Columnists

Birds of Springtime, Losing Things, Bumble Bee In Hand, The Smells of Springtime, Panther Piss & Billy Beer

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: May 20th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing,

One of the true pleasures of life is watching the little birds of springtime. If you’ve never fed the birds of springtime, I would highly recommend you invest in some cracked corn. Spread a Dream Whip Container full of your just purchased crack corn on your front yard, set back and enjoy the show. Mother Nature has a way of entertaining us all. Now those little birds of springtime, well, those little fellers are just the first act of a big time stage show coming your way. All playing out in living color. Right outside your window. Thanks to Mother Nature Productions. It’s better than a Broadway Musical, by a long shot.

They all come, those birds of the springtime. The big ones, the little ones, they all come to eat at the EastWing. Even though they’ve come to the valley for the summer, their food supply has not yet totally caught up with the migration . So they will eat whatever they find. At the EastWing they find a lot. We welcome those little fellers home with a party in the front garden at the EastWing. It’s kinda like the first “cook out” for the birds. To me it’s only cracked corn, to the little birds of springtime, it food from the Gods. Welcome home, little birds of summer. Me and the She, we’re glad you came our way.

Do you have a wireless keyboard? I do. That, along with a wireless mouse makes the table top at the EastWing a lot more manageable. It just does. No wires to run all over the place. Wireless keyboard and mouse are the way to go. Some time back, that wireless keyboard came up missing one of the back legs, the right back leg, in fact. The keyboard legs are the things that put the angle into the keyboard, the angle that matches the natural curve of my fingers when I type. And so the keyboard sagged to the right. A missing right leg.

I compensated by folding a paper towel a whole bunch of times until it made up for the height of the missing leg of the keyboard. It worked fine. I had no reason to complain. The work around was successful. In computer talk, when you have a problem, you either solve the problem and understand it’s cause, or else create a “work around”. Hence the paper towel. The keyboard was once again at the correct angle and at the working height, no reason to complain. I just typed away and continued to tell the story.

Last week, while looking for something in the back seat of Mr. Lincoln, I found, back there in the back seat floor, behind the front passenger seat, the missing leg of my EastWing Keyboard. I know of no explanation on this planet as to how or why it got there, other than the fact it got there. Things happen that defy reason. That little piece of plastic that goes under the back right side of the EastWing Keyboard, it was just there in the back floor of Mr. Lincoln, on the passenger side. It’s one of those things that you never try to figure out why, ‘cause you can’t. Things happen in life. Some you know why and some you don’t. Yet they still happen. That keyboard never left the EastWing. But somehow that little back leg did. And then it ended up on the back floor behind the passenger side of Mr. Lincoln. Creepy things.

Did ya ever hold a live bumble bee in your hand? Yep, I have. It was inside the 2100 hour of cinco de mayo when the bumble bee first appeared at the EastWing. While setting at the computer, looking into the south gardens of the nighttime and just like that, a bumble bee is up against the south glass of the EastWing.

Mr. Bentley, being in charge of Homeland Security, made a valiant effort to neutralize the bumble bee. After all, the bumble bee had crossed into the “kill zone” as established by Homeland Security. When the bumble bee flew to a height exceeding the reach of Mr. Bentley, he asked that I establish a “No Fly Zone” inside the EastWing. I declined to do so.

One of my Grandpas was Harlan Fugate, and Grandpa Harlan, he taught me the importance of knowing the ways of the bees, both honey and bumble. Grandpa Harlan was a bee keeper, and every time I was at South Fork, he’d both show and tell me how to live with the bees, both honey and bumble. He’d say “Now BobbyRay just move slow, and don’t swat at the bees. Don’t ever swing your hands at the bees. If you don’t hurt them, they won’t hurt you.” I learned those lessons well.

To this day, I don’t fear honey bees or bumble bees. Should I encounter either inside a building, I’ll catch ‘em in my hands, and take ‘em outside to freedom. And so it was on that cinco de mayo, inside the 21^st hour, of the 2013^th year, when the bumble bee climbed beyond the reach of Homeland Security. While the bee sat at the 7’ level of the south EastWing window, I named the bumble. Then moving ever so slowly I guided Beulah Bumble Bee into the sanctuary of the hands of BobbyRay. And so it happened there in the darkness of night, a girl named Beulah was no longer in harms way.

I yelled for the She to come open the EastWing Door to the East. The She thought I was crazy. Told her I had a bumble bee in my hands, and her name was Beulah, and couldn’t show her Beulah, or open the door myself, but I had to turn this bumble bee loose pretty soon, else she might get mad and decide I was not her friend after all. The She opened the door. Boy, was I ever glad. I’m not sure if I heard Beulah say “thank you” or not as she flew into the nighttime. The wind was blowing that night and bumble bees do speak softly and carry big stingers.

Freedom’s just another word for watching a bumble bee fly away home. It was a bee happy night, that cinco de mayo of 2013. Me and Beulah Bumble Bee, we shared a moment in time. Beulah will probably not remember me nearly as much as I’ll remember her. After all, when you’re holding a Bumble Bee, a girl named Beulah, in your hands, it’s kinda like lightning in a bottle. And you’re holding the bottle. You just remember stuff like that. ‘Cause if something goes wrong, you get hurt quick. Be it Bumble Bee or lightning, either way, ya get hurt quick.

Some years yes and some years no. I’m talking about the blooms of springtime. The blossoms of everything summer. In the early part of 2012 springtime came in February, everything bloomed then all blossoms were frozen before April arrived. The difference a year makes. This year everything blossom, blossomed. The world turned to bloom as April Showers done what they were supposed to do for the month of May.

Crab Apple Trees, Peach Trees, Pear Trees, Apple Trees, All bloomed at the same time. The Maple Trees bloomed along with the Tulip Tree and the Dogwood Tree. The Red Bud Tree added her own special shade of purple to the EastWing World. And all the while that pretty little springtime friend of mine, that pretty little, pretty little, dandelion, accented the green, green grass of home with a special springtime yellow that could only have come from heaven.

Then all the while my nose knows its springtime in the valley. I can never remember more fragrant aromas than those that have engulfed the EastWing during the first 10 days of this 5^th month of twenty-thirteen. WOW! The smells of heaven descended upon the EastWing. Thank you God for such an underserved blessing to my sense of smell. Thank you God for giving me a sense of smell. Now if you ever wondered why you have the sense of smell, well, May 2013 should resolve that question.

Sometimes it don’t take long at all for people to get on my case for what I’ve said. Within two days of saying so, I’m being chastised for comparing Billy Beer to Panther Piss. The email said “How dare you to compare Billy Beer to Panther Piss! I happen to like Billy Beer and I’m sure you have no idea what Panther Piss smells like BobbyRay. How dare you say such a thing about Billy Beer. You should be ashamed of yourself!” And it’s right here, boys and girls, that the story gets really interesting, ‘cause I do, in fact, know what Panther Piss smells like.

It was in the latter half of the sixth decade of the last century when I operated a clinical laboratory at 1150 North State Street in Chicago IL. My laboratory was in very close proximity to the Zoo at Grant Park. It was called the Zoo in the Park. It was then, and continues to be to this day, to be one of the most urban zoos in the country.

At that time the prize specimen at the Grant Park Zoo just so happened to be a very large Black Panther. By now, I’m sure you’ve already figured this one out, but I’m still gona tell the whole story. One day when the said Panther became ill. Those in charge of Panther Health suspected a urinary track infection. As a confirmation of this diagnosis, and to ensure proper treatment of antibiotics, it was necessary to culture the urine In order to see what, If any, pathogenic organisms were present in the Panther Urine.

Yep, you guessed it, they brought Panther Piss to my laboratory for me to culture. I, personally, streaked the culture plates with the Panther Piss. Streaked six plates, using three different media, and yes I did isolate, and identify the pathogenic organisms making the big Black Panther sick. So I guess in a very, very small way, I helped save the Black Panther at the Zoo in The Park. While at the same time gained personal knowledge that few possess. Sometimes unique odors and aromas are hard to come by. But once smelled, forever remembered. It turns out that smells are much like memories, on the back roads and all. Just a sniff away, and the aromas connect with memory.

I bring up the Black Panther episode simply to illustrate the point that when I’m telling ya Billy Beer smelled like Panther Piss, I’ve been there, and smelled both. Now me and the panther, we never met eye to eye. But me and Billy Carter never met eye to eye either. ‘Course I never said anything ‘bout ole Billy’s urine one way or the other.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Birds of Springtime, Losing Things, Bumble Bee In Hand, The Smells of Springtime, Panther Piss & Billy Beer

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Meeting Sophia, Fingers and Legacy, A Good Dentist, Shadows of The Rain Drops, Roscoe & The Bird Dog, Al Gore & BS, The Carters Boys Billy & Jimmy, Putting Toothpaste Into A Cloud

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: May 13th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

It was during the last week of the tax filing season. For me, it was a busy time indeed. And in the midst of the chaos of that last tax filing week, I get new clients who wanted to be able to come to the EastWing and meet Sophia, The Calico Conservative Republican Cat. These people were willing to travel a considerable distance (Indianapolis to North Judson ) to allow me to do their tax work, but only if they could meet Sophia. Well you got that right, we worked it all out and visited the EastWing so they could meet the Queen.

Sophia had not been forewarned of the visit and Sophia does not do strangers well. In fact, Sophia does not do strangers at all. When I walked into the house with company, Sophia hid. I made my guests comfortable in the EastWing, and left ‘em being entertained by Spike The Man Cat & Mr. Bentley, who was explaining the EastWing Homeland Security System provided by Pit Bull Inc, as I went looking for Sophia.

Knowing all the hiding places of Sophia, I tracked her down. Explained the importance of coming with me and meeting the new tax clients. Sophia didn’t buy into the program well, but begrudgingly agreed. Picking her up and walking into the EastWing, they were both surprised at her size. I told ‘em, no she’s not this big, she’s not even half this big, ‘cause right now ever hair is standing on end. A few gentle strokes, along with kind words of introduction and Sophia reclaimed her royal composure as the reigning Queen of the EastWing.

It was at that point she gave ‘em that “Sophia when she smiles” look. That’s all was necessary. It don’t take much to fall in love with a Calico Girl. Sophia when she smiles, and it’s right here I’ve got two things going for me. New tax clients for life and a Damn Republican Cat. Sophia when she smiles. Seems I read somewhere that a Calico Smile is worth a thousand pictures.

Do you know the length of your finger may identify the genetic legacy of your family tree? Yeah, it can, I’m telling ya, it can. All you need do is hold your hand, palm down, and touch all fingers together. Look at the length of the fingers. One of the things I used to do, back in the day when I was involved in forensic pathology, was to measure the length of the finger bones. Sometimes it could help reduce the number of possibilities of the unknown.

One of these days, we’ll talk about those finger lengths, don’t know when, but we will someday, we just will, someday. In the mean time, rest assured for all those who just looked at your fingers, not everybody’s fingers are the same length. We’ll talk about that, someday. I’ll talk about the code for the finger lengths, some day. My code, going from right to left, is 3-4-2-5-1. Yours may or may not be different. Most likely yours are different. I’m hillbilly, ya know. So if you’re not, most likely it’s different. With the hillbilly’s the gene pool is kinda tight, so we’re all pretty close to the same. Now I’m not saying all hillbillies have the same fingerprints, but our fingers do tend to be close in finger length code.

Do you like to go to the dentist as much as I do? DUH! It’s like the worst thing in the world for many people. But I have to say that I have, what I consider the world’s best dentist. The Badell Dental Clinic at Knox IN is, in my humble opinion, the best of the best. Having had considerable dental issues in the past, I do consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to being a dental patient, and as such, I do have credentials when it comes to evaluating dentists from the patient point of view. And when all is said and done, that’s the only point of view that really matters. ‘Cause when it comes to be qualified as a dental patient, I’m bonafied. Unlike other doctors, dentists have only one shot at getting it right.

As some of you know, I have a rather extensive background in the health care deliver field, and have spent most of my life in close contact with physicians. Thankfully not as a patient, so much as in some capacity of management. Either in the medical laboratories, hospital administration, or the private business side of a medical practice, both as a business consultant and accountant. With that being said, I propose the docs have it easy compared to the dentist. The docs can always say “let’s try this pill and see if it works for you. Come back and see me in two weeks.” Knowing full well, that many times, the patient will be recovered in two weeks, no matter what. The dentist on the other hand, it’s one strike and he’s out. The dentist, well, the dentist has to get it right, the first time. Else it’s adieu to that patient forever.

I bring the topic of the dentist to the conversation because it was only the third day past the tax filing season that I had my regular appointment. I do go to the dentist on a regular basis. ‘Cause several years ago I had some real major issues to deal with. It was the Badell Dental Clinic that resolved those issues. Right now I have additional dental work to be preformed and have every confidence in the world in the Badell Dental Clinic at Know IN. Dr. Greg, a Dentist of all seasons. But I’m a little bit scared when I go there. After all, it’s still going to the dentist. And everybody knows that’s scary stuff, even for big boys, going to the dentist and al. But I still go.

