IS EVERYBODY AS TIRED AS I AM//

Thanksgiving is over, the turkey is gone, the pie is gone and so is my energy. I fixed a turkey breast in the oven and Felix agreed with me, it was the best tasting turkey we have ever eaten. It was only the brest portion, no wings, no drumsticks. I don't know it if was the method I used or just the turkey itself; but I could eat another one like that every week.

OK, I admit the dressing didn't turn out like it usually did; but I ate it. Felix ate a little; but didn't really like it. I agree, the seasoning was way off. I don't know why. This year I didn't go overboard like I have in the past. In fact, except for the turkey carcass, most everything was gone by Saturday. On Sunday, I put the carcass in a large pot of broth, added carrots, celery and onions and boiled it for about 90 minutes. Then I added the egg noodles and simmered it for another 60 minutes. We had turkey noodle soup Sunday evening with our White Castles. OK, so we cheated a bit. Both of us were just in the mood for White Castles.

The turkey noodle soup will be around all week. By the weekend we will be sick of turkey and noodle soup as well. I am going to check around and see who is offering a big Christmas buffet so we can pig out somewhere besides at home.

No Christmas decorations this year. With six cats, a tree is out of the question and it turned off cold today so there will be no outside decorations. Yesterday, Sunday, we nearly had tornado season all over again. Some high winds took down power lines in St. Louis and elsewhere. I guess I waited one week too long to put up the outside decorations. Well, that's OK because many of the other houses in the subdivision have put up decorations. I don't like to copy others and the house across the street has already done what I wanted to do, so I will sit in my living room and look at their decorations. Sit in my living room, talk to my cats and stay warm.

If I get antsy, I may bake a ham, make potato salad and cole slaw. That is, if I get antsy; otherwise we will look for the buffet.

I know my postings have been somewhat sparse lately; but there isn't anything special to talk about. Take care, be happy and be sure to tell your partner that you love him/her.

GOBBLE GOBBLE

Is that the sound of the turkey or the sound of me eating the turkey? At my house it will be the sound of me eating the turkey. Felix and I are having a roast turkey breast, with home made bread/sage dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, mexicorn, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce made with cranberries and oranges. Are you hungry or sick to your stomach?

Felix always says I fix enough food to feed an army and he may well be right. It has always been the practice in my family to have the Thanksgiving dinner table loaded with all sorts of goodies. Besides, I love roast turkey. I even love the left overs. On the weekend we will be having turkey noodle soup. Sick yet?

In the past I always roasted a whole turkey. The only problem is finding enough refrigerator space to put the left overs. A whole turkey has a big carcass; the turkey breast will use a lot less shelf space in the fridge. That will allow me to make more side dishes. Right? ?

Thanksgiving is a time for family get togethers and a time to thank God for all the things He has given us. We should constantly be aware of Him and His blessings. At least we set aside one day a year to give Him thanks.

WAAAAH, MOMMIE, MOMMIE

Today Felix and I had a late lunch, early supper at a local Mexican Restaurant. I love chcken fajitas and that is what I ordered this afternoon. The place was not packed but they had a very good number of clientele. We were seated next to a table consisting of one man, two women and two little girls.. The women were engaged in conversation that was obviously so important that if the building were to catch on fire, they would continue to sit there and jabber.

The man was left to attempt to keep the two little girls in line. It was a job he was ill prepared for. The two girls ran up and down the aisles, they attacked the game machine, they attacked the free mints, they were not obnoxious, they were the devil incarnate.

The waiter brought the food. One mommie proceded to rearange the plates on the table so people ate what she wanted them to eat. The man continued to try to keep the two girls in line. He managed to bring the girls back to the table so he could sit down and eat what mommie sat out for him. He did get a couple of bites down before the two girls ran off in the opposite direction. He got up and went after them. HONESTLY, THE TWO WOMEN WERE OBLIVIOUS TO HIS ACTIONS AND THE ACTIONS OF THE TWO GIRLS.

Felix knew what was going on in my mind. I ate two fajitas, some of the refried beans, drank my coke and picked at the rest of the chicken. I could not get the hell out of that restaurant fast enough. If I had stayed there another minute longer, I am sure I would have said and done many things that, most likely, would have landed me in jail. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO KEEPING YOUR CHILDREN IN LINE? WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO DISCIPLINE? Why must the rest of the world put up with obnoxious, bratty, stupid children?

This topic has been discussed on Discuss-It. I suggest everyone take the time to see what is being said there. I am not the only man in this world who believes that children should be seen, and not heard.

I LIKE THIS

IS ECKS APPROPRIATE??

Ecks. X. OK, I will talk English. Is "X" an appropriate abbreviation for Christ? Many people today are writing Xmas rather than spell out the full word Christmas. Other people become highly offended at this action. Christians say that those who use Xmas are leaving Christ out of Christmas. What do you think?

