Someone critized the President for wearing his uniform blue suit to the Pope's funeral.

"Yeah. You're right," I agreed. "He should have sent John Fetterman in his place because Fetterman owns a black hoodie."

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Yeah. I always tip the arresting officer. Five buck if the cuffs are not too tight

and he doesn't bang my head against the cruiser roof when he seats me."

I was listening to someone babble about the judge that got busted for trying to help an illegal alien escape. Yada yada yada so when I got a word in edgewise I said "I hope she tipped the arresting officer. I always do. Every time I get thrown in jail."

"You do?" he asked.

Yeah.  I always tip the arresting officer. Five buck if the cuffs are not too tight and he doesn't bang my head against the cruiser roof when he seats me." I answered

"Really?"

When I heard that I knew I'd found another live one.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Just an open letter regarding Holland (which became the Netherlands in 2019)

For the record, Anne Frank entered Holland legally before it was invaded by Germany. She had every right to be there. Her father, Otto, had gotten the needed visas and moved his family there in 1933 and opened two spice related businesses. 

After Germany invaded they started rounding up Jews. To their shame, Holland did not protect their Jews with the same vigor that Denmark did. Out of the 140,000 Dutch Jews, about 100,000 were lost in the Holocaust. Denmark managed to save 95% of their Jews.

Personally I still often refer to the place casually as Holland and there are a pair of counties there that constitute Holland. The Dutch changed the name to bring the rest of the country to light and make it known that the country doesn't consist of just two counties. Whatever. Their country, their choice of what to name it.

In other news, the Dutch have a relationship with Suriname and periodically send troops there for jungle warfare training. One of the things they have done is gotten a Suriname amateur radio callsign, PZ5JT and use ham radio as a training tool. The American military does this also with cross band communications drills but I digress. I have worked both militaries and have the QSL cards to prove it.

Working ham pileups is excellent cost effective training for military radio operators. The have to pull callsigns consisting of letters and numbers out of chaotic pileups of babbling hams and they have to be fast and accurate. Military radio operators constantly deal with letters and numbers which makes this training, while a little unorthodox, very useful.

Back to the Franks. They moved to Holland in 1933 and in May, 1940 Germany invaded and held de facto ownership of Holland until May, 1945, five long years. Legal ownership of Holland during the war years probably created legal jurisdiction problems that most likely to some small extent continue to this day.

On release from Auschwitz-Birkenau Otto  Frank returned to Amsterdam on 3 June, 1945. His wife had died there and Anne and her sister died at Bergen-Belsen. He found that the keepers of the secret annex he had hidden in had survived the war and when he visited the secret annex that had they  had hidden in for over two years he discovered Anne's diary that he had published. 

Otto never became a Dutch citizen. After the war he became a stateless person and never had a passport. In 1953 he remarried and the couple moved to Switzerland where he lived out the remainder of his life. In 1957 he went to Amsterdam and formed the Anne Frank Foundation, rescued the building the family had been hidden in from demolition. It opened as a museum in 1960 and is still open to this day.  

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Craftsmanship because craftsmanship.

I have finally come to the conclusion that craftsmanship is its own reward and in this day and age there are too many people that don't have even a remote clue.

I was admiring an old restored car and it was immaculate and was totally showroom quality, a relic from the 1920s. It was an incredible display of craftsmanship.

Someone came by, took a look at it, looked at me and asked why someone would have such an old car.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

No mow April is almost over

which means 1 May I fire up the old Honda and start cutting the grass for another season which is fine.

No mow April is because a few of us held back cutting grass to give another neighbors bees a head start on another season.

I have a neighbor that's a beekeeper and I had heard about no mow April and ran it by him. He said it would be helpful so I mentioned it to a couple of neighbors and we decided to have a no mow April.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Hold my beer

Probably about ten years ago I was back in the old neighborhood and standing on the bridge I used to dive off watching kids do what I used to do. It was a good feeling seeing that there are still a few stouthearted souls out there that were following the footsteps of their elders.