Have you ever watched the rain, not from the water running down the window, but rather the shadow of the rain drops falling soft against the window while reflecting from the outside light in the darkness, reflecting onto a table top in the EastWing as water running down the outside of the EastWing glass? Thank you NIPSCO for putting that big pole in the ground, out there by the edge of the front garden. Yeah, that big one with the mercury vapor light, allowing me to see the reflections of the raindrops falling soft against my window. The things ya see at the EastWing when it rains in the darkness are pretty cool. The things ya see when it don’t rain are also pretty cool, and I didn’t even talk about those things. But they are. I’m already looking forward to lighting bugs.

Did I tell ya I’ve still got a rooster? Oh yeah, it’s the same rooster I rustled a while back. Named him Roscoe, then found out my old bird dog liked to carry Roscoe around as a toy. The Gray Lady James, a German Short Hair Pointer, she may be old, but she still knows how to catch and carry birds, live birds, roosters even. Live birds that don’t want to be carried, they can still be carried by an old bird dog, when the old bird dog wants to carry ‘em around. So I walked the rooster back to the first house west of the EastWing. I still feed Roscoe Rooster every morning on my way to work. I don’t think Roscoe liked being carried around by the Gray Lady James. When I feed Roscoe, he makes sure I didn’t bring the bird dog before he eats breakfast.

It’s time to start a betting pool on who can pick the first day when someone complains that it’s too hot. It happens every year. Just as sure as summer comes, two things are going to make the national news. The excessive heat of summer and that dreaded Global Warming. They are both akin to bull. Actually more akin to the S than the Bull. Guess that would make it BS.

Still think we wouldn’t have this Global Warming crap to put up with had Al Gore been elected president in place of Bush II. Unemployed Vice Presidents can do some dumb stuff. For that matter unemployed presidents can do the same thing. Can we say Jimmy Carter here?

At a time when the whole world did not carry a “smart phone”, we all had to watch the TV to find out what happened during the last 24 hrs. It was a time when the national news truly reported what was happening in the world. And they never tried to push you into the donkey or elephant camp, just told ya the way it was. What was so sweet about that time, you got to decide which side of the rope was right for you.

For those of us old enough to remember the Carter Administration, it was not the president, so much as the brother of, who garnered national headlines many times on the nightly news. Billy Carter was his name, and ole Billy was loving every minute of having his brother be President of the United States. I’m not sure if Billy Carter was as stupid as he appeared on TV. He may well have been so. Billy could have been a regular on some of today’s TV reality shows. Duck Dynasty, Swamp People, Moonshiners, just to name a few. Billy would probably have cut his leg off on Ax Men, and would most assuredly been washed overboard on the World’s Deadliest Catch. In all probability Billy would have fit best with the Moonshiners. After all, there was a company that produced a product called “Billy Beer”. I tasted Billy Beer. It tasted like Panther Piss smells. Budweiser had nothing to fear from Billy Beer.

Do ya notice how your life changes in little bits and pieces and you just adjust and go along? I do. Now more so than 25 years ago. Body parts that hurt, use to not hurt. Memory that used to be instant recall, is now sometimes stored offsite. The only thing I can figure is for security concerns, the backup data in my mind is stored offsite. I’m not sure if it’s one of those secure on line sites like Carbonite, (which I do use at RHCO INC) or maybe is just stored in the cloud. Most people do not, at this point, know about cloud computing. But you will, Microsoft will make sure you know about cloud computing. I’ll replace the way we think about computers today. Much the same way we thought about computers before Microsoft came along.

I’m not going into details here about how cloud computing works, but just say it’s kinda like putting the toothpaste back in the tube, except you don’t have the tube to put it back into. And you have to put it somewhere. And that somewhere is in a cloud. Don’t seem like it’ll work, but it will.

Keep in mind there was a time that only one person thought it possible to hear a voice from a copper wire, and then along came the telephone. A picture out of the air didn’t seem like it would work. And then along came Television. Philco and Farnsworth made it happen for the TV and a feller by the name of Bell, well, you already know about him, Alexander Graham.

Memory in a cloud. It’ll work. Maybe I should explain just a little bit here. I’m not talking about the kinda clouds you see when you look up into the sky. Not those big puffy white things or those dark flat things that produce rolling thunder that scares the crap out of very body when the lighting walks among the clouds . It’s not that type of cloud I’m talking about.

It’s called the cloud, but really it’s still machine based. Cloud computing is a term for an internet based thing. Another way to look at cloud computing is, clouds still on the ground. “Course fog is really just clouds on the ground. But saying “storing your stuff in a fog”, just don’t sound right. Like clouds are better? DUH!

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From The EastWing, Meeting Sophia, Fingers and Legacy, A Good Dentist, Shadows of The Rain Drops, Roscoe & The Bird Dog, Al Gore & BS, The Carters Boys Billy & Jimmy, Putting Toothpaste Into A Cloud,

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Saints & Sinners, Fire & Ice, Doomed To Hell With The Christmas & Easter Catholics, A Bishop Saves The Day, Planting a garden at the EastWing, Me & The She & And An Old Fashion Love Song

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: May 6th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

From time to time it becomes necessary to stop and reflect on what’s been said from the EastWing and why it was said that particular way. To this very day, I’m still amazed that my random thoughts and stories strung together, will forever touch someone’s soul to the point of “I’ve got something to say about that”. Some will love and some will hate, and many will feel compelled to let me know one way or the other. Love and Hate, it’s kinda like Fire and Ice. Red hot lovers and cold hearted hate. It’s Fire & Ice with a twist of sugar and a bite of lemon.

What’s really cool is to be called both saint and sinner for the very same thoughts and words, simply read by two different brains. A case in point being what I said when talking about why I didn’t talk about Easter on Easter Sunday. Among other things, I said “Hell will be filled with Christmas and Easter Catholics”.

Now you gotta keep in mind here, I may be Catholic, but I’m also kinda Baptlic. Coming from a long line of Baptist Preachers, and I’ll jump into the “hell fire and brimstone” doctrine in a heartbeat when it’s necessary to do so. After all, when you forget about hell fire and brimstone, you forget about the alternative to the reward of heaven. Think about it for a while. I’m right, and you know it. Even atheists know it, and Lord knows they don’t believe in anything.

An email received several days after such remarks that informed me for “being too judgmental” I should consider myself amongst those filling up Hell. Within days of me being doomed into Hell, along with the Christmas and Easter Catholics, I received an email from a retired Bishop of the Catholic Church. The Bishop stated he wished that he had had the courage to speak such strong, straight forward words to his flock from his “special soap box within the Catholic Church” when the opportunity was available to him, and how his time of real influence has passed.

Don’t misunderstand here, me and that Bishop, we’re not buds or anything like that. I don’t know the man, and he only knows BobbyRay by the words from the EastWing to his computer screen. But the Bishop didn’t doom me to hell. I’m glad for that. Had he done so, I’d have to maybe rethink my position on some things. Oh, and by the way, the Bishop did agree with what I said about when you pick and choose which of the teaching of the Catholic Church you will follow, then you’re a member of the Christmas and Easter Catholics, just like I said, only you don’t admit it to yourself. I didn’t get any email from the new Pope, but I’m not even sure he’s on the EastWing mailing list. I’ll ask my new friend, the Bishop, if he knows.

Bishops are kinda cool, and they’ve got really funky hats, and a big, big stick. I think it’s part of that “Speak softly and carry a big …….” thing. Welcome Bishop to the EastWing. And I didn’t even know you were here till now, welcome. It’s funny how you learn things in life. Seems like you learn things in life as it’s time to know such things in life. Me and the Bishop is a good example, who’d thought it. Not me, that’s for sure. Maybe the Bishop, after all, he’s a man of God, maybe he’s got an inside track on that sorta thing. I for sure don’t have an inside track to anything. Lord knows, it’s all I can do to just stay on the outside track, just hanging on, just getting by in life, just doing my part, whatever it is, just doing my part. And all the while, I’m trying to figure out what my part in life really is. Heaven only knows.

Talking about reaction to words spoken from the EastWing, the thoughts about the sequester and it’s blatant political implications from the White House brought lots and lots of comments. Either one of three things are happening, or maybe a combination of things. One is most everyone who visits the EastWing is an extreme Right Wing Radical, NOT ! or two, nobody gives a damn about the sequester in the first place. Or three, very few people understand how and why the concept of this thing called the sequester came about in the first place.

From the email feedback, I can only conclude its numbers two and three. Many people do not understand that this idea originated from the President and was a blatant political attempt to embarrass the opposition. It failed miserably, and has left the President of the United States with no choice but to deceive the American Public, and blame such a disaster on his political opposition. When an American President makes false statements, the whole world suffers. And so it is, the whole world now suffers from the blatant political statements of this American President.

This position can be best supported by an email from an American Citizen who has lived and worked in Germany for the past ten years. He said, and I quote here, “I’ve watched the prestige of the American Presidency go from admiration to cartoonish in the eyes of the German people in four years. I’m embarrassed to say that I too, thought hope and change was the way to the future for my country. I had the hope, but the change was so far from my expectations, I’m still trying to figure out why I was so taken in by this guy. Yet I’m proud to say , unlike many, I was only fooled once.”

The sequester comments is one of the few times ever that not a single email talking about the sequester said I was wrong on anything I said about the sequester was wrong. I was careful in my selection of words when describing the political disaster called the sequester. It worried me a little bit, ‘cause no matter what I say, somebody’s gona tell me I’m all wrong. It didn’t happen with the sequester comments. The closest I came was a friend of mind, thought I got a little too wound up. Just identifying cold facts without any passion, is forever difficult to dispute. One’s only option is to attack the messenger. The sequester comments ranked in the top 25 most emails received on a single topic. All the while 99.999% agreed with me. And that one guy of the 800+ emails, he didn’t say which way.

Even thought I was “doomed to Hell with the Christmas and Easter Catholics” and received, what I perceived, as a special “dispensation” from a retired Bishop, the not talking about Easter story didn’t even rank in volume of emails. Somehow I would have felt better had the numbers been reversed.

Don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m ready to plant a garden. Gona plant a garden on the EastWing north Deck. Along with the circle where the north great oak stump was ground out last fall. You remember that one as a part of the deal of “take down the big pine tree, remove the limbs over the EastWing, grind the north oak tree stump and I’ll pay you $100.00 and do your tax work for 2012”. Now that’s putting a deal together, It was a good deal for me. It was a good deal for the company who performed the work of tree removal and stump grinding. A win, win for all.

In any event, I’m gona plant a garden in the spot where the north great oak was turned into mulch. Plant flowers we will. And somewhere in north garden, me and the She are going to try something really new. We will take a pallet, yeah, a pallet, the kind used to stack heavy stuff upon for shipment. Take a pallet and attach a weed control membrane, or even heavy cardboard to the bottom of a pallet. Turn it right side up, fill it with black dirt, and plant things in rows in the pallet. A pallet garden right before your eyes. I’ll let you know how that works out for us. I’m not too sure what can be grown in a pallet garden. Maybe only chop sticks and toothpicks. We’ll see.

Of course we’ll also plant stuff in our usual pots and vases on the north deck. All those herbs and spices of Italy. It’s just an Italian thing, growing those herbs. When ya live with a beautiful Italian girl like the She, what ‘a ya gona do?

Me and the She and the EastWing, just an old fashion love song, laying down in three part harmony.

Stay Safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Saints & Sinners, Fire & Ice, Doomed To Hell With The Christmas & Easter Catholics, A Bishop Saves The Day, Planting a garden at the EastWing, Me & The She & And An Old Fashion Love Song

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: April 29th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

A while back I was invited to talk to a 6^th grade class on the history of the Personal Computer. They said I could have a much as 40 minutes if I could fill the whole class period. Told ‘em I could do 40 minutes on the history of, and the mechanical principles of a toothpick. Of course I could do 40 minutes on the history of the PC.

I’ve talked to many groups over the years, over a wide range of topics, from small groups (3 people) to very large groups (1500 people) Yet one single factor of public speaking remains the same. You get their attention within the first minute you start to talk or else you’re wasting their time, and yours. Whatever you have to say will then fall on deaf ears as your audience goes to sleep. And you look really stupid talking to a sleeping group of people.

Had to think a while to come up with the attention grabber for the 6^th grade. I started off by telling the kids three things were going to happen. One was I would tell them about my first computer, and two I had a special present at the end for everyone who paid attention to what I had to say. And three, there would be an open book test at the end.

Told them little fellers that my first computer was so old it was made of wood. It had no mouse. It had no keyboard. It had no internal memory, only external memory. And the data storage system was not a disk like today, but made out of paper. My first computer had only a data entry system and a manual delete key .

