Be Ever Thankful

I apologize for a few days of absence; been traveling and came home to the death of one of my wife’s associates at work; 44 years old! It was the stress that did Peter in. He leaves a ten year old daughter behind…how very sad. He did not quite make it to Thanksgiving. Seeing Peter today in open casket, he looked at peace but, his forever smile was absent. When I die, I want them to put a great big grin on my face, like I just did something illegal. As I have gotten ever older, my friends, my cousins and my family are dying all around me. I have been cursed with good health so, I expect this trend will continue for awhile. We all need to be thankful for our many blessings; if you break your arm, be thankful that you still have one good arm. Aside from losing my wife at a young age (younger than Peter) and losing my nest egg eleven years later, I have not experienced ill health or broken bones or jail time. Money can be replaced but, there’s no coming back from death. 2025 will bring a great deal of stress to a gross number of good Americans who have not taken the time to understand our situation and prepare for what may come. Today, I was on Amazon looking at NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration) emergency radios and I was impressed. They’re generally small with multiple means of power; battery, direct 110V power, crank handle charging, multiple built-in lights, phone charging outlets, multiple emergency channels as well as AM/FM and built-in battery for running everything, up to 20,000 mA!!! All for under $40!! Then, I thought, “I’ll never need That!” But you know…I may. So, I’ll probably pick out a decent one this week or next. I have slowed down my Amazon purchases because A) I spend far too much money on miscellaneous nonsense and B) package thefts are an issue everywhere now! It is a sad commentary on where we are as a country. I blame a lot of it on the Illegal Immigration that has gone on for four years now. Repairing that issue will take multiple Presidencies. Aside from the future purchase of the NOAA Radio, I have two cases of emergency food and two mini water filtration systems that make almost any available water drinkable. I was never much of a Boy Scout but, I always kept a can or two of Fix-A-Flat in my work trucks. I averaged about to flat tires every year during work so, the Fix-A-Flat saved me many a time. One of my Ford truck had a starter issue; about every few weeks, the starter would fail…inevitably out on the road so, I carried a new starter in a box for the several years that I had the truck. It was a very good truck – a large, 3/4 Ton Econoline Conversion Van…except for the dog nab dang dern starter. Once – on a snow ski trip with the kids – it went out on a Freeway on ramp, where I had stopped to use the natural rest room. Got in the truck and…nothing’! So, I got out the new starter, got the 1/2” open end wrench and got under the truck. My daughters were in awe, listening to me clanking away under the Van, getting in twenty minutes later, starting it up and taking off without saying a word. They thought that I was a fearless genius. They thought that there was absolutely nothing I couldn’t do! Now, they think that I’m Sponge Bob’s kin. My daughters both live in San Diego and lead very spoiled lives. I try to warn them that things could get a might rough but they reply, “Oh, Dad…we’re doing the Surf and Turf”. I expect that one of them may call for help sometime next year. At one point, my older daughter had a boyfriend with Tatoos on his neck…not a good sign. I was careful not to kill the kid, lest my daughter would never forgive me but, one afternoon she called her Dad. I was 500 miles away. I rented a Cargo Van just before Enterprise closed and drove all night. We loaded the van with her belongings (Leaving half there) and I whisked her away. My daughters have used good judgment, save during that one short period. Now, they would probably be too embarassed to call me but, if things get nutty, they know that they can always count on me. I may be old but, I’m still a ‘fixer’. I thank the Lord that my daughters have avoided disaster; I always told them, “Make as many mistakes as your ego can tolerate but, avoid disasters.” To clarify, I do not consider ‘Pregnancy’ a disaster. Getting involved with a guy with Tatoos on his neck…well, that has all the potential to be a ‘bomb’. Yes, it is judgmental call but, I have only run into a single handful of men with Tattoos on their neck who were worth a crap, and even those I would not trust with anything of consequence. I have a large Eagle on my right Bicep. I got the Tatoo in my twenties for a very specific reason: I MUST REMAIN A FREE MAN. That Eagle is causing me some grief with all the Freedom bashing going on Globally. But getting a Tattoo on your neck requires some special psychological problems that require that type of dessert. Common Sense does not allow association with certain types of individuals or circumstances in sensitive situations. So, Bottom Line is BE THANKFUL!! But also, BE CAREFUL. Let Common Sense be your guide and live to be old enough to know too much.