Day 7 – Camden, New Jersey

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Before getting into the day’s activities I need to report that we didn’t sleep as good as we thought we would on our room’s softer mattresses. I guess there’s something about really hard beds, like Ruth has, that grows on you. We’ll see if we still feel that way after tonight’s adventure in sleeping.

This morning we were up early so we could spruce ourselves up for a fun bus ride to visit the USS New Jersey BB-62 in Camden, NJ. Turns out that Camden is a 2+ hour bus ride away from Beach Haven. Who knew? Diane and I finagled a front row seat by telling everyone that I’d probably puke if I had to sit anywhere else. That did the trick and we had the front row for both directions. Getting there first, however, played a significant part in getting those seats.

After sitting for over two hours on the bus we were all ready to get out and walk around and that’s what we did on BB-62. It was interesting, but not the first battleship we’ve been aboard the USS Alabama BB-60, and the USS Missouri BB-61. Most significant of those two was BB-61 which we visited many times while we were in Hawaii during our last tour of active duty 1986-1989. The Missouri was an active duty ship, having been recommissioned a few years before, and one of our old shipmates from Naval Communications Station (NAVCOMSTA) Okinawa, 1968-1970, was stationed aboard. It was very humbling to make those visits because the Missouri tied up across the harbor from the USS Arizona memorial. at that time and I took many photos of the Arizona from the Missouri’s surrender deck. A lot of history involved in that view – a photo of the devastation that pulled us into WWII taken from the spot where peace was secured to end the war. There’s a plaque on the surrender deck commemorating that event and it has a plexiglas bubble that covers it when the ship went to sea. The Missouri is now, of course, secured directly behind the Arizona on Battleship Row at Ford Island and is a floating museum.

A bit of trivia about BB-62 is that when I was stationed at Naval TeleCommunication Center (NTCC) Long Beach, CA Diane and I watched the USS New Jersey being pulled into port for overhaul in preparation for being re-commissioned. My boss, a female LCDR, was married to another LCDR who happened to drive a Fleet Tug boat, the one that was selected to tow the Jersey from Bremerton, WA to the Long Beach ship yard for the refit. A bit of history.

Sorry about going down that road, but it just jumped in my head and I had to get it out of there before it started rattling around.

As we arrived in Camden, near the road to the USS New Jersey, we were treated to a stunning view of the Philadelphia skyline. First time we’ve ever seen it. Apparently it’s a first for Barb, too, because she didn’t recognize it.

The New Jersey was interesting because we were taken in a small group of 14 with a dedicated Docent who knows the ship. We spent two hours following her up and down a lot of ladders. It was tiring and hard on old knees. I was tempted to slide down the handles of some ladders, on my hands, but refrained after briefly considering the consequences and the ensuing ambulance ride that was sure to follow. In the past, sliding down those ladders on ships was second nature. It was a quick way to get around. And, I was much, much younger. And I bounced when I fell down. The bounce is gone. I’ll save the words and just show some pictures.

Gathering under the forward 16″ gun mount to honor DD-808 shipmates who have passed the bar since last we gathered. We only have this reunion every other year and we’re all of advanced age so losing shipmates is not uncommon or unexpected. It’s good to remember them.

Another chance to practice taking a selfie.

It’s a big ship.

With big guns.

And pretty girls.

When leaving the New Jersey’s quarterdeck Larry Hennessy, the Docent Supervisor, was standing there looking very spiffy in his khakis. I shook his hand and we looked each other in the eye and we kinda stopped for a moment, then he said, “I know you!” I sensed a bit of familiarity myself and responded, “You look familiar, too!” Then we got to talking about which ships we’d been on and figured out that there’s no way we knew each other because he was an East Coast Sailor, and I was a West Coast Sailor. But, we decided that we each had a new friend and parted happy. It was a good visit.

By this time Diane and I were way past ready to eat something. Thankfully there was a handy candy machine in the gift shop area next to the Jersey and I got us a package of Peanut M&Ms. That got us through the bus ride to the aquarium which was our next stop. Our new friend Larry, from the quarterdeck, knowing a few of us were seeking tolerable sustenance, drew us a map to a place called Victor’s Pub. It was within walking distance of the Adventure Aquarium so Bruce, Mary, Ed, Diane, and I walked. We had a terrific meal. It was actually too terrific because none of us could eat all of what we ordered. Here’s mine …

After we finished eating, we trundled back to the aquarium and made a pass through the attractions, after going to the bathroom, of course. I always have to go to the bathroom whenever I get around water.

