Watertown, NY, USA . "Public Square" (vintage, date unknown) but the monument is honoring veterans of the American Civil War so the date of the image is late 1800s

Thursday, September 28, 2017

  this morning I walk mostly because I could, for the first time in several weeks, feet good weather more to my liking......but this evening the walk was secondary.....it was i needed, check that things I wanted.......the first was some Lebanon Bologna.....and as it turned out my fav lady was behind the deli counter......I needed, read wanted some good cheese.........wanted a good sheep's milk cheese......sorry.......next choice a nice British blue......oops.......ended up with a very good Danish blue......not my first choice but very acceptable, and very well enjoyed.....a  fine Ghirardelli candy bar.......dark chocolate with sea salt and roasted almonds.....some yogurt, cherry and peach.....and 2 single serve Sufferer's garlic Parmesan  mac and cheese.....nothing i really needed......I could have lived without any and all of those items, but why......too often we live our lives with what we need......but once in awhile life should be about what we want.......that in a nutshell was tonight's walk.........
  Finally things are more or less back to normal........weather appropriate for this time of year, low humidity and temperatures in the high 50'sF to low 60'sF, and my feet are basically back to normal, certainly not normal for a young man but normal for a man nearing 70 years old.......took a very leisurely, lovely walk........just one stop to make, but it was more about the walk..........because  of both weather and physical concerns it's been over a month since I've really enjoyed a walk......

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

  If you've been reading here you are aware that I've been dealing with a mobility issue, my feet have rebelled.....that problem seems to be over, at least for now........it's chronic, and periodic....but now my issue is environmental.......despite the fact that it's late September, the weather has been high 80';s to low 90's and humidity in excess of 90%......and as I'm nearing my 70th B-day......I just don't handle weather like that anymore......but you must understand......they say that your body adapts to the most common extreme........where I live that extreme is cold......the worst I can remember was several years ago.........actual temperature was -55*F......with 55 MPH winds...wind chill was  -100*F and maybe a bit more.......obviously we could not go out.........but my point is there is a justifiable reason why I can handle way above average ( for here anyways) heat and humidity......now that was the extreme but most winters we have days where we see days with temperatures in the range of -20*F and wind chills around -40*F.........and to be honest......I don't handle those extremes very well any more either.....

Monday, September 25, 2017

  I've been dealing with foot issues for the last few weeks.....and awoke this morning and the feet are like 95% normal.......but after a wet and below average temperature in August and early September the last couple of weeks have been hot and humid, and I don't deal well with those condition at my age, on top of that my balance is way off today.....plus it feels like I maybe coming down with a cold or flu.......as i get older if one thing doesn't get me, something else will.......

Monday, September 18, 2017

    If you're looking for my rant on the biblical references to end times it's below........
  but back to mundane matters
    I've been dealing with physical issues with my feet for the last 3 or 4 weeks.......usually my feet choose to attack me one at a time, but they "decided" to attack me together...but today although they aren't back to what I would describe as normal......close enough that I could take a normal walk.....but there again, if what I'm dealing with the "new normal".......so be it
  have a doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks and I deal with it then.....plus I have other issues as far as meds that I need to discuss.....but actually walked twice today.........if the foot problems are what I have to deal with now.....it tis what it tis....... 
  The prediction of end times from a biblical perspective drives me nuts.....first of all there is this passage of scripture
  Matthew 24:36
[ The Day and Hour Unknown ] “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
  somewhere in storage I have a whole stack of books that predicted the end of times, from a biblical perspective.......from the mid 1800's and beyond that........and the Antichrist was, Kemale  Ataturk, thru Hitler, Stalin, Henry Kissinger, and then there's one online that said it was Obama........and if I really cared I probably could find one that said it's Trump.........
 I taught Adult Christian Education in different Christian churches for 35+ .years in Christian churches.....aka adult Sunday school.......but there were 2 books/passages I never taught the Song of Solomon, or the  only the first 3 chapters of Revelation........
  18 For I protest unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 And if any man shall diminish of the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy City, and from those things which are written in this book. 20 He which testifieth these things, saith, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
  That prohibition scares the heck out of me
  Besides I know the Greek..........the passage that identifies the Antichrist....is miss read.....many think the number is six six six, but in the Greek it's actually 600 and 60 and 6..........but in some manuscripts it's 600 and 10 and 6,
   anyone who tries to predict the  start of the beginning of end times from the view point of biblical perspective.......is frankly wrong.......
  I found it Trump as Antichrist (link)
   Just out my front door where I live is an Asian Bistro, called Ichiban, and although they do do different Asian cuisines, the do excellent Japanese, as a kid I was exposed to pickled, smoked and salted fish......I have a bottle of picketed Herring in wine sauce.....so the jump to raw fish is not a jump at all........not a huge fan of Maki rolls, or Sushi for that matter, not a huge fan of rice unless it's in polish cabbage rolls.......but Sushimi.......raw or slightly pickled seafood......
  so for lunch, the special.....the Sushimi lunch.....Miso soup, a simple salad, and Rock Shrimp Tempura .........but that's the way I order delivery, still got some Buffalo wings, and the order of Japanese.....will last me 2 or 3 days, plus that I live in a hotel with free breakfast......

  My feet are finally getting back to normal, now don't misunderstand.....we're talking normal for my feet at near 70 years old , and many injuries, not counting the ware and tare of 35 some odd years of pounding the cement floors of a factory........so........
  I could walk a tad over a 100 feet to the Asian Bistro just outside where I live, for lunch, or if I order a 10$ minimum, I can get free delivery....now I'm going to tip either way......( the mad one pauses) .....going to cost me the same amount one way or the other.......did I mention I'll be 70 years old soon..........( the mad one winks).......(the mad one picks up the telephone).......

