A Story for Memorial Day

More than a decade has passed since I heard this story. I was traveling from Springfield MO to Wichita KS with my boss. We were going to a labor/management meeting at our hub facility. I can honestly say that I have no recollection of the meeting, nor the rest of the trip. But this man's story is something I will never forget.

It was the 60s. Vietnam was in full swing. My boss, wanting to serve his country, lied about his age and joined the Marines at 17. He made it to Vietnam and was assigned as a machine gunner on a rescue helicopter. I heard incredible tales of the rescue missions they flew, being pinned down in combat zones and having to wait for offshore cover from battleships at sea. He told me of gun battles with the enemy as the helicopter flew in to evacuate the wounded and hearing the thwack as bullets hit and killed his buddies sitting right next to him. 

I don't remember how long he spoke. It was probably about an hour into the 5+ hour drive when he started and his story lasted most of the drive. I was driving and I remember looking over at him. He was looking straight ahead, but not really looking at anything. His voice was even and steady as he spoke. Although there was no emotion in his voice, I could see that his eyes were moist and I imagine it took great effort to keep the tears from spilling out. He'd pause occasionally to collect his thoughts or steel his emotions and then he'd continue--like this was something he had to do.

When he finished, he thanked me for listening and told me that he had never told this to anyone before.
He said, "John, I made a lot of promises to a lot of dying soldiers and marines. 'Tell my parents I love them.' 'Tell my wife I love her.' 'Promise me,' "
He told me that even as he made those promises, he knew he could never keep them. Even though more than 30 years had passed since he made those promises, he felt like it was time to do his best to fulfill them. He wanted to start telling his story--to men's groups, to churches, to anyone that would listen. He wanted the people that had lost sons or husbands to that long ago war to know that they were in the last thoughts of their dying loved one.

I was honored to be the first one he chose to tell his story. I had a pretty unique relationship with that boss. Once, when we were having a full facility evaluation, the evaluators interviewed us together. They were wanting to know what kind of relationship we had as Union rep and Manager. They asked my boss if he would characterize our relationship as a good one. His answer surprised even me.
He said, "John and I have a common belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Everything else flows out of that, so yes, we have a good relationship."

Today, if you have lost someone serving in the military I want you to hear this story and know that they were thinking of you. Today, as we remember them and honor them, I want you to know that they remembered you.

John

Grand Funk (not the band, my mood)

Damn.
It's been a helluva couple weeks!

How are you doing?
Sometimes it seems pretty easy to move on in our comfortable, seemingly safe little bubbles of our lives, but it is getting to be more difficult as one comes to the conclusion that it's only a matter of time before a similar tragedy hits our own area.
Yesterday there was a fatal shooting on the square in the quiet little town of Ozark, MO.
Saturday afternoon,
on the quiet square,
in the peaceful town of Ozark.
Damn.

There isn't much in the way of details just yet, but the police say the shooter and victim knew each other and that it is an isolated incident. Yeah, well I don't take a lot of comfort in that. The reality is that there are a lot of people carrying guns in the Ozarks. 
Weird how that doesn't make me feel any safer. 

I ventured out this past week and went to our midweek church gathering at 425. I hadn't been to barchurch or Sunday church in person for a couple of weeks. Every time I go out in public, it turns out the public is there! I'm not convinced that seeing the few people that I enjoy seeing is worth the potential encounters with the rest of the public. 
I'll be doing church online this morning.

If you want me, you can probably find me sitting on the deck or working in the yard. I'd like to think this is my safe place, but I'm not entirely sure that it truly is.

John 

May Showers

It's another cool, damp morning in the Ozarks and it is forecast to rain throughout the day. Although there is plenty of outdoor work to be done, I doubt I'll accomplish anything today. I'm not stressed out about it. I may try to assemble an arbor that I ordered for our landscaping. I also bought a rose bush for one side of it. A friend gave us a wisteria plant for the other side. 
The arbor arrived Monday. Assembling and mounting it will be a task. Perhaps I'll post pictures when it's completed or after it is covered by plants. I'm looking for a bench that will probably be more decorative than functional.