Here’s Mr. Hippopotamus. Big guy.

He’s big, but he can outrun a little kid.

I container full of pretty jelly fish.

Then these guys. They glide menacingly over the tube observers walk through. Nifty.

Getting ready to gather for departure, Ken works the crowd.

I found it interesting that Highway 30, the same one that runs through our town of St. Helens, goes all the way from Astoria, Oregon to Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tomorrow I will have seen both ends of that road. On our end of that highway we call it The Old Oregon Trail, the one followed by Lewis & Clark.

Through our entire visit to the USS New Jersey, the weather was absolutely perfect. Sunny and warm, but not hot. When we exited the aquarium clouds were moving in and the air had taken a decidedly cooler feel. As we drove, the clouds increased to the point that this is what we encountered from our room view upon reaching the hotel. Still pretty, but way more dramatic.

Tomorrow we don’t board the bus until 0915 so we can sleep in a little longer. Maybe. I’ll let you know how that goes.

Sleep tight, wherever you are.

Oh. I heard from Tiffany today and we had a nice text chat. At the conclusion I offered to adopt her, but she declined. Even so, I think we’re still friends.

Day 2 – Windsor Locks, CT

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

We stayed at a Days Inn hotel (motel?) last night and had a terrific nights sleep. I wasn’t sure how well I’d sleep because, first, it was a Days Inn facility (reasonably priced) and, second, because I didn’t attempt to sleep until about 2 am this morning. That’s really late for me but using West Coast time it was only 11, or so. I think I woke up once around 4 am to let the dogs out, from habit, then went back to sleep until 9 am. It was a good night. Diane slept well, too. And, the Days Inn was a very nice place with very nice employees.

The first thing I did was rush down to see what the breakfast was like because it was due to close at 10 am. Turned out to be typical choices for facilities that offer free breakfast. You know, the roll over waffle machine, toaster, yogurt, coffee, and fruit. I just got coffee and yogurt for us and wished I’d only got the coffee. It was Danon Yogurt which is pretty terrible when you’re used to Tillamook Yogurt. It’s the best.

Turns out Diane was dirty and needed a shower so she took one. Then I took one, too, because I was pretty dirty from the trip yesterday, too. I was so dirty, in fact, that Diane made me take the first shower. It was good to scrub off the sweat and accumulated body cells shared by the other 200 people on the airplane. I guess the garlic odor finally went away because nothing was said about it. When I was done, Diane took hers so we were equally clean for at least a little while.

That ended when we stepped out of the room at noon to check out. It’s hot here. Did I mention that? And humid? It’s that, too. So, we were promptly sweaty without really doing anything except ride the elevator to the lobby.

At that point we couldn’t put off going to Ruth’s any longer because we literally had no where else to go. So, we engaged the Days Inn van driver to haul us and our luggage over to Dollar Car rental where we picked up an incredibly expensive vehicle. Diane contracted for a Full Size car which, according to Dollar, is a Chevy Malibu. In the real world that’s a mid-sized vehicle. Since we needed room to haul our luggage we opted for the next level up which turns out to be premium, I think, and got a 2016 Impala. We knew it had a very large trunk from previous experience and were able to load everything into the trunk. Noting it had a GPS system, I asked if it was functional and was told, “no, but we can activate it for $16.95 a day.” Really? And she said this with a straight face so there must be some folks out there who pay for it. We’re just going to use our phones to find our way around and that works just fine. I gotta tell you, though, we really like the GPS in Diane’s Silverado. It’s very handy and I can use a handy app on my phone to find a location and send the directions directly to the in-dash navigation system.

