February 20, 2023

Yesteryear
One year ago today: February 20, 2022, apple Sunday.
Five years ago today: February 20, 2018, 70? I meant 71.
Nine years ago today: February 20, 2014, weed tax is 12.5%.
Random years ago today: February 20, 2011, attendance: 26.000.

           A good day begins with another Tesla crash, driving into parked fire truck. No condolences, he would have wanted to go that way. My news alert is flashing, what’s this. Russia kicked the WHO out of the country? Ha, glad to hear it. Do not be fooled by these news releases that some states are making the jab illegal. It is a scam, they pass a law making it a misdemeanor. This protects them from being charged with a felony should the left fail an election (using the principle you cannot be charged twice for the same crime).

           And we have a new definition for you, the legal term “escrow”. It now means you get paid last. Some 36 states have Democrat-backed laws that send your estate to escrow even if you have a will. That means the system checks the universe for every claim against your estate before you are allowed to touch a penny. And this process takes up to a year. I have no doubt the system would pay out a false debt, leaving you to recover it by expensive civil court action, and even then, the courts do not enforce payment.

           Today, expect some random pictures, as I could not shake the sleepies. I mean all damn day. I’ve had 48 cups of coffee in 8 days, unevenly distributed but no pick-me-up results. Have they decaffed everything? At least one thing isn’t my nerves. These three ranging shots. This is the standard pistol distance, with all three shots scoping identical. Even with a stock rest, I’ll never be as steady as I once was, but this performance is pathetic. The first shot was on the bulls-eye just a smidgen to the left and down. That is normal for me. I then expected to place a ten shot group to blot the marker. Instead, look where I hit. And a second shot did much the same. There are a number of causes besides bad aim at work here, in fact, I know my aim was not off. Possibly a bad scope mount? It was stored for quite a while.
           Then the neighbor was over, so no need him knowing the corner of his yard is behind the stop. It’s not big deal, but don’t worry the guy. He’s really lost with his wife gone. The noise won’t attract him as it sounds almost identical to many of the air tools I use.

           He fixed his roof two years ago but did not trim the trees. You know, the event that just cost me $461. Sure enough it’s been a little windy and he had a tree limb crack right through his rafters and crimp his ceiling. That’s a reminder that I left my own too long, so smarten up. He’s got a complete collection of the “Gunsmoke” series so I told him he should sit down for a beer and watch them. He’s got an unmarried daughter, so I expect the invite before all that long.
           Don’t be thinking today was full of accomplishment. I barely managed two hours labor. I don’t usually count computer work but all that is also up to date. You know, if I manage things right, there is a chance I could afford that one-pump target pistol. Not now, but before late spring. I have priorities like that van door handle and spare tire kit. Still, there is a chance, especially if I sell that clothes dryer for $150. I really don’t like the cheap ones you have to pump up to ten times. If it comes to that, I now have an air compressor.

Picture of the day.
Gym on the Titanic.
Remember to use BACK ARROW to return to blog.

           Bradford finally set rehearsal for Wednesday, but is already inviting other people in. However, this time I know how to deal with it. See, Bradford has some inherited land in the north end and wants as much to make his mark as to play in a band. The latter is my only motive, and even if other incentives get inspired later, the important one is that first step. There are already extensive records in the form of this blog to deal with the situation. The underlying principle is simple—anything larger than a duo will not make money, and that is a dealbreaker even when dealing the with richest kids. No money, and for all their talk, they will walk.

           Hence, I play it by ear, letting Bradford believe he is in charge. Fact is, I know that none of his guitar player friends is going to make the grade. They are all used to endless and fruitless practice, witnessed by one or two gigs in the past five years. All at Kooters, all money-losers. What I watch for is lack of practice between rehearsals, something all of them are stone guilty of. This is the meaning when I say they play what they can play. Anything else, they don’t dedicate.
           Before continuing, here are some plant photos. That is my biggest camphor tree, with the leaves torn off by that recent storm. This is the northwest view from my driveway. I will soon be cutting down the smaller offshoots of this tree, they look like small trees to the right side. They overhang the church lot. I’ve gas chain saw maintenance scheduled for later this week, maybe I’ll combine the chores. For the record, all the other tools have been oiled and checked up to date. I truly wish I could find time to build some more boxes for my nice set of tools.

           So whatever this brings, as long as I can keep Bradford learning new material, a challenge in itself, he will keep going as long as he thinks one of his buddies can catch up. They can’t. Just assign them a little homework and they’ll disappoint, you can bank on it. I also have the advantage of Bradford wrote a list this time, when enables me to use a guitar player trick in reverse. You see, I’ll have such trouble learning the ones I don’t like. Never thought it would come to that, but then again, never thought I’d still be living in Polk County. But why not, the situation in Tennessee is not permanent, not at all.
           As an example of foot-dragging, I think I’ll chose “Chicken Fried”. It’s on Bradford’s list and I know exactly what he wants. It isn’t going to happen. Zac Brown band is a heavily-overdubbed studio group and while most any tune can be arranged for duo, that one is not a good candidate. For openers, the bass line isn’t a bass line—but if I do learn it eventually, it will clobber the guitar parts, which are too layered to be faked by one instrument. It also represents a monster effort for a band that is just forming.

           As stated, I’ll go along with the charade. Just now, I moved the original from F# up to G and went looking for Songsterr, a surprisingly good source if you know what to watch for. In fact, it’s already checked out and there is a finger-picking line that is suitable to adapt to piano-base. The attraction is it is one of those licks they do not expect to be played, as it is mostly lost in the original, but is there enough to glom onto. Think piano scales in eight-to-the-bar. If they want to do the tune, it will be a rare couple of guitar players who can keep up with me, and even then, they’ll lack the novelty. But that is down the line. I have no intention of wasting hours on that tune.
           You be careful how you interpret my words. I’m not encouraging you to show off. It is a tightrope as you must never outplay or over play the others. They get ansty about that. There are many other factors. While they all know how to act like guitar players, I have my own style that spells bass player, which they can hardly copy. I also know how to act and look more like a bass player than they can look like guitarists (that’s a fact) and I have the spiffiest low-key wardrobe to boot. It’s all part of the show, and remember, it is for the show, not for rehearsal. Do that and they’ll panic on day one.

           Oregano. This is the budding new leaves of the original oregano plant. It is fleshy, but one of the hardiest. It has survived heat, drought, and having the leaves stripped to the stem by windstorms. But, it demands attention to grow into an attractive plant. Leave it alone too long and you’ve got this spindley vine-like non-flowering plant instead of a fragrant little bush.

ADDENDUM
           Here’s more on y’day’s look at cheese. Velveeta. We had it when I was growing up, but mostly for school lunch sandwiches. Although we lived in town, we took lunch because my parents invented the two-income-and-still-broke-all-the-time disorder. Today, I find out it was once so wholesome that Europeans imported it. I learned it was created from cheese wheels that had broken during transport and took two years to develop. Originally, it was real cheese with a softener, but in 1927 it was sold to Kraft foods. That’s when it became a chemical by-product and yuck, that’s what I was eating?
           Wow, Kraft bribed universities to conduct studies that claimed Velveeta was health food. I sort of remember being taught that cheese was necessary. I began to like cheddar in my teens and finally when Velveeta and cheddar began to cost the same, switched over to cheddar. But I must have eaten Velveeta for ten years and only quit it entirely when I found out what “processed” meant. Have I learned my lesson? Not entirely, I just drank 47 cups of coffee in the past nine days. It’s part of my pyramid, nonsense it isn’t good for you. I mean, compared to people who drink McDonald’s shakes or eat at Olive Garden, I’m healthy as a Russian.
           As the video says, Kraft no longer markets it as health food that will give you taut, rigid skin, but as “liquid gold”. They even tried to market a Velveeta martini. It’s doubtful the product will ever reappear in this household, the more since as an adult I’ve learned to like the taste of vegetables. One of my favorites is onion.

           Here is a list of items to watch for, so you don’t wind up eating bugs. They ARE going to put ground up insects in your food, it’s not some question or issue for the future. The New World Order people have been behind this for years, like most people, I cannot figure out where they get all the money to sustain these ignorant efforts as long as forever. To disguise the move, they are using Latin as names of the ingredients. Here is the translation:

Acheta domesticus: cricket abdomen powder
Grillodes sigillatus: dried cricket thoraxes
Locusta maigratoria: powdered grasshopper guts
Tenebrio molitor: ground whole mealworms.

           And who warned you about grocery cards over 15 years ago?

Last Laugh