A moment

.

That's all it takes to write a post like this.
I figure that the day after I put up a post that's longer than the sidebar, I deserve to take a break.

did anyone count 'em?

100 Things I Love About America

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First, let me thank Jim "Suldog" Sullivan for planting this in my head. I'd put a link to his blog here, but there's one on the sidebar to the left and I've already promoted his blog this week anyway, along with that of the Brighton Pensioner, also on the sidebar as Pebbles, who beat this post with his own by a good 24 hours. That may be because he is already eight hours ahead. Gee, now that I think about it, Sully's four hours ahead. So if this was a race I'd be behind from the start.

Enough foolishness [sic]. Let's get underway.


I thought about this for a long time. Then I decided not to number them because some of you might think it was a ranking. Oh, and there are some places where I've listed more than one. Those are bonuses.
Then I thought further and decided I am not required to list them all at one time. I can milk this for a bunch of blog posts... a whole bunch. In fact, if push comes to shove, I can do a series of lists and make this last until next year.

That said, I begin the list in no particular order:

I can do any darn thing I want as long as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others... and I don't get caught

It is next to Canada, where they turn everything they say into a question by saying, "Eh?" at the end. They also only do a fair job of keeping Winter where it belongs.

There are two oceans... big ones.

Aircraft carriers... they're so freakin' awesome

Cigars

Photoshop!

ESPN

The Food Network

Copy and Paste

Snopes

Bacon... no, not Kevin.

Political Correctness... it gives us something to bitch about

Places we can laugh at when we hear the name... like Cucamonga.

Alviso... see the previous line.

Pulled pork

That the history is only about 500 years, so there aren't so many dates to remember.

Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, John D Rockefeller, John Jacob Astor, Alexander Graham Bell, et al.

Immigration, emigration and migration, or we'd all still be on the East Coast.

Homonyms.

The Grand Canyon.

Hot dogs.

Peach pie.

So many zoos and wild animal parks.

That the buffalo isn't extinct.

Baseball

Creme brulee

Osso bucco

Memphis dry rub

Bluegrass

Jazz

Kazoos

Soft rainfall

San Francisco... warts and all

The Declaration of Independence

Bloggers... well, most of them anyway.

Delicatessens

Basque restaurants

Harry S. Truman

Costco

Libraries

Chinese food

Satire

Mountains

Ol' Glory

Diversity

Rednecks... no, I mean the real rednecks

Choice

Grape, pomegranate and jalapeno jelly

Oreos

Rubber Ducks

Convertibles

Wikipedia, Google and Bing

Open Office... 'cause it's free

Gimp... 'cause it's free

Free stuff

Chocolate

Hartford, Connecticut

Springfield, Massachusetts

Madison, NC

Lists

The Three Stooges... all six

Who's on First

The NFL

Home

600 count cotton sheets

Mexico's cultural influence... and the food!

James Fenimore Cooper, Kenneth Roberts, Richard Haliburton, Shel Silverstein and John Grisham... bet you don't see them lumped together very often

July 4th... just a wee bit more than most other days

Cheddar cheese... yeah I know it's not really from Cheddar

The Rockie Mountains

Mount Shasta... both the mountain and the town

That there are so many things I can't finish this list because I keep Googling them

Harleys

Texas isn't anywhere near California and L.A. is almost in a corner by itself

It is big... but not too big

Chocolate Ice cream

Adirondack chairs

The Coast Daylight

Trains

Golden Gate Park

Bacon! [Yeah, twice]

Zoos... rank right up there with bacon and are even more fun

Iced tea

The National Parks... I can't just pick one

Custer's Last Stand... the indians won that one

Hamburgers

Cheeseburgers

Double cheeseburgers

In-n-Out

French fries... no ketchup [or catsup], thank you

Cioppino

- U.S. Highway 50 (aka The Loneliest Road in America)

Interstate 80... so we don't have to take Highway 50

Jack Benny

Lake perch

Fish and chips (see previous entry)

Real chili [has no beans]

White corn, roasted in the husk

Escargot

The Blue Angels

Calamari

The tiny heads on my sidebar

- and the lovely lady who occasionally comments (aka Grandma Skip)


That's gotta be at least a hundred. Now if I were nefarious, I would post these one at a time. That would carry carry me through to the end of the year because I would have to interject other posts occasionally.