After leaving the car rental place we made it the 1.9 miles to Ruth in about 20 minutes. There were a few wrong turns involved which weren’t my fault because I wasn’t driving. I’m not allowed to drive rental cars because Diane won’t let me. I may have mentioned it before. Anyway, Ruth was very happy to see us and immediately went to work cooking stuff to feed us. We had BLT’s without the L. They were delicious. Then we rested the remainder of the afternoon and talked a lot. Well, Diane and Ruth talked. I mostly listened. I find that life is much easier when I listen more than talk. Sometimes, however, I just can’t help myself and wind up in trouble. Every time.

While we talked, Ruth began puttering around in the kitchen making preparations for the evening meal which, again, was delicious. I should have taken a photo, right? I ate more than a normal person should have, but it was really good. Everything Ruth cooks is terrific. That’s one of the reasons why we, as a family, agreed that it was OK when Lyle decided he wanted to marry her. We’ve never regretted it.

Another activity we participated in today was to discover a way to visit Ground Zero in New York City. So, that’s what we’re going to do Friday. Drive to New Haven, hop on a Metro train to Grand Central Station, then catch an Uber taxi to our destination. Ruth has never been, either, so it will her a fun for us all. It’s going to be an all day affair.

As for tomorrow, rumor has it we’re going out to dinner with some of Ruth’s friends. She gave us background on them and it sounds like it’s going to be another fun time. We’re looking forward to it.

Now it’s 2020 (8:20pm) and time to stop.

Air Filters, Eboards, Haircuts, Soccer, and iPad Pro

Posted on September 8, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Today I cleaned our furnace air cleaner filters, attended an American Legion Executive Board meeting, got a haircut, had a couple of naps, and watched a fun high school soccer game, in that order. Oh, and I got my new iPad Pro, too.

First, the filters. I have to do this every month because Diane puts it on the calendar. She knows that I check my calendar every day and am pretty good about doing things listed on the calendar, especially when they are preceded by my name. Like, “Jerrie – Cleans Filters”. The first time I saw that I wasn’t sure what filters I was supposed to clean so I didn’t do it. That, of course, resulted in punishment for Failure To Comply. I quickly learned what filters were involved and have faithfully complied ever since. Now, how I clean them is up to me. Sometimes I just vacuum them off, sometimes I use my air compressor and blow all the dirt in the neighbor’s yard. Or, out into the yard. Other times, like today, I hosed them all down and left them to dry in the hot afternoon sun. Everything dried except for the two big honeycomb things that go on the bottom of the stack. So, I left them in the yard, on a chair, facing the setting sun with a soft summer breeze blowing directly into the little damp holes. That was 8 hours ago and they’re still out there. In the cold damp, dark, night. Guess I won’t be putting them in until tomorrow morning some time. I’d go out and get them, but I don’t want to. I can only hope that some weirdo filter thief doesn’t show up and take them.

Our American Legion Executive Board meeting has historically been held at 10 which is just a little late for breakfast and a little early for lunch. Today it was at 11, making lunch more likely. I had breakfast. Now, calling this the Executive Board sounds a little elegant for our small group, but that’s technically what it is. I must attend because I’m the Sgt. At Arms, keeper of the peace. Yeah, I thought it was funny, too, when they voted me into that position. I actually volunteered to do it because I knew it didn’t involve a lot of manual labor or memory recall. That, and no one else wanted to do it. That was last year. No one else wanted to do it this year either, so I still have the little thing on my hat proclaiming my position. Maybe I’ll do it again next year if things stay calm. At the EBoard meetings everyone else conducts actual business. I just eat and vote when necessary. I voted 3 times today.

After the meeting I got home in time to participate in a haircut marathon involving Diane’s Mom, Jean, Diane, Jewel, and me. We were all in line for a touch-up from the Traveling Hair Dresser which is pretty handy, let me tell you. We just do a little Rock Paper Scissors to see who goes first, then the hair cutter gets right to work and hair starts flying all over the place. Logic says we’d do this outside, on the porch, but it actually takes place on the dining room carpet. Diane likes doing it there because she has this incredible vacuum cleaner that sucks up hair like crazy. We know because we pick up tons of dog hair every week and look at them in wonder, like “I wonder why the dogs aren’t bald?” They actually lose 3 dogs worth of hair every month. I don’t know how they do that. So, picking up a little bit of gray hair from some old people once every couple of months is no big deal.