I had an annual physical on Monday. "Annual" was their word for it based on the type of exam. It's a bit of a liberal use of the word since it has been more than five years since my last one. It appears that I'm pretty healthy for a fat, old guy. I need to bring the weight down and my blood pressure is also creeping upwards. I need to get those down to keep from having to take daily meds.
I expect results from the blood work to be okay and I need to schedule the dreaded colonoscopy since it's been five years since my last one.
I need to do more than the daily activity of yard work as well as managing my diet better than I have been. Maybe I'll get back to walking. I have the exercise cycle downstairs I can use, or I could air up the tires on my actual bicycle and ride it. My issue with actually riding a bicycle is there are too many hills around here for an out of shape fat boy. Any way you look at it, I need to do something more than I have been doing. It's pretty tough to lose weight while sitting on the deck, smoking cigars, and sipping bourbon. My doc agreed with that thought.

Next month I complete my 62nd trip around the sun and become eligible to collect my Social Security check. Ain't life grand?

John

  

Gentle Rain

It's been a busy few weeks.
I spent a week in Central Illinois while my mom was recovering from COVID and a brief hospital stay. I got home in time to see our daughter visiting for a few days. That was followed by Chris's sisters coming in for their sisters' weekend. I had a few days to get the lawn mowed, plant the garden, and get a couple of flower boxes ready, and then our son and daughter-in-law were here for a few days. They continued on their US journey this morning (Chicago and then Minneapolis before returning to Mexico).

Tonight I am sitting on the deck while a nice, gentle rain is falling. I did manage to plant a coiple of boysenberry bushes and pot a few tomato plants before the rain started this afternoon.
Now it is quiet and peaceful. The rain mutes the highway sounds a little bit, so I'm just chilling for the evening. 
I had a cigar earlier today, so no cigar this evening. Just the rain and a book about the old west as it was being conquered by the Spanish. 
I recently read about the English pushing the native tribes of the east westward and the enslavement of many, along with the broken promises and brutal treatment. Now I am reading about the Spanish slaughtering and stealing from the native tribes of the west.
Damn! We are a brutal people. It's no wonder we are so opposed to immigrants. We were immigrants that became conquerors. I guess we expect the same wicked behavior from others. 

That's way too heavy for this tired brain tonight. I'm going to go back to listening to the rain and the muted night sounds, and I'm going to enjoy being alone for the evening.
I hope your evening is as peaceful as mine.

John

Gardening

I'm not a very good gardener.
I'd like to be, but I really don't like to work that hard.
I love pretty flowers and I love the idea of growing our own food, but I'm not a big fan of working the soil and that whole "by the sweat of thy brow" bit.

The weeks of rain, a bit of being gone for a week, and some guests at home have put me a little behind in planting. That's not too big of a deal. It's a long growing season. It's just that I need to get busy and I am not too motivated at this point. It's too bad I can't afford a gardener. I think I'd be pretty good at telling someone else what I want planted and letting them do the work. I'd be just as proud of the work I paid to have done as the work that I actually have to do myself.
When you only work at it a couple of hours per day and don't actually work at it every day, it takes a while to accomplish anything. Today should be a good day. Maybe I'll manage more than just a couple of hours.

I have to admit that I do like the experience of nature. I just wish I was better at it. I like the connection to the earth, and appreciate the whole circle of life thing. I think of the earthworms breaking down our scraps into compost, seeds sprouting into vegetables and flowers, bees, butterflies, and birds pollinating and sipping nectar--it's a pretty cool little eco-system. Well, it will be once I get it going.
I better get moving. Those seeds aren't going to plant themselves!

John

Mid May

Here it is the 16th of May and I haven't posted anything in quite some time. I've been spending much less time on the computer and on social media in the past few weeks...and that's a good thing! 
I noticed my Facebook posts are mostly puzzle results from the several word games I play and an occasional meme. Instagram is mostly for scrolling others posts and so is Twitter. I think I'll be fine if I leave out the puzzle posts and just scroll through my feeds once in a while. 
I may just become a social media lurker or a comment only kind of person.

I wouldn't mind writing here more often, but I rarely feel like organizing my thoughts into a coherent message. Besides, the occasional rant might be therapeutic for the soul, but I doubt that it does much for the few readers I have. Most of the bullshit we read either confirms/affirms our own thoughts or is wrong. Most of us don't actually read with the purpose of expecting to learn something new.