From there I talked about the very early start of PC’s. Not getting too technical, I talked about life of the PC before Microsoft, and how Microsoft became such a dominating force in the PC world. I talked of the role IBM had played in the making of Microsoft. Of how the marketing of Windows 3.0 became one of the best business strategies ever brought to the world marketplace. Talked of my participation in the beta testing of a product called Windows 1.0. The role Apple played in the education field and the creation of the mouse, along with “GUI” and how that little ditty changed the face of computing and in turn changed the face of the world. GUI.

As my allotted time was closing in on the 40 minute mark, I asked the class did anyone remember what my first computer was made of? The room was filled with waving hands and fingers of answers. They remembered. I had reached the 6^th grade. For any speaker, be it a large group or the 6^th grade, to reach the audience is a special kinda special feeling. They will remember you forever.

Right then told ‘em it was time to pass out the presents as promised when the program started. I then handed each child a #2 lead pencil. And proceeded to explain the sharp point, well, that sharp point was for data entry. The other end was for deleting any data you didn’t want to keep. And the only other thing you ever needed to make that computer work was, not electricity, or batteries, only a piece of paper. Every one of the kids grasped the humor in the #2 lead pencil, my early computer.

It was after the class, after the kids had left the room and before the next group entered that the teacher said “It seems the class as a whole got more out of your talk than I did, Mr. Howard. I didn’t quite follow your line of thought with your pencil”. I wanted to say “You’re a part of the problems with public education today”. I did not. I wanted to say “Wow! You’re dumber than a duck”. I did not. I wanted to say “And they hired you as a teacher for the 6^th grade?” I did not. One of the many good things I learned from my Mama is there are times when it’s better not to talk than to talk. So I just smiled and thanked that girl for the invitation to speak to the 6^th grade class about the history of the PC.

Sometimes the devil just makes you do things. I was at the doorway of the class room. I could have walked thru and been on my way to the rest of my life, but I did not. I turned around, walked back over to the teacher, handed her a #2 lead pencil and said “I almost forgot to give you your own personal computer”. Devils are like that, yeah they are.

One of the many joys of springtime at the EastWing, is watching not only the world turn green, but also watching the birds of springtime. The little sounds of the springtime nights have not yet spoken up. The Peeps are yet to come, but those little boy birds, well, those little boy birds. Shewwwww. The little girl birds are only wanting to eat the stuff I put in the front garden of the EastWing, while those little boy birds, I’m telling ya, those little boy birds they’re thinking ‘bout making whoopee!

Of the birds visiting the EastWing this time of the year, the Dove has to be the most gentle of all. Both the male and female dove, while on the ground, eat in the company of other birds a small fraction of their size. Of course I’m not breaking new ground here with my observation of the dove. Ya gotta keep in mind, Noah also knew about the gentle nature of the bird that brought the olive branch back to the ark. Good thing Noah didn’t send out a big black bird, else we’d all be living with Sponge Bob Square Pants today.

This has to fall under the old dog, old trick category. A few days ago, the Gray Lady went out to pee. Now for those who don’t know about the Gray Lady, well, the Gray Lady James is an old bird dog. A German Short Hair Pointer, moving into her 15^th or 16^th year. Either way, the Gray Lady is an old dog. She usually goes out to pee and poop and back to her couch. This time on her way back inside, she froze. I was watching from the EastWing as she stood frozen in time for a full 3 minutes. Now if 3 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time to you, try not moving a single muscle or blinking an eye for a full three minutes. Three minutes, that’s a long time.

Then as faster than you can blink, the Gray Lady dug a hole into a mole tunnel, stuck her whole nose in up past her eyes, right into the tunnel, and just like that, the Gray Lady had the ground mole in her mouth. An old dog had once again pulled off the same old trick. A bird dog for the ages. I’ll miss the Gray Lady James when her time on earth is done. But always remember that all good dogs go to heaven. After all, the Pup Baby, Mustina James is already there.

It was threeyears ago when I decided to reduce the amount of lawn being manicured at the EastWing. The effort was beyond my ability. The lawn being maintained was reduced by well over 50%. To try to justify the reduction of the lawn at the EastWing in mind, I blamed it on the high cost of fuel to operate the zero turn mower. In reality It was simply the lack of energy on the part of the operator. The high cost of fuel was the cop out that did not ease my mind.

Some times in life, it’s damn difficult to admit that there some things that you can no longer do as you once had the ability to do so. Maintaining the EastWing Lawns was just such a thing. That was then, this is now. Two weeks ago, right out to nowhere, the She said “I want my lawn back”. “Get your lawn back, I will”, said I. After taking lessons from the master, I do recognize the power of the force.

And so it came to pass, that on a Friday afternoon during 4^th month of the 2013^th year of the Lord, a company was engaged to come to the EastWing and reclaim the “Lawn of The She”. To snatch the “Lawn of The She” back from the jaws of Mother Nature was the single mission assigned to that company. The battle has not yet ended, but the tide has turned in the favor of the She. I’m glad. Like I said, I do recognize the power of the force.

To tell the truth, I’m really happy the She wanted her lawn back. Even though the battle is not over, I’m glad we’re engaged. I’d forgotten how pretty the EastWing Lawn was, before I copped out, and gave up on the lawn maintenance. Sometimes pride gets in the way of common sense. Welcome home “The Lawn of The She”.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Talking To The 6^th Grade, Old Computers Made of Wood, The Devil In a #2 Lead Pencil, Little Birds & Whoopee, On The Wings Of A Dove, Old Dogs & Old Tricks, The She & “The Lawn of The She”

I wish you well.

BobbyRay

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From the EastWing, Sequestration & Blame It On Bush, Make It Hurt, The Candy Man Can, Voting By Color, Jessie Jackson Jr. Leroy Brown & Sophia From The Hood, No More Hillbillies.

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: April 22nd, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

Don’t know about you, but I’m really tired of hearing about all the federal services that have been curtailed due to the sequestration. If you believe all the services that have to be cut or drastically reduced, then it must be that the vast majority of the federal government actually runs on less than three percent of the total amount of additional money being spent by the government.

I’m not sure everybody understands that the sequestration is not truly a cut in spending, but it’s just a cut in the GROWTH of spending. Think about what I’ve said here. Not a cut in spending, just a cut in the growth in spending. Less than 3% cut in the growth of federal spending and it seems the whole damn world has to come to a halt.

Turns out the whole thing is so political on the part of the current administration, that it makes me want to puke. They all agreed, both democrats and republicans, they all agreed, on the mandatory cuts in this thing they then called the sequestration. It was a democrat scheme to begin with. The whole idea was concocted in the dark part of the White House. It was a concept so repugnant that surly no one would ever allow it to happen, even republicans, damn ‘em, would be forced to NOT allow it to happen. They’d just never allow it to happen, those damn republicans. It was a plan to entrap and embarrass the republican party sometime in the future.

Simply put, the whole idea was a democrat ploy that appeared to appease republican opposition to raising taxes. The republicans agreed with the concept. When it was time to put the sequestration in place, the republicans said ok, it was your proposal, do it. At that point the President of the United States began to play politics with the minds of the American Public. He blamed the republicans for the sequestration. A proposal that came from the dark side of the White House. An idea so stupid that no one within the White House thought it would ever be implemented. It was proposed by the democrats as a ploy, and agreed upon by the republicans.

It’s now come back to bite the White House in the ass. While the American President has chosen to once again blame everyone on the planet except his own inept political judgment. I’m surprised efforts were not made to blame ex President Bush for the sequestration. After all, he’s only been out of office for 5 years. Surly all the bad things that have happened in the last five years can only be attributed to the last President Bush and his “failed policies”.

There was nothing a community organizer could ever be expected to fix. Not in four years, or for that matter nothing that could be fixed in 8 years. The only thing possible for a community organizer is to provide free goods and services for those in need. After all, they’ve never gotten their “fair share”. There has never been a level playing field. The millionaires and billionaires have forever been given an unfair tax advantage. They have never paid their “fair share”. It time they did so. “They need to “step up and do the right thing”. A broken record plays the same song.

What a better way to turn the American people against one another than suggest that the “millionaires and billionaires do not pay their fair share”? Human nature is to be envious of those who have more than we have. The vast majority of us are not “millionaires or billionaires” and so we are envious. We almost want to say of such talk from the White House, “Yeah I agree, they’re not paying their fair share”. That’s so wrong. Shame on us for our greed and envy. Shame or our President for fueling our greed and envy. Shame on us for allowing him to do so.

Keep in mind, that greed and envy thing, well, greed and envy goes back a ways, all the way back to the 10 commandments from God. It’s all about not wanting your neighbors stuff. Only 10 commandments from God, and we as people, find it nearly impossible to follow. Then we elect a president who tells us that the millionaires and billionaires are not paying their fair share. And we get madder than all get out. Shame on us. But more importantly, shame on us for electing a president who would even try to get us to break a single one of the 10 commandments of God. Shame on him.

To allow such an incompetent person to attain the office of President of the United States speaks volumes for the level of knowledge of those empowered to vote in our society. To allow the President to pit one side of our society against the other is so wrong. Offer me candy or offer me a job, I’ll take the candy every time, so says a majority of the voters in our nation at this point in our history.

Community organizers know that. Their job is to pass out candy. A president who has never held a private sector job, knows so well how to pass out the candy. The use of terms such as “a level playing field” “Their fair share” and “Millionaires and billionaires”, “Do the right thing”, “Balanced approach”, those are just a few of the working tools of a Candy Man. A community organizer, still on the public coffers, just a higher pay grade.

Now I ask you, in the last 5 years how many times have you heard the words, level playing field, their fair share and millionaires and billionaires, do the right thing, and a balanced approach, from the President of the United States? Don’t know ‘bout you, but I for one, am damn tired of hearing those buzz words. Millionaires and Billionaires, Shewwwww. Give me a break here.

And now the sequestration, well that sequestration thing, why it’s the curse of the republicans everywhere. Even though the original proposal came out of the White House. The republicans made the White House do it. Its Bush’s fault. After all, anyone who could be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishing nothing in their whole life, could surly do no wrong as the President of the United States.

“Make it hurt.” That’s the single political message that came from the White House, on day one. Make sure it hurts. Take the smallest of small cuts in Federal growth in spending and make it hurt. Cut the spending in the things that are most public. Close tours at the White House, while at the same time 50 million dollars goes to Egypt to sure up their faltering tourist business. Cut out White House Tours for the American public. Make it hurt. Then at the same time 200 million dollars to Egypt to shore up their military. Make it hurt.

Close the National Parks and at the same time spend many millions of dollars on “government employee meeting”. Close air traffic control to smaller air ports and spend many millions of dollars on research such as why lesbians are more overweigh than the general population. Make it hurt. That’s the message from the White House. Make it hurt. That was the word from the White House. Then all the while, the Federal Government is spending in excess of $385,000.00 to study the unique attributes of a duck penis. I don’t care who ya are, that’ll make it hurt. Especially for the duck.

No admission that the concept of the sequestration came from the White House. Just make sure that you make it hurt. The National Park Service has been told to make cuts in their operations in the areas that are most visible to the public. Guided tours are being curtailed at National Parks in order to make sure they make it hurt. And then the Vice President goes to Paris and stays 1 day on the ground at a cost of $585,000.00.

Now the United States Air Force announced that the Blue Angels, the precision flying group, would not put on any public display for the remainder of the year due to the sequestration. All the while, when the President of the United States makes one trip outside of Washington D.C. it costs the American tax payers more than all of the total cost of the Blue Angels for a whole year. Make it hurt. Make it hurt to the American public. Anyway and every way possible, just make it hurt to the American Public. Such shame.

I became aware of the Blue Angels issue thru the RHCO INC tax work. A long time client who’s son flew with the Blue Angels a few years ago came in to get this taxes done, and wow, was he ever mad at the government. To this guy, for the government to cancel the Blue Angels flying schedule was akin saying the big “F” word in front of your mother. He was mad, and I’m being kind here, he was more than mad. He had specific words to describe our President. It was not complementarily words toward the President. Quite the contrary. Descriptive language though it was.

It’s Chicago style politics in it rawest, ugliest state. Old school Chicago style politics. Brought to the national stage. Low knowledge level voters made it all happen. It’s the mentality of give me a job or give me candy, oh,,, that’s a hard one to decide today,……..DUH! Think I’ll take the candy today.

Now don’t get on my case for dumping on “Chicago Style Politics” just look at the recent facts and events surrounding the election and reelections of Jessie Jackson Jr. over the years. An elected official stealing campaign funds for many, many years. In plain sight, stealing campaign funds, yet he didn’t even have to campaign at all for reelection. He was elected by over 85% of the vote, without ever campaigning. All the while knowing he was under federal investigation, he made a very, very public comment “If they have anything on me, bring it on”. The Federal Prosecutors, well, those Federal Prosecutors there in Chicago, they brought it on.