I had the next to last haircut because Diane told me to get in the chair. I didn’t lose much because it was cut pretty short the last time I had a haircut. Like a buzz cut. Really short. After that I was really tired so stretched out on the sofa and took a few naps while waiting for the next event of the day. I had more than one nap because continuity was interrupted by the UPS lady who delivered my new iPad Pro, an email from Jimbo wanting to know when we were going to go golfing again, a phone call from John to arrange a golf date, and various other noises throughout the afternoon. The result of all the interruptions is that I’m obliged to go golfing three times next week. That’s unheard of for me because nine holes a week is usually my limit. Now I’m going to do 36. Should be interesting. Wonder if I’ll get better as the week goes on. I also wonder if I’ll be able to walk by the end of the week. We’ll see.

During some of my awake time I set up my new iPad. Diane said I needed a new one because the screen on the old one is cracked a little from an injury it received from a drop that I have no memory of. Interesting. One I make the transition to the new unit I’m going to set it up for Diane’s Mom, Jean so she can use it. She doesn’t know this yet and we already know it’s going to be a hard sell because she thinks things like the iPad are too complicated for her to use. We think once she sees what it can do she’ll have a changed of heart. She’ll be connected to the world and will be able to follow Diane and me during our travels, getting all the fancy photos we include sometimes. And Facebook! That will really yank her eyes open. Diane will set up a new Facebook page for Mom. She conquered the Comcast remote control so we’re confident she can handle an iPad and all the notifications one gets on Facebook. Should be fun.

In the evening, before the sun set, we headed for the St. Helens High School soccer field to watch our Lady Lions play against the Astoria Fishermen. Now, right away I saw a problem with the Astoria team name. I mean, this is a team of young ladies and they still call them Fishermen. Shouldn’t they be Fishergirls, Fisherladies, or a more generic Fisherpeople? That would certainly be the case if the ACLU ever hears about this. That’s an opinion, of course. The ACLU might not give a hoot. What’s happened with all the PC stuff about gender specific tags? Whatever … our girls played a great game, for the most part, and won 2-0. The score should have been more like 15-0 because our girls kicked the ball over the opposing net about 13 times. In the second half Lydia, our goalie, only got to touch the ball whenever one of her team mates kicked it to her. Oh, there were a couple of close calls, but Lyd fended them off with the help of her best defender, Ceiarra. Morgan, the first half goalie did a lot of standing around, too, and made some good stops to keep Astoria scoreless.

At the game we were blessed with the presence of the lovely Georgie and her lovely Mom Jacqui. I just learned that she reads this stuff so had to name her. Georgie graduated and we miss seeing her play. She’s very good. Just saying. Rumor has it that Georgie and family will be moving to England at some undisclosed future date where she will attend college and major in soccer. We believe this is possible for her because of the uncanny life-like British accent her Mom uses. And, more probably, because her Mom is really British and they have lots of family still in the Old Country. We look forward to their move so we will have a place to stay when we visit England one day.

It’s almost Eleventy PM now and everyone else in the house is already in bed. I’m watching a recording of the Denver Broncos Carolina Panthers game. Looks like the Jags are going to take it home so I can probably just fast forward to the end of the game to see the final score and go to bed myself. After all, the dogs will undoubtedly wake me up in about 5 hours. Yes, they’ve been edging the time back closer to 4 am lately. I can hardly ignore them since Ozzie is on the bed and he fronts for the big dogs by licking whatever isn’t under the covers until I get up. Consequently, I’m careful about what I leave exposed when I close my eyes for the night, which is just what I’m going to do now.

G’nite.

Beverly Beach State Park to St. Helens

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

We’re home, and I’m now able to use my handy-dandy keyboard instead of the fake one on my iPad screen. Although it worked OK, I much prefer the clickety-clack of a real keyboard.

We slept in this morning, again, like we’ve done all week. Once we were up and navigating, Diane made a very weak pot of coffee so I’ve been uncaffeinated all day. Even though I doctor my coffee with half & half & sugar, it just wasn’t quite right. She agreed with me and it’s OK to make a mistake once in a while. But I let her know that it better NEVER happen again. You believe that, right? Ya. Sure you do. You know me better than that.