WHY CAN'T PEOPLE LET OTHERS ALONE?? P O S S S L Q

Why must some people tell other people what they must do, how they must live? I am not talking about the law enforcement folks, I am talking about your neighbors, my neighbors.

When you buy a new home in a nice subdivision, you find you have, also, purchased a little document called C. C. & Rs. That stands for "covenants, conditions and restrictions". That little document tells you what color you can paint your house or the trim around the windows. It tells you that you must cut your grass every week. It tells you that you may not park your motor home in your driveway or on the street. In fact, you must unload it and drive it off to a rented parking space somewhere else. The CC&Rs tell you that you are not allowed to erect a TV antenna or put up a swing set for your children in your back yard. You may not erect a fence that extends forward of your home into the front yard.

Get the idea? Why must CC&Rs even exist. Are your neighbors afraid you will paint your home pink with purple polka dots? How about yellow with blue dots? Who would lower their property values by doing such a thing?

OK, now why must some people tell you how to live. I can remember when it was considered wrong for a white person to marry a black mate or an oriental mate. Those things are now accepted as, well, jsut accepted. Some folks still consider it wrong; but they know they can't do anything about it so they allow it even though they do not like it. Two people of the same sex are questionable today.

Two women who live together are questionable unless it a mother-daughter situation. Two men who live together are queer. Just ask your neighbors. For that matter, ask yourself. What do you think about two people of the same sex living together. We used to call it P O S S S L Q; pronounced posselque. P O S S S L Q is simply People Of Same Sex Sharing Living Quarters. It should not imply sexual activities. What is wrong with a mother-daughter or father-son living together? Some people just have a warped mind, they always look at the wrong side of things.

Let's take that a step further. What is wrong with two gay men or women living together? SEX, you say? Why are you sticking your nose into their bedroom? Would you like it if they stuck their noses into your bedroom? Of course not. But you think you have the right to stick your nose into their bedrooms. You think you have the right to tell other people they are living in sin? I have a question for you. Who the hell cares what you think?

If more people would keep their noses where they belong, that is on the front of their faces and out of other people's business; our world would be a much better place to live. Diversity would really be the word of the day. However, it isn't.

URBAN SPRAWL, IS IT NEEDED??

Going to try something different today. I am going to put you in the middle of a conversation that I and others have been having on AOL. We have been talking about urban sprawl and the damage it does to our environment. One of the folks in this discussion said the following

(edited).
You're right about not being in the right direction. The reason they do this here is strictly for money. I can't begin to tell you the wooded areas that are no longer around since the 13 years we've been here. I wonder if in 75 years trees will be extinct other than the decorative ones planted on so called developments. It would have been better to divide the land in several big lots and have custom built houses on them and only clear enough trees to put the building. They build so many townhouses here it makes my head spin. There will be some in this area for over 700 thousand dollars. Now if I'm going to pay that much money for a place to live I sure as hell wouldn't want someone on the other side of the wall (thin wall no less) and no yard outside; plus a bunch of pussy association rules in order to keep everything looking shiny and plastic. I don't know where the deer went that were in these woods. We also had owls that I loved to hear at night and early morning. A large woodpecker and box turtles that are close to being extinct in the state are now without homes.

(my comment)
There is no doubt that our environment and ecosystems are being damaged beyond repair. All in the name of money. It makes me think back to the phrase, "the love of money is the root of all evil". Yes, I do believe that is correct. They love money so much, they are oblivious to the damage being done in their quest for money.

All they see is the shelter being made for many people. But, what about the poor people? Do they build shelters for them? Do they build shelters for the middle income people, the working folks? NO to both. Who was it in the 60s that sang a song with the line, "they tore down a tree to put up a parking lot"? She was right, and no one cares. No one can gather enough support to stand up to those desecrating our Earth.

(edited)
I figure if I move far out to the country now I will be dead before the sprawl reaches there.

(my comment)
If you ever find this place, let me know; but don't let society know or they will be hot on your heels with bulldozers.

I can remember when there were green spaces between cities and villages. Not today, there is no dividing line between the municipalities; you go from one urban sprawl to the next urban sprawl. I can remember when the coal mining town I live in had 6 railroad tracks for hoppers to sit while being loaded with coal). Today, homes and stores occupy that space. We were served by 5 railroads, today, all the tracks are gone; turned into bike trails but being preserved in case they are needed for light rail transportation. HUH. We had light rail transportation when I was a kid, where did it go? Why did they get rid of it?

Everyone wants to move to the countryside. But they want such restrictions on development that it looks like another big brother effort. All homes look alike, 15% brick, 85% vinyl siding, double car garages, no on-street parking, very small yards for kids to play in. They leave the cities for the countrysides. Who is left in the cities? The poor, the homeless who can now sleep in the boarded up and run down shacks. All this breeds crime and those in their nice country homes say that is why they fled to the country. NO, that is not the reason, it is the result of their fleeing to the country.