Anyway something happened inside me and curiosity overwhelmed me. It was a hot summer day and I was wondering if I still knew how to dive off a bridge. 

In a hold my beer moment I dropped my flip flops, took off my T-shirt and stood on the rail. One of the pups gave me the business about being old and I impulsively leapt and went into a perfect swan dive until I realized the tide was out and the water wasn't really very deep.

Change in plans!!!!!

I quickly changed position, arched my back and got my hands into position for a shallow dive which I executed well enough so that I only scraped bottom and survived with a few scratches on my belly.

I swam ashore, grabbed my flip flops and T-shirt, headed over to the car and sat there shaking like a leaf a few minutes and drove off, waving at the amazed kids.

Won't do that again

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Making midgrade gasoline Old School style.

Midgrade is basically a simple mixture of premium and regular. Back in the day we used to make it on board by loading half a load of regular and half a load of premium. Generally it was either a 50/50 or 60/40 mixture.

Early on in my career these were a PITA because it usually involved 3 companies, the shipper the receiver and the transporter. We were the transporter.

Of course the shipper wanted to send out as little premium in the mixture to 'make specification' to save money. The receiver wanted his cargo to be on spec or greater and as a shipper I was caught in the middle.

Early on I learned to cut the regular short a few barrels and make up for the shortage with the premium and keep the percentages favorable for the  premium without making it too obvious.

You had to be pretty slick and the trick was that for a 50/50 blend you had to load 50.1% premium and 49.9% regular which would clearly 'make spec' but not be over too much to let the shipper accuse us of screwing up. When you did that you saved all of your worksheets to cover yourself.

Later on in my career the bean counters entered the fray and then all bets were off. We simply stopped doing gasoline blends because the bean counters came charging in and created problems where there were none to justify their jobs.

88888888888888888888888888888888

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

"People are getting more and more in debt!" screamed some liberal.

Granted a handful are simply because they are either physically or mentally incapable of finding decent employment but most underemployed people have made bad choices. Live with it.

I'm addressing the millions of people out there that have a suitable income and can't live within their means. I've done rather well looking at the big picture. I had an income that put me in the top 1% of the world which means over $53,000/year. I actually do better than that but that's neither here nor there. Relatively speaking I make more than most. I earned it without a college education.

That being said, I certainly don't live like I do. My pickup is about 16 years old and in good shape because I have taken care of it. I didn't change the oil on schedule because I could afford to. I changed it because I couldn't afford not to. 

My phone as a Samsung Walmart special I paid about $125 for and my sneakers came from the same place. I'll keep the phone until the battery starts acting up and stops taking a decent charge. I take care of it and usually charge the battery to 80% to prolong its life. Occasionally I charge it to 100% if I deem it prudent.

In short I don't need a new car every few years or an $1100 iPhone every couple of years. My Android phone does everything I want it to do and does it more than well enough to suit me. The big money iPhone may have more features in it but most people never use them in the first place. 

I simply buy what I need and don't worry about it. If it works I continue using it until it breaks, wears out or becomes obsolete.

On the other hand I don't buy a lot of foofuraw, either.  

I really don't have a lot of sympathy for those people that go through life thinking they need all sorts of expensive stupid stuff, especially if they buy it on credit.

You live under your means.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

We're in for a new Pope.

It will be interesting to see who creates the puff of white smoke.

White smoke?

Yes. White smoke. White smoke means we have a new Pope.

It comes from the olden days. A pope is elected by secret ballot by the College of Cardinals and if on the first round one is not elected the ballots are gathered and put into a stove and a cup of olive oil is added and the fire is lit. The olive oil creates black smoke. The process is repeated until a pope is elected.

When that happens the ballots are burned and no olive oil is added to the fire, creating white smoke.

Thousands of Italians would watch 24/7 for day, sometimes weeks and even months looking for the white smoke and cheer and spread the word far and wide that there is a new pope.

Nowadays not only do the usual gang of Italians watch but the news services station post a camera or three thousand there and the word goes throughout the entire planet immediately making the old gang of hewers and criers obsolete in this day and age.   