Unnumbered for
the benefit of those
who want to see if
I may have cheated

Sheesh!!!

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Sully's got a kind of a meme, 100 things I love about America.
I thought. "Yeah, I can do that!" So, now for two days I'm finding myself distracted almost continuously as, every time I add something to my list, I have to research it further because that's how my mind works. I is difficult enough not to comment on each item. Now I feel rushed because the Brighton Pensioner has finished his list.
Anyhow, my goal is to post my one hundred loved things tomorrow... even if the list isn't finished. Heck! I'm even having trouble finishing this post.

It has been awhile

While reading Suldog's post yesterday, I clicked on a link and found this.

Bacon wrapped Chicken Livers

Maybe I could compile all of the sundry bacon posts I've done?

or maybe not

Quotation

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An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it.
~ Jef Mallett

who'd've thought some of the better quotes would come from comic strips with an elementary school janitor custodian caretaker as the main character?

Huh?

.

Can somebody explain something to me?
Unemployment is fairly high [yeah, I know that's an understatement but we have to start from somewhere]. A large number of those unemployed are what are called "discouraged workers" — those who have given up looking for work because there are no jobs to be found. They are not included among the statistics of the unemployed after they're out of work a year and one day.
Does that mean the government assumes they're now happily going on with their lives?

It's Monday... Okay?

Deception

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It may appear I am on a David McCullough kick lately. The truth is that I just happened upon the latest book I am reading at the bargain table in the Frontier Senior Center. Otherwise I'd probably not have found it anywhere.

history is fun

Quote for today

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You can't be late until you show up.

here I am

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It is amazing what we can find on the Internet today



There are ugly dogs singing TV show themes;



Religious controversy;

[I will spare you the image here]

Then there's things that people tweet about

There is no end to what one can find if they're [fill in the blank] enough.

hey! it beats
reading junk mail

The final result

.

The thermometer finally stopped its climb at 107 yesterday, just a few degrees above the predicted 102.
Someone at the weather bureau must have heard we weren't planning to be around next month. So they turned up the thermostat a little earlier than usual?

there was a stiff
breeze from the
south last evening

So cool

.
Yesterday we had a cool spell here. The official high temperature was only 98 degrees and that was only for a brief moment. It's supposed to warm up today.

what?

More from Saturday night

We went to dinner with a group attending the Lions meeting. The private dining room had been reserved. While we were waiting to others to arrive a charter bus with a full load (more than 30) of Shriners arrived. We waited a few more minutes and told the hostess to let the busload have the private room and we took a long table in the main dining area.
The restaurant owner thanked us profusely.
Grandma Skip and I took the opportunity to broach the subject of buying an ad for the community birthday calendar, which the Anderson Lions Club is presenting to the community.
Not only has he purchased an ad but he took a double-size, upgraded to color and is providing his own artwork at additional cost.

that's just so cool

Maybe this should be titled: How many folks know about this place?

Last night

It wasn't pretty but the result was good.

beat L.A.

Adjustments

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Yes, this could be about the dentist and making adjustments to the bite or the fit of the new teeth.
Or, it could be about seeing a chiropractor for spinal adjustments... though I think I'd prefer a massage.
Really, though, it is about remembering to remain flexible enough to that changes in routine don't turn the world upside down.
That's why we try to stay in the Negative Free Zone.

steal the badge
if you want
there are more
where it came from

Cool down

It's back to the dentist this morning... It seems I need another slight adjustment.


