Rain Day

My rain slicked deck this morning

Rain day today!


I love the sun.  I love sunny days.  But occasionally we get a rainy day like today.  I love rain days too!


If I lived in Seattle or the Great Northwest, where it rains most of the time and the sunny day is a rare occurrence, maybe I wouldn't feel this way about rainy days.  


If I lived in Londan, England where gray skies, fog and rain are the norm perhaps I wouldn't be so fond of rainy days either.  But I don't live where the weather is rainy most of the time.  I live on the eastern coast of the Delmarva peninsula where we have a lot of sunny, dry days.  Thus, when we get a rainy day like today I welcome it.


Today I was scheduled for an appointment with my dermatologist in Pennsylvania.  I canceled the appointment yesterday because I don't like to travel in the rain.  I don't like to travel at night or in the rain.......or in the snow. But I do like to hang out here in my cozy nest that is my home.


This is my schedule for today:

• Update my Shutterfly pictures (dates and descriptions) for reproduction of prints for Christmas gifts
• Update my blog (which I am doing now)
• Vacuum the whole first floor (no excuse now not to vacuum)
• Put Christmas candles in the front windows of the house to complete my Christmas decorations
• Prepare a lunch of Frito Lay Blazing Buffalo chips and turkey salad sandwich
• After lunch lie down in my bed and read a bit ("Hollywood Beauty - Hedy Lamarr) 
• Drift off to sleep for my afternoon nap
• Get up about 4 pm and check my e-mail and the latest news
• Watch my previously recorded "Judge Judy" episodes
• Prepare a dinner of Caesar Salad, oven fry potatoes (with skins) and chicken pot pie
• Watch MSNBC evening lineup shows of: Dylan Rattigan, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and Lawrence O'Donnell 
• Bedtime 

That is my schedule for today.  Tomorrow it will be different because I go to work at the hotel.  Each day is different.  But that is one thing I love about being retired.  I can do whatever I want to do.  


I often think of all those years (since 1954) that I had to go to school, three years in the Army, and then over 40 years on the corporate hamster wheel.  All those days I HAD TO get up early to catch the train to go to work in Philadelphia at the bank. 


I looked forward to the day that my life would be my own.


I looked forward to the day when I could sleep as late as I wanted to.


I looked forward to the day when my life was my own.


I looked forward to the day when I have the freedom that I have now.


I love it!

Christmas Lights 2010

The Christmas lights are up!


Every year putting up the lights gets harder and harder.  I may just be getting too old to untangle strings of colored, blinking, Christmas lights looking for that one bad light that knocks half the string.


This year I even flirted with the idea of putting one significant Christmas candle in a window as my contribution to the yearly, friendly competition in the neighborhood to see how can have the most spectacular Christmas lighting display.  But then I decided that I didn't want to be the "Bah humbug!" old man of the neighborhood.  I gave in and asked Bill to drag out the Christmas lights from the attic.  I would take them out myself but since I stepped through the ceiling floor last year when I put the lights up there I'm not allowed in the attic anymore.  


The day after Thanksgiving was a mild day so that was the perfect time to put up the lights.  I hate to put up Christmas lights on a windy, cold day.  Best to take advantage of those occasional mild days we have in winter here on the eastern shore of Sussex County, Delmarva peninsula.


I thought one day would do it.  That was wrong.  On Day Two, I thought I could complete the job.  That was also wrong.  So here we are on Day Three and I have completed the task!  And it's not even December yet!  I am proud of myself.  Why I even got all my Christmas cards mailed.  I mailed them the day after Thanksgiving.  The only ones I will mail now are to those folks who send me a card that I somehow overlooked on my mailing list.


So here I am, all in the Christmas Spirit.  Now I just sit back and enjoy the holidays. 


Merry Christmas everyone!

Heroes of the Day

Del Dot Roadside Litter Pickup Crew Volunteers on Oyster Rocks Road November 27, 2010

We hear a lot about heroes these days.  


Pictured above are my candidates for heroes of the day.  


You won't see these heroes featured on Anderson Cooper's "Heroes" program.  


You won't read about these heroes in the newspaper.


You won't see these heroes presented with an award by President Obama.


No, these heroes don't fit in any of the above categories.


These heroes are a group of fine folks who have volunteered to pick up the trash that is strewn aside our beautiful roads here in southern Delaware.