Back in the day it took a few hours to find out we had a new pope. Reporters would have to be there to call in in to their radio or TV stations or wire services and then it would be on radio and TV. A lot of people would simply read it in the daily newspaper.

Now we have the internet and we can see it live, with probably a nanosecond delay.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Another day where the skies are playing with me.

A nuisance day that has the weather spinning from CAVU and T-storms. It's a nuisance because I really can't figure out what to do.

The minute I decide to garden it clouds up and looks like rain and the instant I go back in it clears up again.

Thank God it started raining and the suspense is over and done with.

================================

It's no mow April and four of our houses look like hell and will for another ten days because mowing season starts 1 May. 

The reason for this is that we have a neighborhood beekeeper and holding off until May gives the bees kind of a jump start because all of the early stuff pops up in our lawns ahead of the usual flowers and stuff.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I am now safer from hoof and mouth disease

because I can no longer bite my toenails.

(Always look on the brighter side of life)

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Well, guys,

it's getting closer and closer to the 4th Annual Greta Thunberg Tire Fire.

Start going through your garage and digging out all those worn out tires you've been meaning to get rid of!

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

For the past 20 years or so I've been watching

the couple down the street raise a couple of sons and they've done a damned good job. He's been a damned good father which is a rare thing and she's been a damned good mother which is one hell of a lot rarer. Good mothers are priceless. They listen to their children.

The oldest wanted to enter the trades and both parents suggested a year at college to test the waters. He returned after a year and decided to enter the trades and it won't be long now before he starts his own small business. 

The youngest is working at a local market as a high school senior.

They've raise the kids with a lot of love, the necessary discipline and a rare form of common sense which is unusual as hell in this day and age.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yesterday I ran into the woman that saved my house the day of the fire. She and her daughter saw it and reported it and let the fire crew know what was going on. 

She just turned 40 and for the past year or more she's walked by the house and I have failed to recognize her because she lost a lot of weight and has turned into quite an eyeful. 

When we chatted she had a wonderful aura about her because she's happy with her life and is doing well. She recently remarried and he seems to be a really good guy.

This is a pretty good neighborhood.

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Upgrading to Windows 11

Which is a royal pain in the ass after so many years of Windows 10. 

Truth of the matter is that had they continued security updates on Windows XP I would likely still be running with it.

I really don't need a lot of computing power or fancy features. As I have posted time and again I like to keep things simple.

This computer doesn't have enough juice to run Windows 11 but the next model in the series does and is actually a duplicate to this machine, a Panasonic CF 53, MK I. The new machine is a CF 53 MK III which has enough memory to run Windows 11.

They stopped supporting it 11 years ago and I still think (that for my purposes) it was the best version of Window they made.

Since Day One I have run with rugged laptops and even though I'm retired and not dragging a laptop all over hell I've continued the habit.

After 10 years of Windows 10 habits ingrained it is going to be a pain in the a$$.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

We live in a nation of panics.

The current panic in my neck of the woods is getting a Real ID before the deadline. It's hilarious because the law has only been on the books for about 20 years and in PA it's been available since March of 2019 which means the past 6 years.  

I got mine a couple of years ago and was in and out of the DMV in about 20 minutes, if that. I didn't really need it and still don't because I have a TWIC card, a Merchant Mariner's Document, a passport and a passport card. Any of these suffice as a Real ID.

The thing that amuses me is the attitude that they MUST have this ID before the deadline or they're losing out on something and will never be able to get it again.

If you are not going to be able to fly in the near future you have nothing to worry about. Just let it slide for a month or so after the deadline and wander in and get one after the mob subsides.

Still, the panic of getting it before the deadline is in full swing. It's hilarious because I am getting reports of three hour and longer waits standing in line for something most people won't need in the immediate future if ever.

I guess that people don't want the feeling of being left out.

Left out of what, I don't know. 

Still, an awful lot of people are in panic mode and I suppose that after May 7 the panic will subside.