In that congressional district, there are people who vote as blind sheep. Now I’m not saying they vote by color. Wait a minute here, yes I am saying they vote by color. I’m also saying they are too damn dumb to know the difference between black and white, or for that matter, to make an informed decision as to whom would be the best person to represent their interest at the national level. Then every time an issue comes up, the call is “it’s a race issue”. Did you ever notice only one group of people in our nation use that battle cry? It not the hillbillies, that’s for damn sure.

Guess when you spend your whole life on concrete, asphalt and steel, you miss a lot in life. You miss the smell of grass, warm dirt on bare feet, butterflies and honey bees, dandelions and hummingbirds, robins and lighting bugs, crab grass and wood ticks, and the smell of summer nights. In the city, ya miss a lot. As a result the life style of the city people are so much different than those of us blessed to be born in the country. So, so different than those blessed to be born in the country. So different that the city dwellers cannot even comprehend country life. They miss a lot.

Just a few weeks ago the Chicago School District announced they would be force to close some 50 + school buildings due to funding short fall(no tax money) in excess of one billion dollars, yes, that’s a billion with a “b”. When it was announced the close of the schools and the consolidations of schools, the Chicago Teachers Union Spokesperson, her first words were “it’s a racist motive”. Keep in mind, that’s the same person who a while back said “When the students pay union dues, I’ll represent their interest”. Just can’t help but wonder if that was a “racist motive” statement on the part of that girl?

I am so very tired of hearing about racist motives and think it’s about time we realize that some folks will forever yell “Its’ a racist motive” What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. Racism is not an issue nearly as much as a crutch for some lazy ass people who, in this nation, want something for nothing from a candy man. Political correctness is just another word for people too weak to stand up for common sense. The principal fear of a liberal political point of view is common sense.

What I’m saying is it seems such a shame that low knowledge level electorates are born with the right to be involved in the selection process of who makes the laws in this great nation. And as such they choose people like Jessie Jackson Jr. a crook for all seasons, a confessed felon, a candy man, to represent the good people from the south side of Chicago. The land of Leroy Brown, as well as the home land of Sophia the Dame Republican Cat. And with that being said, the cat’s in the cradle.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, please no longer call me a hillbilly. If you would be so kind as to refer to me as an Appalachian-American. Thank you very much.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Sequestration & Blame It On Bush, Make It Hurt, The Candy Man Can, Voting By Color, Jessie Jackson Jr. Leroy Brown & Sophia From The Hood, No More Hillbillies.

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Welcome to the EastWing

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: April 17th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

This spring time will forever be remembered as the year the groundhog missed the call. Damn Groundhog, he should be shot, or at least fired. Getting every bodies hopes up and all. Then no early spring.
Damn Groundhog, he should be shot. But with all this gun control talk and all, maybe he should just be slapped up the side of his head. Guess that’s what we get for putting our faith into the prognostication of a groundhog. Maybe we would be better served by putting our faith into a Weegie Board. After all, everybody knows those Weegie Boards, well, Weegie Board do tell the truth, unlike that damn groundhog, that should be shot, or slapped up the side of his head.

Maybe Mr. Groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, is of the political philosophy who’s members prefers to sleep well into mid morning, or even early afternoon, and so for being drug out at such an ungodly early hour, he just jerked around with the prediction for 2013 just for the hell of it. Either way, we sure got fooled on this early spring of 2013.

I’m not sure but I think Punxsutawney Phil was appointed Groundhog Czar in 2009. Back when all the Political Czars were being appointed by the new White House for the first time. Back when the current White House occupants were young and stupid. Oh well, at least they are no longer young.

Sophia, the Calico Conservative Republican Cat, has truly entered into adulthood of the cat world. She no longer asks if she can have a bite of whatever I’m eating, she now takes it for granted. She just walks up and helps herself. The other day I found myself at Knox Indiana close to lunch time, so I went thru that McDonalds Drive thru part. Ordered a fish sandwich, and the little girl voice in the magic talking box at the curb said “Sir would like the second Filet-O-Fish sandwich for only one dollar more?” I said sure. Pulled up, paid the price, grabbed my bag of McDelight and headed home to the EastWing for lunch in the company of a cat, not just any cat, but Sophia.

To have lunch in the EastWing during the tax season is such a special pleasure. And I so enjoyed the moment. I took all the bread off everything and put the contents on a plate. I’m setting at the dining room table, Sophia pops up on the table, walks over and takes a bite of the Filet-O-Fish. Gives me that “Sophia when she smiles” look, takes another bite and steps off the table. She didn’t even say please, or thank you. Sophia when she smiles. Damn Republican Cat.

WOW ! another end to the crunch of the tax filing season. Not a minute too soon. Looking forward to the start, looking forward to the end. Every year, every single year, it’s always the same, looking forward on both ends. It’s kinda like coming and going, they’re both fun, but in different directions.

It’s 105 days of work every day. No time off, just work every day. Long days, long into the night work days. Just keep going long after you’re tired, just keep going. Then when you start to think it will never end, it ends . When I wake up tomorrow, day 105 will have been reached. Then it’s once more over the line sweet Jesus, once more over the line. I’m now looking forward to playing in the sunshine. Here comes summer, oh happy days!

One of the things ya gotta love about the spring time. Things grow. Everything grows. In fact, it’s almost impossible to keep things from starting to grow. Even if you have a bag of potatoes in the dark, this time of the year, they’ll sprout. So will onions, they’ll also grow. I don’t even know how potatoes and onions know that it’s time to grow, even when they’re in the dark, the just do. It’s as if God flipped the switch and everything comes to life all at the same time. Yep, boys and girls, it’s called the Springtime. In the springtime if you put stuff in the dirt, It’ll grow. If you don’t put it in the dirt, it’ll still grow. Remember that potato and onion in the dark? They grow.

As I sit looking out the south glass wall of the EastWing, the two front garden Maple Trees have started to pop the buds. Little fellers at first, those buds of springtime. but leaves of summer are hiding inside the little buds of springtime. The East Maple has buds the size of Bumblebees while the West Maple has buds only the size of what your imagination is to be smaller than the Bumblebee Buds of the East Maple. Now if you go outside at night, and don’t make a sound in the darkness, you can almost hear those little buds strain to pop open. But you gotta listen really hard. Then before ya know it, beautiful new Maple Trees will be waving their flags in the winds of summer. I love summer.

Talk about growing, remember that orange tree I started last year? Well in its first full year of life, my orange tree has reached a height of 18”. No oranges yet, but reaching for the sky, while growing like a weed. A new baby plant has just emerged thru the soil inside the orange tree pot. Not yet sure what it is. Did I plant another orange seed and forget or what? I’ll let you know when I figure out what’s growing beside the EastWing Orange Tree.

I expect the apple trees from two years ago to be poppin’ soon. Ya gotta love spring time, even when the Groundhog lets ya down. Damn Groundhog. Oh, I forgot, that groundhog, he has to be a democrat. Getting that Groundhog Czar job and all. I don’t think this White House has appointed too many Republican Czars. At least not so far. An interesting way to sidestep the congressional confirmation process in presidential appointments. Political Czars. It’s kinda like Chicago politics, Chicago Aldermen, only bigger. Rubber stamp people, only bigger. A Groundhog Czar. King for a day.

As winter melts into springtime, it’s such a joy to sit in the EastWing and watch the world turn green. One of the things I do in the spring is feed the early arrival birds of the springtime here at the EastWing.

The early bird feeding is always with mixed emotions. On one hand, I feed the birds. On the other hand, for my outside cats, they think I created a killing field in the front garden. But in this killing field the prey wins. As the cats stalk the birds on the ground, when the cats come too close, those birds just fly away home. No birds are lost in this killing field of the front garden. I’m glad.

Sophia, surly the most pampered cat in my pride of cats, had to try her hand at the killing field. A cat that has never missed a meal in her life, yet she felt compelled to lay in wait for the unsuspecting birds of the killing field. The success of Sophia mirrored the rest of the pride in the killing field.

Disappointed cats walk away simply wonder why it didn’t work out for ‘em in that killing field. Smart birds. If only humans could fly. Then the world could very well be a better place. Except one thing, I don’t do height well.

In fact I don’t do height at any height. I’ve never climbed an apple tree, never climbed anything taller than me . I can get dizzy at any height. As a matter of fact, I don’t even like being 6’ tall. Maybe I should have been born closer to the ground. ‘Cause I sure don’t like height. What the hell, I don’t even like to tiptoe. Me and height, we’re like vinegar and oil, we don’t mix.

The only reason I stopped doing forensic autopsy work way back in the 1970’s was the fact I had to fly to get to the job sites. When I left that line of work, two things happened. One was I quit wearing neck ties to work and two, I stopped getting into airplanes. I don’t do height well. Always figured if God wanted me to fly, he’d have given me wings. He didn’t, so I longer do.

Always remember, your tongue has no bones, yet it’s strong enough to break hearts. So choose your words softly. ‘Cause tongues cannot fix broken hearts. Only time can get that done.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Damn Groundhog, Sophia Grows Up, 105 Days, Growing Stuff, Winter Melts Into Spring, Early Birds & Killing Fields, 6’ & Tiptoeing Not Thru The Tulips, No Wings For Me, Tongues And Time.

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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From the EastWing, Talking About Not Talking About Easter

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: April 9th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

Why didn’t you say something about Easter? It was the first email I opened five days after Easter. I asked the lady what should I have said? She had nothing to propose, just thought I should’ve said something about Easter. Maybe I should’ve said something about Easter. In fact, the more I think about it the more I think I shall.

I didn’t talk about Easter from the EastWing on Easter Sunday. The reason I didn’t talk about Easter is quite simple. Easter is the one Sunday that the whole world hears the message. Nothing I could possibly say or do at the EastWing would add anything to the public knowledge of Easter Sunday. And so I talked of other things.

Of all the religious holidays throughout the year, Easter is the very foundation of Christianity. Had Christ not risen from the dead on that third day, then Jesus and his disciples would have been just JC and The Boys, another out-law band, put down by the power of the Roman Army. And life as we know it today would not exist. The sad part of the Joy of the Risen Christ is how soon we forget about Easter Sunday after its passed into yesterday. Forever forgetting how it changed this world we live in, we, as a people, do forget quick.

In the Catholic Church we have what’s called “Holy Week” Holy Week is simply the week before Easter. There are all kinds of special events during “Holy Week”, all leading up to Easter Sunday. Then once Easter Sunday has passed, for many Catholics as well as many others, we wanta put Jesus back in the bible, and read some more bible stories come Christmas Eve, while hopping for a White Christmas. What we Catholics don’t have is a “Holy Monday After Easter” It would serve the faith well to have a Holy Monday After Easter.

And that, boys and girls is the sad part of the joy of the Risen Christ. The Catholics have a name for us, they call us “Easter & Christmas Catholics”. Our numbers are great, and growing. It’s so much easier to be a Easter & Christmas Catholic. Society supports our efforts at being Easter & Christmas Catholics. We see and hear reports in the national news that less and less people attend church on a regular basis. So there ya are, the main stream media supports Easter & Christmas Catholics. In fact, they promote our cause. It makes news when the faithful numbers are shrinking away from the cross.

The best thing about being an Easter & Christmas Catholic is we get to choose. We get to choose what part of the Catholic Faith we want to follow. Now those everyday Catholics, well, they have lots of rules of do’s and don’ts. Why they have rules about life and death. They even have rules about what to eat, and when to eat it. Even rules of what not to eat and when not to eat is. Why they’ve probably got rules they’ve even forgotten about, ‘cause they’ve been in the rule making business for over 2,000 years. And anybody who’s been making rules for over 2,000 years, why for sure, they’ve got some extra ones laying around unused for right now. Maybe they use those as backup rules.

It’s a lot easier being an Easter & Christmas Catholic. Going to church twice a year, why most anybody can put up with that. And besides, it’s well publicized, so the chance of missing the right day is pretty small. And if you’re lucky, you won’t get one of those long winded priest that loves to hear himself talk and takes forever to say what can be said in 5 minutes. Another advantage of being an Easter & Christmas Catholic is you get to see people you’ve not seen for a long time, for many it’s been a year or more.

An interesting concept of picking and choosing in the beliefs of the Catholic Faith. Interesting indeed, yet many do so, sad to say, many do. And all the while they somehow consider it acceptable to God.

I propose that Hell will be filled with Easter & Christmas Catholics. Along with the “enlightened” Catholic Politicians who very publicly support “A woman’s right to choose”. To see a nationally recognized political figure make such a statement and not be challenged by the Catholic Church is repugnant to the faithful. To see the funeral of the same Catholic Politician broadcast live from the major Catholic Cathedral in the United States is even more repulsive.

Does the American Catholic Church not have a single true defender of the faith? Do American Bishops still lead the flock or have the sheep decided on the direction of the heard? Are the American Bishops taking a cue from the White House, and leading from the rear? Unanswered questions on the mind of BobbyRay.

Any Catholic Politician who openly opposes the teaching of the Catholic Church is picking and choosing the faith. I don’t care who you are, it’s picking and choosing. They’re just adding another wrinkle to the Easter & Christmas Catholic Program. They simply go to Mass more often than needed to qualify as a true E&CC.

