemy. The whole idea is to exploit ignorance. The problem with socialism if you really understand it is the success socialist countries have had. Socialist countries have better education, better health care, happier people, and participate in fewer wars. Another aspect of socialism is the number of socialist organizations in our country. The police , the garbage men, the fire department are all basically socialist organizations. They are owned by the people and serve the people and no profit is involved. Take this a step further. In North Dakota you have socialist gas stations, socialist phone companies, socialist electric companies, and the list goes on.
Fomenting conspiracies has always worked to fool the simple minded. The crusades were a good example. Blaming the Jews always is reliable. Now of course you have the Donald stirring up hate for shit hole countries, Mexico, and all of Africa. We are good people, but bad people are out to get us. So give me some money for guns, and walls and I will protect you from socialist, shit hole people, and anyone that is after you. Are we really this stupid?
Remember if you are an old fart the whole McCarthy thing. Communist were everywhere and every evil was caused by communist. It all blew up when McCarthy decided just about everyone who disagreed with him was a communist. You could not tell a real communist from an imagined one.
Well the communist went down the tubes. So now we need some good old fashioned imaginary enemies. Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News are right there to help. A popular new boggy man are socialist. Your typical American really doesn't know what socialism is, so it is just great to use socialism as the magical enemy. The whole idea is to exploit ignorance. The problem with socialism if you really understand it is the success socialist countries have had. Socialist countries have better education, better health care, happier people, and participate in fewer wars. Another aspect of socialism is the number of socialist organizations in our country. The police , the garbage men, the fire department are all basically socialist organizations. They are owned by the people and serve the people and no profit is involved. Take this a step further. In North Dakota you have socialist gas stations, socialist phone companies, socialist electric companies, and the list goes on.
Fomenting conspiracies has always worked to fool the simple minded. The crusades were a good example. Blaming the Jews always is reliable. Now of course you have the Donald stirring up hate for shit hole countries, Mexico, and all of Africa. We are good people, but bad people are out to get us. So give me some money for guns, and walls and I will protect you from socialist, shit hole people, and anyone that is after you. Are we really this stupid?
Friday, January 19, 2018
A day off
A sleep in day, no working on trails. So the Kadizzles are us doing the usual update with NPR in the background. A crazy world, is alive and spinning. A president, mentally ill, absolutely immoral and crooked, yet about 36 percent of the population is blind to the facts. ( It will be useful if you watch the Pink Elephant prank video posted nearby)
38% of the people you meet, talk to, buy from, live next to are incurably stupid. Logic, news, reality, just does not penetrate their minds. Trump lies with every breath, and 38% of Americans just don't notice. Within hours he Trump contradicts himself. Trump tells people he lied about Obama being born in Kenya. Trump lies and says he will give out his tax returns. How can you miss his lying?
This whole miasma is illustrated by the pink elephant video. Fox News pulls the pink elephant everyday on the public and it works.
38% of the people you meet, talk to, buy from, live next to are incurably stupid. Logic, news, reality, just does not penetrate their minds. Trump lies with every breath, and 38% of Americans just don't notice. Within hours he Trump contradicts himself. Trump tells people he lied about Obama being born in Kenya. Trump lies and says he will give out his tax returns. How can you miss his lying?
This whole miasma is illustrated by the pink elephant video. Fox News pulls the pink elephant everyday on the public and it works.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Time is marching on
Sometimes it seems like time speeds up and then other times it slows down. Now the Earth has tilted toward spring. So here goes another cycle. In no time at all it will be boat launch time. Summer will wisk by. Sometimes it seems like the spinning of the Earth is getting faster.
NPR just said crude oil prices are on the rise. North Dakota will maybe go into the boom cycle. Oil is a strange barometer for the world. Every time the price goes up the oil wells start pumping and drive the price down. Western North Dakota had a lot of stuff sitting idle. It will be interesting to see if breath comes back to the Williston area.
The Kadizzles sit here drinking coffee working on the morning update. In the background NPR gets us up to date on the crazy man who pretends to be president. NPR says a majority of Americans think Trump's first year is a failure. Of course he is still popular with the delusional. The chief rodent gets some nasty scores on his polling.
We will start the day clueless of what we are going to do today. There will be six of us possibly crowed into a pickup truck headed into the wilderness. Six people working for free while Trump shovels tax cuts to the rich. Trump and his gang of thieves are starving the government so the parks and forest fall into disrepair. Who cares?
NPR just said crude oil prices are on the rise. North Dakota will maybe go into the boom cycle. Oil is a strange barometer for the world. Every time the price goes up the oil wells start pumping and drive the price down. Western North Dakota had a lot of stuff sitting idle. It will be interesting to see if breath comes back to the Williston area.
The Kadizzles sit here drinking coffee working on the morning update. In the background NPR gets us up to date on the crazy man who pretends to be president. NPR says a majority of Americans think Trump's first year is a failure. Of course he is still popular with the delusional. The chief rodent gets some nasty scores on his polling.
We will start the day clueless of what we are going to do today. There will be six of us possibly crowed into a pickup truck headed into the wilderness. Six people working for free while Trump shovels tax cuts to the rich. Trump and his gang of thieves are starving the government so the parks and forest fall into disrepair. Who cares?