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Yesterday the temperature dropped, after 106 Friday and 107 Saturday, to 105 degrees.

Black Saturday

.

I was listening to NPR yesterday morning.
According to what I heard, everyone in Northern Europe left for holiday in Southern Europe. That created a monster traffic jam in France. I certainly hope my friend, the Brighton Pensioner, and his wife, She Who Must Be Obeyed, aren't among those stuck on the road of France.

-- o0o--

Grandma Skip and I are busy today, attending a Lions District Meeting.

-- o0o--

Breaking News...

They made it back to Brighton. And he does have a brief story.

I have been remiss

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There haven't been and bacon posts lately



When Krispy Kremes are added it's a bonus.

actually I prefer
apple fritters

Disclaimer

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Don't believe the weather here bothers me. It seldom does. Only when it's windy does it seem to create a problem... and I think possibly it is how others are affected that causes my issues. It is just here that the wind, of which we currently have none, has made life relatively miserable. It has been anywhere. I spent virtually all of my working career in the business of Customer Service. About the only time it wasn't part of my career is when I was in the Navy. Then I was in Target Acquisition. The wind seems to cause most folks to be somewhat out of sorts, probably because it inconveniences them to one degree or another.
Perhaps you can see where this is leading? The 'out of sorts' client (customer, patient, victim) takes out their frustrations on the first available party with whom they have personal contact. Then even if it is only one in ten, the cumulative effect makes for a rough day. I really don't understand how folks can really let the breezes we have here in the Golden State (except maybe for the Santa Anas) bother them. It's not like they're hurricanes or tornadoes. I would consider them a major inconvenience.
So when the thermometer hits those triple digits again today, I will be grateful that it's not 118 degrees and I can remain indoors. I will also pray that nothing sparks a wildfire.

today is not
a burn day

Update

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While not exactly my final visit, this morning finally finished the measuring and fitting. Now I only return for cleaning and if I have any complaints.

who's going
to complain?

Late breaking news

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• I'm off to the dentist again first thing this morning. Could this be the final visit?
• The weather guru's predict anywhere from 105 to 109 today. It's already 71
• I finished writing the reports for this weekend's Lions District meeting
• Remind me to tell about the idiot who almost ran into us the other day
  

fool almost T-boned us

Saw this

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Had to post it. I hope it's available for awhile.

Busy

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Yeah, well if I wasn't involved so much in Lions Club stuff, I'd just be doing something else.
Tonight is the Anderson Lions Club's first meeting of the new fiscal year. I'm the club secretary so I have some preparations to make. But that's not necessarily the big deal... except to our new Club President. No, this weekend is also the first district meeting of the year... or the last district meeting of last year. I depends upon whether one is entering or leaving office. Either way the meeting is here in Anderson. Ironically, our club remains bystanders while others handle the details of the meeting. The fun part about the district meeting is it is the time of change, when the outgoing officers make their final reports and then the new officers are installed.

then the fun starts
all over again

I'm busy because I have four reports to make and only one is finished written ready.

Company

.

The doorbell just rang.
It was Maynard and Shirley* bringing "The Word."
I'm sure they thought they'd come to the right place. I answered with a cup of coffee in my hand. I am unshaven. My hair isn't combed. And I didn't have my teeth in.
When they were finished, it appeared as though they couldn't get away fast enough.

bless them

*I have no idea who these people are

I really shouldn't read other blogs on Sunday

"Experts at the Geneva-based United Nations Economic Commission for Europe—the body responsible for harmonizing global vehicle regulations—are working on a set of minimum noise standards designed to keep quiet vehicles from becoming a safety risk to pedestrians."
click to read the entire article

So I was perusing the output of the usual suspects when a post by Nana snagged my attention... for a minute or two anyway. I think maybe I agree that she is right about not needing any government regulation regarding the subject of creating more noise.

