February 10, 2022

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 10, 2021, a terrible post.
Five years ago today: February 10, 2017, others must lose . . .
Nine years ago today: February 10, 2013, four left of twenty.
Random years ago today: February 10, 2014, Merryday “accepts” punishment.

           Here’s the day, you decide. I was seventeenth in line when I got to the DMV at 8:30AM, an hour before opening time. Welcome to the new reset America, where everybody wants twice as much money for half as much work. Good thing I took along a crossword puzzle. It bugs some people when you show up ready to contend with their bull. The spot of good news is the paperwork cost me $121 less than I had calculated. This is not some favor, but more like an illegal fee was successfully contested.

           So, the small doggie and I took off for the first real fun trip in the new van. A drve out to anywhere, which found us in downtown Ashland City. I’d live there but it is kind of nothing and beware of religious nutcases in these population non-centers. We instanty found the only cool place, a used book store that has live music on weekends. There’s a guy who restores guitars and he had just finished a 1954 Martin. Oops, no guitar pic, but here is Sammy checking out the sidewalk sign.

           Yes, they have famous elderberry syrup but I don’t usually carry that kind of cash on me. We were heading to a spot found on a map just for a look-see. Cumberland Furnace. Sounds to me at some point there was a forge there, but today it is your typical post-Internet ghost town. Sammy & I did a lot of walking around in the crisp air, it is hilly country and every flat spot has either a farm or a cabin on it. It’s a bit too far to commute to Nashville and no matter what side road we took, there was always some hick in a pickup tailgating us.
           Let me comment on that. From riding the train, I got used to going someplace for a cup of coffee, then heading back. Later that evolved into driving, the idea was to look around and say you’d been there. The draw was the coffee, as there was always a small local cafe, usually with a counter an swivel stools. Those are long gone, replaced by Starbucks franchises and it was a sad passing. That cafe was often the local gathering spot. I don’t long for the old days as much as I dislike the concept and atmosphere of Starbucks. Corporate America invades the coffee break. Sigh.

Picture of the day.
Meanwhile in Namibia.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Today wound up a 171 mile trip through some of the narrowest mountian roads yet, I purposely took side trips to see the countryside. Here is downtown Cumberland Furnace, these units are fully liveable and show signs of recently having been. Now historical sites, I found no explanation for the tiny cabin. Maybe a kid’s playhouse, but quickly dubbed the doghouse. Even Sammy agreed by marking the porch post. Interesting architecture.It’s the dead of winter and the landscape is bleak. Some find it romantic but I tend to see just endless wilderness. No wildlife, not even birds, though we did pass a flock of rather large roadside feral chickens. Easy, Sammy, that rooster could take you easy. There are no country stores left in the traditional sense, all wiped out. I would have got you a dozen pics of picturesque abandoned sites, but there are no shoulders to pull over and park.

           I managed this one picture of the abandoned grocery story in Cumberland Furnace. The false front and red color were typical, a form of early addvertising. These days everybody has vehicle and shops in the nearest town with a Piggly Wiggly. There are country stores in a sense, only with gas pumps and shelves full of chewing tobacco and beef jerky, not that there’s anything wrong with that. One noticeable feature of the mountain drive was the number of times there were traffic blockages caused by some poofter with a three-day beard shadow and a topknot. Is this some new trend? Dress up like a foreigner and drive like one?
           We got caught in the Nashville rush hour on the return leg, there are no shortcuts around the city. The saving grace for the slow traffic is Tennessee freeways are so full of potholes it’s easier on your tires. Back in town, I rigged up the battery charger to the old Taurus, which has been sitting for a year now. Dang that was a brand new battery that is likely shot now.

           I also found the freeze plugs but don’t know how I’m goingto get under that car. The one that is cracked is just barely accessible from under the hood, if I can just get it in far enough to sell the unit. I’ll tell the owner to replace it asap, but if it sits much longer, the Reb will say get it towed. We discussed this over dinner at the Sunflower, one of her favorite veggie places. I’m only a semi-fan, since it is basically beef and pork I shun. We had the pot pie, I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as she did. We have very different tastes, put it this way, I’m caffienated coffee, she is herbal tea.
           Another item for us is donating to those people who call begging for money for the police. I say no, unless (pay attention here) all that police do is catch bad guys and put them in jail. Then I’d donte twenty bucks. But when I see police arresting priests, handcuffing schoolgirls, enforcing political agendas, and conducting nationwide telephone suveillance, they can blow it out their asses. When the police want to arrest protesters, ignore black crime, and waste time writing traffic tickets, they’ll get nothing from me.

ADDENDUM
           Hmmm, we took the Reb’s Kia for dinner and there was a persistent clicking noise. I had her pull over and I looked under the hood. It’s coming from the motor and matches the speed of the fan belt. I checked the oil and it was not only two quarts down, there was a slight whiff of mist came from the port. I’m no mechanic, but this has to go in tomorrow. It has just 63,000 on the clock and she bought it new. I know little of it otherwise, it is just another thing we don’t share, or as some might put it, that we don’t talk about.
           The timeline gets muddled here, so check in tomorrow for more on this. If there is anything seriously wrong with that car, it creates a situation that must be resolved before I leave. And I just got whacked with $8,000 in bills [over the last two months] and expenses you don’t know about. Not much, some say, but I don’t just whip out a credit card.

Last Laugh