Off to Florida

Off to Naples, Florida for 12 days,  the first week of which will include Becky and her family.  Can't wait for some sunshine and relaxation.

Pent up anger

Message One  4/20

George,

 If I can figure this new ballot out, I'm voting to reduce the budget.  How come no one has spoken up on behalf of folks like me, long time resident on a fixed income, raising taxes almost 5%. I haven't seen one letter in the Bee against it.  People I guess are afraid because of 12/14 and that Police Department and Board of Ed. are taking advantage!

 

They want to create a police state with all these new cops and security guards, they're looking to get that full time kindergarten that was voted down last year, they want to spend a minimum of $45 million for a school in Sandy Hook.

 

They're driving me out of this town those bastards.

 

Why don't you do something, blogger person, no I guess you support all that bullshit.  

Message Two 4/22

Boy, spoken like a brain washed school teacher(retired w/money).  I know the SH-$45 million isn't in this budget, thank god.You really think the State and Fed. is going to cough up bucks huh, where the hell are they going to get the money, both are in serious debt or didn't you know that?

The families will move on in three years or less.  The teachers have to suffer a little, most of which probably live in another town like Kehoe, and don't have to foot the bill.  The full time kindergarten, I think, is a bad idea.  It's just a babysitting service for these yuppie Newtown people, they should stay home and play with the kids and do like you do with your grandchildren.  Kids have to learn how to play and amuse themselves, not in a structured school environment.

My solution would be to stay at Chalk Hill as long as possible (time heals), maybe do a little dress up to the current school and move on.  None of these big memorials planned, just move on.  The more you make out of this whole thing the more chance someone else wants to top it!

A little side note do you realize you car tax will go up about 35% in this budget because of the reevaluation coupled with this 5% increase.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The budget for the Town of Newtown went down to defeat on Tuesday the 23rd.  Both the government side and the Board of Education side were voted down with there being a much larger margin of defeat on the Bd of Ed side.

Most government officials and many citizens assumed that in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, it would pass easily.  Not so.

Consider the above two messages I rec'd from a friend of mine recently.    Judging by the turnout, it would appear the writer is not alone in his sentiments.  

Opponents of the budget have been very quiet this budget season for obvious reasons.  They don't want to appear to be unsupportive of the town as it continues to make its way through a very difficult period.  So instead of filling the papers with all sorts of hostile comments, they simply protest quietly through the ballot box.  I guess that's a good thing.

So in this respect at least, not much has changed in Newtown.  The battle of the budget lives on...and on...and on....

The spirit of volunteerism

Where would we be without volunteers-those people who do things for other people for absolutely nothing.  Well, not exactly nothing.  Maybe there's no monetary reward but the other rewards far out weigh any money one would receive.

Last night an organization called Golden Opportunities hosted a dinner for the volunteers who are associated with it. 

It was a great 'opportunity' to meet other "opportuners".  There was a lot of good conversation and many people shared stories of their volunteering adventures.

From time to time I'll hear someone who is retired complain that they're bored or there's nothing to do or they don't have any special skills to be a volunteer. 

That of course is nonsense.  You don't need  special skills to volunteer.  At a minimum all you need to do is sit and listen and occasionally move the conversation along with a few questions.

Many elderly people are lonely and would welcome the company.  But one does not need to volunteer with the elderly if that's not your particular cup of tea.  There are many other ways to reach out and improve the lives of others.  Sometimes it's in a big way, sometimes not.  It doesn't matter.  Just do it.  You'll never regret it.

2013 class pictures of Cole & Nicholas

Congrats Boston Police/FBI

They got him.  Now the politicking begins with Republican Senator Lindsay Graham criticizing President Obama for deciding to try the guy in civil criminal court rather than Federal court.  Graham's an idiot.

And to add insult to injury, did you see the report that Fox News came out with a line of criticism of Obama blaming  the Boston bombing on him due to his Middle East policies. 

Hey, Jerks.  Chechnya isn't in the middle east and even if it was, the two men who did this made their choices. 