I was returning to my home off of Oyster Rocks Road, east of Route 1early this cold and windy afternoon.  I had just spent about two hours teaching my elderly friends Bob and Jim how to use e-mail on their new computer.  Jim and Bob live in a doublewide about two miles outside of Georgetown, on Anderson Corner Road on twenty-two acres of scrub woodland.  I'm always disheartened when I drive over to Bob and Jim's when I see the amount of trash and litter that lies along side the road towards their place. Today was no exception.


Thus it was with a glad heart when I crossed over Rt. 1 towards my home off of  Oyster Road when I saw a group of chartreuse day glo folks picking up the litter on Oyster Rocks Road.  


Oyster Rocks road off of Rt. 1 goes back two miles to the Broadkill River.  Bill and I had just driven back there this morning for an early morning ride on this breezy and chilly Saturday and I was again disheartened by all the littler along the road.  I was especially saddened to see a full mattress tossed into the beautiful, natural wetland growth.  I mentioned to Bill "How can anyone take their old mattress and toss it along side the road in such natural beauty?"  Bill said nothing because he understood as I do, there are basically two types of people on this earth:

• Those that litter
• Those who don't and who pick up the litter of those that littert

I am in the latter category.  


I myself have on several occasions traveled down the length of Oyster Rocks Road and picked up crushed beer cans, empty cigarette packets, plastic soda bottles and plastic bags.  The last I drove the length of Oyster Rock Road and picked up two full trash bags of litter.


Bill has given up on picking up the litter.  In fact he becomes angry with me when I pick up the litter.  So I have to sneak out and pick up the litter.  However, lately the amount of litter has even overwhelmed me.  Now, when I pick up the litter I pick up the Usual Suspects:  beer cans and plastic soda bottles.  I leave the rest.  The topper probably came when there was the slaughtered, cleaned carcass of a deer (head included) tossed aside the road right where the Broadkill meets Oyster Rocks Road.  


When I drove past this happy group this afternoon and turned into my development.  Then I thought "I want to thank them for what they are doing today."  I turned around and drove out of my development and caught up with them farther on down Oyster Rocks Road.  I pulled my car over to the side of the road and parked it.  I got my camera and got out and motioned to some of them to get their attention.  A couple of them turned around to see what I wanted.  I said "I want to thank you for what you're doing today.  Thank you very much!"  Everyone burst out into big smiles, me included.  This is what the good life is all about folks.  Good deeds and people being acknowledged for their good deeds in helping their fellow human beings making this planet a better place to live.


In unison a chorus of smile greeted me and several put the thumbs up sign.  I thanked them again and asked if I could take their picture.  Someone said "Sure!" and they piled up in the flatbed of the pickup truck and posed for this wonderful picture.  


I told them I was going to write about this in my blog and asked if I could use their picture.  Again another hearty "Sure!"  


I thanked them again, gave them my card, and after giving them a thumbs up sign I left, my faith in the goodness of the human heart renewed. 

Black Friday

Friday is almost gone and I did not spend one penny shopping.  


Very good Ron!


Oh I remember years past when I was out there in the thick of the throng of shoppers.  Not this year nor did I go out last year.  


Part of the reason is that I really don't have anyone to shop for.  Bill doesn't like to receive Christmas presents.  I don't give out any other presents other than to my neighbor Barb and my friend Bob.  I like to give them something personal that I created myself which is usually a picture calendar from photographs I've taken during the year.  


In the past I always shopped for my Mother.  Her birthday was on December 24th so I did double duty on the shopping for her.  Mom died this year so I won't even do shopping for her.  And I'll tell you, it's sort of hitting me harder than I thought.  This is the first year in my life that I'm not shopping for my Mom.  The first time in 69 years.  


The temperature was a tolerable 61 degrees so I dragged the outside Christmas lights from the attic.  I wanted to take advantage of this mild weather to put the outside lights up.  I hate putting Christmas lights up but they do look so good as I drive down Whitehall Drive to our home. 


I only got half the lights up though.  And, of course, one string is half out.  One light goes out and the whole block goes out.  I thought they stopped doing that.  Now I have to buy another whole string of lights.  Well, I got the white lights up and now I'm feeling a little Christmasy.


