First, say hello to an 18-inch reptile. Wallace found this guy out in the yard. I can only tell an iguana when I see one, so this could be an undiscovered species for all I know. This shows you that Forest Wally is large enough to support an ecosystem. Sorry no alligators or pythons, we are twenty miles from the Everglades. (Some 15 years later, I see this picture is missing. Oops!)
Good morning, and I still haven’t got my car out of the jug. It was only a matter of time, but the DMV registration records are now being used to cross-reference other data. It is simply going to take all day to take care of this and all the paperwork. Right now, I am waiting for 9:00 AM for places to open. Recessions never seen to affect the business hours of outfits who are parasites on society. (Explanation, I had neglected to pay a $58 tax that I had never heard of when I bought this vehicle second-hand in Tampa. So the bastards impounded it six years later after a tow. In fairness, I didn't "neglect" to pay anything. It was a stealth tax.)
The situation with the Taurus has become revealing. It is unusual, the type of thing I get once in five years. But it is interesting who I can count on. I’m watching very closely to who is available and possibly sympathetic or helpful. It isn’t who I thought it would be. People I thought I could count on kind of disappeared. Don’t they know what goes around comes around? This is a lesson my own family never learned, that if I have to do it all myself, what the hell do I need them for? I asked Arnel for a small loan, he had it to me within twenty minutes.
NOON
Marion called from the prairies. Things are not well and we both agree I should be out there for a visit before too much longer. That is, there may not be another chance, as her condition is worsening. She is my best friend for what, close to 30 years, and she is one person I can trust for accurate analysis of my situation. It was true that I missed my window of opportunity with the years wasted on prettier women, but I do not regret the lost time. There was potential for happiness there that was beyond any sure thing I could have gone for.
Erik’s truck may have been sold, I won’t be in the shop to help Fred tomorrow as I have to make sure my car is ready. The guitar class (the 505) is going to Jimbos and I have to get everything set up. My microphones are in the car and they won’t let me take them. It is an interesting corner they back you into when they even suspect you want something from inside the vehicle. But that is just another thing I’ll remember for a long time.
NIGHT
I’ve heard more about the shootings in the news. Some Lebanese psychiatrist yelling “Allah Akbar!” (God is great.) gunned down some soldiers and then another shooting in Orlando. No word if the second incident was a copycat. Either way, as far as the army is concerned, they have some explaining to do how the shrink got past all their tests. (Knowing the way the military works, he may have designed the tests.) There was an immediate outcry against Muslims in the military, but of course, the collective guilt of America means all of that is bigotry. It has to be. The newslady pointed out that the roomful of soldiers who were being shot screamed at the gunman, and that makes them racists. Every one of them.
That's called "news coverage". Political correctness has been the downfall of America. If you scream while being shot by a terrorist, you are a bigot. A redneck. A Nazi. (This is one of those acceptable times to call the media the "F" word.)
The water is off again. They are digging up the street over on 4th. It is never long until they restore service but there can be no doubt this is going to be one of the joys of living around here. I keep spare water in the fridge but that doesn’t help the rest of the house. Autos for sale have reappeared on the vacant lot on Federal, recall the pictures earlier this year? Wallace says it is an auction outfit. That’s a sign of the times. All the cars I could see looked pretty new to me, as in brand new. I won’t be there, since these are not real auctions as they stipulate “highest or any bid not necessarily accepted”.
Wallace and I watched the TV commercial for the Multi-Master. This is the vibrating tool that cuts without spinning. They demonstrate it cutting everything from plumbing pipe to fireplace moldings. It slices two-by-fours, kitchen counters, marble, nails and it lifts linoleum or sands window frames. If only one could find the ideal working conditions shown in the ads, you could stop laughing as hard as Wallace and I.
