In the early 70's, we had a couple move into the house next door to us. Nice looking young couple. After a couple of days they came over and introduced themselves. He taught college classes at the university 30 miles west. She taught junior high in the town 30 miles east. We thought them wild crazy hippies. They were both from New York City. Despite their big-city upbringing, we found ourselves trusted with the keys to their cars, house, garage. And we had an arrangement where they picked up our mail, when we left on vacation. He was building his career as a university professor. This involved 14 to 16 hour days. She would often come over and visit. When they divorced after almost 11 years of marriage, it hurt us more than them.
I look back on a life that has been full of pain and disappointment. I still see the shining, idealistic, hopeful, faces of the neighbor couple, as they came over and introduced themselves. The close knit friendship that developed was all them, our family were bemused bystanders.
Pete and Lois, you were the best neighbors and friends we could have ever had.
For about 35 years, my blender of choice has been the Oster Goodwill Model. This is the Mosin Nagant of blenders. The Kenmore Laundry Set of blenders. You can walk into any thrift shop, maybe even a pawn broker, and walk out with one of these cheap. I once walked into a pawn shop with a blender set I got at Goodwill for 5 bucks, and got $20. Admittedly the street value, new was $180. But I needed the $20, in 60 days I went back and got my blender set back for $25. My total investment in the blender was $10, the most I paid for this blender. The blade set up will fit a mayonnaise jar, or a canning jar. It is also flexible enough to fit a 13 oz lighthouse dressing jar. Small jars will grind up small portions faster. I actually spent $13.00 for two go cups meant for the Oster. I have been seduced by fancy named blenders. They all suck. If I smoke an Oster, I usually have a spare handy. Once I tried to McGyver this platform into Vitamix Territory.
I took a washer motor, set it up to drive a broken Oster machine at 10,000-ish RPMs.
The bright side is that with the lid off the blender jar you can repaint a room instantly.
The dark side is that the power company will be dancing naked outside your door!
I sold it to a crazy hippie lady, She makes alfalfa, and wheat grass drinks, the power company should have given me a medal!
FTC Disclosure. I received no compensation for the products mentioned in this entry. However if any of the companies wish to compensate me in cash, goods, or services, I will gratefully accept.
My Dad in 1972, gifted me and my brother with Parachute Pack Survival Kits. One of the Survival Masters out at Fairchild Air Force Base, gave them to him. They were past their use by date. He said to keep one in each glove box, and give one to each of the kids. I thought this was the ultimate gift. We weren't rich. If I really wanted GI Joe, I'm sure that Dad would have found a way to get one for me. I wanted to BE GI Joe. Judging from my gun locker I'm afraid I succeeded. Don't have a bazooka, but I did have a cannon for 3 years! Kissing a pound of Black Powder per shot goodbye, even when I got it for free, went against the grain!
Back to the survival kit. According to the intertubes it's known as a su-16 and the contents are as follows.
| Aluminum Foil (contents packaging) may be utilized as an improvised signal mirror | ||
| EMERGENCY DEVICES GROUP | ||
| Colonial Ranger brand Medium Stockman 3-blade folding knife, sawcut plastic handles, 3.375 inches overall, 2-inch clip-point main blade, 1.375-inch sheepsfoot blade, 1.187 inch pen blade. | ||
| Wooden Safety Matches and 2 striker strips, 2 packs of 5 each and striker strip wrapped in very heavy aluminum foil | ||
| Tinder Sticks, 1 x 0.187 x 0.187 inches, individually wrapped in aluminum foil | ||
| 18mm Brass Dry Compass with lanyard ring | ||
| Fish Hooks, 2 small, 1 medium, snelled with 7.5 inch monofilament leader | ||
| MEDICAL GROUP | ||
| WATER & FOOD GROUP | ||
| Condom (water container) | ||
| MISCELLANEOUS & MULTI-PURPOSE GROUP | ||
| Heavy Duty Sewing Needle | ||
4.8m | Stainless Steel Wire | |
| Survival Instruction Sheet on Waterproof Parchment | ||
| Cardboard Box inside sealed aluminumized plastic film pouch inside Nomex cloth sleeve: Box: 5 x 1.5 x 0.5 inches (127 x 38 x 13 mm), Pack: 7.25 x 2 x 0.625 inches (184 x 51 x 16 mm) | ||
Someone just entered our house without knocking.
Wow, Lindsey Lohan getting out of rehab was bigger news than Dee Williams, and the tiny house movement.
In
other words, homeless people are freezing to death right now because of
the antics of a self indulgent spoiled brat, alleged to be an actress
due to a childhood spent portraying a small child -typecasting- in
movies.
Talk about your butterfly effects.
Maybe if it weren't that I'm close to homeless right now, I'd be a little more charitable toward the less fortunate like Lindsey. After all she's got to feel pretty useless and worthless to cycle in and out of rehab that much.
Maybe she could help the homeless. Her and Paris Hilton, could maybe build a Habitat for Humanity house in 26 cities every year! That might even be television I'd care to watch. Toss in those useless Cardassian (Kardashian) sisters too. Not Snooki though. The prospect of Snooki with a hammer, or worse a pneumatic nailer, scares me more than Stephen King, or M Night Shyamalan, could ever hope to.
Shamelessly stolen from this post on Tam's Blog!
Well I had been looking for tires for a recent (less than a decade old) model of GM Buick. The tires off my old merc sable will serve. Now I just gotta get them mounted, and balanced for a small amount of personal indignity!
I also have to deal with the tires on my 1985 Dodge Ram 250. They are 9.50rX16.5LT the only trouble is that 16.5 measurement. A heavy boat-trailer sales outfit advertised the tire, but on calling them said it was no longer produced. About 15 years ago, my Dad traded wheels with a Ford truck, that had been made for the Army. I can't cry. They served Dad, then me, faithfully for about 15 years. I wish I could find 4 or 5 more for the next 15 years.
It looks like I will have to struggle through a salvage yard for some 16 inch rims. Hopefully with a nice set of tires already upon them.
In other news I have been banished from Roberta X's good graces.
Nights are getting longer, Tempers are getting shorter!
'Tis the season!
Eventually, He's going to shop for a pair of shoes to match!
These are the things that caused a couple places in the UK to so
rename the traditional dessert!
"You'll never eat my Spotted Dick again with that behavior!"
"I'm not the sort to shove my Spotted Dick down anyone's throat!"
"You just can't wait to get a taste of my Spotted Dick"
"I'll just whip this out!"
Sorry! Tam posted a reference earlier this last week.
It engendered a craving, and I busted out 4 different Steamed
Sponge Puddings. Thank God for microwave ovens.
In fact it was the fact that with a microwave oven, I could bust out a
personal chocolate cake in less than 10 minutes. A veritable corelle ware
ding-dong. It was a gentleman of British extraction, who informed me
that a spoonful of raisins would turn my guilty pleasure into a Spotted Dick.
LOCKHART — Mr. Alan Dean Taylor, 50, 506 Old Union Road, Lockhart, passed away Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011 at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center.