We just mosied through the morning getting everything put away in preparation for the trip home. Diane takes care of everything inside the trailer, and I do the outside. The rule is that if anything inside the trailer breaks, it’s her fault. If anything outside the trailer breaks it’s because something inside the trailer was stowed in the wrong place. Not true, of course. I just have to get the trailer strapped to the truck, the bikes strapped to the back of the trailer, and Diane strapped in her seat. Then we go to the dump and empty the holding tanks. That’s one of the funnest parts of a trip. We left a little early so didn’t have to endure the unending line of people waiting for the slowest guy in the world to finish so the next slowest guy could take his place until it’s finally your turn and you find yourself taking your time, making you the slowest dump guy in the world. It’s a “thing”.

After the dump we jumped on Highway 101 North and drove non-stop to Warranton where we stopped at PetCo and got the dogs some more food. Then we took a short trek to Doogers which is located just before the Youngs Bay Bridge. We planned to eat our afternoon meal there as soon as we got in the truck for the trip so the anticipation built for almost 3.5 hours until we finally arrived. Diane had a tuna melt an I had halibut fish and chips. Both were very good. I ate all of mine but Diane couldn’t finish hers. It was a huge sandwich so I understand.

From Warranton we drove straight home, arriving somewhere between 5 and 7. I don’t know exactly when because I didn’t check the clock. I’m pretty sure I’m right, though. It took me a while to jockey the trailer back and forth to get it in just right spot before unhooking it so Diane could put the truck away. Then I rescued the bikes and put them away, also. Diane wanted to leave the trailer plugged in so she wouldn’t have to empty the refrigerator tonight, but it kept blowing the breaker. So, I just unplugged it and left the reefer on gas. That simplified things, a lot. After doing that I think I discovered the reason the breaker tripped … the trailer water heater was still on electric. That’ll eat up some juice.

Now my day is done, except for some photos …

There’s a whale in the middle of the photo about 200 feet off shore.

Beverly Beach is the long stretch of sand toward the top.

Beverly Beach looking south

Beverly Beach looking north. It was so crowded that we didn’t stay long.

Goodwill parking lot. Diane said, “See. I’m not the only one who parks this way.”

Remnants of an interesting tree in the park. Looks like some sort of critter, doesn’t it? You can see on top where the tree was removed, leaving just the roots.

Interesting.

Yes, we rode our bikes.

Diane sat on the beach and just watched the waves while I roamed around picking up brown rocks.

That’s the way back to Beverly Beach State Park, under Highway 101.

There was a big dog running around on the beach before we got there. Would have liked to seen it.

Mr. Pajama Pants

Posted on August 18, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

That’s apparently my new title, bestowed just this morning, as Diane & Jewel departed to visit a local optometrist to have their eyes checked.

Seems kind of contradictory, don’t you think, to call me names while on the way to have their vision checked?

But, I must add that I wear it with pride. I stay in my Lucky Charms Pajamas just as long as I can before putting on my work clothes for a trip outside so I can drench them with gallons of sweat.

Today, and the next few days, may see me in my pajamas from dawn to dusk because it’s going to be triple digit heat out there. This option has been blessed by my boss because she doesn’t want me to fade away somewhere in the yard. I think that’s because it would be too difficult to drag me up to the front of the house to meet the ambulance, even though I put a new battery in the mower and she knows how to start it.

It could also be an option because she Loves me a little.

I’ll go with that …

Playing in the dirt …

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Remember this one ?

… that’s my Old Truck.

Today we had to go get more dirt from Beaver Bark but the Old Truck’s brakes are the south side of Iffy so Diane said I could take Her Truck. At first I thought she was kidding and was more than willing to take a chance with the Old Truck. Turns out, however, she apparently likes me enough to save me the danger of driving around in an Old Truck with iffy brakes and 1700 obs of dirt in the back.

So, I drove her truck. We discovered that, even though it’s a short bed, it will hold 1.5 yards of dirt and we can still get the tonneau cover locked down. Another reason I took Her Truck is because I’m pretty certain it was a bit jealous of the Old Truck and may have had something to do with the brake failure. She’s not talking, however, so we may never know.