We had our friend Bob over for dinner tonight.  I usually make a new and fantastic dessert to try out on company but I got lazy today.  Probably because I spent so much time with those lights.  Bill was disappointed when I brought out the cranberry pecan cake I purchased a couple of days ago from Sam's Club.  Now I have major guilt.  I think this is the first time in my life I didn't make a fresh dessert when we had a sit down dinner for company.  I won't let that happen again.  I don't want to see that look on Bill's face again.  


I'm looking forward to having a few days off until I go back to work at the hotel.  Maybe I'll whip up that new dessert for Bill over the weekend.  We don't have to have company to have dessert. 


That pumpkin cheesecake recipe looked pretty good.

Thanksgiving 2010

Horace (my pal) and T (Bill's pal) during a rare moment when they shared the same basket

Here I am sitting at home on this gray Thanksgiving morning 2010.  


In a few hours I'll leave for work at the hotel.  This is how I've been celebrating Thanksgiving since we moved to Delaware four years ago this month.


I have no complaints.  I don't mind working Thanksgiving or Christmas.  I'm not one for all the hub bub of holiday activity.  I'm not a "Bah humbug" kind of guy, but some years ago I just decided to opt out of all the holiday season pressure and celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas the way I preferred, which is this way.  


Having said that, now here are some of my reasons (in no particular order) why I am thankful this Thanksgiving:


I AM THANKFUL FOR:

• My freedom - to do, say and live as I please
• Living in the United State of America - the greatest country in the history of the world
• My friends - many and varied but I love them all
• My family - both sides (Tipton and Hadfield) - again many and varied but I love them all
• My home - my paradise in the best state of the Union - Delaware!
• My good health - 69 years old and still going strong
• My security - Social Security, pensions and a part-time job
• My job - best job I could have at this time of my life - hotel front desk where I meet all kinds of cool folks

I AM ALSO THANKFUL FOR:

• Those unheralded héros who rescue cats and dogs and other abandoned animals
• Those unheralded héros who clean up the litter on the sides of our roads
• Those unheralded héros who are whistle blowers to make public the corruption in our society
• Those moms and dads (and other family members) who raise children to be good members of our society

I could go on and sound like a Academy Award winner and thank my third grade teacher Miss Ezrah for being responsible for the person I am today but she actually wasn't although she was a good teacher.


Last but surely not least I am thankful for being born gay.  Yes, I said it.  I am thankful for being born gay.  I believe I was born gay (this time around anyway) to give me insight of the true nature of our society and the people in it.  I truly feel that I was blessed to be chosen for this special mission in my life.


A few weeks ago I marked my 69th birthday.  The end of my life isn't that many years away.  When I look back on the past 69 years I realize how truly blessed I have been to have had such a unique and remarkable journey.  


When I go to sleep tonight I will go with the knowledge that I have a lot to be thankful for.  If I don't wake up tomorrow but instead enter Eternal Sleep I will do with the knowledge that I have had a full and rewarding life for which I am most thankful for.


Now I see I ended a sentence on a preposition which my English teacher in high school drummed into me never to do so I will attempt to correct that situation now.  


Horace and T (our two dogs pictured in this posting), I'll be with you soon. 


When that happens, I know will be in Heaven.  

Security Theater

Today is the busiest travel day of the year, the day before Thanksgiving.  


Today Security Theater will be in full mode.

The ridiculous, ineffective, invasive new security procedures at airports of full body scans and pat downs will be in effect for the prisoners  airline passengers traveling today.

Editorials are being written about telling airport passengers to "get over it" and submit to the new humiliating and ineffective procedures of having their bodies scanned revealing all and/or having a personal "pat down" which in effect is a full body grope.  What has happened to our society?  I thought these procedures were for folks arrested for crimes and prisoners upon entering prison?  

Many of the talking heads on TV also voice "what's the big deal?"  I find it amazing that people who are paid a LOT OF MONEY to analyze these things are SO STUPID.  Chris Matthews of "Hardball" is one that comes to mind.  He says he will do "anything" to comply with airport security.  Really Chris?  How about a deep cavity search before you board a plane?  That's where this is going you know.

The new full body scanners are ineffective in detecting liquid or powder explosives. What's to prevent a potential terrorist in putting a tube or vial of these kinds of explosives in their anus, vagina, or penis?  Huh?  HUH?  

Let's get serious folks.  The terrorists are dead serious.  It's about time we stop this Security Theater and do some real airport security.  And what is that?