What we really need is some kind of regulation limiting how much the government, particularly the federal and to some extent the state, can regulate anything. I mean how did we ever get by when we handled things locally?
Yeah, yeah, I know. There'd be no infrastructure* and how would we get along without that. We my argument is that every time the government provides for infrastructure,* we have to give up something. Worse, it usually ends up costing us a whole lot more than we ever bargained for.

but what do I know?

*ooh hey! if you say infrastructure in the right tone of voice it sounds almost like a swear word

Away!

.

No, not me, my good friend the Brighton Pensioner.
He and "She Who Must Be Obeyed" have hied themselves off to France again, probably to replenish the cellar... again! I will try to remember to only say nice things about him while they are away.
I mention this only because I have to remember to visit his blog... well his main blog... even when he doesn't post because he has so many interesting links. Unlike yours truly who has links to blog that are mostly entertaining at sometimes the most visceral level.

he is possibly
a Francophile

Whew!

.
At 12:45 it was 100 degrees, on its way to, a predicted by the weather service, 97 degrees. On the plus side the humidity was down to 20% from 57%. The big clouds are mostly to the west today.
Lightning caused a couple of small fires northeast of here (near Burney) last evening.

Anybody have an answer?

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I mean can anyone tell me why there's such an uproar over a guy... a millionaire... moving from Cleveland to Miami. Not that Miami would have been my first choice if I lived in Cleveland. Why does anyone need a one-hour special on ESPN to announce a decision?

Personally, I think that this is all a plot by the NBA to keep folks from thinking about the World Cup. You know. One sport is jealous of all the attention the other sport is getting. It worked, too! The bobbleheads on the network spent the time from when he announced the special until... well they haven't stopped yet... talking about and analyzing what this means. They really don't know. It's all speculation.

maybe it's because the
NBA season is too long a
time for anyone to
spend in Cleveland?

Oh, yeah I watched some of it so I could find out the final score of the Giant/Brewers game... Way to go Giants!

And this guy may have an answer?
.

Hey, I know this guy

.

He's Larry Marcum from the Forest Ranch Lions Club.
Below is an explanation of what the video is about.



Larry writes:
Amy Young is a film student at California Institute of the Arts. As part of her thesis project, she spent 2 days with us last month filming "my life with a visual impairment, which will be part of a documentary that she will complete next year. She used segments of her filming for the project described below. Please check out the video, and hope that you enjoy it.
Larry

From Amy:
As part of my thesis film project on visual disabilities, I spent two days last month with retirees Larry and Ida Marcum, and Larry's guide dog Galleon. Larry has tunnel vision, and is blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other. Despite his blindness, he's tremendously active -- both at home and in his town of Forest Ranch, California. He's so active, I decided to put together a 2-minute video with the footage, and entered it into the Mitchum "Hardest Working Person in America" video contest. http://WeCDKTN1DwI.mitchumhardestworking.com/
If the video wins, Larry will donate the prize ($100,000, wow) to the Guide Dog School for the Blind in San Rafael, where he underwent guide dog training and first met Galleon.
The contest submissions can be viewed on the web, and voted on, by the public. That's why I'm asking for your help: please watch our video, and if you like it, vote for it!
Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
Amy

Here are the guidelines:
- Where to view and vote: http://WeCDKTN1DwI.mitchumhardestworking.com/
- Deadline to vote: You can vote once a day, each day, until this SUNDAY, JULY 11th. There's a green button at the bottom right "1 vote for amyoungil" (amyoungil is my YouTube username.)
- Then what: after this round of public voting, the judges will announce their Top Ten on July 19th. Then there's the final round of public voting. The video with the most votes from this week also wins a prize.
- If you know someone who might like to cast a vote for a retiree, or a visually-impaired person, as the Hardest Working Person in America, please ask them to vote, too.

Quote for today

.

"Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that apparently, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy."
~ George Carlin

infer nothing

Blogger is at it again

.