Unbelievable the lengths the extreme right will go to to blame all the world's ailments on Obama.  As I've said before here, they're more dangerous than most other groups.

Whose pocket are they in? As if we didn't know.

Here they are, 46 gutless cowards.  They simply couldn't muster the courage to buck the NRA & its constant stream of lies.  They have no right serving in the Senate of the United States.  They have to be removed from office...the right way...at an election. 

Happy birthday to Nicholas

Today is grand son Nicholas's 4th birthday.  He is the youngest of the four grand children. 

It's amazing how quickly the time passes.  Soon he along with the others will be in school full time.  And as I've noted in previous posts, it will be on to new interests and activities. 

I'm glad to be around to witness and even participate in much of it.

Happy birthday, Nicholas.

Nicholas at first baseball practice

Yesterday, Wednesday the 10th, Nicholas participated in his first baseball practice.  He actually missed the very first one the week before due to illness but he didn't miss a beat this week.  He's going to be a great little athlete fortunately taking after his father and not his grand father.

Back to the club

Yesterday, Newtown Country Club had a membership program.  Participants got lunch and a round of golf. 

At the urging of a friend of ours, we went.  The lunch was good, the people were very nice but the golf was terrible.  I didn't get one single decent shot off and it was a cold, windy day for which I was not properly dressed.  By the time we were done, I was frozen stiff.

If spite of all of that, the discounts offered to join the club were very generous so we plan to rejoin.  Golf definitely is not one of my favorite activities but when you play with people you know it's not too bad and Sandi likes it anyway.

Who knows?  Maybe as has been suggested, the more I play the better I'll get.  That's the theory anyway. 

NOW spring is here...for real...but there's always another winter (sorry).

It's Friday and just about 60 degrees as I write this so I think it's safe to say spring has finally sprung.

In addition to the usual spring chores like yard cleanup, powerwash house, wash windows, prepare for a garden, etc. I also have to think ahead, way ahead, to yet another winter.

Toward that end, herewith I present the results of several hours of effort and several truck loads of wood from a couple here in town who had considerable storm damage and has wood to spare.

I figure I went through about 3 cords last year so I'm aiming for 4 to be on hand.  I think I have about another cord to go.

Herein is my last word on the issue of gun control

In view of the fact that we're on the eve of CT becoming the state with the most stringent gun control laws, I feel it appropriate to make a few observations before leaving this issue for good.

If you're one of the many "extreme"  gun rights advocate, my words fall on deaf ears.  If, however, you--like me--realize the need for some degree of control similar to what we have for freedom of the press and speech, then I'm preaching to the choir.

I'll proceed anyway.

First, let's put this whole Second Amendment thing into historical context.
When the founding fathers wrote this amendment we were a nation just coming off a war against a foreign country that was fought entirely on our soil.

Second, ninety percent of the population at the time lived in very rural areas where they needed firearms for protection and hunting.

Finally, the weapon of choice was...well, there was only one choice...a muzzle-loading musket that took 3 minutes to prepare to fire...or a bow and arrow.

So with that in mind, the founding fathers knew little of the world to come--high speed, high capacity assault rifles (make no mistake about it.  They ARE assault rifles as much as gun rights wing nuts try to spin it).

Having said all that, as someone who has enjoyed sport shooting myself, I do believe in the 2nd Amendment, but not in its current carnation.

Now, what about CT's stringent law.  It's a good start, I guess, but to no avail unless the entire nation is on board.  When it's possible to go to Texas, or Indiana, or Georgia, or Montana or wherever to purchase on the spot just about anything you want, well, obviously CT's efforts are minimal at best.

So that's it.  Just a little common sense.  Consider why the military went from 20 round clips like I used in the 60s to 30 round clips.  Simple.  You want to produce more casualties?  Cut down on loading time.  The NRA says that's ridiculous, but it isn't.  It's simply a fact.

Don't bother responding.  I'm not going to read it.

FINI

Having children-from a child's perspective

 My grand daughters were visiting with us over the weekend.  They are 9 and 6.

The girls were sitting in the living room watching a movie while I was reading the paper.  Out of the blue the 6-year-old suggested that grammy and I should have another kid.  That way when they come over, they'd have someone to play with.

