Saturday, December 21, 2013

Six or Duck





I don't have all the facts, I don't have all the figures...but I'm amazed at the news...

Damn, a member of the Duck Dynasty family lost his job because he showed his true colors as a racist and an anti-gay Christian...he did this, as I understand, on his own time and in his own home...but what did his contract with the network require of him because no one wants to talk about that...

The media is eating this up, as is the world of social media...

Countless posts, and I do mean so many I don't want to count them all, one view or the other, regarding Phil Robertson, and him being fired by A & E because of his comments...

Now...

Six American soldiers lose their lives on duty for this nation of ours in a foreign land and they garner a quick short story on the news...

I have 1,173 friends on Facebook and I saw not ONE single comment regarding these six lives lost...

In all fairness, I do not see all the posts of all my friends...I miss lots every single day...but wouldn't you think I would see just one?

But I didn't...

Not one...

And that bothers me...

As a pacifist and as an American, folks, that bothers me...

Six soldiers families lives are changed forever and not one post that I have seen...

A family whose wealth is reported as over 80 million dollars has a family member who gets fired by a television network because of comments he made that were pretty slanted and racist, and the world of social media and media jumps on it like it's the worst thing that could happen to them...

Yet six soldiers die, their family's lives are changed forever, and not one comment on my Facebook page for me to read regarding this even happening...

This shit bothers ME!

By the way, I pick SIX!!!

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

M-V-P





Every morning
Over my coffee
She brings a smile to me
Every noontime
A synopsis
Of
Her day.
Every evening
Kind words
And support
To
Get me thru.
Every night
The sisterly love
Within her
Soul.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Time To Enjoy




The holidays are drawing near and in years past, because of the rush of Christmas customers at the post office, I had a hard time getting into the spirit of the holidays. It wasn't something that I was concious of but it happened nonetheless.

I used to try and get my Christmas shopping done before the season really got going, but most years that just wasn't possible. A few years ago I had my shopping done by September first...last year I got done by December 5th I believe.

This year, I'm done with shopping. That last final gift was purchased yesterday and will be delivered to me tomorrow. No standing in long lines at the checkout, no fighting for a place to park or fight to grab the special gift. It's done, it's over, and all that is left now is to wrap those gifts, not my strong point by any means, and then the Christmas cards will be made out and readied to go into the mail next week as Thanksgiving approaches.

We will enjoy Thanksgiving with family, we will be able to get our Christmas decorating done and lights lit up AFTER Thanksgiving, which is really the way it should be. Thanksgiving should be allowed to stand alone as its own holiday and on its own merits. It's one of those holidays I look so forward to because there's no rush involved, no gifts that just have to be bought. Food is prepared, set on the table and family spends time together and simply enjoys being together.

Then comes Christmas, and for me, once again this year, we can turn our lights and tree on after Thanksgiving and enjoy the special season celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour. We can enjoy seeing everyone's lights, watch those special shows on TV that we enjoy seeing this time of year and all in all, just enjoy the season without all the rush and overkill that so many let run and ruin their Christmas season.

And after Christmas, my favorite relaxing holiday of New Years Eve and New Years Day. Special recipes, a table full of food, a few beers to relax to, a few drinks of Peg's choosing, and then, our celebratory bottle of Asti Spumante, shared with each other in our special trumpet glasses that only get used that one time each year. No company, no parties, just movies on the DVD player and snuggles, hugs and hopefully time in the hottub and a nice peaceful and quiet evening, full of love and sharing between just the two of us.

Yes, absolutely, let those holidays begin!

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Concert Season 2013 Finale





In what was actually supposed to be our opening concert in June but postponed due to a forecast of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes, the rescheduled Pink Droyd concert closed out our Live By The Levee concert series on September 21st.

What a way to close out a season!

I've been a Pink Floyd fan for years, not someone who just recently decided the band was good. I've been a fan since they debuted with The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and thru the end of their tenure as one of the most influential bands of the 20th Century.

The tribute band Pink Droyd brought their massive show to the stage of Riverside Park and coupled their performance with an amazing laser light show that literally blew the minds the nearly 3,000 who came to witness the final free concert of the 2013 season.

Pink Droyd, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, surprised even me with their nearly spot on renditions of Floyd classics, from the opening bars of Shine On You Crazy Diamond to the closing bars of Run Like Hell two and a half hours later. The show and music was stellar, hypnotic and totally kozmic as hell!

Had this show actually been held on its originally scheduled date in June, the laser light show would not have been nearly as effective because it wouldn't have been dark enough for the show to be as mesmerizing.

The band members were all very congenial, fun to work with and amazingly humble.

I can only hope we are fortunate enough to have these gentlemen grace our stage once again.

If you weren't there and you ever get the chance, catch this phenomenal tribute band live...you won't be sorry you did!

Monday, September 30, 2013

Truly Soulmates




I was fortunate enough this past weekend to get to go on a weekend camping trip to Brown County State Park with my brother in law and a friend of his from where he works. We had a great time, some guy time and some bonding time, which is good for the soul, but it was also a time for me to truly appreciate how fortunate I am in my life to have found my soulmate all those many years ago and to have been blessed to have been married to her for almost 36 years and to have spent close to 38 years of my life with her.

I'm very blessed to have a brother in law with whom I share so much in common and I'm also glad he and I can do things together and remain close friends as well as brothers in law.

As much fun as we had, however, did not take away from me the yearning to be back home with my wife, because I truly missed her beyond any words I have to describe the incompleteness I felt without her by my side. Even linked by our cellphones didn't match being able to reach out and to touch her and feel her physical presence as well as that of her soul.

Those who know us, know how deeply our bond to each other is connected. Those who don't know us can sense it and know that we share something special. Those that don't know either of us can still sense there is something between us that no distance in the world can ever separate or break apart.

Mediocre? Mundane? Routine?

Hardly...

A Mayberry type of existence?

Possibly, and what the hell is wrong with that? I sort of dig being compared to those souls who lived in Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show.

Next week is our October vacation. A special time for us and one we never take for granted. Fifteen years ago we spent six days of that vacation apart and we've made up for it ever since. Not just in October, but each and every day of the year.

Special plans next week? Absolutely!

Going away together and shutting the world out for a few brief moments? You bet!

Two souls joined forever, walking hand in hand, arm in arm and sharing all of life's adventures together.

I thank God everyday for blessing me with my soulmate and making her the single biggest blessing ever in my life.

No one could have ever made me as happy as she has all these years and no one could ever hold a candle to her.

I see champagne, a hottub and deep romance next week...

And deep seated and remarkable love and devotion everyday after that.

Once again, thank you God!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Madison Rising - The Star Spangled Banner




Although this version is not to everyone's liking, to me, this is one of the most stirring versions of our National Anthem I have had the pleasure of hearing in a long, long time.  I hope you'll take the four minutes it takes to view this and I hope you enjoy it as well.

C'mon October





While I love the Summer and the warm and pleasant weather, nothing seems to get my blood really pumping like October does.