If it sounds like I’m picking on the Catholics, I’m not. I’m just telling you the way it is. Been there, done that. Been on both sides of that rope. For those who may not know, I’m from an old school Baptist background, came from a line of Baptist Preachers. Been there, preached that.

In the first year at college I stumbled upon one of the most fascinating fields of study ever, Comparative Religions, it was called. I took it as a “soft A” ‘cause I was a Baptist, from a line of hillbilly preachers, and I knew all about it. Then I fell in love with Comparative Religions and stayed around for six semesters. I just hung around till they started talking ‘bout something I knew about, the Baptist. It took 5 semesters, but when the class got there, I was ready to preach the gospel according to BobbyRay. And so I did.

When it comes to religion, it’s faith. Faith in the unknown. A belief in something that cannot be proven or disproven. You can make your argument and defend your position just as well as anybody can oppose your position. What you cannot do is use stupid arguments. You can use science to defend your position just as well as those who use science to make the argument against your position. Keep in mind, some force had squeeze the trigger on the Big Bang!

Years ago, while teaching CCD, that’s kinda like Sunday School for Catholics, we were talking about faith and why we believe what we do. I asked my kids to bring me something the next class to defend their faith. They brought me a rosary, holy water, several pictures of Jesus, a Catholic Bible, and one little guy brought a dandelion. When I asked why the dandelion, his answer forever endeared me to the little dandelion for the rest of my life. “Nobody can make dandelions except God, not even you, Mr. Howard.” And that very day the dandelion became “that pretty little springtime friend of mine”.

It seems that most all religions suffer from the pick and choose syndrome. The Baptist, God love ‘em, are as guilty as the Catholics when it comes to pick and choose of the faith. Not quite as distinct as the Easter & Christmas Catholics, yet just as picky and choosy. One of the good things the Baptist have going for ‘em is they’re not required under the pain of mortal sin to go to church every Sunday. So right there a big load is lifted.

The major areas of contention with the Baptist is not so much disagreement on the matters of faith, rather issues of a social nature. In some Baptist congregations, pride, envy, and jealousy reign supreme. All the while, those attributes do create an interesting mix on the way to Calvary.

The part about it being a mortal sin to miss mass on Sunday, well, that’s one of the parts we Easter & Christmas Catholics choose not to believe in. Like I said before, It’s easy to be an Easter & Christmas Catholic. We choose not to use that “no meat on Friday” rule way before the Catholic Church decided to do away with the rule. So guess we won that one.

Like most everything in life, choices are made. Right or wrong, choices are made. And your whole life is ordained by those choices made. So when it’s time to make life changing choices such as becoming one of the Easter & Christmas Catholics, please ask yourself a simple question. What happens if I’m wrong?

In matters of Heaven and Hell, it may be best to error on the side Heaven. After all, if you’re wrong, ya got Hell to pay. And then a really long time to wish you’d been on the other side of the rope.

Now for the one out there in northern California, who accosted me for not saying anything about Easter, Is that enough said, girl? J

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Talking About Not Talking About Easter

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Calculating Easter And Cadbury Eggs Sophia Unchained, Herding Cats, Citizen By Choice, Birthright To Welfare, Sophia In The Nighttime, Miss Kitty A Cat With Thumbs, The Last Cold Of Winter, Shooting BB Guns,

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: April 1st, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

Do you know how to calculate what Sunday Easter will be, come next year? If not, don’t feel bad, most people don’t have a clue when Easter Sunday will be in the future. Guess they just wait till someone says it time for the Easter Bunny. Another way to find the answer is to determine the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Spring Equinox. When you figure that all out, it’ll be Easter Sunday every time.

Not too sure how the Easter Bunny got associated with Easter. But I’m not too sure about a lot of things, so guess that makes Peter Cotton Tail just part of the stuff I’m not too sure about. But Cadbury Eggs on the other hand, Cadbury Eggs, yap, I’m sure of ‘bout them fellers.

WOW! Last week, did I ever get told in no uncertain terms that it was way past time that I allow Sophia The Calico Conservative Republican Cat to once again speak her mind from the EastWing.

One of the most seething, I love that word, seething, emails I’ve received in a long time accused me of purposely limiting Sophia’s access to her Sunday Evening forum because she and her republicans lost the national election. And so I was accused of limiting Sophia’s access to the Sunday Evening gathering. I was accused of restraining Sophia The Cat. Shewwwww.

Give me a break here. Have you ever tried to limit a cat? Limiting a cat is much the same as herding cats. Cats don’t herd easy. In fact, herding cats is one of the single most difficult job on the whole planet. As Sophia sat on the back of my chair and read the thoughts, as my fingers brought words to screen, she smiled and whispered into my right ear, “Ya got that right, we’re cats, we don’t herd.”

Sophia is doing fine and licking her political wounds in the EastWing. Disappointed at her election loss, but reconciled to the fact that a candidate who offers jobs verses a candidate who offers free stuff, then the free stuff guy will win forever with the voters who’s accustom to living off the free stuff. It’s kinda like sex, why pay for it, if you’re already getting it for free. And that going to work part, why work, it’s free…….

Yet when it comes to “free stuff” from the government, somebody pays for it, somebody forever pays for other people’s free stuff when the government passes out candy. Somebody pays. Keep in mind, that for every dollar collected by the government, somebody earned the dollar by their work. Then someone got the free stuff, without work.

It’s an ironical fact that to become a citizen of the United States a person must pass a test to demonstrate knowledge of our form of government, the history of the nation and how our society functions.

While at the same time if you are born in the United States, dropped out of school as soon as possible, can’t even read or write, know nothing except living off the social welfare system in this nation, and even if you sell drugs on the streets of Chicago, as your major source of income, then you have an equal voice in the selection process of choosing who is in charge of the government.

Should it turn out that you are the most manipulative piece of social carp this side of the south side, and you do fall victim to a community organizer who preys upon voters that have learned to survive off the “system”. You get to vote, no questions asked. The term low knowledge level voter has crept into the language as a result of voters who don’t even know the name of candidates. Yet they vote as they are told. Sad but true. Much the same as lemming marching off the cliff, they get to vote. The lemmings may have also voted before they took that last step.

Some time back I told you about how Sophia had somehow sensed a change in my health status and as such had changed how she reacted when I go to sleep at night. Then how she all of a sudden started laying close enough to my face to allow her whiskers to touch my face.

Well we’ve moved into a different phase of nightynight. Sophia has now determined that she will lay her head underneath my chin. I lay on my left side, Sophia lays on her left side. She tucks herself in underneath my chin. It’s not my choice. Remember that part ‘bout cats not herding easy? Well the same goes for when ya wanta go to sleep. Cats go to sleep the way cats want to go to sleep, not the way people want cats to go to sleep. Even in the darkness, cats don’t herd easy.

Now that we’re talking about cats, I gotta tell ya a story about Miss Kitty, the Black & White Princess Cat of RHCO INC. For all practical purposes, Miss Kitty is the official host of RHCO INC. Last year a lady came to get her taxes prepared by RHCO INC, and her job happened to be a judge at nationally sanctioned cat shows. I didn’t even know they had cat shows. Yes they do, but not as popular as dog shows.

Now this girl shows up at RHCO for her tax appointment, and true to course, Miss Kitty right away is in her face introducing herself as the official RHCO Greeter. The lady picks up Miss Kitty and right off recognizes that Miss Kitty has polydactyl feet. Now that just means that Miss Kitty has more paws than most cats. And then she realized that Miss Kitty has a perfect all four paw match of polydactyly.

Now just in case you’ve never heard of polydactyly, it’s what people call cats with thumbs. It’s a congenital abnormality, genetically inherited as an autosomal dominant trait of the Pd gene with incomplete penetrance. Now that’s a big scientific explanation for what people call cats with thumbs. Miss Kitty, well, Miss Kitty has all four and they’re perfectly matched. To see a cat with two front paws polydactyl is rare. To see a cat with any back paws polydactyl is even more rare. To see a cat with four perfect matched paws polydactyl is the most rare of rare. And so it is that Miss Kitty walks into the sunshine of the most rare of the rare. A cat for the ages.

The lady got real excited and says “Would you consider selling this animal?” “Why no, that’s my cat” I said. She says, “Would consider using her as breeding stock?” I tell the girl, “If Miss Kitty has babies, it will be the second Immaculate Conception. Miss Kitty has been fixed for years.”

A few weeks ago, the girl came back to have this year’s taxes prepared for 2012. Once again Miss Kitty was in her face as soon as she sat down. She picked up Miss Kitty, smiled and said “you still won’t sell her will ya?” I just smiled back. Words were not necessary at that point. Smiles spoke out loud. Now Just so the world knows, Miss Kitty is not for sale at any price. But at the very least, I should have asked the offer to buy price. Just to know the street value of Miss Kitty, a cat with thumbs, all four thumbs. Have ya ever heard the expression “all thumbs”? Miss Kitty is all four thumbs.

At the EastWing, some things are just not for sale. Now for that feller who said everything in life is for sale, the only thing left it agreeing upon the price. He never tried to buy Miss Kitty, or for that matter the EastWing Chickens. Especially the Tip Top Chickens At The EastWing. Some things I just don’t sale at any price, not at the EastWing.

This year the very last day of winter was one of the most miserable days of the whole winter. A high temperature of only 32° and an all day wind of not less than 25 mph. A cold miserable day for sure. All day long people were coming into the RHCO Office complaining about how cold and windy it was outside. A cold miserable day for sure. Such a fitting day for the end of winter.

By 11:00 at the AM I decided to take the high road for the rest of the day. From that time on, before anyone could start to complain about the outside weather, I said “Sure bet you’re like me, glad this is the last day of winter, ‘cause I’ve had enough of this cold weather crap.” They always agreed and we then talked of other things. With one client, I even talked about the fun of shooting BB Guns in the Springtime. And it was fun, to both to talk about as well as shoot. I’ve still got my Red Rider. And still shoot.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From The EastWing, Calculating Easter And Cadbury Eggs Sophia Unchained, Herding Cats, Citizen By Choice, Birthright To Welfare, Sophia In The Nighttime, Miss Kitty A Cat With Thumbs, The Last Cold Of Winter, Shooting BB Guns,

I wish you well,

BobbyRay

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From the EastWing, Looking for the End, Going Out To Play, The Peeps of Springtime, Sounds To My Ears, That Pretty Little Springtime Friend Of Mine, Manicured Lawns & Missing Summer, The Time To Say, Bad & Ugly. Gun Control For The Good Guys.

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: March 25th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

Seems it’s happened every year forever. I look forward to the start of the tax filing season and come toward the end of March, I start looking forward to the end of the tax filing season. That time has come for this tax filing season.

The long hours for many days have been put in, the time has come. It’s time to look forward to the end of this tax filing. Season. And so I do. Come April 16^th and all the world is turning green, and everybody wants to go outside and play, I go outside and play. The hard part of my work for the year is finished. The rest of my work year is pretty much scheduled at my convenience. It’s a wonderful life.

A few weeks ago I was asked if I’d talk about the Peeps of Springtime once again, and said we’d wait to see what the little frogs had to say ‘bout that. A few days ago I received an email telling me the little frogs had made their voice heard in Kentucky and so it’s time to once again tell the story of the Bells of Springtime.

I’m so enjoying the sounds of springtime nights. So much so that the other night I decided to go out and visit those little sounds of the night. They’re frogs, ya know, those sounds that come to your ears from the darkness, from the nighttime. Those sounds come from little frogs called Spring Peepers.

Little fellers, them Spring Peepers, smaller than your thumb. But happy boys indeed, happy to be alive in the springtime. All the sounds from all those little boy frogs remind me of sleigh bells ringing. In fact, these little guys are called the Bells of Springtime. They’re certainly music to my new ears, those Bells of Springtime. This year, with my new electronic hearing aids, it’s the first time I have heard the Bells of Springtime in a long time, a long time, and it’s still pretty music to my ears.

When the crushing cold of winter starts to yield to warmer times, as it does every year, even when we think it’ll never end, it does, and on a cold night, the wind is still, and the frost is heavy. The moon, a bright yellow ball hanging in a cloudless sky. While the air is so crisp ya could break with a hammer a movement starts under the dead leaves of an autumn past. Life resurrecting.

First one eye, then the other, one leg moves, then the another. In a matter of minutes everything is working just the way he left ‘em when he dug deep under the leaves to freeze near death for the winter. A little frog is coming back from a place between death and darkness, a twilight zone of frogs. A Bell of Springtime is tuning up to ring.

I almost forgot to tell ya an interesting thing ‘bout not only the Peeps but all frogs. It’s the way they survive the winter. Now frogs have the ability to make their own kinda anti-freeze. I’m already starting to see some of my emails next week, laughing ‘bout the frog anti-freeze joke. Before ya start laughing, ya better check it out, ‘cause I’m telling ya I know a lot ‘bout frogs.

It never ceases to amaze me how my friends of the EastWing continue to remember stories that I didn’t even think were worth remembering. Guess when it’s springtime, it’s just time for the Peeps.

I still remember a few years back, when I got my first digital hearing aids that allowed me to hear the Peeps of Springtime for the first time in many years. Tears filled my eyes as the sound filled my ears and the Peeps of Springtime once again croaked back into my life.

Peeps are kinda cool, but only when ya can hear ‘em. If ya can’t hear the Peeps, then it’s kinda like listening a broadcast of the 4^th of July fireworks on the radio. It takes something away.

It was the day before the official start of Spring. A cold day, a windy day, an overall miserable day to be outside in the weather. Yet when I reached the warm confines of the EastWing, sat down at the computer and looked out the south wall of glass, I saw seven robins on the ground. Six little boys puffing out their chests, and one little girl. And she’s having nothing to do with any of ‘em. The way those little boy robins were strutting around the yard, why, you’d think they were peacocks. I guess little boys in the springtime are all the same. Be they birds, or cats, or rats, or elephants, little boys of springtime want to play.

Before ya know it the pretty little springtime friend of mine, that pretty little dandelion, will be a welcome guest in the EastWing gardens. Most folks loath that pretty little friend of mine. But they miss the beauty of nature when they blame that pretty little dandelion for messing up their manicured lawn. Give me a break here, do ya really think they mowed the grass in the Garden of Eden? I don’t think so. Was the pretty little Springtime Friend of Mine in that garden. Oh sure.

After all, dandelion spelled backwards is noilednad which is an old Hebrew word meaning “Little Flower Queen of The Garden”. Yet another reason I believe the dandelion was in the Garden of Eden, remember when Jesus, while at a wedding party, turned water into wine. Now just think about that for a second, Jesus wanted to do something really special. Anybody can make wine from grapes. Jesus made Dandelion Wine.

Those who spend the summer working hard to maintain that perfect lawn, well, they lose a lot. And just one of the things they lose is summer. If all your thoughts are maintaining the lawn, ya missed one of Gods greatest gifts. The gift, why it’s the summertime of course.

The email this week brought a set of most interesting questions. How are you able to think of all this stuff you say every week? How much time do you spend on what you have to say on Sunday Night? I’m glad you asked.

How I think about what I have to say, I don’t have a clue. I just do. It seems that when I set down at the keyboard on Sunday Evening and start to type, the words are either there, or not. When the words are there, the whole evening is complete within an hour at most.

Now it’s when the words are not there, now that’s what will make my Sunday Evening stretch into the nighttime. I’ve forever said, the good stories can be told in 10 minutes. It’s the bad ones, the bad ones, they takes me hours and hours, and then they’re still bad when I’m finished. Bad is kinda like ugly. Ya can’t improve on bad, or ugly.

Have you noticed that in all the discussions currently going on in Washington DC, talking about gun control, not a single politician has made any type recommendation on how to get the guns away from the bad guys?

They’ve only developed strategies on how to get the guns from the law abiding citizens. DUH! Seems like the wrong group is being targeted for gun eradication. Course the politicians may not want to make the bad guys mad. Unlike the good guys, the bad guys wouldn’t put up with their crap. They’d shoot ‘em. After all, they’ve got all the guns they need.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Looking for the End, Going Out To Play, The Peeps of Springtime, Sounds To My Ears, That Pretty Little Springtime Friend Of Mine, Manicured Lawns & Missing Summer, The Time To Say, Bad & Ugly. Gun Control For The Good Guys.

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Smart Phones & Dumb Phones, Who Controls Whom, Dumbing Down Society & Making Change, Fire & Ice, Panstarrs & The Weather Channel, NASA & The CIA, Poems On The Back Roads.

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: March 19th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

Most everybody I know now has a “smart phone”. I still have a “dumb phone”. All I can do with my dumb phone is talk to people when I want to. Such a great invention. Thank you Mr. Bell for allowing me to talk to people when I want to.

I can’t help but think Mr. Bell would do the big turn over if he knew what a monster h is invention released into society. Now I ask those with a smart phone, a simple question. Are you a slave to your “smart phone”? If ya got one, I’ll bet you are. After observing those who possess such, it appears the “smart phone” may very well control the lives of the owners. Maybe another way to put it is, just who is in charge. At the very least, it’s most difficult to determine who controls whom. Are you familiar with the term “at my beckon call”? And remember here,you’re not doing the beckoning. It didn’t take too much practice to learn to jump thru the hoop of the “smart phone”, did it?

It’s truly amazing to observe society move in such a short time from a telephone attached to a piece of copper wire to a telephone powered by a small rechargeable battery. And while this transformation took place, we all became so important in this world that we must have instance communication with everything and everybody. Cell Phones, ya gotta love ‘em.

They made us feel important Even when we’re not. I’m not, and I know it. But I’m sure glad to be able to watch those folks at Wal-Mart so proud to be able to talk on the “smart phone”. Did ya ever notice, they all talk too loud on those Wal-Mart Smart Phones? Guess it’s to make sure everybody knows they have one. It ya got it and they know it, clap your hands.

As technology advanced such gadgets into society, public education in our nation appears to have dumbed down society in lock step with technology. We now have a generation of people who can text and drive. Who can play video games for a record numbers of hours on end. People who can shoot videos with their “smart phone”. They have instant communication with the whole world. Many of these same members of our society are unable to make correct change of a simple monetary transaction such as “how much change will I get back if my bill is $13.23 and I pay with a$50.00 bill?

One of my clients at RHCO INC, operates a summer Drive Inn business at a resort community here in northern Indiana. This business is staffed almost entirely by workers still in high school. Every year there’s a large turnover of employees. The difficulty this company has in finding people who can make simple change is beyond belief.

The total job interview for a summer job now consist of the “how much change” question from the above paragraph. Most fail. Last summer one job applicant concluded the correct change for the transaction was $63.23. WOW ! The job applicants are almost exclusively third year high school students, one summer away from entering their senior year. And for many, one year away from entering into society as young adult. Don’t know what we teach ‘em now in high school, but for many, it’s for sure not how to count change back when selling burgers and fries and cherry pies. Life was simple and easy back then.

Remember back in January I told ya there would be really neat things to see in the sky this year, remember that? Well I do. And part of what I was talking about is in the sky right now. This part is a comet by the name of Panstarrs.

It’s a chunk of ice melting its way toward our sun. And that comet tail in the sky, now that’s kinda like when you see a jet plane go overhead and see the streaming cloud left behind the jet. It’s not identical, but you get the idea. It has to do with heat and cold. Fire and Ice, and that sort of thing. That reminds me of a poem I know:

FIRE AND ICE

Some say the world may end in fire, some say ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire, I stick with those who favor fire.

But if I had to parish twice, I think I know enough of fate to say

That for destruction Ice is also great, and will suffice.

If ya want to see the Comet Panstarrs, look toward the west, just after the sun goes below the horizon. Panstarrs will be just a little to the left of the setting sun tomorrow. In fact, Panstarrs came as close to the sun as its going to get last Sunday, March 10,2013. If you would follow this comet for several days, ya could see it tail shift a little bit each day.

The change in the angle of the comet tail is the result of its relative position to the sun. now I’m not gona start talking ‘bout how to calculate where that little ice ball is out there in “no man’s land” of space. My brother-in-law, Ed, used to try to teach me how to make those calculations. Ed could do that kinda math in his head. It took me a half ream of paper, and still I would usually be off by a few light years. I finally told Ed, ”forgetaboutit”. If I need to know where it’s at, I’m gona ask you anyways. Ed always laughed when I said that.

I was kinda planning on putting my telescope on Panstarrs the night of March 10th, but ya just can’t see comets thru rain clouds as thick as banana pudding. So that night, I observed the Comet Panstarrs at its closest approach to the sun, by way of the Weather Channel . Maybe a better view, but there’s a very special feeling when it’s just you, your telescope, and the thing you’re looking at many millions of miles away.

I’m sure the Weather Channel gets their comet stuff from NASA. Why of course they’ve got the best view possible. Money talks, and buys the best view of comets. But that special feeling of “me and thee” is not available from the Weather Channel.

Interesting thing about NASA. Do you know that NASA is a part of the United States Military? Yes, it is. We seem to think that NASA is funded by our government for scientific research, and as such, new discoveries and scientific advances by NASA are presented to the world to benefit mankind. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth.

In many respects, NASA is more of a secret organization than the CIA. Everybody knows that the CIA is supposed to not tell, but they tell. Everybody thinks that NASA is supposed to tell, yet they don’t tell. Little bits and pieces of very well scripted information comes from NASA. NASA is the best part of our federal government when it comes to keeping secrets.

Do you ever remember poems? All my life, I’ve had the ability to remember any poem that strikes my fancy. Don’t know why, just can. From the Raven to Hiawatha Wedding Song, to The Cremation of Sam McGee, and even Casey At The Bat, I carry ‘em all on the back roads of my memory. But never so far into the dirt they get lost in the dust. Some day maybe they will fade into the dust, but I sure hope not in my lifetime. ‘Cause I love all those guys and girls, including Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis .

Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and weary over many quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore……. By the shores of Gitche Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis……There are strange things done in the midnight sun, by the men who mold for gold. The arctic trails have their secret tails that will make your blood run cold…… The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day; The score stood four to two with but one inning left to play.

Like I said, don’t know why, but they’re just always there, on the back roads.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Smart Phones & Dumb Phones, Who Controls Whom, Dumbing Down Society & Making Change, Fire & Ice, Panstarrs & The Weather Channel, NASA & The CIA, Poems On The Back Roads.

I Wish you well

BobbyRay

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The Difference a ° Makes, Magic In The Snow, Blizzards & Thunder Storms, Pete & Delmar, What ’s UP, It’s UP To You, U P, U P, UP UP And Away

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: March 11th, 2013

Greetings to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

And just last Sunday when I said here comes summer, whata we get but the biggest snow storm in a long, long time. And ya know what, I knew the big snow was coming and still said here comes summer. ‘Cause it’s the time of the year to say here come summer, no matter what comes our way, here comes summer. The temperature today was 60° at the EastWing. And I spent 12 hours within the confines of RHCO INC. Ah but wait till the ides of April, then BobbyRay goes out to play in the sunshine.

Up until last Tuesday the most snow at the EastWing this year was just under 1 ½ ” as the temperature held steady at 32.5°. Just a hair over the freezing, and even the little hair part of the temperature, that .5° over freezing meant the snow was still melting. Not fast melting, but melting never the less. And then it happened, a temperature drop of 0 .8° and the serious business of snow storming began in earnest. The ideal conditions had come together that 5th day of the month of the War God, Mars, to make a snow for the record books.

And so it was that Tuesday afternoon, as the shades of darkness embraced the EastWing, my world became a winter wonder land. The dreams of a White Christmas materialized before my very eyes. The lack of wind made watching the snow accumulate that much more fun. Snow piled up on everything that didn’t move. Outside the EastWing glass nothing moved, except the snow, falling straight down and piling up on everything it touched. White magic fluff from the sky.

Many things ya paid a never mind, the day before, became works of art in the middle of the snow storm. The EastWing Maples, without leaves, morphed into abstract sculptures of bark and snow. A 30’ pine tree became a White Flocked Christmas Tree, three months late. Yet just as beautiful as it would surely have been on Christmas Eve. Bottom branches of the massive pine tree, bearing so much weight of the heavy snow that the tips come within 3’ of the grass, while still attached to the tree trunk 10’ off the ground.

Then occasionally when the snow got too heavy, and the effects of gravity pulled too hard against the snow, the white magic slides off as if the tree itself is shaking the snow from the branches. And the tree says “Enough of this crap, get off my branches”. And I didn’t even know trees could talk. But I’m not surprised ‘cause I believe everything can talk. It’s sad to think that we, as people, can’t hear all the voices of everything. Surly there’s lessons to be learned from listing to the voice of everything. Trees are just one small example of things that can talk.

And I didn’t even talk about the green, green grass of home, or for that matter, the beautiful Monarch Butterflies. Now we all know the Monarchs have a story to tell. Being world travels’ and all. I’m sure ya know ‘bout that Capistrano party and the butterflies, or was that swallows, or was it both? Did the birds get most of the press because of the song? I sometimes wonder ‘bout stuff like that.

Few things in life can compare to the pleasure of being safe and warm in the EastWing and watching a snow storm in the front gardens. The only thing that comes to mind that can compare, is watching a massive thunder storm of summer in the nighttime at the EastWing. A laser light show from God, with sound effects at no extra charge. It don’t get much better than that.

To have to choose between watching a blizzard or the thunder storm at night in the EastWing, I’d have to use a technique employed by Pete in the movie “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”. When asked to choose between one or the other, Pete simply said “I’m with you fellers”. The wisdom of Pete rivals the wisdom of Delmar, in the same movie, when he looked into the eyes of a frog and uttered the immortal words, “I don’t think that’s Pete”.