It took a little bit of jockeying to get it lined up so the dirt could be removed from the back, but I did it. I didn’t take a picture of the loaded rig, or the new pile of dirt, but I did get one of our newly christened rock garden. It resides on top of the septic tank. I dug down to about a foot to reach the top of the tank, next to the cleanup port, so I could straighten it up. It was crooked and bothered me.

Now it looks nice. It’s the with round thing in the center of the garden.

Jewel and Diane selected the items to be included, most of which also serve as deer repellent. Jewel put things where she wanted them and I dug holes to hold them. Some came from the front of the house, like some of the Hens and Chickens that we scattered around. Turns out there are many different kinds of those things. I never knew.

I’m curious about why they are called Hens and Chickens, though. I thought hens were chickens. I asked Diane and her best answer was the Hens are the big parts and Chickens are the little ones. Jewel just calls the little ones babies.

Anyway, we have a bunch of them.

The colored flowers are supposed to help keep deer away, which is necessary here, and will be planted around the outside of the rock border as soon as we regain our strength. That may be Friday becasue we’ve had conflicting reports that it’s going to be 90+ tomorrow, but our little thermometer thing indicates it’s going to rain. Maybe it will do both. If so, I’m not going out there.

There will also be irises on the steep back side of the garden to help hold the soil in place. Those things will grow anywhere. Poke a hole, stuff a rhizome in it, cover and water, and you have irises that will never go away.

There was a hollyhock in a pot out there for a few days and a doe ate every leaf right off of it. Guess hollyhocks aren’t deer resistant.

All the rocks, by the way, used to be a fence between us and our west side neighbors, Scott, Whitney, Kiah, and Brooklyn. And Taylor. Taylor is their Georgia Dog. Scotts had her since he was 6 and he just couldn’t leave her in Georgia. She’s one of the best dogs ever.

I made that up. I have no idea how long they’ve had Taylor.

Been watching the Olympics a little in the afternoon, but am saving my best cheering for the lady’s soccer games.

Sleep well and be safe.

Fall Ball, and Handicap Parking

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

Greetings on this rainy afternoon from St. Helens, Oregon. We had a gully washer this afternoon that rated right up there with one of the best we’ve ever encountered in our lives. Except for the one in 1976

Thankfully, all that rain happened just about the time we returned home from our second day of a two-day softball tournament in Hillsboro and Beaverton. The St. Helens Varsity team played two games each day. The first game yesterday was at 11:00 am which our girls won 8-5 (I think). The second game was played at 1:30 pm and it rained the entire game so the girls were cold and very wet. The other team all had rain gear so they weren’t bothered as much. That’s as good a reason as any for our girl’s 10-1 loss. It was brutal. Below are Diane (left) and Jennifer (scorekeeper) trying to stay dry. It didn’t work well.

This morning the first game was at 9:00 am so we had to leave home at 8:00 am to get there in time. The weather was a bit better, just sprinkling a bit. That game got off to a good start when our girls rang up two runs in the top of the first inning. Then our opponents came back with 5 of their own before defense kicked in and finished the inning. There was no scoring in the 2nd, and only one by the home team in the 3rd making it 6-2. It stayed that way until the 7th when St. Helens got their bats working again and tied the game at 6-6. Our defense got 2 outs quickly, but the home team battled back and loaded the bases. The game ended when a bad throw to 1st for a sure out was dropped allowing a run to score making it 7-6. Still, it was a good game and fun to watch the girls rally back to tie it up.

We had to wait a couple of hours between games so we went to Panda Express to get something to eat. I’m not normally a fan of Chinese Fast Food, but this was pretty good stuff. We were in a hurry so Diane wasn’t too concerned about getting between the lines …

The last game, at 1:30 pm this afternoon, was very different. Our girls won it going away 18-1 in five innings. It was pretty awesome and we’re proud of our girls. What made the two victories especially sweet is that all four opponents were 6A teams and St. Helens is 5A. The higher the number, the bigger the school. So, they really stepped it up and should have gained a lot of confidence.

In case you can’t read the scoreboard numbers, the top row for guest is: 6 3 1 8 0. Pretty nice.