Crisp morning air, cooler temps, bright sunshine, beautiful fall colors and something simply in the air makes me feel more alive during this month than at any other time of year.

Some people say they hate October for varying reasons. Some because everything is dying, others because cold Winter weather is not too far off. Others for various and other sundry reasons, but to me, it's not a time of dying, it's a time of renewal, a time for different aspects of Mother Nature to go to sleep and re-energize for another glorious season of life a few short months down the road.

Sure, Winter is just around the corner, but Winter has its benefits as well, and while I am by no means a Winter weather person, I see the benefits of the Winter months as well. I just hope come late January you can remind of some of those benefits.

Now, I am not wishing the rest of Summer and September away, I am merely anticipating the arrival of October and the gorgeous Autumn weather that accompanies it. I anticipate that special vacation that Peggy and I take each year at this time, and nothing awakens me more than to spend that time with her, outdoors, either in Indiana or in the mountains of Virginia, North Carolina or Tennessee. That is a total winning combination!

Wherever you are, north, south, east or west of where I am, I hope you can appreciate and enjoy the beauty of the most glorious month of the year...October!

Three weeks and counting...

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Your Suffering Is Over, My Friend





Just a little over 90 minutes ago I lost a dear friend of mine, Markus Strobl, to esophogeal cancer. As much as this hurts and as much as I am crying so many tears right now, I have to admit, this is what I have been praying for the past few days.

Markus and I met at the post office when I was still working there as the window clerk many years ago and slowly over those years, we each got to know the other one better and after working together on the Summer Concert Series closely we became very good and close friends.

Even thru all his pain and suffering in recent weeks, that famous Markus Strobl smile stayed ever present, and I can't imagine how hard it had to have been for him to do that at times.

If everyone could have the attitude, temperment and sense of humor that Markus possessed, the world would be a much kinder and peaceful place.

Markus wasn't afraid of hard work, he wasn't afraid to volunteer and he wasn't afraid to lead. And thru it all, right up until a few weeks ago, he was ready to do more than his fair share.

My life is richer for having known him and for having him as a friend. I will miss him beyond words and look forward to the day that my friend and I can sit and talk and laugh together once again.

As of yet, I can't accept the fact that in this life, however, I'm never going to be able to do any of those things with him again.

The last time I saw him was as he was leaving one of our concerts a few weeks ago with his loving and caring girlfriend Pam. Tired as he was, walking to his car with his cane and Pam supporting his tiring body, he put his arms around me and held me and told me he loved me, and of course, in return, I told him the same.

I wish I had known then that it would be the last time I saw him alive.

I would have told him so much more, I am sure.

Life is too short, my Faithful Few. Let those around you and those that are in your life know how you feel about them, and make sure you TELL them and SHOW them.

You never know when that last chance will pass and you won't get the chance to again.

Rest In Peace, Markus Strobl. I love you and will miss you beyond description.

Until our reunion down the road, however long that may be...

Saturday, August 17, 2013

By Request From Dominic


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP9T0a2JBqE

My friend Dominic sent me a personal message and asked me to post something by Grady Champion so he could enjoy some really good and cool blues...here ya go, pal, enjoy!

What A Glorious Evening Of REAL Music





A few years ago, my good friend John and I had the pleasure of going to the world famous Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis and seeing the Grady Champion Revue. I walked out of there that night humbled by this amazing young man and his band and the awesome job they did that night. Grady is a tremendous entertainer and one of the best harmonica players I have ever seen perform. Since that time, I have bragged him up and down and have told many who would listen, just how talented this young man truly is. I only wished I could have shared that evening with others.

In this day of everyone and their brother thinking they have musical talent and playing the bar and club scene, it's so cool when you run across someone who truly does possess a one of a kind talent and who truly deserves the accolades they receive.

Luckily, this past Thursday evening, once again Grady and his band were back at the Slippery Noodle and myself, John, two wonderful friends, Dana and Tracy and my darling bride of 35 1/2 years got to see him and I got to share this special evening with my wife and my friends.

His performance exceeded my expectations, as he now not only sings and plays his harmonica, but he has also started playing the guitar on a lot of his music. To say he delivered a fantastic 4 hour set would be a gross understatement!

As luck would have it, we arrived at the Noodle early enough that we ran into him before his set started and he took the time to visit with us for about 15 minutes. Visiting with him on his breaks also added to the evening's fun.

This was his last show on the road for a short break and he told us they had been travelling for the past six weeks or so and they were all looking forward to heading home for a short break.

I'm already anticipating the next time he's at the Noodle because I can assure you, we will once again be going and I hope even more of our friends can join us for an incredible evening of live blues.

Grady is indeed a class act and the real deal!

Thursday, August 08, 2013

The Gift Of Second Sight





First, he saw them
Just out of his field of vision.
Slowly, after a time,
They started entering
From the left,
Allowing themselves to be seen.
A little at first,
But then,
They made their presence known.
And then,
The voices began speaking...

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Confusion





Things happen in our lives that are beyond our grasp of understanding.

Occasionally something will happen and we'll sit and ask ourselves why, pondering for a reason or reasons why some of these inconvenient things happen.

Sometimes though, like recently, an avalanche of things happen and we become bombarded by a barrage of occurences and are left standing in the fallout and trying to deduce just what the hell has happened and what has gone wrong.

Though we aren't supposed to question the reasoning behind these events, for those of us who believe in a higher power and a preordination of events, I find myself right now doing just that; questioning and trying to find reason.

Personally, my own life is going amazingly. Retirement is awesome, Peggy and I are spending much more time together and growing even closer, if one can believe that. We are travelling, spending an increasing amount of time with friends and being able to do things that the constraints of my job used to keep us from doing.

Since her job change, she has more time now, free weekends and longer amounts of time at home in the evening. It's awesome getting to spend this time with my soulmate and we are finding even more things to do and ways to spend quality time together.

However, those that touch our lives, friends, relatives and associates, those folks seem to be going thru some tough times as of late, and it's all happening at once.

We've been losing friends, family and acquaintances much too rapidly recently, and I hope that slows down, though I've been told by those much older and wiser than myself, that this does indeed happen as you get older. It's the nature of this beast called "Life."

I've never done well dealing with loss or having to say goodbye. It's one of my many shortcomings, and I find myself having to go thru it more and more now and at a very alarming rate.

I either need to learn to adapt or it needs to come to a complete and utter stop.

I know it makes no difference, because whichever way it goes, life will go on, with or without me.

Ah, sweet mystery of Life: BITE ME!!!

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Labels






A dream of mine, other than the one I've always had of total and complete peace, is to live in a world free of labels.

You know the labels I am speaking of.

Black, white, Native American, Democrat, Republican, Christian, Catholic, Jew, Muslim, Fat, Skinny, the list goes on and on.

Why is it when people are talking they have to resort to labeling people as they talk, for instance, "My friend Bill, you know, the Black guy you saw me with..."?

Why can't they just say, "My friend Bill"?