A while back I was bad mouthed in the email for displaying such poor language skills. And when I happened to mention such while we were visiting in the EastWing one Sunday Evening, I was amazed how many of my friends came to my defense. Ya backed me UP against the Word Nazis. And so I got to thinking, how ‘bout that word UP.

It’s a little two letter word in the English Language that has more meanings than any other two letter word in the book, the dictionary, that is. It’s UP. Yap, UP. It’s an adjective, adverb, noun, verb, or preposition. Why it may even be a dangling participle, for all I know. And I’m not even gona even talk about dangling participles anymore, ‘cause that’s kinda gross, dangling out there and all.

Right here, I gotta admit a good friend of mine reminded of that dangling participle stuff when he came to my defense in dealing with the Word Nazis. And this guy’s a good one to come to your defense, ‘cause used to carry a gun, and it wasn’t concealed either. Was on his hip, for fast draw. But he might have been a Barney with the bullet in his shirt pocket, I’m not sue. Either way, such a good, good friend, for such a long time. And that word UP, well, UP, it’s truly a word for all season.

It’s not rocket science to understand that UP means toward the sky, and the opposite of down. But did you ever wonder why we also say in the morning we wake UP? And in the morning we start UP? At night we stay UP? And when we get sick, now you for sure know how we use UP when we’re sick and throw stuff.

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are people UP for election. We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house when we leave. We fix UP the old car. Why, we even fix UP the old house. We can brighten UP a day. We can even brighten UP a night. In fact, we can brighten UP anything.

Sometimes this special little word makes us do things, such as when people stir UP trouble. We line UP to buy stuff, we work UP an appetite. We are especially good at thinking UP excuses. Now to be dressed is normal, but to be dressed UP is so very special. And who don’t like to dress UP? For Easter, we really dress UP. And how many times have you wanted to tell someone to shut UP?

Sometimes UP can be confusing. A drain must be opened UP because it’s stopped UP. I open UP the play ground, RHCO INC, in the morning and close UP the play ground, RHCO INC, e at the end of my day. Now if ya want to be really knowledgeable about the proper use of UP, look it UP, UP in the dictionary. If ya do, ya may find UP to have thirty or so definitions for the little magic word UP.

Now if you’re UP to it, try building UP a list of the many ways UP impacts your life. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don’t give UP, you may wind UP with several dozen uses of UP. Such as, when it looks like rain, we say it’s clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it’s clearing up. Then when it does rain, the earth soaks it UP. And when it does not rain, things dry UP, and we say it passed us UP. I could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it UP about UP. ‘Cause for this UP stuff, my time’s almost UP.

Oh . . . one more thing I almost forgot. What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?

U
P!
There ya go. I’m about fed UP with this line of thought at the EastWing. So I guess it’s UP, UP and away.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, The Difference a ° Makes, Magic In The Snow, Blizzards & Thunder Storms, Pete & Delmar, What’s UP, It’s UP To You, U P, U P, UP UP And Away

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

PS: Did ya notice not one time did I ever say ‘bout “UP yours”. I don’t even know what that means. But I’ve heard it a lot, all my life. I don’t think it’s a term of endearment.

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End of February, March & Bring It On, Fear Of The Unknown, Talking To The Spiders, Friends In small Places, Milking Cows With Particle Physics Guys, Hiding Spiders & Hiding Crooks

By: WKVI Information Center

Published: March 5th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

February’s gone and so is winter! Yeah!!! It’s springtime in the Valley. Shewwwww, never thought it’d get here soon enough. But I think that every year, ‘bout this time. Happy spring. Cold winds of March, cold rains of March, snow of March, bring ‘em on. After all is said and done, it’s springtime in the valley, and summer’s just around the corner. Here comes summer.

Ever notice how we spend so much of our life in fear? Fear of the unknown, it’s the worst kinda fear ever. It’s the fear of the unknown that’ll drive ya crazy. A good example of what I’m talking about is; it’s not the spider we fear, it’s NOT knowing where the spider went, that’s what we fear. Not knowing where the spider went, I’m telling ya, that’s the real fear of spiders.

Damn spiders, scares us so bad when they hide, and all the while the spider hides because he’s afraid of us. Since spiders couldn’t tell us that, we fear the unknown, hidden spiders. I don’t know ‘bout you, but I’m for sure afraid of ‘em, hidden spiders that is. Yet I’m not aware of a single case where a spider has attacked a person. But I’m not going to be the first, ‘cause I’m afraid of ‘em.

Maybe life would be better if spiders could talk. Which could lead to all kinds of major, and I do mean major changes in society. For one thing, the spider could tell us how to make spider silk. Spider silk, a material many times stronger than steel, and many times less weight than steel. Plus, just think how much fun it would be to carry on a conversation with a creature that has so many legs. If I could talk to a spider, the first thing I’d do was ask him, or her to sit down and cross their legs. That’d be kinda cool.

Did ya ever read Gulliver’s Travels? If not, it’s a story ‘bout a regular feller who went on a trip one time and found himself in a land where he was a giant. I bet if the truth be known, the spiders of the EastWing look at me much the same as those folks looked at Gulliver, a giant who has invaded their land.

For sure, I don’t feel like a giant in the EastWing, but from the point of view of that hidden spider, looking out at me, he sees the giant of the EastWing. The reason the spider hides, he too fears the unknown. Even spiders fear the unknown.

Giving credit where credit is due, I’ve never seen a better manipulator of the fear of the unknown than President Obama. Over the course of the last couple weeks, he had made every effort to drive the fear of the unknown into the heart and soul of every American in this nation.

The people who clean the halls of congress will be laid off. Social Security checks will be delayed, he said. Meat inspectors will not be able to assure the safety of our food supply, he said. Air traffic will be delayed due to the laying off of air traffic controllers, he said. The military will not be able to provide for the defense of the nation, he said. The Navy will be unable to send ships out to sea, he said. Teachers, police and firemen will lose their jobs, he said. Medicare and Medicaid services will suffer, he said. Now it don’t get much more “fear of the unknown” than that. No wonder the low information electorate voted for the guy. I would have too, had I not known better.

A year or two ago I talked about some friends of mine who just happened to be in the business of trying to find what they called the “God Particle”. These guys are in the science business of particle physics. Particle physics is the science of looking for the most basic building blocks of the universe. I call ‘em my friends in small places. They just call me BobbyRay.

They gave me an explanation of their quest for the God Particle. Was smaller than small, they said. Even smaller than that, they said. We know it’s there, they said. We’ll someday find it, they said.

Now guess what, yap, they found the God Particle. ‘Course it helped ‘em to have had a billion dollars worth of scientific equipment in the form a particle escalator which is a 17 mile circle underneath the Swiss Alps and a full circle of really strong magnets and a gun that shoots really little bullets around corners in different directions at the same time so they bump into each other at the other side of the circle. Guess when ya have a setup like that, finding the God Particle is a piece of cake, a really, really small piece of cake

Guess God thought it was time in the evaluation of humans for this knowledge to come into existence, else the God Particle would have remained a yet to be discovered piece of knowledge. An interesting result of the discovery of the God Particle, is the calculation that the whole universe will, many, many billions of years in the future cease to exist.

It seems that the God Particle has brought into the mathematical formula of things, stability which cannot be sustained. The result being an end to the existence of the whole. The whole everything. The universe as we know it. All the stuff we know outside the universe we live in. I’m telling ya, these guys are telling me, the whole damn thing is going to blow.

The only think is, they don’t know if it’s gona blow in or gona blow out. The only thing for sure, it’s gona blow one way or the other. But not to worry it’ll not be for many billions of years and even if ya were there, it wouldn’t hurt, ‘cause it’s all gona happen at the speed of light. I guess if ya blink, you’ll miss it.

With all that crazy stuff being discussed, I some times wonder why I even hang around with these guys who talk so much over my head. I bet sometimes my Particle Physics Friends wonder why they even hang around with someone with such a simple mind as BobbyRay.

Yet we all recognize that we’re equally ignorant, just about different things. One time in the middle of conversation on particle physics, I ask the question, “Can any of you guys milk a cow?” Laughter rang out across the internet. LOL rang supreme.

No one could milk a cow except me. I’ve milked cows. Some of my friends in small places had never seen a live cow, only pictures of such. Yet they all knew that milk did come from a live animal and not a plastic jug. Which is a higher knowledge level than some from other parts of our society. many of those who have spent a lifetime on concrete, asphalt and steel, the intercity child, they have no knowledge of where milk comes from other than the plastic jug.

And it all comes back to the spider and he’s hiding from us, ‘cause he’s afraid of us, and we’re afraid of him ‘cause he hiding from us. And he’s hiding, cause he afraid of us. Damn Spiders.

Just little boxes made out of wicky wacky, and they all look the same. Even knowing why spiders hide, I’m still scared of those spider when I don’t know where they’re hiding. Hiding spider are much the same as doing business with a crook. I can do business with crooks, as long as I know up front they’re crooks. It’s the ones I don’t know, the hiding kind, that I’m afraid of, kinda like hiding spiders, Those hiding crooks.

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, End of February, March & Bring It On, Fear Of The Unknown, Talking To The Spiders, Friends In small Places, Milking Cows With Particle Physics Guys, Hiding Spiders & Hiding Crooks

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Hobbies or Not,Researching Marga rine,Churning Butter, When It’s Butter And Ya Know It

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: February 25th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

From time to time, I’ve been asked if I have any hobbies. I never know how to respond that question. ‘Cause I’ve never thought of anything I do as being a hobby. So I don’t know if stargazing is a hobby or serious effort. Is RHCO INC. a hobby that pays the bills or my playground for the last 35 years? Is the EastWing a hobby or the love of my life? Besides the She, of course. Is research into anything and everything a hobby or a desire to expand the knowledge base? And so it is, that sometimes a simple question produces more questions than answers. Then sometimes not.

A while back I was asked did I know anything about Margarine. I did not. Not a single thing. In fact I was able to tell the person who asked me the question, that to the best of my memory, I had not spent a single minute of my life even thinking about Margarine. So no, I didn’t know anything about Margarine. I asked why the question was being raised, and was informed the person had heard something about Margarine being bad for your health, but didn’t remember any details and thought I’d probably know. I didn’t know. That same day, I decided to change knowledge level on Margarine.

Later on that same evening, when I got to the EastWing, after the days work was done, my thoughts turned to the events of the day and my lack of knowledge of Margarine. And so it was at that time I decided to dwell into my unlimited information base of Margarine Knowledge, the internet. The good, the bad, and the ugly, the internet. I would make myself aware of the history and facts surrounding this magical man made marvel of modern chemistry. This Imperial, this “I can’t believe it’s not butter” butter, this Blue Bonnet Thing, this Margarine.

Well, of all the things one could want to investigate to improve the knowledge base, it don’t get better than this Butter Vs Margarine. What I’ve found is more misinformation surrounding this Butter-margarine issue than just about anything else you could imagine. Half truths and half lies , half facts and half fiction. Seems to me that it’s all in the name of protecting your own turf.

Now if ya got dairy cows that produce milk that can be churned into butter, margarine is the work of the devil. If not, margarine is the answer to all the ills brought into society by the use of butter in our diet.

One of the most captivating urban legion surrounding this butter Vs margarine thing, in my opinion, is the story that margarine was first introduced as a food to put weight on turkeys. When fed to turkeys, they died, so the makers of this turkey killing stuff added a few additional ingredients and marketed it as margarine.

Now if ya just step back one step and look at that story in total, if it kills turkeys, it kills people. We eat turkeys ‘cause we kill ‘em first. Not because they die from natural causes, then we eat ‘em. I’m telling ya right up, if it kills turkeys, I’m not eating it. But on the other hand, I don’t eat margarine. I’m a butter kinda guy. But I think the She eats that crap. Now don’t misunderstand me here, I’m not connecting the She to the turkeys when it comes to this margarine stuff.

According to the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers, Margarine was the idea of a Frenchman named Hippolyte Mege-Mouriez in response to a request from Emperor Louis Napoleon for ideas for a substitute for butter. In 1869 he used margaric acid and the name of his formulation became known as Margarine. It became a hit in the United States in the late1800′s

A little dirty secret of the margarine industry that is never talked about is that margaric acid stuff. Hope you’re ready for this, maybe ya should be setting down, anyways here goes. Most everybody I know, have never heard of margaric acid. With my background in chemistry, I have. This stuff is a fatty acid derived from the milk of animals who eat grass and have segmented stomachs. Can we say cows here? Do ya get the drift? Margarine is derived from the breakdown components of milk. Another way to look at it is, ya don’t get margaric acid from corn, ya get it from cows.

Now of course there are several animals one could get margaric acid from. The deer and the antelope, but they play. I’m telling ya, they got the original stuff for the milk of cows. And so it turns out that margarine is the bastard child of the milk industry. And so that’s why the cow guys don’t want to clam ‘em as relatives.