I got so involved in trying to run down some issues with blogs that I almost forgot to post.
Heaven forbid that I didn't get something up here today.
As mentioned almost as an afterthought yesterday, I did go to the dentist. This time she had the proper hardware for the appliances for anchoring the lowers. We [meaning I] spent about two hours in the chair while it was determined that everything was the proper size this time. It is! As this is being written, the lowers are at the lab having the hardware installed. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have snap-on lowers.
I'm not currently doing without. Fortunately, I still have the 'temporary' prosthesis worn during the healing process.
The only real issue yesterday was spending so much time in the chair with nothing to do. They'd had me bring some reading material, a recent issue of Sports Illustrated. But then the concern was that my glasses would get dirty while they were fussing around in my mouth. I can't read a billboard without my cheaters.

yeah, eleven months

Summer lament

.

The other day another blogger commented on still another blog that they were headed south to San Diego hoping to find some hot, dry weather, as their normally dry environs had become otherwise this year and everything is still green in their neck of the woods somewhere east of the Cascade Range.
If the seeker had made it known sooner, I could have exclaimed our rainy season has ended; there is very little green here; the temperature is due to reach 100 today; and the humidity is currently 16%.

just sayin'

On another note - even though most businesses are observing the holiday today, my dentist is not. This afternoon I have what I hope is the beginning of the end of the final fitting... oh, and a minor adjustment because I have a slight owie.

Kick back day

.

Normally on the first Sunday of the month Grandma Skip* and I volunteer at the community breakfast over at the senior center... normally! However, it was determined a few years ago that July is not a particularly good month to conduct an event such as the breakfast because of the Independence Day holiday. First, many of the folks who regularly attend have other plans that don't include even being in town and then there's the issue of finding enough volunteers to get the job done, Grandma Skip and I being among the culprits who are away many of those occasions. And finally, there's the issue of the person who is most responsible for the breakfast and also makes a regular trek to Newport, Oregon each July to go salmon fishing.

*grandkids gave her that name

would thought New Years, huh?

Dumb Stupid car

.

Another thing happened yesterday morning on my way home. I was on a four lane (two in each direction) street, in the left hand lane. As I slowed and stopped at a stop sign, I noticed a little black car, no bigger than a pregnant roller skate, overtaking me in the right lane. While I came to a full stop before proceeding, the other car may have hesitated before moving on. The car then proceeded to do the same thing at the next stop sign, passing another vehicle in the same manner. I observed his progress up the street out of curiosity and some irritation, also aware that the police station was just ahead on the right side of the street. At that point, the car made a left turn... from the right lane... and disappeared from sight.
What struck me most about this was the logo on the back of the car:

click on the image

Its antics were anything but.

no, it wasn't a woman driver.
Though I'd have suspected a
relatively inexperienced young
female, had I not seen the operator

Whoa Nellie!!!

.

There is a brisk wind from the north this morning.
I was out near the airport earlier, as I am most Saturdays. When I was leaving I noticed several twin engine planes approach for landing. I stopped to watch. It appeared that the pilots were having some difficulty with the approach because I noticed a little wobble in the wings. Then as they crossed over the fence around the airport property it seemed they were just a little higher than normal in the glide path [as a veteran Saturday morning observer, I can determine such things]. Sure enough, three aircraft in a row descended only so far, failed to get wheels on the ground with enough room to stop the plane and had to spin the props to get more air under the plane so they could go around for another try. That north wind had to be helping in that endeavor.

My friend, Cecil, who doesn't blog, is in San Antonio. He said that although Alex (the hurricane) kept going west into Mexico, they still have plenty of wind and rain. He claims that he is trying to remain positive by calling it pleasantly balmy.
My response is that it sounds more like he's describing an eccentric relative.

...or me

...more

.


this may continue because it requires little work and no thought on my part.
Someone emailed these to my wife, who I conned convinced to forward them to me.
I am thinking they are of British origin.

have nothing to say
in my own defense