Someone posted that it was unfair because he had bought tickets to leave May 3rd and return on May 10 and now his whole vacation was going to be ruined. What was he thinking? Or maybe he just wasn't thinking. Who knows? It's not like this just sneaked up on him.

Of course he's blaming the government and probably Trump for this even though the legislation was enacted about 2005 and has been put off several times.

It would be a damned shame if the guy stood up at the plate and simply admitted he screwed up.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I just read where RFKjr wants to take the poisons out of school lunches.

I recall Michelle Obama trying something along those lines and the kids didn't like it because they were all pretty content eating junk.

I had figured that would happen and I figure it's going to happen if RFKjr gets his way and I hope he does.

Give the kids solid, nutritious meals and if the kids don't eat them, fine. Many of them are just plain too fat to begin with.

Those kids that are not getting fed at home properly will gladly wolf them down.

Win/win. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

For the 654the time I have had someone tell me DOGE is unconstitutional.

Here you go.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

We have a right to know where our money is being spent.

Please note it wasn't an afterthought. It's in Article One.

Now go find a safe space somewhere and pout. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I see where the governor of PA's house got torched.

which was no great surprise whatsoever.

While I certainly do NOT condone it. It was outright wrong and the perpetrator belongs in jail for a lengthy stretch.

Still I am not surprised and I have no sympathy whatsoever for Josh Shapiro. Where was he when the left was running around vandalizing Teslas? Did he speak out once about the doxing campaign the left was pulling for years? Did he ever speak out about the rioting and arson committed by BLM?

I never heard a single peep.

That tells me he thought it was just fine by him or he would have spoken out.

What were you thinking when you kept quiet over the vandalism, looting, rioting and doxing? While we're at it, why didn't you speak out against the four counties that tried to steal the election of Dave McCormick to the Senate?

You may not realize it but you are the governor of a state that includes Democrats AND Republicans. We're ALL Pennsylvanians and none of us likes to see our property vandalized. We ALL deserve a fair shake.

Why did you not speak out? My guess is simply because it was the right that was being victimized and not your side. You probably liked seeing the wedge driven in deeper and deeper.

Your duty is to ALL Pennsylvanians, not just Democrats. Incidentally you might recall that the majority of Pennsylvanians voted for Dave McCormick and Donald Trump. What about them? Don't they deserve the same protection as anyone else? 

Of course the left is going to make a big ballyhoo about your being a victim of arson but the right will correctly point out that you've tolerated vandalism against the right by not speaking out. In effect you have brought this on yourself to some extent.

Your previous silence speaks loudly. Streets are named after the attitude you have previously displayed, One Way.

Of course now you will most likely speak of the outrage now that you've had a taste of it but you get no sympathy from me. None.

I recently read a poll taken among Democrats and it said that 55% of them found the murder of a sitting, duly elected President of the United States to be acceptable to them. The doesn't speak very highly of your party. Remember, sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander.

While I certainly don't advocate violence against anyone except for clear-cut cases of self-defense, I can certainly say that it's a disgrace that as governor you have not spoken out against violence and defended people's right to life and property for ALL Pennsylvanians.

While it's a damned shame that you got burned out, I am not really surprised. Maybe this will serve as a wake-up call to get you to make the politically difficult decision to stop the violence.

 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Voter suppression my ass!

Requiring proof of citizenship to vote is not voter suppression at all. It's just a lame excuse to hide being able to rig elections.

Most of the people that they claim are being suppressed are collecting state or federal benefits of some sort or have at least gotten driver's licenses or permit of some sort. 

If they can do that they can get off their asses and go and register to vote in person.

What bull$hit!

****************************

A young man reported to me that when he meets a woman and sets up a coffee date the first thing he does is smirk and says, "By the way, I assume you were born with all of your female parts. Just trying to get things on the up and up because I don't like surprises."

He reports that it answers two questions instantly and saves time. First that she's biologically female with all the parts and just as importantly that she probably has a pretty good sense of humor.