Now, about that rain storm in 1976 on Guam … it was in the form of Typhoon Pamela which dropped 33.7 inches of rain on us in three days. The official records report that the winds were only 150 mph sustained, for 18 hours, with no mention of gusts. What we on the island heard was 180 mph sustained, for 18 hours, with gusts to 220 mph. It’s more dramatic using our numbers. We went outside when the eye of the storm passed over us and experienced the eerie calm. Jeff was even wading in the street before the storm returned. We were without power for 9 days. A fun time was had by all.

That’s all I have for today except to note that our dogs, who were all alone for 9 hours today, were extremely happy to see us return.

The Wind Gets Stonger …

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

The leaders of our country, and those who aspire to lead, are causing the promise of wind storms by local weather people, and I’m pretty sure these same leaders, and wannabes, are in some way responsible for all the terrible weather related events that are tormenting residents of our Mid West. I haven’t figured out how they’re doing it, but I’ll figure it out eventually.

Regarding our wind issues, I think it’s pretty clear that all the hot air being expelled by the politicians have encircled the globe and are assaulting our west coast with a vengeance. I’m not talking just along the coast. Nope. It’s going to be nearly hurricane force winds for half of Oregon and Washington, top to bottom. I’m not worried because, after my little fake tarp garage blew over twice, I dismantled it. When the weather improves to the point where it’s essentially not needed, I’ll reassemble it. Maybe this time I’ll find a way to anchor it to the ground even though there will be no campaigning this time next year. Our big election will be over in November and we’ll have 4 years of blissful silence, and maybe better weather.

Seems like I heard, a long time ago, that in Japan, political candidates are only allowed to campaign and advertise two weeks before their election. Since I wasn’t sure if it’s true, but think it should be for ALL elections everywhere, I looked up ‘stuff’ on the internet about restrictions on Japan’s political campaigns. You can see what I found here. I’m sharing it because I’m not sure what it says. I think it prohibits political activity, except for the right to vote, while serving. Perhaps someone out there can clarify what it says. I want it to say that politicians in office aren’t allowed to campaign during working hours and I want that to become true for the US, too.

No! Wait! I forgot that I’m descended from royalty and will be running for King as soon as I work out all the kinks. I’m against campaigning during working hours, which isn’t a problem because I don’t have a job. How convenient is that? I can campaign all the time. Now all I need is a campaign fund. I’ve actually already started one with money I’ve been saving for years. It’s a little rabbit bank I keep on my dresser into which I put all the quarters I receive in change for purchases. All the other change goes into an empty 1 liter Dr. Pepper bottle in my closet. The quarters don’t fit is why they are stored in a different place. I think I have may $37.86, or thereabouts. It’s a start. Please DO NOT send me money. I’m going to do this on my own. Just like Donald.

The only obstacles that may prove difficult are my two older brothers. Using current rules of royalty, the older brother, Jim, has first dibs. If he abdicates the throne is open to Jack. Then there’s me. So, one of these days you’re going to be working for either King Jimmie, King Jackie, or King Jerrie. I think all of them sound pretty cool, for king names. Depending on which ever one of us takes the throne, you’ll also have either a Queen Donna, Queen Wynette, or Queen Diane.

I just added that about the prospective queens so you’ll know who’s really in charge.

Gotta go before I get in more trouble.

Before I do that, however, thanks to all of you from around the world who take time out of your day to visit me. I’m always amazed when people do that. Especially those that come back again. Most recently, someone from Brazil has been checking me out many days in a row.

So, hello, there.

Wind Advisory & Politicians

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

The wind has been blowing pretty hard around here and I can only attribute that to collateral damage from all the hot air from the political debates creating havoc with the atmosphere. Twice now my fake garage, a Costco special temporary shelter, has been upended, turned completely around and unceremoniously deposits upside down next to the motor home.

The first time it blew over was about a week ago. Being feeble, making it right was out of the question so I sent son Jeff a plea for help. He showed up pretty quickly with Marc in tow and they got it back into place very quickly. I was amazed and grateful. Considering that Jeff has shoulder, knee, and ankle issues of his own, and Marc reported that he used to be a circus midget, they did a great job.

Then, the night before last, we had another wind advisory that was fulfilled and it blew away again.

The Motorhome sustained a bit of scratching, but no broken glass. I was happy about that.