Now, lets take a look 40 yers ahead. It will all reverse and the population will be wanting to move into high rise buildings and condos in the middle of the big cities. They will leave their nice homes in the country in droves only to create urban blight again. Has anyone thought of why this happens? The people are restless, they are not happy with everything they have. There is an underlying reason for this unhappiness and it is mostly uniform from person to person. Has anyone bothered to think of this and attempt to determine the reason?

BLOG, BLOG, WHY A BLOG??

Is there a purpose to this blogging thing? Why do you have a blog?

Some people have a blog in order to express their thoughts and feelings that they can not say to others. Some people have a blog in an attempt to impress others. Some people use their blog as a way to make new friends. Some people have their blog as a way to discuss things.

I have been searching the Tribe.net and looking for those who share interests with me. I found a few discussions that I could get into. Right now I am looking for more information on the Canon 20-D digital camera. I bought one last Sunday and I athink it is a very fine piece of technology. My reason for buying it is that I already own a Canon EOS 35 mm camera with two accessory Canon EF series telephoto lenses, so why start a new system when I can use the same lens' on both cameras.

Hey, believe it or not, I did find some new information on Tribe's digital camera section. There are other users of the 20-D with questions like mine. I don't feel like a complete nerd if I ask what looks like a stupid question. Others have the same questions. SO, Blogs do serve a purpose. Check it out for yourself. I am sure you will find an area of Tribe.net that has folks who think exactly like you do, folks who have questions about things, exactly like you do.

Now, If I can only find something to fill this space tonight. Oh, I think I just did.

FOLLOWUP TO YESTERDAY

Yesterday I asked a question about why does the Religious Right always dance around and refuse to give you a direct answer to a direct question. I refer you to http://Discuss-it.net. Read the post about "Why Christians Should be Against the Death Penalty".You will understand my question in more depth. There is a person there that is arguing for the death penalty and is quoting the bible out of context in support of his view.

I used to work with a gentleman of the same denomination and religion as myself who had very different views than I did. I was an hourly employee and he was salried. He was my foreman on this one occasion where we went nose to nose in a very heated argument over the quality of my work performance. We argued, quite loudly, for nearly 15 minutes. We were so loud that we managed to draw attention from other workers as well as his boss. No one would dare get between us or make any attempt to stop us. I guess his boss figured I was going to be sent to HR. Funny thing, 16 years later, I retired with the requisite gold watch and 21 years of service.

I told him that he had the somewhat dubious reputation of being the one foreman responsible for sending more people to HR than all the other foreman combined. He felt honored. Why, I never understood. At 5 minutes to the start of production, I told him that the machine would now start 15 minutes late because he had delayed me in finishing my job. He looked at his watch, turned and walked away. No one said a word to me, even the Area Superintendent kept quiet. He did, however, have two other electricians come down to help me. We started only two minutes late.

A few years later I was sitting in this foreman's office when he turned to me and said something to the effect of, "I do not understand why a man who is on death row and accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior can go to Heaven and receive the same benefits as I do and I have been in church all my life, followed His commandments and " on and on. I simply said, "That is the love of God, He is no respector of men, He loves us all. Now, my comments were a paraphrase of the bible but he understood what I meant.

I say all this to make this point. In those days, over 15 years ago, this foreman would have danced around the issue to avoid giving a direct answer. There is a person on http://Discuss-it.net. who is doing the same thing. Many other posters have stated their views and reasons for their views; but this person simply refuses to accept anyone's views that are different from his. I gave up in explaining my views and backing them up with scripture; but he continued to express his one-sided thinking. There is no arguing with some people. They are always right, just ask them.

Back to the foreman; it took 10 years for this guy to rethink his attitude. When I had the opportunity to work for him again, I found a completely changed man. I actually enjoyed working for and with him. It would up that I would have busted my balls to do whatever he wanted done. I never found out what caused a change in his thinking; but one day, I had the opportunity to tell him that I thought he had become a changed man. He did not understand what I was talking about. To this day, even though I am retired, I miss the guy.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER??

I have read through my blogs and notice that I ask a lot of questions. Maybe I am just dumb; or could it be that I want to know a lot of information.

I want to know why;

• The religious right will dance around and attempt to evade the question. Which question? Pick one. Why do they hate gays? Why will they not quote the book, chapter and verse of the bible that says such and such?
• Why does the government deny that Area 51 exists? You knew I would throw this in, didn't you?
• Where does the bible say that we must have a death penalty? Check out "Discuss It".
  
• Where does the bible say that gays are to be condemned? If you can't give me the name of the book, the chapter and the verse, don't answer this, you are wasting my time.
• Why do republicans always act arrogant?
• Why do republicans dance around the issue and not actually answer the Democrat's questions? (Notice, I used a lower case R). That shows that I am a Democrat.

I keep asking questions; but no one has the answers. I wonder why?