I remember a few years ago I was reading an editorial in a small town newspaper that was written by the publisher and he was referring to his adopted son as "one of color." Why couldn't he just have referred to him as "my son." Was it really necessary for this man to explain his son's race? He complained that people stared at them out in public and I can't but wonder if maybe the root of his problem was maybe his own attitude towards his son.

Labeling is everywhere you look, everywhere you turn and everywhere you go.

Facebook is full of labeling. Everything from political to sexual to religious.

Someone is always trying to ram their political beliefs down everyone else's throats.

People use their religious beliefs to tell everyone else how to live their lives and who they can and cannot fall in love with.

Freedom of religion, to many, means that you are free to worship as "they" believe you should, not necessarily how you yourself actually believe.

A group of extremists in a religion create havoc and suddenly everyone associated with that religion is an enemy and is labeled as such.

Not only do we label, but we also tend to do so in a not so flattering manner.

I won't go into a list of these disgusting terms, because I don't want to repeat those words here. It's an ugly list and it spews forth hatred in so many ways.

Sadly, we are all guilty of labeling in one way or another.

I didn't realize just how many people consider themselves experts at figuring out who and what everyone else is and that they should all be judged accordingly.

It won't happen in my lifetime or probably in the next lifetime, but hopefully the day will come when people will no longer think it necessary to "brand" other folks based on race, color, political belief or religious preference.

"...you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."- John Lennon

Monday, June 17, 2013

What A Show!





What an awesome show The Georgia Satellites delivered this past Saturday evening, June 15th, at Rushville's beautiful Riverside Park. My hat is off to the band, four of the nicest and down to earth folks you would ever want to meet. They delivered an outstanding kick ass show and gave the crowd everything they wanted to hear and more!!!

I am certainly blessed to work with our outstanding board and a great slate of volunteers who give so unselfishly of themselves each year in an effort to provide this high quality of musical entertainment.

I am also blessed to be able to share this venture with so many friends and also with my best friend in the whole world, who I just happen to be fortunate enough to be married to.

I have made some outstanding friends on this board since I first started with them back in 2007 and I hope I'm able to continue indefinitely. Our board has matured to point that we are operating like a well oiled machine and the stress level is next to nothing and no drama seems to be going on at all behind the scenes.

My thanks once again to the band, a great group of guys who really knocked everyones socks off this past Saturday evening.

Our opening band, The Easthills, really did an outstanding job as well and got the crowd primed and ready for the headliners.

Our sound crew, Showtyme Sound, delivered the best sound available and proved once again why they have been doing sound at Riverside Park since 2006. They are indeed the best!!!

If you missed the show, you really missed a cosmic night. Hopefully you can attend one of our other five shows that will be onstage between now and mid September.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Yes, In Rushville, And Yes, It's Free






I've been doing the Summer Concert Series gig since 2007 and loving every minute of it. We've had some great shows the past few years, and this Saturday night we have a really good one coming up.

For those of you, my Faithful Few, who live in the area, make sure and get to Rushville's Riverside Park this Saturday evening, June 15th at 7PM, for the free Georgia Satellites concert. Opening at 7PM will be The Easthills, with the Satellites taking the stage around 8PM or so.

Yes, you read it right, the concert is free...all you need to do is bring your own lawnchair and sit back under the stars for what should turn out to be a really hard rocking show.

Food and beverages are available on site and all are priced very reasonably.

Hope many of you can make this show.

It's going to be a killer one!!!

Monday, June 03, 2013

Borrowed Message

My congratulations to all of the graduating high school seniors of 2013 and best wishes as you continue your journey in life.

Many years ago I heard a gentleman at a commencement exercise make a very profound statement, and each year I like to share that statement with those graduating from high school. I wish I could give him credit for it, because it is not my statement, but rather one I borrowed from him, but I can't recall the name of the individual who made it.

"Graduates, you may not realize it right now, but you have just finished the easiest 18 years of your life."

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

game over

attempts to use me
as a pawn
in your wicked and perverted game of
chess
only shows your weak and shattered
state

my continuation falls not dependent
on pieces in pathetic game
rather
on the strengths I have gained
by observing your
weaknesses

you may rush to reorganize
your pieces
yet fail to realize
that a full capture
has already
occured
leaving your side of the board
weak
unstructured
and without merit

checkmate

Friday, April 19, 2013

Clarity




Part of life is knowing what is important, what isn't, what you need to take with you to continue the journey and what to cast off as excess baggage that seems to be holding you back.

8 Years





Eight years ago today I began this adventure called blogging when I set out and typed my very first entry for this page. Since that time I've gone thru spells where I couldn't spend enough time blogging or I spent too much time blogging.

I've met some amazing people thru my blogging and I've gone thru some lessons in human relations as well.

Thru it all, though, I think I'm a better person, a better listener, a better person to share with and hopefully a bit of a better writer of sorts.

It never ceases to amaze me that some people take every entry seriously and think it's all about you, or in some really weird and extreme cases, they think every entry is about them. Trust me, nothing could be further from the truth.

However, that's part of the fun, too, because how many different views one single entry can have makes the writing of them even more fun, actually.

I can tell you that my "Remembering Summer Heat" entries has one, possibly two blogs left in the series. I hope to be tying that one up the near future, but I want the last one or two to be particularly special, since they will be coming to a close.

I have recently written several entries based upon down moods I was in and decided to put them in the trashcan, because, even tho they caught the temperment I was experiencing at the time, I decided I didn't want my Faithful Few to see that rarely exposed side of me.

I will say that one of the things I wrote quite in depth about was the massacre at Sandy Hook, and how I've seen hundreds of posts regarding "gun control" but probably less than twenty postings about the children that were senselessly murdered.

What a reflection on what our society has become. The satirical movie "Natural Born Killers" just seems to me to be more closely related to reality than fiction.

I am finished talking about that, but I'm sure if you stop and think about it, you'll realize that I'm right. I'm sick of hearing about guns and gun control especially by people who have their heads stuck so deep up their owns asses they can't even begin to see the reality of the truth of the situation.

There, enough of that...

Anyway, this blogging adventure will continue, not on a regular schedule, but on the same haphazzard way of publishing I've done it for the past eight years.

After all, that's part of the adventure!

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Proverb Update




The grass isn't always greener on the other side, it's just that there is so much fertilizer on that side of the fence making it appear to be that way.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

I Will Never Understand





I have never understood, nor will I ever understand, what enjoyment some get out of hurting others feelings, be it with words or actions. The concept is beyond my grasp.

But, so many do enjoy doing this and enjoy inflicting pain, emotional and mental, simply by directing words or actions against another.

I've blogged before about how I eliminated several Facebook friends because of their postings, which were simply either trying to evoke someone's emotions or cause someone pain with the post.

Most of those ignorant and evil people have no place in my life anymore, and sure, some will say "I was just expressing my opinion" but that certainly wasn't the entire reason for the post they made. I even had one friend tell me he makes a lot of those posts "just to see who I can piss off and get a reaction from them."