Makes sense to me. 

Back when I was dating I do believe probably I would have done the same thing under current circumstances.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

One of my favorite stories I read

was how a school janitor handled the problem of young girls leaving lipstick prints on the mirror over the sinks in the bathrooms.

A teacher brought a group of girls into the girl's room and explained that it was a lot of trouble for the janitor to clean the mirrors every day and as she was speaking the janitor dipped a sponge into one of the toilets and started wiping the lipstick off of the mirrors with it.

That ended that immediately.

In fact the girls took better care of the girls room after that.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Social media post of the century.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I just read where Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield

refused to put up President Trump and SecDef Pete Hegseth's picture up where it is supposed to be posted by regulation in the chain of command board.

That was stupid but the stupidity doesn't stop there. 

She called an 'All Hands' meeting and told everyone that they were just going to sit things out for the next four years, assuming that everyone agreed with her politics.

What was she thinking? Was she stupid enough to think that everyone would keep quiet about the meeting? That nobody would say anything?

My guess is that some young serious minded first hitch Seaman Apprentice went straight to the JAG office and spilled the beans. 

Fact is someone talked and it took JAG about ten minutes to build an airtight case on her for insubordination and probably a few other assorted charges.

She seemed to forget who her bosses were and let her stars go to her head. She also seemed to forget that she serves at the pleasure of the president. I guess she discovered that the president wasn't too please with her so she got fired.

Personally I think she should have been busted to ensign, her retirement papers refused and she should have been assigned to a tugboat in the Aleutians as a morale officer and after a couple of years after developing an incurable case of the Aleutian Stare be permitted to retire as an ensign. 

To be honest the reason I guessed a Seaman Apprentice is that it would be fitting. Picture down the road listening to a sailor say, "Did I ever tell you about the time I was a Seaman Apprentice and got a Vice Admiral busted?"

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Not all kids are a box of rocks.

Over the years I have been surprised at how sharp some kids are.

Several years ago at a roadside rest area on the turnpike I wandered in and the background music was the Village People singing YMCA.

There were four kids about 15 years old lined up doing the letter thing with their hands along to the song that was released in 1978 which was at least 20 years before they were even born. I laughed like hell.

Sometimes things transcend generations. 

A few months ago a youngster working in a local supermarket was responding to a 'Cleanup in aisle 3' call. It was a broken jar of some substance that might have even been edible. The jar had shattered and spread its contents over about a 2 square foot area.

When he muttered to himself "What idiot did this?" rhetorically I just had to answer. I told him he ought to call Charlie Chan to come and solve this mystery.

The kid smirked and gave me a smug look and said, "It's easier for me to just clean it up because Charlie would bring Number One Son along and turn the whole thing into a big chaotic mess."

I was really surprised with the answer. The First Charlie Chan movie came out in 1926 and the most recent was released in 1981. The kid was sharp! How he knew that was beyond me. 

Then there was the guy about 18ish that held the door for me at a convenience store. I cackled at him "Thank you, Sonny for being so kind to a senior citizen. Your mother should be proud to have raised a son with such good manners."

"Forget it, Pops," he shot back. "You old guys are of afraid of getting a life sentence and I don't feel like getting shanked today."

That one came completely out of nowhere and hit me like a brick in the back of the head and left me practically unable to walk because I was laughing so hard. When I recovered I told him his father must be proud of having raised such a sharp cookie and he grinned broadly.

I think my all time favorite was the teenaged girl that was on her first day of working at McDonald's. It was rush time and they were writing first names on tickets and would call them out when the order was ready. She asked me my first name.

I stood there slack jawed and said, "Well...well I don't have one. I lost it last night in a poker game."

The sweet young girl didn't bat an eyelash. She said, "You can use my middle name until you pay your poker debt off. It's Louise." and wrote it on the ticket.

Sure enough, a few minutes later she called out 'Louise' and when I came forth she handed me my order.

I thought about her for a few minutes and figure the was probably the youngest of seven kids with six older brothers.