I replied that we were really too old to continue having children and that we enjoyed being grand parents.  The 9-year-old jumped in by pointing out we're going to be dead soon and then what would the child do?

The 6-year-old thought this over and then asked when do people start having kids-15? 16?

I said no, that's too young.  People usually get married in their 20s and then have a family some time after that.

Her response was so you have to be married to have kids?

I chickened out and said yes (which after discussing this with my daughter was the right thing to say).

Then my grand daughter observed well maybe  you can adopt a child any time, right?  At which time her older sister answered for me by saying sure you can adopt whenever you want.

I took that opportunity to steer the conversation in another direction but it left me thinking about how kids form their opinions and where they get their ideas.

They certainly hear bits and pieces of what others around them are saying--kids as well as adults-- not to mention what they're getting from TV.   I find it interesting  to see how young children put this information together.

That's why effective, common sense parenting is so important.  Kids need to know just enough to understand reality but not so much that they're overwhelmed or confused.

Parenting.  It's a tough job.  Yet one of the few things for which you need no special training or licensing to be one.  Go figure.

And it continues

More depressing news today.  The state police released details of what they found as a result of search warrants of the Lanza home.

Among those things found were thousands of rounds of ammunition, weapons, unlocked gun safes including one in the deranged shooter's bedroom, a gift certificate from Lanza's mother to him for the purchase of yet another firearm, tons of computer stuff, and the list goes on and on.

Was this psycopath's mother paying any attention at all?  How could you live in the same house with someone--your child no less--and not have an inkling that there just might be something a tad wrong?  Did she care?  Was she too preoccupied with her own problems?

Like all of the other victims, she met a terrible fate but one has to wonder: had she been just a little more cognizant of what was going on in her son's head, perhaps things could have turned out differently.

And, finally, what if the ban on assault weapons had been renewed during the Bush administration?  What then?

What a way to run a company

For the past two weeks I've been attempting to resolve a problem with my daily newspaper--The News-Times.

It all started when I missed several deliveries because of bad weather and an incompetent deliverer.

The procedure is that whenever a delivery is missed or late for whatever reason, you call the paper, they note the complaint and supposedly extend your subscription.

Will on February 25th I got a new bill.  Naturally the subscription had not been extended.  I called and after a long wait, finally got to speak to someone who said they'd adjust the invoice to reflect the new subscription dates.

Two weeks later, no invoice.  I called twice today and got an automated menu saying leave your number and they'd call back.  Nothing.

I've never spent so much time trying to give someone my business.  Well today it ends.  No wonder the print media is slowly dying.  It has nothing to do with the internet.  It's because of incompetence-pure and simple.

Birthdays

Recently there have been a number of birthdays of the victims of 12/14 serving as constant reminders of that awful day.

This is something a friend of mine left in my mailbox.  Feel free to drag it to your desktop and print one out for yourself if you'd like.

Happy First Day of Spring

It won't be long...warmer weather, birds, flowers, green grass. 

Pope Francis I

Much is being made of how much the new Pope resembles his namesake St. Francis of Assisi in his love of animals and his devotion to the poor. 

Wouldn't it be nice--and kind of funny--if the Pope were to sell all of the church's assets and distribute them to the poor. 

That would cause quite a stir in the church, wouldn't it?  But I'll bet it would  restore some of its credibility too.

Let's see what happens.

Top o'the mornin' to ya.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Children, toys....and guns.

 It's an age-old problem that's been addressed here before.  The boy in the above picture could easily by either of my grandsons (interestingly, this phenomena is not apparent with my grand daughters. Maybe it's a boy thing). Within the very recent past they've literally made guns out of Legos, connect blocks, hockey sticks and straws.

My older grandson who is 5 is so interested in them that he asked me to show him pictures of the kind of gun I used in the army.  I showed him two--my personal rifle and a picture of the typical canon used in our artillery unit.

At first I was very reluctant to feed into this interest but then upon further reflection I knew that if I didn't he'd just become more and more curious and ask someone else. 

Now when we have play time after I pick him up from school he insists on playing soldier.  I'm usually the bad guy and he and Nicholas are the good guys. 

The game is simple.  They shoot me until I'm dead at which time I fall on my back, feet in the air and my tongue sticking out.  When that happens the two boys laugh hysterically.

The first time we played this I tried to discourage it by pointing out that there's nothing funny about guns, they're very dangerous and maybe we should do something more peaceful.

Almost-four Nicholas looked at me very puzzled and said, "but it's just make-believe, grampy.  Don't you know that?" 

Just make believe.  Just like when I used to play cowboys and Indians and cops and robbers when I was their age.  In fact I didn't have to pretend sticks were guns.  I actually had a toy six shooter (with realistic sounding caps, no less) and a holster--just like my TV heroes Gene Autry,  Roy Rogers, The Loan Ranger and many, many others had.

Soon enough I tired of the games and turned my attention to other things.  And so too will Cole & Nicholas. 

With recent events still fresh in the minds of Newtowners it's hard to remember that it's 'just make believe.'  We have to remind ourselves that playing these games doesn't mean our kids are going to turn into mass murderers. 

Normal, well adjusted kids will move on.  The ones we have to worry about are the ones who have something terribly wrong going on inside. 

The key is vigilance.  Constant vigilance. 

New stuff on Odds and Ends

Check out new stuff on Odds & Ends link on georgeswebpage.com.

New video on left and great joke on right.

A Child's Imagination

    Kids are amazing, aren't they?  Just think about their imaginations.  For example the rules they make up or bend when playing games is beyond anything any adult would dream of.  I guess it's the Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfreys of the world who got as far as they did because they refused to let rules stop them when they grew up.

Take for example the game Nicholas and I played today.  Nicholas is almost 4 and he likes to play floor hockey.  We use actual hockey sticks, a little red ball and play in the carpet (ice) in the playroom he shares with his brother Cole.

So here are the rules for today's game:
1. When he says hut, hut, hut, I get one strike.
2. If I cheer (which I do just as an automatic reflex) when I score, I go to timeout.  Only he's allowed to cheer.
3.  When he says 'zamboni time' that means he gets the vacuum cleaner and smooths out the carpet (ice) while I go to his room with my coach.
4.  My coach and I are not allowed to talk to each other.  If we do, I go to timeout.
5.  When taking shots, I have to put it in from the front but  Nicholas can go around the back if he wants to.
6.  If the puck (ball) goes onto their letters and numbers matt, it's out of bounds in which case he gets a free shot no matter who hit it out of bounds.

There are a couple of more 'rules' which I don't remember because I spent so much time in timeout, we didn't actually get to them.

And so it went.  Hockey according to Nicholas. 

Oh, on top of  all of that we had to play in the space created by both boys so there'd be room.  Check it out.  It took the rest of the morning to clean up the mess.

Good news...but there are those who still don't get it

Here's the latest:
Stock market reaching record highs
Unemployment rate finally below 8%
Home construction, sales and prices on the rise
Corporations stepping up their hiring plans

All good news, right?  Then why are there still those on conservative media sites like Fox News still bashing Obama?  And why do I continue to receive Obama-bashing email forwards from several friends and why do I continue to see anti Obama posts from so many people on Facebook?

What could be their motivation?  I'm afraid it comes down to one thing...and it's ugly, very ugly.

We have a long way to go in this country.

Neat video

Don't forget to check out the 'odds and ends' link on my website georgeswebpage.com.

My latest post is a video of birds performing various rituals (left side of page all the way down).  Very cool.

How do you feel?

Well, do you feel anything happening yet?  Why do I ask?  Well beginning today there will be massive budget cuts. Why?  Because the Federal budget is being 'sequestered', a process I used to think meant locking a jury away until a trial was over.

A great deal of money is at stake and it likely will not affect the majority of us but there are others who will experience cuts in pay or possibly even lose their jobs. 

The cuts don't actually begin to take place for a while yet so who knows, congress may come up with something. 

I'll revisit this topic as it develops.

An observation regarding computers

I have two email accounts: one for Charter and one at GMail. 

My Charter email is for mostly for personal or business purposes.  The GMail one is for internet subscriptions to various electronic publications and some internet purchases.

Between the two I get somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 to 70 messages a day.  The majority are in the form of spam on gmail which automatically goes into a spam folder.

So here's the observation:  more and more of my personal emails from friends and such are labeled sent from an iPhone or iPad. 

I heard some technogeek a little while ago predict that the age of the desktop or even laptop computer is drawing to a close because so many people use their smart phones or tablet computers.  Maybe he's right.  I find I myself even reply to a lot of emails with my iPad.  Yet I also use my desktop computer for just about everything else.  The keyboard is easier to use and the screen is easier to read plus I have more productivity applications on it.

It will be interesting to watch the trend develop.

On turning 70

Yesterday, February 23rd, I turned 70.  What have I learned in 70 years? The major theme running through my life and that of others who I talk to who are about the same age or older is that fewer and fewer things are really important.  If a person can say he/she has good health, a warm, loving family and peace of mind then you're way ahead of the game.

Of course there was a time when we were all much younger when things like being accepted, having fashionable clothes (not ever one of my concerns), a nice car, house, etc was important.  To some extent they are still important but they're definitely expendable.

What's important now is that I feel good and life is generally good.  So onto another year. 

RIP, Chubby

Today is a sad day in the Sullivan/Stockwell family.  Six-year-old Courtney's pet gerbil passed on to its larger reward...it died. 

This marks the first time that I know of that one of our grand children has had to deal with the loss of a pet.  Cole & Nicholas had a fish die a short time ago but they didn't even notice it.

My sister and I have a lot of experience dealing with the loss of pets.  First, we had a lot of them and second, my father didn't believe in vaccinations or pretty much any other kind of medical care for an animal (in fact I guess we were pretty lucky that WE got to a doctor from time to time).  The logical consequence of this was that we frequently arrived home from school only to be greeted with the news that our pet _____ had to "be put to sleep."

Like every other family,  when Peter and Becky were little, they too had to deal with the loss of a pet.  If I recall it was either a guinea pig or a rabbit or a squirrel we rescued but not dogs or cats. 

We handled it by saying things like it lived a good life and it was old anyway and it was now in a better place.  Whether or not they really bought that is anyone's guess.  The only time we used the "it's at a big farm now where it can be much happier" was when we had my mother's basset hound put to sleep because he was very mean and unpredictable.  The last thing it did was threaten Sandi one night when she got up to go in the kitchen for something.  That was it for him.  Big mistake.

Anyway, it's a situation every family with pets has to face at one time or another.  Some loss is gotten over fairly quickly.  Others won't be.  For example the loss of the two dogs, Sadie and Lacey, in my son's and daughter's families are going to be very sad just as it was for us when we lost Frankie and Brandy.

But that's life...and it goes on...regardless.

Upcoming milestone

This blog started about 5 years ago is approaching 12000 views (no, they're not all mine).  Recently it has been averaging 20 views a day.  I wonder who's looking?  Leave a comment.

The following message was originally posted on Facebook about a week ago.  It bears repeating:
"I have an urgent request of  some of our more vocal gun-rights advocates: please keep in mind that it has been only a little over two months since the horrific tragedy at Sandy Hook School. Please temper your remarks and have some consideration for those who have suffered so. In spite of the paranoid remarks of the leader of the NRA, no one is going to strip you of your precious right to bear arms. Just have a little consideration. Thanking you in advance."

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

Go to georgeswebpage.com and scroll down to most recent post on left side of page for your laugh for the day.  Be sure to watch it all the way through.

The blizzard of 2013

What a mess.  I worked all day to at least make room for one vehicle to get out. 

Not counting the drifting, I'd say we got conservatively 18".  Between the drifts and the town plows the snow at the foot of my driveway was well over 4 feet deep.  Very slow going but I'm getting there.  Back at it tomorrow to shovel the walk way, a path to the bird feeders and the finishing touches on the driveway.

This is getting old, very very old.