I am reading quite a bit. Maybe I'll just share what I'm reading from time to time. I'm a bit off the pace that I was reading last year, but that's okay. It's mostly fictional stuff that I can read a chapter or two at a time and then set aside. I have managed some non-fiction stuff, but sometimes reading stuff that is educational (especially scientific stuff) and thought provoking is difficult for this old guy to process. Even the more philosophical stuff I have to read in small bits (like a chapter at a time) and process before moving on. That's not a bad thing. I enjoy the process of contemplation.

Mostly though, I'm just enjoying the simple life -- working in the yard, garden, flowerbeds, and sitting on the deck with a cigar and cool drink. I rarely have actual interaction with people, and seldom leave home except to run a few errands. I'm even getting okay with church online. 
I don't feel like a curmudgeonly old guy, but I think I could be if forced to be around people much. It's probably best for all of us if I stick to my deck and interact through a keyboard and virtual platforms. Perhaps the new curmudgeonly saying will be, "Get off my feed!"

If you need me for anything, drop me a message. Otherwise I'll just be lurking in the background for a while.

John

May 5 (aka Cinco de Mayo) and The National Day of Prayer

Cinco de Mayo
The Mexican holiday that is primarily celebrated by non-Mexicans, because it's not really a Mexican holiday. As Mike notes on his blog, it seems to be an excuse to drink so we look like we're celebrating something rather than just drinking to be drinking.

Maybe I'll have some nachos today. Maybe not.

In other news
I'm chilling at my mom's place in Central Illinois as she recovers from her bout with COVID. She seems to be doing much better this morning after a couple of tough days. We'll be at her primary care physician later today for her post-hospitalization checkup. 
I'm probably not as good as other siblings at waiting on my mom. I'm just as likely to let her get up and get her own stuff as to get it for her. It's not that I'm being lazy or mean; it's just that she needs to move a bit, even if it's just walking to the kitchen and back. 
This morning looks like it's setting up to be a good day. We'll see how the day progresses.

The change in venue has me out of my normal routine. I've been spending a little more time scrolling those stupid reels on IG and Facebook than I usually do. There are a few entertaining ones that I like to follow, but mostly they are just a way to waste time. I haven't been as regular on reading the blogs I normally follow and find myself catching up by reading several days worth of blogs at once. 
The Central Illinois weather has been as wet and rainy as it is at home, so I have been pretty inactive and need to get moving. There will be plenty of work to do when I get back home. I guess I should just enjoy the rest.

Today is The National Day of Prayer.
I've always thought of it as a kind of stupid declaration--not because I think that prayer is stupid, but because I think that making prayer a part of some political show is stupid. I think that our current brand of Christian Nationalism is dangerous and am ashamed of the many people that have subverted their faith in God by exchanging it for the idolatry of worshiping a particular form of government or political ideals.
Having said that, if you are the praying type...well, our nation could use a little divine guidance these days so do your thing.

If you're not into the prayer thing, how about just being kind to one another?
That would work for me.

John

The Week/Month in Review

Holy smokes! Another month has come to an end and we are 1/3 of the way through 2022!
The calendar serves to mark the passing of time or to measure the distance to upcoming events in our lives. Its overall purpose doesn't matter near as much to me as it once did.

April coming to a close brings us closer to the months of summer. I am really enjoying the spring weather and had forgotten how much I truly enjoy sitting on the deck and listening to the sounds of nature. I especially like the morning coffee time on the deck. 
Groucho the cat also enjoys the deck and seems to be happiest when we leave the back door open and she can come and go as she chooses. She is currently taking her post-breakfast snooze on the futon as I sip my coffee and type on the keyboard.

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of the daily yard work thing. It will sure look pretty once the flower beds are built, planted, and in full bloom. Until then, it is a lot of work. On some days I remember how thankful I am that I didn't have to do the manual labor thing for my daily job. 
The exercise and activity has been good for me. I am sleeping better (not that it's been a problem), feeling better, and have lost a couple of pounds this past week. 

The overall scope of my life remains pretty narrow. There really isn't much more than sitting on the deck or working in the yard. Chris has started morning exercise with a friend. The yard is now my exercise/activity. My only regular outings are Thursday nights at 425 (aka Barchurch) and Sunday mornings at The Venues. And while I do enjoy those times, I don't think my life or happiness would suffer greatly without them. 