It’s a true fact that both butter and margarine have the same amount of calories per tablespoon, ‘bout a hundred per. But from there on the similarity ends. So from that point on, you’re either a butter kinda guy or a margarine kinda guy and nothing that can be said from the EastWing is gona change your point of view. So I’m not eve gona try one way or the other.

But I will say, maybe is ‘cause I’ve had the pleasure of churning my own butter. Just operating the butter churn up and down, or turning the crank that made the milk turn into butter. Either way ya look at it, I’ve done something most have not been involved with in their lifetime, I’ve turned milk into butter. Not at the EastWing, but back in the day. It was at South Fork, and me and Lou, and when we made the butter happen. I done all the churning, ‘cause Lou, well, Lou didn’t do work, Lou just told everybody what to do, and when to do it. Looking back at that time in my life, I think Lou was in supervision.

Such a good Grandmother, was Lou. We played in the creek. The creek was the headwaters of the Kentucky River, my beloved South Fork, playing in the water with Lou. In my whole life, I never called her grandma, I called her Lou. It was a special bond, me and Lou. A special bond in deed. It was a time when a little boy and a grandma played together and swam in the head waters of the Kentucky River and picked black berries on the mountain side, in the summer sun. A time when both a Little Boy and a Grandmother enjoyed the company of the other. Me and Lou, on South Fork, it was such a time.

After that walk down memory lane with me and Lou, I don’t care who ya are, I’m voting on the side of butter. Now if ya never churned, if you’ve never turned milk into real butter and ya want to get on the margarine side of live, I’m happy for ya. But that’s your problem. ‘Cause when push comes to shove, if butter was not the better of the two products why would some smart ass advertising people come up with such a catchy name as “I Can’t Belief It’s Not Butter”. Well you can believe it, it’s not butter.

It’s interesting when comparing the ingredients of the two product, butter and margarine. Butter has a single ingredient, butter. Margarine, on the other hand, margarine, has a litany of ingredients, depending on who is making the stuff to begin with. So, unlike butter, not all margarine is created equal. So, when it’s butter and you know it clap your hands.

I set here in the EastWing this evening having read the latest projection of the doom and gloom of a “Massive Winter Storm emerging from the Rocky Mountains with its eye on the Midwest”. Now I don’t know ‘bout you, but I didn’t even know that winter storms could see.

We all know that hurricanes can see, of course they can see, they’ve got eyes. We’ve all seen those hurricane eyes a thousand times on the news and weather. Those weather people, that’s all they want to talk about when it comes to hurricanes, the eye of the storm. But winter storms, they don’t have eyes, they have rain and thunder, sleet and snow, and sometimes lots of everything.

In a unusual sense I’m kinda looking forward to a winter blizzard. I’ve been working nonstop, 12 – 16 hrs every day since January 7^th . Should I get snowed in at home this coming Wednesday, oh well. J But as backup, come Tuesday evening, I’ll bring lots of work home, just in case.

What if we get the ice part of the storm that takes out the electricity and there goes your internet, you may ask. Good question, damn it. I’ve already got the satellite link, guess I better invest in the ole backup generator. That backup generator, well, that generator will be able to keep the BS flowing from the EastWing.

Oh, by the way, that BS I referred to, that’s Better Service, not the other BS you were thinking. Now come on, I know what you were thinking. After all, the trademark of RHCO INC. is “We do it right, the first time”

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Hobbies or Not, Researching Margarine, Churning Butter, When It’s Butter And Ya Know It, Waiting for the Blizzard, Looking For The Eye, BS From The EastWing, Doing It Right The First Time

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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Crazy Things That Make Ya Scream, Apple & The Mouse, Guns & Government, Drugs & Alcohol & Elliot Ness & The Candy Men, Not A Colt 46

By: Lenny Dessauer

Published: February 19th, 2013

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the EastWing.

Have ya ever noticed how some things just seem to be so very, very wrong in our society? Yet everyday people, people like me and you, well, me and you, we’re just too lazy to do anything about it. And so we live with it. I’m talking ‘bout things that if ya rally stop and think about it for any amount of time, it’ll make ya scream with anger. Yet we just set by and tolerate ‘em in our everyday life. Mostly because we don’t think it has a direct effect on our life at this moment. But the more ya think about it, the more ya wanta…….…….

Such things as: When a child has to have a parents signature to go on a school field trip, but no parent signature is required for the same thirteen year old girl to get an abortion. Hard to believe, but it’s true in our society today. Is that part of being “progressive” as opposed to “conservative”?

An 80 year old woman can be strip searched by the Transportation Security Administration Officers at any U. S. Airport. But a Muslim woman of any age, in a burka, is only subject to having her neck and head searched. Not even a citizen of our country, and we give one wearing a burka a pass. Too bad the 80 year old woman didn’t wear a burka, then she wouldn’t have had to pull her pants down for the TSA Officer to take a look.

You can get arrested for expired license plates on a car, but not arrested for being in the United States illegally. That statement speaks for it’s self.

The government believes that the best way to eliminate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more dollars. I’m and accountant, and that just don’t add up, at least not on my abacus.

When a seven year old boy is sent home from school for calling his teacher “cute” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school ok. Then a 6 year old girl is suspended from kindergarten for 10 days and classified as a terrorist because she said she had a bubble gum gun. Now the little girl didn’t have one in her hand, just told another little girl she had one. The school officially labeled the little girl a “terrorist” according to the rules of that kindergarten school. Want to know the problems with public education in our society? This may be one place to start looking for the answer.

The Supreme Court of the United States rules that lower courts cannot display the 10 Commandments in their courtroom, all the while the Supreme Court is sitting in front of a display of the 10 Commandments in their court room.

The government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide 99 weeks of unemployment income. I can’t help but wonder if almost 2 full years of free money is a good motivation not to look for work, at least for a year and a half or so.

Parents who believe the State is responsible for providing for their children. While we have national political figures saying “It takes a village to raise a child”. I believe it takes one father and / or one mother to raise a child. And sometimes maybe with a Grandma or two in there for backup. Takes a village? Shewwwww. Give me a break here, dumbo.

Knowing your government can add chemicals to your kid’s water (fluoride, chlorine, etc.) but you’re not allowed to give your child raw milk.

What’s so truly interesting about all of the above items I’ve listed here that should be your reason to be concerned. They’ve all come from news media head-lines I’ve read within the last four weeks.

One thing ya gotta remember, Apple didn’t invent the original point and click interface. No, it was not Apple and the Mouse. It was Samuel Colt. The Original Point & Click Interface, a Colt 45.

Gun control is such a hot topic in our society at the moment. Part of our society is making every effort to display gun ownership as antisocial and the other part of our society is saying “How about the Second Amendment?”

Now I’m not a “Gun Guy” so in a sense, I have no horse in the race. However common sense tells me that this nation has, for well over 200 years, enjoyed the “Right to bear arms”. And for any current or future political affiliation to attempt to infringe upon that “Right to bear arms” will invite the most massive reaction this nation has ever witnessed.

Don’t believe me, just ask those folks in Texas. And everybody knows, ya don’t mess with Texas.

What’s really interesting in this gun vs. non gun debate is for all those who support the concept of no guns available in our society, not a single one of the anti-gun supporters will ever allow a sign to be placed in front of their house simply saying “THIS HOME IS A GUN FREE ZONE”.

I don’t think I’d mind putting such a sign at the EastWing. Only I’d insist on adding a couple more lines, Line 1 would say “THIS PROPERTY IS SECURED BY PIT BULL INC.” Line 2 would simply say “COME ON IN PUNK, MAKE MY DAY.”

When Mr. Bentley read that, he laughed and offered to make the sign. Mr. Bentley especially liked that part ‘bout come on in punk. At the EastWing, Pit Bull Inc. has established a defensive “kill zone”. A line of demarcation which only the foolish would dare step across. From the time Homeland Security has been provided by Pit Bull Inc., there has never been an intruder who has crossed that line in both directions. Pit Bull Inc., a good security force indeed. “Come on in punk, make my day”. So says the sign at the EastWing. With Mr. Bentley waiting inside the zone.

Another interesting point in this anti gun debate, seems those who are most vocal in support of limiting the availability of guns into society, tend to be the ones who are most apt to be protected in public by guards carrying guns. Equally interesting when examining the actual record of gun violence in relationship to current gun control laws, is the adverse affect of gun control laws on gun violence. The record supports this fact, limit the guns, increase the gun violence. This is a fact of record which is never brought forth in the discussion of gun control. Thank you liberal news media for choosing not to highlight the fact.

Chicago ILL being a classic example of the negative effects of gun control. There are so many gun deaths in Chicago, it no longer garners national attention. Chicago has one on the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation. Chicago is among the leaders in the nation in gun related deaths. It’s a sad state of affairs when death by gun shot is so common in Chicago, it’s not even routinely a part of the local news. And the latest attempt by Chicago to pass the buck on why so many people are killed by guns in Chicago, they get to buy ‘em in Indiana. Damn Hoosier, it’s the fault of the state of Indiana that so many people are killed in Chicago by gun shot.

An interesting statistic in the gun violence in the City of Chicago. Should one dwell into the demographics of the gun violence in that city, you’ll be amazed. Chicago is not a violent city of gun deaths out of control thru out the city. Chicago has a small pocket, within the city, where death and destruction walk the streets both day and night. For my long time friends of the EastWing, you’ll recall that Sophia, The Conservative Calico Republican Cat also came from the south side of Chicago, from the land of Leroy Brown.

As I said earlier, I’m not a gun guy, so I feel I can look at the issue of gun control from a different prospective than some. The number of times I’ve sot guns in my life can be counted on one hand with fingers left over for counting other stuff. With that being said, if anyone who supports any type of gun control laws really believes that the criminal element in our society will abide by such laws, well, I’m sorry honey, but to believe that, you have to be a very special type of stupid.

All the while those folks in Washington spend their time trying to introduce a bill to limit “Assault Weapons” while in 2012, not a single victim of the well over 500 deaths by gun shot in Chicago were the result of “Assault Weapons”. The same holds true for the top 10 cities of gun violence. Assault Weapons have been grabbed by the news media, and the congress. Yet the revolver does the killing in those neighborhoods, where the killings do occur. So is the answer to the issue of society gaining weight, a ban on the Big Mack, or blame it on KFC? By the way, do ya want fries with that?

Our Federal Government has an appalling tract record of fixingg problems in society. Nobody can even calculate the amount of money, man hours and resources spent on the “War On Drugs” If that same amount of resources had been spent on medical research, we probably would’ve cured every disease know to mankind. And oh, by the way, the largest single social dilemma we as a people have to deal with in our society today, it’s the illegal use of drugs.

I guess the president who set up that “War On Drugs” sure knew how to solve society’s tribulations. Thank you President Nixon. Not only for the Watergate thing, but also your War on Drugs. You sure knew how to do things up right. Dumb Sum Bitch Republican, Nixon.

That’s right, I didn’t even talk about the Federal Government’s attempt at controlling the manufacturing, sale, and use of alcohol by the people. I’m not gona say anything ‘bout that ‘cause it’s been played out too much already on TV. Elliot Ness and the Untouchables, well, they busted up way to many illegal alcohol stills, and the whisky still got to the end consumer who demanded the product.

One of the things that makes this country great is, when we as a people demand the product, the product is delivered. Legal or illegal, we don’t care, when the demand is there, the supply will meet the demand, government be damned.

One of the lesser known facts about the time in our history when it was illegal to sale alcohol, it was legal for a doctor to prescribe alcohol for medical purposes. Those who could afford it, simply went to their doctor and requested a prescription to purchase the whisky at the local pharmacy. Many doctors were more than willing to accommodate that request. After all, ya just never wanted to loose a good paying customer, oh, excuse me, I mean patient. Whisky River Flood My Soul.

Nothing has changed today, a major, major portion of the drug abuse in our society is not the drugs getting all the attention on the nightly news. No, it’s the illegal use of legal drugs, written by weak willed doctors who don’t have the guts to tell people, “Get the hell out of my office and don’t come back till you’re really sick”. I do know some doctors right here in Starke County Indiana who do have the guts to say just that to a patient who tries to self prescribe their pharmacy needs. These two guys are the exception, not the rule. Gutsy docs are kinda hard to find now days. Too bad.

There are also some doctors, in Starke County Indiana, who are called the “Candy Men” by the folks who walk on the dark side of society. Sad but true. Drugs and guns and “Candy Men” sometimes go hand in hand in this “War on Drugs” at both the national level and right here at home. And all the while, we the people pray for relief from this war on drugs.

Recently a mother in Indiana was asked why she had a Colt 45 to protect her babies. Her reply, “They don’t make a Colt 46”. BANG!

Stay safe in Afghanistan.

From the EastWing, Crazy Things That Make Ya Scream, Apple & The Mouse, Guns & Government, Drugs & Alcohol & Elliot Ness & The Candy Men, Not A Colt 46

I Wish You Well,

BobbyRay

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