Sorry, but someone who lives their life doing this must really be starved for attention or simply just enjoying arguing or provoking people.

What a sorry way to live a life.

I try so very hard NOT to hurt people or their feelings. Sure, I screw up at times and I will admit I have made Facebook postings before and then thought of how it might affect someone emotionally, and I try and get that post removed before it does do damage to someone's feelings.

But I do not intentionally go out of my way and deliberately try and offend or hurt someone.

Hopefully I've made a point here, if for no other than reason to spare one person's feelings from being hurt.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Thirty-Five Years




As hard as it is to believe, this coming Friday, February 22nd, will mark Peggy's and my 35th wedding anniversary.

There's been so much that has happened in all those years, and I won't lie and tell you they have all been awesome and wonderful years, but believe me when I do tell you that there isn't anyone on the face of this earth that I would have rather spent the last thirty-five years with.

We had a lot of things against us when we first started out, and we've tackled several obstacles over the years. Thru them all, however, we have remained together, for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer and for poorer and we've beaten the odds when the odds were stacked against us at times.

I'm not bragging, I'm not gloating, I'm merely stating that I truly believe the good Lord above brought us together, despite all the challenges and the differences, and He knew we would rise above all those things and that we would truly be soulmates for the rest of our lives.

He's allowed us to walk down a troubled path at times, but those walks have strengthened us and have taken our love to new heights and made us both realize how very blessed we both are to have each other and to share a love so strong and so positive.

We have enrichened each others lives and we have developed a bond that rarely two people have nowadays...

This past weekend we went back to Sybaris for the first time in a few years and we reserved ourselves a chalet for the first time and we spent an afternoon, an evening, a night and a morning together, just the two of us, with no contact from the outside world. It was a special and intimate time and it was a time to reflect and be thankful for all we have and for all we have gone thru together...

I'm blessed beyond words, and I consider my marriage the biggest single blessing in my life. My wife Peggy has endured a lot with me and she's seen a great deal of changes in me over the years and thankfully, she has stayed with me thru it all. I am in awe of her each and everyday I have the pleasure of being around her. She completes who I am like no one else ever could and over the years I have discovered just how deep the depth of my love for her goes, as does hers for me.

So, in another three days, we will celebrate another calendar year together and we shall cross over the thirty-five year mark and continue on in this journey of life, love and marriage together.

How could I have ever doubted we would have come this far together?

I love you, Peggy Sue...happy 35th anniversary to you!

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Rest In Peace, Nic






The beautiful brown alpaca I have my arms around in this picture had to be put down today...what can I say other than the fact that he was a most awesome and gentle animal and probably the best dispostioned animal out of the lot...I am sure going to miss him...Rest In Peace, Nic!

Saturday, February 09, 2013

Down




So much of life I do not understand.

So many painful decisions that have to be made during the course of one's life and no where to turn for the right answers.

Hatred of disease, hatred of the rotting purtification of that which is living, then saddled with the decision to hasten the outcome.

Sometimes the gift of death is the most wonderful gift you can give to one who is suffering, despite what that gift you are about to bestow does to you.

I asked for an answer, and it seems this is the answer He has given unto me.

Even though it's the answer I was expecting, I don't like the answer anymore than I did when I hadn't been given it.

I don't admire my decision that I am going to have to make, and actually, probably already have.

The power and the gift of life is bestowed by the creator, yet at times, the creator reveals to us that it is time for the decision to be made to remove that gift and that power, and to take it away in an effort to be unselfish.

The burden has been passed to me and the decision to proceed is now mine to make.

I don't have to like it.

I don't have to understand it.

But it's me who has to make it.

And I'm still asking, "Why?"

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Visual Mirage


Sometimes the most wonderful and abundant things we have in our lives are the ones that are right in front of us and we fail too often to see. Open your eyes, along with your heart, each and everyday and be thankful for those things we all tend to take too much for granted.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

70 Years




It's hard to believe, but seventy years ago today, in Port Arthur, Texas, Dorothy East Joplin and her husband Seth Joplin became the parents of a daughter they named Janis.

Seventy years ago today, the face of rock music took a step toward a major change, even before rock came into existence, with the birth of Janis Joplin.

As has always been the case since the first time I heard Janis sing, I feel her loss daily, and I always remember her birthday and the day her life was cut all too short by a lethal dose of nearly pure heroin, which was October 4, 1970.

Everyday the song Summertime goes thru my head. Summertime was always my favorite song by Janis, and since that first time I heard her sing, Janis has become my favorite female vocalist of all time.

I hope and pray, on this seventieth anniversary of her birth, that she has finally found the peace she could not find when she lived upon this earth.

Monday, December 31, 2012

America Held Hostage

I don't like to post political items, and actually, in a matter of speaking, this really isn't political, because it hits both sides of the fence.

A group of 535 bastards in Washington, DC, are holding the residents of this great nation of ours hostage.

Hostages being held because of 535 bastards political interests.

535 bastards who don't care about the common man, the working man or the senior citizen on a fixed income.

535 assholes who continue to draw their pay, even after they leave office, every year for the rest of their lives.

And to top it all off, they voted themselves a raise today for holding us hostage.

A raise that was supported by the President of the United States.

A President that I had confidence in.

Without a doubt, those 535 bastards are the worst Congress this nation of ours has ever had.

All about politcal agendas.

All about power!


To hell with them all!

Friday, December 28, 2012

Confessions Of A Confused Mind (short version)


Once again Americans are being held hostage by the antics of a partisan group of politicans in Washington. Thankfully, I can say, I didn't vote for a single member of Congress who was a part of this garbage before. Apparently that puts me in the minority of Americans, most of whom apparently enjoy the childish antics of a group of grown men and women who refuse to put the best interests of Americans first.

The life expectancy of human bodys has continued to get longer and longer. It's a shame the mind hasn't kept up. As our bodies continue to improve in stability, Alzheimers and dementia related illnesses are affecting more and more people all the time.

The media continues to bask in the violent, the deadly and the bizzare, while the beautiful and wonderful things that happen in this world take a backseat and are hardly, if at all, ever reported about.

We continually hear about how obesity is taking over our nation, and we hear it in between the commercials for fast food and sugar laden goodies.

CD sales continue to drop, online musical services continue to grow and concert tickets have risen to a totally ridiculous price. A ticket to see KISS back in 1977 cost $7, today, a similar ticket costs $130.

Write a check, stick a stamp on it and mail it and get it anywhere in the nation in three days or less for 45 cents. Use an online billpay service and read the fine print and see that it takes most online bill paying services 10 days to process the same payment for you. Yet this is the way most Americans seem to be doing business now.

Home schooling is at an all time high and young people seem to lack social skills and parents wonder why.

Communities sponsor summer activities with the generosity of sponsorship dollars and provide different types of entertainment for their residents, yet the majority of the residents ignore these activities and complain that there's nothing to do.