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Things that wind through the Wilderness
There is way more wilderness in our country than most people can comprehend. Yesterday Kadizzle set off by himself to find a trail. For days our trail crew has been working on the Sycamore Creek trail. We have been clearing and improving the trail. A major project is finding the trail. That was Kadizzles goal yesterday. Who made these trails is a question one always wonders. Was it Indians, was it miners, was it cattle people, was it the CCC, the Forest Service, who made the trail. It might have simply been animals. Usually you can tell if the trail was an old road. If you see some stone work it may have been cattle people or the CCC. Often the trails go to a spring.
When you drive along the road and look at the mountains you don't realize how much land is between you and the mountain peaks. You think there is very little, but just get out and walk, then you will find out how much wilderness there is. So much of our work is related somehow or other to the Arizona Trail. The Arizona trail goes from Mexico to Utah. It is 800 miles long. Often we meet people who are walking that 800 miles. This is not a walk in the park. Around here water is a problem. If you are going to walk the trail you may need a support person that places water at certain key points. Finding your way can be at times tricky. The trail is not always a trail. Sometimes the trail is a road, and sometimes you come down out of the mountains to cross a bridge. People on the trail will see land few people ever get to see. Think about your typical person. Most people only get to see the country from a car or airplane. Cars and plains are limited to where they can go.
When you drive along the road and look at the mountains you don't realize how much land is between you and the mountain peaks. You think there is very little, but just get out and walk, then you will find out how much wilderness there is. So much of our work is related somehow or other to the Arizona Trail. The Arizona trail goes from Mexico to Utah. It is 800 miles long. Often we meet people who are walking that 800 miles. This is not a walk in the park. Around here water is a problem. If you are going to walk the trail you may need a support person that places water at certain key points. Finding your way can be at times tricky. The trail is not always a trail. Sometimes the trail is a road, and sometimes you come down out of the mountains to cross a bridge. People on the trail will see land few people ever get to see. Think about your typical person. Most people only get to see the country from a car or airplane. Cars and plains are limited to where they can go.
Monday, January 15, 2018
Bum Update
The sun set just a fraction of time ago. It is dark and how quickly things cool down is amazing. Mrs. Kadizzle is cooking onions for her chili. The onion fumes are burning old Kadizzle's eyes. Today got off to a slow lazy start. The plan was to take Cindy the horse camp host up the mountain so she could understand how the trails ran. The trail system is confusing and takes awhile to learn. So up the road we went bouncing like ping pong balls in a clothes dryer. Cindy got to ride on one of the nastiest roads around, but we did show her how the Frazier Trail ran up to the Arizona Trail. Since we were already up there we went on to the Cotton Wood Trail. Cindy was impressed with the natural beauty back in the wilds.
After our exploration Mrs. Kadizzle took off on her bike and Kadizzle rode the Yamaha toward Windy Hill Campground. After giving the mostly empty campground a good once over Kadizzle turned toward home. Up ahead was a car with the hood up. As Kadizzle approached he realized it was Mr. Bummore. The bum staying at the horse camp. Perplexed that his car had severyly overheated Bummore was waiting for the car to cool to where he could drive it again. Kadizzle tried to help by fetching water for the radiator. Bummore managed to get back to the horse camp where his strange collection of junk lay scattered about like a garage sale.
How do people like bums like Bummore think. Bummore has owned his car for three months and is a clueless mechanic. The bum mindset is special. A bum has about a 24 hour look into the future. Bums don' think in terms of what will happen next week or two days from now. Bums live in the present. The car runs right now. I have food right now. Bums don't think about what will happen when the car breaks down, as a bum car surely will. Bums don't think about what will happen when it rains, or there is no fuel to cook the hot dogs. So Bummore is over there in the horse camp stuck with a car that will never make it out of here. No matter which way you go there is a steep long, long hill to climb. That is exactly how the life of a bum works. A bum sinks into a low spot and is faced with a steep climb. Bummore said he was going to leave tomorrow and head for Payson. Stay tuned. Perhaps Kadizzle can give you an update tomorrow.
After our exploration Mrs. Kadizzle took off on her bike and Kadizzle rode the Yamaha toward Windy Hill Campground. After giving the mostly empty campground a good once over Kadizzle turned toward home. Up ahead was a car with the hood up. As Kadizzle approached he realized it was Mr. Bummore. The bum staying at the horse camp. Perplexed that his car had severyly overheated Bummore was waiting for the car to cool to where he could drive it again. Kadizzle tried to help by fetching water for the radiator. Bummore managed to get back to the horse camp where his strange collection of junk lay scattered about like a garage sale.
How do people like bums like Bummore think. Bummore has owned his car for three months and is a clueless mechanic. The bum mindset is special. A bum has about a 24 hour look into the future. Bums don' think in terms of what will happen next week or two days from now. Bums live in the present. The car runs right now. I have food right now. Bums don't think about what will happen when the car breaks down, as a bum car surely will. Bums don't think about what will happen when it rains, or there is no fuel to cook the hot dogs. So Bummore is over there in the horse camp stuck with a car that will never make it out of here. No matter which way you go there is a steep long, long hill to climb. That is exactly how the life of a bum works. A bum sinks into a low spot and is faced with a steep climb. Bummore said he was going to leave tomorrow and head for Payson. Stay tuned. Perhaps Kadizzle can give you an update tomorrow.
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