I'm spending a little less time on social media platforms. I've been posting results of daily word games, but trying to refrain from too much scrolling. Those damned reels can really drag me into a black hole that sucks away the minutes of life. 
As a kind of experiment, I posted this blog last week without a Facebook link. It only got about half of the normal hits. Maybe I'll post this one without a Twitter link. I know the analytics gives me the information on where readers come from, but a little practical experiment is fun, too. 

I did manage to finish a few books in April (5, I think), and will continue to read through the summer. I need to get back to some non-fiction, educational reading. Fiction is fun and entertaining but sometimes feels like wasting time watching television sitcoms or drama series. 

Sun is breaking through the clouds, so I guess it's time to get to work.
Enjoy the weekend!

John

Aging... not so gracefully

It is really amazing how a little bit of work can make this old body sore. 
The winter inactivity is making itself known as I begin with the spring yard work. I don't even work that hard or for very long.
It's not too bad and I am not in any real pain or anything. It's just that ugh kind of stiff muscles and a little bit of soreness from working muscles that haven't been worked in some time.

And while there is plenty more work to be done, I get a rest day on the gardening stuff today as another round spring shower hits us this morning and throughout the day. I have other work that can be done while the rain falls outside, but there is something satisfying about working outside that motivates me to work so much more than working inside.
Maybe I'll just throw on a sweater, sit on the screened in (and covered) deck, read a book, and enjoy a cigar this afternoon. I suppose I could manage a little work this morning and enjoy an afternoon cigar--I'll have to consider that. 

One small project that could be done on the patio under the deck--I want to build a bird feeder. I have the lumber scrapes and there are plenty of YouTube plans and demos. I'm not much of a woodworking craftsman, but I should be able to handle something that is functional and doesn't look too hideous and frightens away the birds. I also have a couple more bird houses that I need to put up (when the weather permits). Digging post holes in SWMO is a chore. And the cost of a post these days is also a little prohibitive. I have one 4x4 post I can use and I can probably use the opposite side of the post that occasionally supports a hammock. I don't really use it for a hammock too often. 
With the nearest mature trees about a quarter mile away, we don't have much shelter for birds or other wildlife. 

All-in-all, the warmer weather and the spring activity is quite welcome. I don't even mind the associated aches and stiffness (much). Although I did make use of the deck throughout the winter months, I had forgotten how much I enjoy it during the warmer months of the year. Once I get the garden planted and the flowerbeds are growing, I'll be back to my normal unproductive member of society status of consuming a daily cigar and a beer. 

In spite of a little stiffness, I am looking forward to this, my 22,600th day on planet Earth. 

John

Earth Day 2022

I'm spending this Earth Day morning enjoying my morning coffee on the deck. I have become much more aware of our home planet and the impact we have on her. I think that's been a part of fewer pleasure rides on the motorcycle over the past few years as well as other behavioral changes.

We (late to the party) have been recycling much more than before. Recycling is sometimes a difficult habit to get into. Recycling in our area isn't a big thing. There are no pick-ups for recyclable items and collection sites can be far. I wonder about the trade off of a 35 mile round-trip in the car and recycling cardboard, paper, glass, cans, and plastic.

I'm waiting for some pines and crape myrtle trees from the Arbor Day foundation. I have another maple sapling to plant and three sprouts from some apple seeds. I'm still hoping for more.
I also have a couple of tiny sprouts from some pine cones that I picked up in Colorado. 
If you have any saplings or seedlings that need to be uprooted, let me know. I have five acres of former pasture that I would love to fill with trees.

We have been doing more grocery shopping at Aldi and using our reusable boxes. I need to get some reusable produce bags to eliminate the need for those plastic bags. When we do shop where the use plastic bags, we save them for donation to a local shelter that has people that crochet them into sleeping mats for the unsheltered community. I'm so bad about remembering to bring reusable shopping bags with me.

We'll try a little more gardening this year. Our garden last year was pretty pathetic, yet we managed a few cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans. We also had some lettuce, a few carrots and a handful of peppers. Hopefully we'll do better this year. I wonder how much more care my garden would get if we were dependent on a good yield for survival.

What's your Earth Day outlook?
How are you taking care of our home world?

John