Instead of dragging Jeff away from his tasks, I decided to take care of the problem all by myself in a way that wouldn’t put undue pressure on my overly sensitive rotator cuffs. I just dismantled the entire thing and put it in the garage. Then I covered the mower with one of the blue tarps and anchored it down with everything heavy I could find that used to be covered up by the fake garage. I did this because there’s another high wind warning, so why bother.

The next time I put it up it’s going to be anchored properly. With rebar. Big rebar, driven about 10 feet into the ground on each corner. Might use some cement, too.

Now, how about all the voting that’s going on?

Looks like Donald is going to win the republican battle for the nomination, unless congress decides he’s not allowed to run for some reason. Like, he’s not really a politician, so why should he be allowed to run for President. That, according to some reports I’ve read, should be left to seasoned politicians that know all the tricks of the trade. I just added that last part. No one really said that. But, I think it’s one of those things that goes without saying for folks who have been in politics their entire working life. They’re there because they know all those tricks.

Lord help us all.

OK, I lied …

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Jerrie Cate

What’s new, huh? My last post was sent in a moment of weakness when I was feeling a little low about something inconsequential, like a pending doctor’s appointment, or something like that where the potential for terrible news was possible. I did have a few doctor’s appointments overt he past few weeks, but I wasn’t concerned about any of them because I typically not concerned about anything at all. I’m Mr. Stress Free about everything. Really, I am. Ask anyone.

I don’t worry about ISIS, which, by the way, I choose to pronounce “is is” instead of “ice iss” just for fun. World events seem to have a way of evening out in the long run, kinda like the stock market, if you just leave things alone. That, and there’s always Karma to fix the wrongs in the world.

For that same reason, I’m not even a little bit concerned about the upcoming presidential election because I figure things will be very interesting no matter who gets into office. I also feel that things won’t change much regardless of who wins.

I do feel, however, that if Trump somehow wins we will revert to a society where “Political Correctness” will become a thing of the past. It will be OK to function without worrying about whether of not all your filters are functioning properly. That’s my perfect world, as most of you might have guessed. I have a hard time applying filters to my words or actions. Life’s way more fun that way. Ask Donald.

If any of the other candidates win it will be business as usual because they’re all career politicians. Those should be prohibited, disallowed, against the law. It should be six-year terms max then it’s time to leave, not rally for another term.

I don’t think there should be an age limit on any positions, either. I figure if a person can either ride a bike, or roller skate, they qualify. If they can do both, better yet.

All office holders should write their own speeches or, like Donald, just share whatever is on their mind at the time in response to any question. It’s just more fun that way.

Strictly my opinion, of course.

Also, to stay in line with my normal conduct, I’m not going to edit the above except to correct spelling errors this program detects. It is what it is. I might read it again in a couple of days, or next week. Maybe. If there is anything too outrageous, I trust those who read it to let me know so I can consider fixing it.

On the fun side of life, I’ve been golfing twice this year already. Junior and I went out on January 1st, and again last Friday, the 8th. I’m happy to say that I did pretty well both times. Our plan is to continue going out once a week, weather permitting, until one of us dies. Now that’s a commitment. Doug was unable to join us because he’s still training his new fake knee and it’s proving to be a difficult process. So, everyone send Doug good thoughts to help get him through the healing process.

Me and Junior ready to tee off.

This was our view looking back on the 5th fairway. Mt. St. Helens looks good.This is what happened two days later.

Another fun day was last Thursday when Cedric asked me to go with him and his Dad to the Navy recruiter. It appealed to me because the last time I went to a Navy recruiter was in 1962. I thought it would be interesting to see what’s changed. I say that as if to indicate I can remember that last visit. Not likely, but I can guess.

The recruiters we met were great in all respects and put Cedric at ease right away and made it a really good experience. All I did was shoot the breeze with them and share a few stories of what it was like being in the real Navy all those years ago. It was a fun visit, and Cedric is on the way to being a US Navy Sailor. The tradition continues. To expand on that a bit, Lydia is working through the process of applying for an appointment to the Naval Academy. Nothing firm there, yet, but I’m looking forward to that, too.

I hope everyone is enjoying the new year as much as I am.

So far it’s pretty good.