While the average kid these days is probably a box of rocks it's a joy to run into a sharp youngster. It give me hope.

That's why I like to cast my bread on the water. Sometimes you get back poached eggs on toast.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I listened to a dehired federal employee's brother in law's college roomate.

who was bellyaching about how the dehired employee busted his ass and was the best worker in the whole wide world.

"He probably was," I replied. "But then again was the job he was doing really needed? Was it even worth doing?"

He didn't know what to say.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Right now I am listening to screeching about people's 401Ks losing money

which I saw coming LONG ago, well before the election. He said there was going to be a short term dip before things started to go up.

I  also read today that the Chinese stock market took a huge hit also and my guess is that China is going to cave shortly.

We shall see what we shall see.

Everybody always seems to forget what the Late Great Yogi Berra sagely said. "The game ain't over til it's over."

His term has 45 months left to go and one way or the other, things are just getting started.

--------------------------------------------------------

Enclosed is an interview a reporter made with an anti Trump protester.

ANTI-TRUMP & ANTI-MUSK PROTESTERS EXPOSED!

Woke-Left protesters UNABLE to explain why President Trump is a Facist, pulls out a paper handout he was given with talking points AND still can't explain himself!

**Reporter:** "So what makes Trump a fascist?"

**Protester:** "Uh, I mean... does things without—"

**Reporter:** "You've got to talk loud, I don't have my mic on."

**Protester:** "I'm not really good at interviews or stuff."

**Reporter:** "Sorry?"

**Protester:** "He just does everything he wants and, you know, not following laws or... He was a convicted felon, you know, that's all I know."

**Reporter:** "But your sign says he's a fascist, and I'm just curious, what makes him a fascist?"

**Protester:** "One of the things is that he's trying to control the media, right?"

**Reporter:** "Say that again?"

**Protester:** "He's trying to control the narrative. Like—"

**Reporter:** "How is he trying to control the media? Doesn't every president try to control the narrative?"

**Protester:** "They try to control their own narrative but one of the things that Trump's has done, for example, is the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico and then not allowing the Associated Press to come into the White House. Basically, you know, trying to get..."

**Reporter:** "What are your feelings about him renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America when a majority of the Gulf is in fact on the coast of America as opposed to Mexico?"

**Protester:** "I mean, it's kind of pointless. People—"

**Reporter:** "Is it pointless?"

**Protester:** "Yeah, people call it the Gulf of Mexico, what's the point?"

**Reporter:** "Don't you think it could have a positive tourism impact, potentially?"

**Protester:** "Tourism has been down heavily."

**Reporter:** "So I don't want to get into a tourism debate. My question is, this sign says: 'The Fascist Trump regime must go!' And so I'm just curious, what makes him a fascist? You pointed out that maybe something about his relationship with the media, he wants to control it, but... yeah—again, you're specific—you're calling him a fascist?"

**Protester:** "Yeah, well, one of the core tenets of fascism is creating an enemy, right? And blaming those problems on the enemy."

**Reporter:** "What's that?"

**Protester:** "It's a paper they gave me, yeah."

**Reporter:** "Who gave you that?"

**Protester:** "The people that gave me the sign. It's a free sign."

**Reporter:** "Someone gave you the sign and then they gave you the handout? So are you reading it now to try to answer the question?"

**Protester:** "Yeah, but I mean..."

**Reporter:** "Can I see that? Can you hold that up?"

**Protester:** "You can have it."

**Reporter:** "I can have it?"

**Protester:** "Yes, you can have it."

**Reporter:** "Alrighty. So where did you get the sign?"

**Protester:** "All the way in the gatekeeper's house. Yeah, it was just laying around."

**Reporter:** "And that's another one? They gave you two pieces of paper?"

**Protester:** "Yes, you can have both."

**Reporter:** "Oh, okay. So what brings you guys out here today?"

**Protester:** "Just because I saw people were hanging out with people, for, you know, the same thing as everyone else—executive overreach."

To which I reply "Oh."