Crude oil prices continue to drop yet gas prices remain at an all time high and no longer reflect the price of crude per barrel and Americans have quit asking why and the oil companies continue to rake in record profits and no one seems to care anymore.

Respect has all but disappeared, violence continues to plague our world and if anyone challenges anything in this regard, we're told we are infringing on someone else's rights.

Really?

I will be 61 years old, good Lord willing, in less than two months, and I am amazed at how our world has changed in the last 40 years. I am even more amazed at how much it has changed in the last 5 years.

Can you imagine what another 5 years is going to do?

Confused? Yes, I'm confused, and I don't think it's going to get any better.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Blizzard of 2012?




We just endured what the media cast as the Blizzard of 2012.

That's what the media called it.

I called it a bunch of snow (8 to 12 inches) with strong winds for about 14 - 16 hours.

In my opinion, it didn't live up to the hype the news media was giving it.

Yes, it was bad, the roads were bad and the wind was pretty fierce.

However, it wasn't 15 and a half inches of snow partnered with 40 to 50 mile per hour winds in excess of 2 1/2 days...

That was the Blizzard of 1978, which to me has been the granddaddy of blizzards in my lifetime, and something I hope I never have to live thru again.

In 1978, nothing moved for days. Electric was out for days. Mail trucks could NOT get thru. Hell, nothing got thru!

I won't go into elaborate details about Indiana's Blizzard of '78, you can Google that yourself and see what happened. The picture heading this selection was taken in Indiana after the Blizzard of '78 went thru. The whole darned state looked like this!

I challenge anyone who went thru yesterday's "Blizzard of 2012" to show me a picture that even comes close to this...

It's a challenge that won't be met.

And in my humble opinion, that's a good thing for sure!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas 2012



My wishes to each of you, my Faithful Few, for a most awesome and peaceful Christmas.

Having now been retired for a little over a year, it's rewarding to me to no longer be a part of that magical time of the year at the post office.

Last year, a part of me really missed being there and being a part of the hustle and bustle.

This year, I view it in a different light and am thankful that I no longer have to put in those long exhausting days.

The baton has been passed to a really great group of people in the office and they are doing a stellar job.

During your holiday, try to remember what the season is all about and why we celebrate the holiday itself.

I give you no Happy Holidays greetings, because I am just hard headed enough to remember what the season is truly about, and I wish each and every one of you the Merriest of Christmases ever.

May God truly bless each and everyone of you!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Forward Motion Unleashed


invading thoughts
confusing emotions
timeless feelings
mixed up
distorted
rearranged
misguided
but, nonetheless
there
continuing to maneuver
towards an unknown
destination
driving me forward
not holding me back
and never
relinquishing
its hold
upon my
life.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Uncanny

For those of you who are celebrating a birthday today, has it occurred to you that your birthday today is on 12/20/2012?

And if a birth occurs today at 12:20PM, the birth will occur at 12/20/2012 at 12:20.

Furthermore,, this post is being posted on 12/20/2012 at 12:20...making it more than I want to discuss at the moment, because I bet this scenario didn't even occur to the Mayans.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

I Don't Understand




I sit with tears in my eyes and so many unanswered questions and I have to wonder just how something like this senseless tragedy in Connecticut can happen, and why?

What kind of person with what type of mind senselessly murders 27 innocent people?

What did he think he could possibly achieve with such a slaughter?

It is doubtful we will ever know.

I doubt any sane person could ever conceive the reasons this sick bastard had for what he did and what he possibly hoped the outcome would have been.

All I know is that day by day, my pacifist beliefs are put more and more to test when mindless occurences like this one happen.

God give us all the strength to come to grips with what happened.

I just don't have very peaceful thoughts running thru my brain right now.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Just Once

I found this on a piece of paper I was throwing out, which was in a book I had not looked at since high school, and unfortunately, I had not written a date on this, but I am guessing it to be somewhere in the vicinity of 1969 or 1970. I don't particularly like this, but I thought I would at least post it so I would have a copy of it in existence somewhere.

It was untitled, so the title was just added today. Hope you like it, but as I said, I don't care for it too much.

Just Once

he looked forward
he looked back
he looked sideways
he looked up
he looked down
he looked all around
it remained hidden
it remained unseen
but he knew it was somewhere
if it would only show itself
just once
in his lifetime
just one time
he wanted to see total
and complete peace

Thursday, November 29, 2012

your continuing spirit

mind closed to the truth
no longer setting you
free
capturing a moment
when the smile on your face
had an actual element of
truth behind it
but now
nothing more than a hideous
lie
much like the rest
of your life
and the value
you put on truth
and the trust
you place in others
as you continue
to refuse to see
with both of your eyes
closed
open.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thankful




A time to reflect, as always, on those things that I have to be thankful for.

Rather than list them and possibly leave something out, let me just say that I am thankful for a very abundant and rewarding life and for now having the time I need to truly enjoy it.

I am also thankful for my eyes opening up and seeing all of the bountiful blessings I have in my life. Several times over the years I almost walked away from some of these blessings, for whatever reasons, but today, I realize that what I have is more than enough to satisfy my needs.

I am loved, I am happy and I don't want for a thing.

I have a smile on my face most days and I'm not merely content, I'm truly happy and blessed!

If your eyes happen upon this blog today, I hope you and yours find much to be thankful for and that your blessings are as abundant as mine.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Broken Dreams




It's funny, but before I had a computer, I used to do a lot of writing on scraps of paper or single sheets of paper, fold them up and put them somewhere, and eventually I come across some of those things when I'm cleaning or looking for something else.

This folded up piece of paper was found by me about ten minutes ago as I was doing some fall cleaning here in my den. Wow, it's from 21 years and 2 days ago, and it was written shortly after our son decided he was too grown up for us anymore and he had moved out to be on his own, and suffice to say, it was not a popular move or one that his mother or myself ever really understood or got over.

Funny, things haven't seemed to change all that much where he is concerned, even to this day. He lives his own life with no contact with us, and he keeps his sons away from us by his choice as well.

I used to wonder what I had done wrong, but now, I realize, that it wasn't anything my wife or I had done, but it was his selfishness and his lack of love and respect for us. Funny how selfishness can take away so much from one's life.

I hold no hope for him to ever change, hell, he's going to be 40 years old on his next birthday. Selfishness and self-centeredness is much like a terminal disease, and in most cases an incurable one as well.

I can't help but wonder if he ever stops and realizes what he has not only taken away from himself but what he has deprived my grandsons of having. Somehow I doubt that is the case.

Anyway, like I said, this poem captures feelings I had over 21 years ago, and I decided to post it here so I can throw the original writing of it away in the trash, kind of like our son threw our lives away into the trash all those years ago.


Broken Dreams (written November 15, 1991)

For eighteen years he gave me reason
To get up and face each day.
But now my incentive to live my life full
Has packed up and moved away.

It's not just the fact that he's moved away
That is hurting myself and my wife,
But for some unknown reason we don't understand
We're no longer a part of his life.

Now I know we aren't perfect as all parents aren't,
Although I thought we were better than most.
And that special closeness I thought we all shared,
I imagined it all, I suppose.

I mean what do you say to a son that you love
Probably more than your own life itself?
You can't say, "You'll live here and do as I say,
And damnit, you'll love us or else."

I just hope he realizes we'll always be here
And stand behind him thru good times and bad.
And we're not the bad montsters he thinks that we are,
We're just simply, his Mom and his Dad.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Four More Years




Thankfully, and almost mercifully, the election is over and life can resume in a somewhat state of normalcy.

President Obama and Vice President Biden are secure in their jobs in the White House for four more years, and hopefully Congress can finally put aside political differences and platforms and put the interests and the well being of our nation first and foremost.

Most refreshing will be the absence of political advertisements on television and now we can see more of the things we're used to seeing: Ads for new gimmicks sold "only on tv," viagra and cialis ads, Flo prostituting for insurance and the fabulous Brookfield Lantern, just to name a few.

Congratulations to all the winners and to those who lost graciously. Ladies and gentlemen, you've got a lot of work to do in the next few years. Here's hoping you put America's best interests ahead of you.

Let the games begin!

Monday, November 05, 2012

Regarding Election Day 2012


I'm not going to post anything anyone can perceive to be political, because quite frankly, I don't think political postings are necessary, mainly because you aren't going to influence or change anyones' mind with what you think is necessary to post. What I am going to post about tomorrow's election is simply this:

I don't care who you vote for, I don't care what party you vote for or what candid
ate you vote for. What I do care about is that you simply go exercise your American voice and go vote! Follow what is in your heart, follow what is in your mind, and do so when you pull that lever, punch that button or mark your selection on your ballot. Let your voice be heard and be happy in your heart and mind that you took a few moments to vote for who you think is the right candidate.

No one party has all the right candidates, no one person can change anything by themselves, but you can make a difference when you take the time to vote.


Thanks to you all, and thanks for voting.

The future of our nation is at stake.

Let your voice be heard!

VOTE!!!

Saturday, November 03, 2012

DST Fallback




Once again it's time to fall back with the clocks as DST 2012 comes along.

To some of my Faithful Few, this is old news. To those of my Faithful Few that are here in Indiana, it's been a lot of years for us as we have on been back on Daylight Savings Time a few short years now.

Personally, I love it!

Those extra hours of daylight in the summer are most welcome.

Of course, we have those rocket scientists that have since discovered that they don't like it, and they have decided that they might like it if Indiana moves to the Central Time Zone, which, in vast Indiana thinking, is another step backwards. However, they have figured out they can have their daylight hours rearranged back, even with DST, if Indiana steps back to the 20th Century again and moves to the CTZ.

Again, we get to take a giant leap forward and people are then ready to take 3 steps back. And people wonder why Indiana seems to never get ahead.

Regardless of how you feel about it or where you are this weekend, if you are on DST, don't forget to move your clocks back prior to 2AM Sunday, when it will magically become 1AM Sunday.

Seriously, how damned much energy is there to setting a few clocks back, people?

Friday, November 02, 2012

eyes

what he sees
he sees with his heart
he feels it in his soul
and it remains held within
him
never leaving him
never failing him
never departing his grasp
as within himself
his internal eyes
open
and he truly
sees

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Loving The New Life




Since I retired, life has been so nice, with no set schedule and no work related responsibilities. The only schedule that has really hand any bindings on me has been Peggy's schedule.

Now, with her new job, getting off work earlier, no weekend work and a day off during the week every other week, we have even more time now to do things together that we didn't used to get to do.

A couple of days ago, on a whim, we got up at 5AM, showered and dressed and hit the road and drove an hour and half to go to breakfast. Now I know that probably sounds crazy, but each year when we go for our anniversary trip to Clifty Falls during the month of February, we enjoy the breakfast buffet at the Inn's Falls Restaurant. So, we made the drive down in the dark, sat at a table by the windows overlooking the Ohio River, and ate breakfast and watched sun come up. And we didn't have to wait until our February vacation to enjoy this!

Getting to spend that quality time together is a gift from God, and I so thank Him for it. Our waitress told us how great it was to see us, which made both of us feel exceptional.

While we were there, Peggy walks up to the check in desk and makes reservations to go back down for two nights in December, and not on a weekend, but during the week when it coincides with more time off from her new job.

We had a great day Thursday, driving home back roads, enjoying the fall colors which were actually brighter than I expected them to be after the terrible drought we had this summer. We got home mid afternoon, changed clothes and went out and raked and mulched leaves together, mowed the yard, put up the majority of the lawn furniture and prepared for the upcoming winter.

Now with the weekend here, we have another couple of days to enjoy together before Peggy heads back to work on Monday, at a new job that she totally loves.

God continues blessing us each day.

I am totally loving this new life together with the lady of my dreams.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Summer Concert Series Wrap Up Celebration








After our most successful season of concerts yet, the Riverside Park Organizing Committee travelled about an hour's drive away to Camp Atterbury and wrapped out the season with a weekend visit and couple of nights' stay in cabins on the post.

A group of fifteen participated in a fun filled weekend and pitch in dinner Saturday in an effort to close out our season of hard work with a getaway free from the responsiblities we usually each handle on a concert weekend.

After a deluge of rain on Friday evening, the sun came out Saturday morning and Mother Nature provided us with an absolutely awesome Saturday and Sunday, full of fellowship and great food, a chance to visit and talk about things other than the concerts and share a few drinks around the firepit.

As we broke up the party on Sunday morning, Peggy and I drove nearly four miles away and spent the night at the Hampton Inn in Taylorsville and enjoyed an afternoon and evening away from our responsibilities at home and kicked back at the Inn and had a super steak dinner at Ruby Tuesdays.

With the wrap up party, we closed out the 2012 concert season and set our sights on beginning to put together the Riverside Park Live At The Levee Series for 2013.

Looking forward to it, too!!!

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

same old song

head hanging
empty shell of existence
wallowing down
suffering but
relishing
and enjoying
the self imposed sentence
of a meaningless moment
and of
relative unimportance
savoring the suffering
enjoying the pain
clouding out reality
and those things that matter
all because
the world hasn't suffered enough
for the actions
of a fool
drawing attention
to prove
how unworthy

Sunday, September 30, 2012

One Year Ago




Hard as it is for me to comprehend, one year ago today I hit the timeclock for the final time and ended my career at the Rushville Post Office at 32 years and 10 months.

The last year has not gone quite the way I had expected it to, with Peggy's Dad having had a stroke and less than a week later Peggy's Mom breaking her leg.

The past year didn't go quite the way we thought it would, and when Peggy started her two week vacation this past Monday, who would have believed that she would get a call that first morning letting her know that she had gotten the nod for a new job.

After nearly 13 years in the banking industry, Peggy closed out her days at MainSource bank and embarked on a new career with the County Clerk's Office at the courthouse. Therefore, her two week vacation lasted an entire day.