1. Metal detectors (remember those?  That's what we were doing to detect guns and knives)
2. Conveyor belts (remember those?  That's what we were doing to detect potential weapons)
3. Wanding (remember those?  That's what we did when we were pulled out of line - it's not invasive but very effective in detecting any potential weapon on a body
4. Having a trained security expert observe the passengers waiting in line for their tickets and question anyone who fits a certain profile (yes, I said it PROFILE) or acts nervous.
5. If this security expert suspects anyone, then pull them out of the line for a further questioning and a possible full body scan and pat down.

With these new "enhanced procedures" folks, all we're doing now is Security Theater.  It's all for show.  It is looking for the bomb and not the bomber, and it's not even effective in doing that.

All the new procedures is doing is assaulting passengers with unconstitutional body searches.  Remember, in the constitution is says "......a reasonable cause for search."  To subject the mass of the riding public for such invasive searches IS NOT REASONABLE.  

So all you talking heads and experts who are advising us to "get over it" and surrender our basic right to privacy are wrong.  You're wrong, wrong, wrong. 

It's amazing.  Here I am speck of sand on the eastern shore of coastal Delaware.  A "nothing" in the big scheme of things.  But I know MORE than all these overpaid so called "experts", editorial writers and talking heads on TV.  

Just look at the pictures I have posted on this blog.  


This is just WRONG.

An Element of Risk

Let's face it, we're always going to be at risk when we fly.  No amount of airport security will guarantee 100% safety from a potential terrorists once we're on the airplane.

Tonight I was watching Chris Matthews on "Hardball" debate the subject of enhanced airport security with the full body scans and the pat downs.  While I usually agree with Chris, on this subject I do not agree.  Chris, with the typical arrogance of most of the talking heads on TV and cable, says he travels a lot and "doesn't have a problem with airport security."  Well goody two shoes for Chris.  So he's not bothered.  That still doesn't address the problems of others who are humiliated by the new airport security with the body scans that show the nude body and the invasive pat downs.

Chris asks the question of the person he is bullying "What do you expect the TSA employees to do?"  I have an answer for that.  Have the public empty their pocket in a container to go through the conveyor belt and have them walk through a metal detector.  This is the procedure that was used before the Shoe Bomber and the Underwear Bomber.  This security check will catch anyone carrying a concealed weapon.

If someone acts suspicious or airport security has reason to suspect the customer, pull them aside and interview them to get more information.  Do the work.  Don't go through the kubaki dance of airport security.  What we have now is Security Theater.  This version of airport security is ineffective.  All it does is annoy, humiliate and delay the customer. 

Using the logic that TSA is using now by gradually uping the ante of airport security with ever more invasive procedures, the day is not that far off that customers passing through airport security will be the same as prisoners being stripped and subjected to deep cavity searches before they enter prison.  Think I'm kidding?  Think about it.  Under the guise of protecting us from terrorism, the TSA thinks they have unlimited power to do whatever they deem necessary to "protect us" from the terrorists. 

The best security has been proven since 9/11.  All attempted terrorists have been thwarted since 9/11 by passengers on the airplane.  The Shoe Bomber was caught by fellow passengers.  The Underwear Bomber was caught by fellow passengers.  The only reason the 9/11 terrorists got away with what they did was because our airports and passengers were operating under the old way of thinking for handling airline hijackers.  On 9/11 they caught us by surprise.  That won't happen again. 

As far as stopping weapons from coming on a plane confiscating finger nail clippers isn't going to do it.  What about a terrorist with long finger nails?  Grab an airline attendent by and threaten to gouge her eye out with a long fingernail, isn't that a weapon?  How about fingers?  They can be used to strangle. 

There is an element of risk in airline travel.  We can only do so much for airport security before the line is crossed and the general public loses all of its right to privacy.  Let the Chris Matthews of the world go through all the body scanners they want to.  Let them go get the enhanced pat down.  However, we citizens of this country still have a consitutional right to decline such demeaning and ineffective methods of airport security. 

The terrorist threat exists.  That's what terrorism is all about, they terrorize.  They have been successful so far.  Remember when suicide bombers tried to stop the Israelis from going about their business?  The Israelies refused to change their way of life and hide.  No matter how many were killed in a suicide bomber event in an Israeli market place, the Israeli's would clean up the bloody mess and return the market to activity immediately.  That is the way you deal with terrorism, refuse to be intimidated.