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

  As i get older memories from my youth flood back into my mind.......there are days that I forget what day or date it is, or what i ate for breakfast, but recalled events that happened sometimes over 60 years ago (if your new to this blog I'll be 70 this December)
  I've always been a prankster, although I don't remember the first one, I'm guessing it was one that I pulled as a kid, on my mom when I still was in my crib...........there are a bunch of not just pranks but some of the crazy stunts I pulled, sometimes on purpose, and sometimes by pure accident, or that I have a long history of being a klutz......( just as an aside you may what to bookmark a Yiddish dictionary........)
  Someday I may recount the disappearance of the Seal of the College I went to, but I'm not sure the statute of limitations has run out..........well legality I'm sure it has, but from the college's point of view........well I did return it.......and I only did it because a senior and a friend had never pulled a prank and didn't want to graduate without being part of one.........well that's my story and I'm  sticking to it........the best part of this, only 2 of us knew about it, but the administration was tearing the campus apart and when found it had only moved like 30 feet, and was in a closet in the administration wing.......and my friend, lookout duty, didn't even know until it was done..........
  The best part was the Academic Dean.......came up to me and said "I don't care what anyone else thinks, I think it's funny"...........but then I was a friend of one of his daughter.......and she was clueless, had no idea I was involved....... 

Sunday, September 10, 2017

(if you're looking for my rant it's the post below)
  My freshman year in high school, our band director created small group lessons, and as 1st horn i was put in a woodwind quintet.........not that I was ready for it, but i grew in to it...............and loved it..........maybe it was the genesis of my love for small group musically groups.........but this is not the point.........
  because of the schedule, I ate lunch in the 3rd lunch period, I was a junior at the time ,just band and senior choir, ate that period, so the lunch room was  empty, and I could find an empty table.......but this time a senior, a band mate, a woodwind quintet mate, ask if she could sit down........and slid a score to me, said she * you know by now the tradition, she was a senior and a flautist......( that means she played a flute.......not even spell check knew the term)........because I'm majoring in music I get a senior piece.......normally it was with the band but she had picked a flute/horn duet.........I was honored.......I looked at the score.......with a few tries no big deal........but I asked who's playing the piano.......she said LG..........who was one of our quintet mates......in quintet she played clarinet, but also played piano.....didn't know that at that point......but agreed.......
  after a few rehearsals........everything was going great.......all involved were playing great.........another lunch.........again I found a table  alone......and KL ask if she could sit down........what's up.......said she......."if you agree I'd like to go to the band director and change what we're doing from flute/horn with piano accompaniment to a trio".........if I remember I laughed.......and said I've thought that for days, but it's your call, and that's what we did.........  
  Okay, so maybe, you can think that I'm writing this from the perspective of some old white guy, but from what I know, my genetic heritage, is Prussian, Polish, and Eastern European Jew........although I'm  Christian not only by choice but by formal education......plus by avocation, not vocation.....I have multiply hours of study in world history as well as other topics.......
  A conservative estimate of the writings of Moses, places them about 3500 years ago, and for the 400 years preceding those writings  the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt.....written texts date from about 5500 years ago and they reference slavery...............plus even today there are the fact that slavery still exist......Asian sex slaves in the USA.........
  There are people who what the faces of Washington and Jefferson removed from Mount Rushmore.....because they owned slaves............but with out compromise with the South......the United States would not exist..........Now I'm not suggesting that the African slaves in the USA was right.....but that was outlawed over 150 years ago......and the segregation which they went thru were not right either......
  But to go back, to change what history tells us, to erase the memory and history........those military leaders, who left the US army, to fight for their home states...take their actions out of context ....at that time loyalty to state......states rights if you will.....was stronger then loyalty to the nation.......
 I accept the facts that there are many who will reject my point of view.......but it is my point of view..... 

Friday, September 8, 2017

  While I slept my hit counter rolled past 20k hits, now I've had the blog for almost 15 years and there was a period of about 5 years that for one reason or another I didn't post..........and I'm also quite aware that there are sites that get 20k hits in way less then a day...........but for just the muses and whimsy of an old grumpy man, and from time to time a rant............all in all it ain't bad........ 

Thursday, September 7, 2017

  I got caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, ( as per usual no details)........I was just in the wrong place, wrong time.......not that i was a participant in the incident......merely an observer.....but it put me in a place that  i hoped would not place me where someone would ask what I thought, dang security cameras........I couldn't deny I was there........and I couldn't claim the 5th amendment....all i did was observe......I hate it when I just would rather say nothing........but I was asked my opinion...........and I had to respond........possibility to the determent of one of the parties evolved..... I hate it.......but I saw what I saw.....It is what it is...........all I could do was give my honest view point......
  It's been awhile since I've posted ..........again............been dealing with some re-occurring physical issues.........my feet......the weird thing is for most of my adult life I wore a size 9 1/2 or 10 shoes (sorry US sizes) have no idea what the metric size would be..........but after 35+ years of cement factory floors, my arches have fallen and I now ware size 11 1/2........plus I must admit to damage to the afore mentioned feet thru sports and work related damage.........normally only one bothers me at a time........in the past they've always took turns, but for the last week or so they decided to gang up on me........ but at this point their are getting back to normal..........
  My thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the Houston Area,  and those in Florida.......I have family and Facebook friends that live in Florida....  my advice is RUN!!!!!!!!!1