Even though our plans changed for the two weeks she would have been off, we consider the new job a total and complete blessing. No more workdays until after 4PM, no more irregular schedule week to week and no more weekends!

Peggy now has a regular schedule each and everyday, her workday ends at 4PM and she pulls no more Saturdays.

Better money, better hours, better benefits.

What an awesome God we have indeed!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Autumn Vacation





Hard to imagine but it's the first day of fall, or more properly, Autumn.

My absolute favorite time of year, and the month of October is my favorite month of the year without question.

Looking ahead to the next couple of weeks that my darling bride has off brings all sorts of posibilities to mind as to what we should do. Peggy is wanting to make a trip east to the mountains of Virginia, which are my most favorite mountains I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Of course, if we make that trip, we will swing by her sister's house for a visit. I think this is the trip Peggy wants to make more than any other one.

There's a chance we might venture down to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. Beautiful scenery and about half the driving time to Gatlinburg make this one more attractive to me, but then again we could combine the two trips into one and go to Virginia and then get on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drive to Cherokee, NC and head back up thru Tennessee.

We could also make a trip up to Sybaris, a romantic getaway I never, ever get tired of going to. Closing the door to that suite, in its own building, makes the outside world go away and allows us to have a 17 hour romantic interlude where the world ceases to exist around us, and it's all about just the two of us, intimate and unbridled, and a chance to just spend quality time with each other with no phone, no television and our own spa, swimming pool and steam bath. Best of all, Sybaris is only a short drive from here, maybe 60 miles total. A Longhorn Steakhouse sits right down the road about two blocks, and it's a great way to escape and simply fall into each others' love all over again.

It's hard to imagine, but in eight days I will have been retired for one full year. It's so nice to be able to enjoy each day now, free of the bonds of employment.

And another fabulous and carefree vacation and month of October lies ahead of us.

I can't conceive how anyone could not enjoy this time of year, this time of renewal in the seasons and the awesome colors God uses to paint his majestic background each year for us.

So, now to decide, Virginia, Tennessee or Sybaris.

Shame I'm not independently wealthy. We could do all three.

Besides, I don't need a romantic getaway to be able to fall into the love I have for my darling wife. I could do that anywhere.



Wednesday, September 05, 2012

The Dreaded Two Little Snakes Story

I don't remember where I first heard this, but for over 35 years I have been reciting it, time after time, and truthfully, I do it a lot better if I'd had a whole bunch to drink before I try it.

If you don't think it's that big of a deal, try and remember, I have always done this from memory and never used anything written down to do it.

Try reading it out loud as you read it and you will see how funny it actually is and you will probably also discover that it's really not that easy to read out loud.


The Two Little Snakes

Two little snakes were hissing in their pit. Their mother came out and asked them, “What are you two little snakes doing?” To which they replied, “We’re hissing in our pit.” The mama snake told them, “Well don’t hiss in our pit, go over to Mrs Potts’ house, get in her pit, and hiss in it.” So, the two little snakes went over to Mrs Potts’ house, got in her pit, and began to hiss in it. Soon, Mrs Potts came out and asked, “What are you two little snakes doing?” And they answered her and said, “We’re hissing in your pit.” Mrs Potts asked them, “Why are you hissing in my pit? You got your own pit to hiss in, so go on home, get in your own pit, and hiss in it.” So, the two little snakes went back to their home, got in their pit, and began to hiss in it. Very shortly, Mama Snake came back out and asked the two little snakes, “What are you two little snakes doing?” And they replied, “We’re hissing in our pit!” Mama Snake told them, “I told you two little snakes not to hiss in our pit, but to go over to Mrs Potts’ house, get in her pit and hiss in it.” To which the two little snakes replied, “We did, we went over to Mrs Potts’ house, we got in her pit, and hissed in it, and Mrs Potts came out and asked us, ‘What are you two little snakes doing?’ and we told her ‘We’re hissing in your pit.’ Then she told us, ‘You don’t need to hiss in my pit, you got your own pit to hiss in, so go on home, and hiss in it.’ So we came home, we got in our pit, and we started hissing in it.” To which the Mama Snake replied, “Well if that don’t beat all. I remember Mrs Potts when she didn’t have a pit to hiss in.”

Sunday, September 02, 2012

For The 18th Time





Last night, at Klipsch Music Center in Noblesville/Indianapolis, I had the distinct pleasure of attending my 18th KISS concert, which delivered everything a KISS concert usually does, which is an awesome dose of rock and adrenalin!

After a fifteen minute delay due to storms in the area(and by the way, it never rained) a group from Cambridge, England called The Treatment took to the stage for a half hour set. Not too shabby of a band, who to me, seemed to have a bit of a punk sound but really delivered a good set.

Motley Crue was next, who played a full 90 minute set. They delivered a power punch to set the tone for the rest of the evening, including Tommy Lee on a circular traveling drum set that totally went upside down several times while the drummer played his butt off! Add to that lots of flames, lasers and dry ice fog plus the occasional bomb going off, and you got a good idea of what Crue was like.

Then, about 10:10PM, the masters of the ultimate rock show took to the stage and delivered their 90 minute set as only KISS can, belting out hit after hit, including a new tune from their new album "Monster" that is slated to be released this October. And of course, pyro shooting guitars, bombs, huge flames, a fire breathing and blood spitting Gene Simmons and a totally insane show of high energy rock brought the evening to a crescendo just past 11:35PM last night.

The house was packed, the lawn was full and the rains stayed away as the rock and roll vortex kept all the clouds moving away for the evening!

The picture shows just how packed Klipsch was last night, proving that even after nearly 40 years in the business, KISS are still the masters!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Crossing

As you cross over those bridges
In your life,
Turn around,
Set fire to each one
And constantly move forward
And never look back.
The bridge is gone forever
And there's no reason
To try going back now,
Because the way is gone
And the path shall never be
Again.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Uriah Heep - Circle Of Hands - it was the year 1973 - Music high quali...




I have been a fan of Uriah Heep almost since the group's inception back all those decades ago.  This band, one of the relative few who have been able to pull it off, have only gotten better as the years have gone by. 

This is one of my favorite tunes by them, and within this song lies one of my most favorite lyrics:  "And today is only yesterday's tomorrow..."

How profound is that?

Hope you take a few moments and give "Circle Of Hands" by Uriah Heep a listen.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Epic

His journey came in parts
With turmoiled emotions
Broken hearts
He wandered out
With no clear heading
He traversed the lands
Using Mother Earth
As his bedding
His emotions ran wild
His heart ran free
He took no notice
Of you or of me
His journey started with but a single step
This is his story
Listen closely with respect.


It seemed at times, he had walked forever
The shoes on his feet, became worn out leather
He left the land he knew so well
And ventured into these wastelands he now thought of as hell
He had loosed the ball and chain that bound him
And the wearing elements of this vast land had now found him.
He bled and he sweat he hungered, he thirsted
His body fairly screamed and his head nearly burst
Yet onward he trudged
Lest a failure he be judged.


When his time had come and he felt dejected
Westward he headed as his life he rejected
A source lie ahead that he was sure would fill his heart
Of the love that he needed so he decided to depart
Yet once he was there he found not what he was seeking
Instead, what he found he dared not to be keeping
So he endured those few days which seemed an eternity
This place he had first journeyed offered nothing of serenity
He sought his escape, he sought his release
He ventured away and held onto his peace.


Out of the mist and swirling haze
He saw the road was harsh and pitted
Yet he took the first step and onward he trudged
For to his journey he remained committed.

He recalled years ago when he first touched the sound
Of the music in his heart
And the symphony in his soul
He longed to recapture that music again
With a new writing partner
He thought that he knew.

It was then he discovered the lies he'd been told.


As the blind symphony played on, the song remained the same
A new character came into being and she began to play the game
A new circle
A new break
Inuendos
A classic take
On the life that was promised
Of the truth that endured
To encompass her love
Caused his life to become impure.

His thoughts swirled about him
With each step that he took
Yet he failed to glance over his shoulder
At that which he overlooked.
His life became her game
He himself became a pawn
In the sunset of his evening
He was becoming her new dawn.



Down, down
Down
He fell
As feet began to fail him
He fought for purchase
Yet he found none ahead
As he landed in the darkness
His thoughts swirled out
And screamed.


"I want so much to just walk away
Escape the madness and skip the game
But forward I go and onward I trudge
As you decide to be my judge.

"I look for answers and I look for smiles
As I travel these many rugged miles.
Yet what I have found is simply nothing more
Than confusion and hurt, both of which I deplore.

"This decision I made was unwise and wrong
This journey I've made was tedious and long
Yet no new answers and no happiness ahead
I'd been better off had I only dropped dead.

"I discovered too late the two faces she wore
And the life that she promised was one I'd abhor.
I sought my escape, not a moment too soon
I had to move on and away from this loon.

"I'm still seeking answers and ignoring those lies
That were all just a part of her clever disguise.
I must return back to the life that I left
'cause I view it more openly and with much more respect."


But alas the wicked source that he had seeked from the east
Refused to relinquish him, she was quite the beast.
She imprisoned him with words, with threats and with anger
It was then that he realized all he had lived for was in danger.
In her mind she had mapped out the rest of his life
He would leave all behind and she would be soon be his wife.
And the love they had spoken of was nothing but lies
And to have to lay with her for eternity he knew he'd despise
He couldn't conceive making love to her forever
For she made his skin crawl and caused him to shiver.
The heaven she had promised that would only be his
Had been thru so many others and offered nothing as is.


So with great care and planning he devised such a plan
That would remove him from this hell and release him from this land.
He recalled their first walk around the mountain by the lake
It was there they would return and his escape he would make.
He summoned his courage and all the fortitude that he had
And set himself to task this wild scheme he deemed mad.
He must be crafty and sly and show her nothing but love
Then when the time was just right he would make one final shove.
He loved her, he wooed her he showed all his charm
In his effort to deceive her and cause her great harm.


If he failed then he knew that his life would be over
And forever he'd be trapped with this witch as his lover.
Behind her eyes of beauty their lived a woman without sanity
And in mind she was his only and her heart was full of vanity.
For her love was pure selfishness and greed without guilt
It was either surrender his life or let it be her blood spilt.


He took her hand
That fateful day
As they started their walk
As he had planned it that way.
On a day that was cool
On a day with no breeze
They walked like young lovers
With only each other to please.
The came to the clearing
He had remembered from before
And he dropped to one knee
As if to promise her more.
She stood facing him
Her back to the cliff
Looking down on her lover
And he suddenly moved quick.
With a leap and a lunge
He shoved her straight back
She fell head over heels
Into the dark depths
And the black.


She had uttered no cry
On her way to her death
And his descent to go find her
Left him without very much breath.
He found her broken body
Her eyes towards the sky
And he really hated the fact
That this woman had to die.


And then he remembered her evil and wicked ways
And the prison she would have had him in for the rest of his days.
He set to work quickly digging the dirt with his hands
He had truly succeeded with his dark evil plan.
He finished his task and he rose and walked away
And hoped he'd eventually forget this damned day.

He returned to his life that she had once called mundane
He found the true happiness that had been there always.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence
Sometimes you just need look and see the love so immense.
His life became richer and fuller, you see
It was all in his power, he just had to believe.


A hundred years came to pass, his life had ceased and moved on
But something of his had remained and never was gone.
Her unmarked grave lay unnoticed and on it no grass ever grew
For her wickeness and lies still lived on for a few.
Protect your heart from the lies
Protect your life from the hate
Lest you find your own destiny
Resembling this same fate.



A hundred and twenty years passed by
And one day two young lovers
Sat on a stone near the unmarked grave
Arms around each other
And as the young man prepared to drop to one knee
And request the young maiden's hand for eternity
The lightning flashed
The thunder rolled
And the rains came down
And washed the evil from this ground.


Eventually,
Love conquers all.
True, undying and unselfish
Love.

Epic.













Friday, August 10, 2012

Behind The Smile

and as his smile broadened,
he remembered what many thought
he had forgotten
and he set in motion
his plan
his revenge
and relished in knowing
that no one would be the wiser
for all involved
had thought he had forgotten
when in reality
he held onto those memories
and of the injustices
and of the evilness
of those deeds
done unto him
and he knew
the perpetual spirit
would aid him
and guide him
and help him set forth
his plan of action
which was forthcoming
and would leave someone
in awe
and
in agony

let the game begin

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

The Smile

The strength of those emotions
The hurt, the bite, the bitterness
That welled to the surface
Brought along with it
The Beast
That had been caged within
And was about to be set loose
Upon the unsuspecting masses.

And the Beast smiled its hungry
Smile

Monday, August 06, 2012

FINALLY!!!

At long last, after over 11 weeks with only two small rain showers that accumulated a total of three tenths of an inch of rain, yesterday morning early, a thunderstorm went thru and dumped an inch of rain on us.

Now, that's not a lot, considering we are nearly 11 inches behind where we should be, but at this point in time, an inch of rain is a blessing from God above. I don't know how much of that will make its way down into our well, but it's got to at least help a little.

Our corn crops in the state are devastated, we are in an exceptional drought condition, which is by far the worst drought we have seen in my lifetime, but at least this shows us there is a bit of hope that more will come later on this week.

We've set a record number of days with triple digit temperatures and we just had the hottest month EVER in the state of Indiana.

And August has just begun, and that is usually a very hot and dry month.

I would also like to add a totally unrelated postscript here at the end, but I have been working on something very special and near and dear to my heart, and something I have wanted to do for a very long time. Very shortly it will be appearing on here and I hope my Faithful Few enjoy it and find something very special about it.

Thanks, and thanks to God above for the inch of rain yesterday.

Now, dear Sir, could you please send us a bunch more?