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

My hometown still has town meetings

which used to be a real hoot.

They're usually late in March when everyone is keyed up because winter is ALMOST over and it generally turns out to be a vent for cabin fever.

It's the last active form of pure democracy left. Most other places have various city manager type governments.

I started attending as a teenager and was permitted to sit 'behind the bar' because I couldn't vote. Still, it was interesting because the town was in the process of changing from a quaint New England small town into a bedroom community for Boston.

The change in atmosphere between small town and bedroom community cause friction and kept things interesting. 

As to be expected anything that looked like it was going to cost money got voted down. It took about three or four years for the fire chief to get a new fire truck back in the 60s and we had an unfinished bridge crossing the river for years until a few smoothies talked the town into it. 

At times some of the town characters would speak up with a crackpot idea and provide comic relief. Everybody had a say if they wanted one.

One character knew Robert's Rules of Order inside and out and took it upon himself to make the moderator adhere to them religiously.

"Mister Moderator! Point of order!" he shout and proceed to correct the moderator and get him back on track. Actually it served a purpose because it made the proceedings pretty airtight because everything was kept inside the rules.

My favorite subject was the fire chief getting a new fire engine. 

There were a couple of taller buildings going up and it could potentially prove to be useful but old Mort the fire chief really wasn't a good public speaker. Instead of pointing out the fact that the town was changing he said, "If you get a cat stuck in a tree we can come and get it down quickly and in most instances not even have to drive the truck onto your property."

Needless to say, it was voted down.

The following year a couple of people spoke up and gave realistic expectations regarding the potential of the ladder truck to public safety and the new purchase squeaked by, winning by a handful of votes.

That was over 50 years ago and I would not be surprised to find the same truck is still in use today.

As an old man I'd like to sit behind the bar again and see how much things have changed. I'm sure it has because the people are no longer small town folks. I'd probably be disappointed.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

OMG! Elon Musk wants to put grandma in her wheelchair and push her off a cliff!

Oh, yeah? I'll tell you what I'm going to do about it!

I'm going to go to the bottom of the cliff, recover her body and stick it in the freezer so the funeral home doesn't report her death.

Then I'm going to collect her monthly checks until she turns 120 at which time I will out an SSA-721 and report her death and take her out of the freezer and thaw her out. Then I will bury her in the back yard and cover her grave with endangered flowers so it is illegal to dig her up.

That'll fix him!

It's pretty damned sad when the left starts having to use scare tactics on seniors. It's outright cruel.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I discovered melatonin. It's replaced bourbon.

About a month or so someone turned me on to melatonin as a sleep aid. Prior to that almost every night I'd have a double shot of bourbon or sometimes brandy about a half hour before turning in.

I had discovered the bourbon helped keep my CPAP sleep numbers high. I've done this for quite some time. 

After trying out the melatonin for about a week I parked the bourbon bottle before bed. Melatonin is produced by the body to enhance sleep and as one ages the production slows down. A couple of melatonin gummies about a half hour before bed helps considerably with getting to sleep.

Right now my 'liquor ration' is down to a snort on Tuesday night after I read The Preamble of the Constitution on the Tuesday night ham net and 2 Guinness draughts on Wednesday night at the Sportsman club to get out of the house and socialize. The bourbon is an American thing. It's supposed to follow the reading of the Preamble.

I think I'm pretty much going to keep it that way for a while. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

Rent this space.

Advertise here for $10/week. 

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY

I had cataract surgery 31 March

and the results were amazing. It seems to get better by the hour today. I can now go back to shooting with iron sights.

In other news, someone on Nextdoor found a sausage in their mailbox and is going nuts trying to find the reason. My guess is some kid found it somewhere along the line and just flipped it in to make the person wonder and get all keyed up.

They wanted to know what it meant. Was it part of some great conspiracy? Was it because of the way they voted? Why did someone put a sausage in their mailbox?

I answered "It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the pigs." and let it go at that.

I imagine that when they see that they are going to wonder who Luca Brasi is.

To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY