As another year ends, I'm trying to figure out my position on the totem pole. I suspect not too high, kinda like the down on a thistle, it peels off a notch every time.

The view through my shades has become darker, I'll ask the eye doctor about that on the fourth. It could be an issue from a fall the other night, or maybe just lights out.

Memories of people I've known and loved are flowing into my head like they're standing beside me. Multiple ones converging at the same time, from various pasts, and totally out of my control.

What an amazing way to end a year I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that I would ever reach!

Happy New Years my friends!

Alright, this is downright funny. Everybody here in Lawrenceburg has these new blue license plates, that we were all required to upgrade to a while back.

Every one of my neighbors plates have three numbers, followed by four letters. Except mine, which has three letters, followed by four numbers. It's been bugging the hell out of me so I called the county clerks office and asked why?

It turns out that because I didn't check the In God We Trust box on the application, I get singled out with this reverse numbering system. It's a damn code, propagated by the State of Tennessee!

So, as I'm driving around town, people are probably looking at me and shaking their heads going, well, there goes another sad pathetic agnostic...

They don't put "In God We Trust" on the plate itself, but if your plate number starts with three numbers, you do!

Ya gotta love the South!

My duck drugs supply was getting low so I stocked up this morning. The 50lb bag of cracked corn is holding steady from the feed store at $10, while the 35lb wild bird seed has doubled from last year to $20.

I opened the new bags and topped them off with the older supplies, and we should be good for a while. The lady at TS said I'm doing the birds a great service, as food is hard to come by up there in the Winter. It's nice to be appreciated.

I was sitting in a Dairy Queen the other day, having a chili cheese dog for lunch, when a bunch of Tennessee state troopers came in to eat. I thought about walking over to ask them a question that has bugged me for a while, but I didn't.

I've been driving for sixty years, started at sixteen, and I use my turn signals religiously out of habit. In fact it bugs the shit out of me when people don't!

But what if you come to a four way stop, to make a right or left turn, and there is absolutely nobody around you that would be impacted by you flipping on your turn signal? Many times around here I've done that, only to think why.

If a cop was sitting in a parking lot observing that intersection, would he be justified in lighting you up and writing you a ticket? Technically it's the law, but are their exceptions to the rule?

I actually believe this is a truism of life. If the harmful actions you take affect no one but yourself, are they really bad? It's your life, your choices, and you should have the right to make them, without punishment...

For example, I love smoking pot. It mellows out my tremors and makes me creative. I currently don't have any, but wish I did. How is sitting in my little house puffing on a joint, not going anywhere, making the world a worse place than it is? It don't!

Law enforcement in a pot unfriendly state such as Tennessee, has the right to beat down your door, rip that joint from your mouth, and bestow all sorts of legal shit on you, if they chose to. The states that have legalized it are making huge sums of taxation revenue from sales, while personal consumption enforcement, has gone away.

What a mixed up, whacked out world we live in!

But I digress...

I spent the night in Huntsville, AL just because I could, and I needed to stretch my new tires out a bit. Ate some crab cakes and fried onion rings at the Roadhouse.

I slept in my truck and left there at 0400, pulling onto my street at 0530. My phone rang immediately and Daniel said I wondered who in the hell would be coming down our street this early? Glad to see he's keeping an eye on the neighborhood.

The ducks were real hungry this morning and a huge flock of geese were in the lake. A few wondered up for the daily feeding. Normally you can't get this close to these wild birds, but watching the ducks eat out of my hand, they figured I was OK. And I was tossing them some Quack!

Also, for the first time since I started, I skipped looking for the grey cat in the Vet's wooded area. It just wasn't meant to be.

Daniel and I were talking meatloaf this morning, so we both decided to make one today. Now he's a good old southern boy who has made many a fine loaf in his day, but he decided to experiment with weird shit like mushroom soup and other things. Meanwhile I made a traditional meatloaf, following a great recipe closely.

We ate mine first, and we both concurred it was very tasty. Then we ate his and it was, well, experimentally unusual, to be polite. Hey, all great cooks venture out with new stuff, which don't always succeed...

They had the Park shut down this morning when I went for the daily feeding. There was a quarter inch of snow on the ground and folks around here freak out when they see white. It finally opened at noon, and I was there. The boys were hungry and a huge flock of geese just stood around trying to figure out what was going on. They must have been from out of town.

The Feds just bumped my SS up by $131, effective next year. That will cover the $100 rent raise and a tank of gas.

Here's my loaf:

How you spend Christmas day is the barometer of your life. If you have surrounded yourself with family during the year, you spend it with them. If you feel compelled to travel, to reach family, you do.

Friends don't count on this gauge, this holiday is about family. I've had seventy six Christmas's during my time here on Earth, and they have all been unique.

I've bitched about my step dad Paul in the past, but one winter when I was Madeline's age, his semi-truck couldn't make it to our mountain home, and he loaded up a toboggan with our gifts and pulled it for miles to reach us.

I have had many memorable Christmas's. I know I come off as an old humbug asshole, and I'm sorry! I guess there was a point in my young life where I actually believed in Santa Claus. And maybe I felt resentful to eventually find out the truth, I don't know, it was too long ago, and maybe it just added to the confusion.

Why do we do this? If you want to celebrate the birth of your religious figurehead, then just do it! Skip the nonsense! But I know this is not going to happen.

So how do I gauge this one? It's ok, texted with a couple friends, Riley sent me pictures, fed some very hungry ducks, and otherwise have not spoken to another human being all day.

I'm warm, and content. One more in the books...

Daddy's getting drunk with Santa Claus,

Underneath the ceiling fan today.

He's done all his rounds and now needs a pause,

With a joint or two along the way.

They're both getting hammered just because,

Thank god Santa's got a cool reindeer sleigh.

On Donner on Blitzen they yell with a buzz,

While he staggers to his ride and fly's away.

Why did you run away, little guy, little girl? You could have been with me now in my small house, safe and warm, with a loving future ahead.

Instead I fear you are dead, or severely frost bitten, and near death. How did you end up there in the park? Obviously someone dropped you there, and I hate them.

You sat in my lap as we drove to the Vet, and I petted you. You knew what human contact was like at some point in your life, you just couldn't trust me.

They say that you don't chose cats, they chose you. It was certainly true with Piper when she appeared at our sliding glass door onto the deck, and posed like a princess.

I have called for you every morning since, after feeding my ducks and geese. I will continue, but at some point, I must stop...

It appears I have made a false assumption. I really thought Santa Claus was a fictional character, but after watching all of the network news channels tracking his trip from the north pole, obviously I was wrong.

I mean, news channels don't make stuff up, right? So why doesn't he stop at my house, is it because I'm old, or because I don't hang a stocking by my heater with care?

Now I think about all the Christmas's I've missed out on, because I didn't buy into Santa! Damn... Oh well, I ain't hanging no stocking and I have more things than I need. And I get that he needs to focus on the kids.

Liz and Madds dropped by some homemade cookies yesterday, which made my day. I was craving something sweet and didn't want to drive up to Dollar General.

So, ho ho ho, and Merry Christmas everyone!

It's 1730 and I just asked Alexa what the temps were in places I have lived, or been to.

In Lawrenceburg, TN it's 7 degrees. In Driggs, ID it's 18, in Seattle, WA it's 31, in Oakland, CA it's 57.

As for places I haven't lived in, but been to:

In Miami, FL it's 76, it's 79 in Belize, and it's 81 in Roatan.

I don't know what this little exercise was meant to accomplish, but I think I should move to Roatan. I have no family here, I would have no family there, but I would be warmer. Lay on the beach, with my toes in the warm water, and live fully until I don't.

I have a passport, I'm fully vaccinated, with some savings. I could be there in a heart beat!

Hmmm, what should I do?

The first couple of winters I spent here, I used a small floor standing electric heater to stay warm. Piper and I managed through them, but never really got warm.

Then my amazing heating and air genius neighbor Daniel, certified with decades of experience, came over and hooked up and cleaned out my inactive wall gas heater. I then had the local utilities company turn on the natural gas, and everything changed.

This morning it was well below zero when I got up, and I cranked all three bars on. The place was warm in minutes! Now I'm sitting here watching season three of Jack Ryan on Prime, running two bars, and snug as a bug in a rug.

I did venture out this morning, winter dressed to the max with the equipment I brought from the Idaho mountains. I even dug out my insulated boots, and I don't think many folks around here have such a thing.

With my down jacket and insulated pants, I was able to accomplish my goals this morning, and no, I didn't find the cat. I truly hope he survives.

And my new tires handled the roads just fine.

My Neurologist had me do some blood work after my last visit and the results came in. Her office just called me and said that my MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin) and MCV (mean corpuscular volume) levels were abnormal, and she is referring me to a Hematologist.

I'm now awaiting a call from the closest one, but I'm betting on Nashville. I'm lucky to have good insurance, and this should be an adventure!

Meanwhile, the Extreme Cold is sweeping down on us tonight, and people are freaking out at the possibility of sub-zero temps. I've driven a bus at -40, in a couple feet of snow, so I'm just going to take it in stride. The ducks are getting fed tomorrow, and the search for the little grey cat will continue.

And the fact that I have no family nearby to spend Christmas with, means I don't have to travel this weekend. Looking at life from the bright side!

I have a big soft spot in my heart for entities in need, wether they be people, cats, dogs, or ducks. I have helped four homeless people out around here, at the least fed them and allowed them to regain their humanity with a shower, and more.

I've given folks rides to food banks, and money in their pocket if they need it. I've given money to people in the dark on road trips who need it to buy gas, I rescued a puppy walking along Shoal Creek and four kittens abandoned on my dead end street. And most recently tried to rescue a little grey cat living alone in the woods at the park.

I really don't need another cat in my life, none could compare to my sweet partner Piper. I think though, it was good to get the little guy out of the park and into some woods with other cats, and supported by a compassionate animal hospital.

I dropped by there this morning and called out to him, to no avail. Even though it would disrupt my sad lonely life, I still would be willing to bring him home, just to save him.

So, I will leave it to fate. If the Vet calls me and say they have him, I will adopt him because I said I would. Otherwise, I will continue in this life, and see where I can help next...

This geoglyph is a huge figure carved into the Peruvian desert more than 2,000 years ago, and just discovered recently. I was struck today by the similarity of the lower round object, to a big hole I've discovered in the same location.

And if I don't find a needle and thread shortly, my stuff is going to be falling out of my sweat pants! :-)

I've had a new routine after the morning duck feeding, of calling out for that little grey cat with a couple meows. I haven't seen him since leaving a can of cat food out next to the bushes where he lives, more than a week ago.

Today he came running to my truck where I fed him a can of cat food. Then I managed to pick him up and place him on my passenger seat. Then I called my Vet which is right across from the entrance to the park.

I asked the nice young lady if they could give him a flea treatment and determine his sex, so I can stop calling it him, if necessary, and take him or her home. She said sure. On the ride over he sat on my lap and let me pet him.

I went inside and they gave me a cardboard carrier and we started the paperwork. Then, when I opened the door to gather him up, he darted down off the seat, between my legs and headed straight into the bushes, where I lost him.

I went back in and told the girl what happened, and she said other cats live in those bushes and they feed them. If they catch him, they will call me.

So now I have an additional morning routine. After feeding my ducks I'll head to the Vet's and try to find him. The arctic blast is hitting Friday, with sub-zero temps, and I've got a warm home waiting for him, or her.

I'll have to get all new cat stuff if successful, since I gave everything to Daniel's wife Jen, for her animals. I really hadn't planned on this, but I have to do it.

I've been thinking about possible life changing events that never happened. The first one occurred in a park up in the Oakland Hills, having a picnic with my wife Marci, and my little girl.

Becky wandered off and disappeared into a steep wooded canyon. Marci contacted the rangers and I went running into the ravine, screaming out her name. I searched for almost an hour and finally heard a soft cry for help.

I found her, huddled up in a ball in the middle of a sticker bush. We made it up to the main road and were met by vehicles and people ready to launch a search party.

The second event occurred at the marina in Monterey, CA. Riley was a young boy, and his mom, who had custody, let me take him down there for the day. We were hanging out on this sprawling wooden marina with friends, when he disappeared.

After we searched up and down the boardwalk for a long time, I was convinced he had been kidnapped. It was one of the worst moments in my life. All of a sudden he appeared, having wandered into a shop, where he had been looking around.

There is nothing more tragic than losing a child. Even when they're grown up, or living up the road.

The vibrations were pretty rugged this morning, which affects my walk, and my ability to talk. Not a good combination to attend church, eat good food and maybe watch Madeline sing, so I bailed.

Actually, the last time I attended church was more than twenty five years ago, when I was dating my dispatcher Leslie back in Kent, WA, and she talked me into going to her church, once.

Besides, I don't have any nice clothes anymore, that fit me at least.

My Xmas tree is up! On the wall and looking good. Thanks Maddie, I hope you got to sing today.

The arctic blast is creeping into the South, extending down as far as Florida. Sleeping in my truck on a road trip down there is out of the question, so I'm loading up on supplies, and hunkering down.

I have bought only one Christmas present this year. A simple little video camera for my favorite eight year old girl, Madeline. We exchanged gifts in the parking lot of the Taco Truck, over lunch in Lawrenceburg, TN, on highway 43.

I told her this is the only gift I am giving this year, and she could open the gift basket whenever she wanted.

Apparently, she chose Now! I love this young lady, very smart, pretty, and a sense of humor beyond her years.

She is maybe singing at the church next Sunday, I'll be there, and maybe recording...

So how can I make this connection with my daughter Becky happen? I could fly into Oakland or SFO, but then what? I don't do credit cards, thus I don't Uber or Rent.

I could fly into Sacramento and hook up with Sherry and Grant, but I would still have the same problem, unless they have a vehicle I could borrow for a few days.

Or I could just drive there. It's a 2,250 mile road trip, across Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and then up through central California. I drove the northern route to see Riley a couple of years ago, and it almost killed my old truck, but I brought her back to life!

My biggest concern would be breaking down in the middle of America, having to leave my truck behind and continue on with a bag in my hand, somehow.

This has happened a couple of times in my life, but I was much younger then. I would probably never see my truck again, and my life here in Tennessee would change forever, when I returned.

Hmmm, so what path do I take?

Here's Becky:

I received a text from my estranged daughter Becky yesterday, and we began chatting. It's been a couple months since we last connected.

At one point she asked for my address. All of a sudden the words from my long time friend Skoge, who used to live with us, came rushing back. She said Make sure you're not getting ghosted! Like, make sure this is Becky you're texting with, not some disgruntled ex-boyfriend who want's to take you out!

So I texted: Do you remember my mom? You're grandmother? And she replied: Of course I do, I talk about the three of you quite often (grandma Janice & King). She laughed at the question, authenticity resolved...

My daughter is 55, a grown ass lady who has given me many grand-children. She lives in the Bay Area with her boyfriend Greg and her bff Jeana. She seems happy and together.

I sensed no bitterness on her part, just a desire to get together and re-connect. I would love to make that happen somehow, it's a great big giant hole in my heart, that I need to fill, before I die!

I know I've told this story before, but after thousands of posts over eleven years, I can't find it, so I will retell it here:

One Christmas eve when Riley was a young boy, about eight or nine, I spent it with him and his mom up at grandma's condo in Bellevue. I was doing well, making good money as a paratransit driver, and I might have even made supervisor by then.

I kinda went overboard in the gift department for Riley, and brought them into the house from my vehicle, and stashed them in a little room off of grandma's living room, while they were in the kitchen.

As the evening progressed, we started opening gifts. I had one stashed under the tree for each of them, and Riley enjoyed his present, whatever it was.

Everyone was in a nice Christmas buzz, when I said, Oh wait, I have another present for Riley, and retrieved it from the room. I did this three times, each gift outdoing the previous. I thought I was being cool, trying to give Riley a memorable Christmas!

As I pulled out the last one, I recall a pained look on mom and grandma's faces that I can only describe as Really?, and I realized at that moment that I had fucked up.

I think that's when my issue with Christmas gift giving started. Hell, I can't even remember what the gifts were, and I'll bet neither can Riley...

This occured well after he and I were homeless, and living in a box on a friends back porch...

Here's grandma's condo from a later Christmas:

This is the view from my ass to the wall heater, down onto the two chairs in my living space. In the upper right corner are my Samsung tablet and my pre-release Alexa. The sweet round table holds my laptop and my life. The chairs are expensive as hell, a gift from my sister, which landed in our Idaho home, and ended up here.

The chairs and round table have made this place. I live in a small house, and I bought a giant TV when I moved here, hooked up a surround sound speaker system to it, and I now live in media la-la land, with an occasional guest.

These are amazing chairs, I can't imagine life without them. They rock, they support, they breathe. They are the center of my existence here. My visitors sit in the chair towards the top, I sit in the chair with the crumpled up Titans blanket, with my laptop in front of me.

I'm really going to try hard to not be a debby downer this Christmas. Yea I could piss and moan about the commercialization, the mixture of church and state, the blending of sappy fictional characters with organized religion, under the guise of a federal holiday, but I don't want to.

A lot of folks really enjoy this time of year and hey, anything that makes you happy and warm and fuzzy, I'm all for it!

So, here's my favorite young lady Madeline:

And here's my friend Elizabeth's cross-stiched artwork which recently won the Best Of Fair award at our local county fair:

Beautiful, and beautiful. Tennessee Pride!

Jesus was a good guy. Joseph and Mary borned him, not knowing his father because they never got it on. I think Mary was a virgin, which I'm sure caused some questions in the neighborhood.

He walked around during his life spreading good will. People wrote about him, documenting everything. Eventually a book was written by somebody.

He got caught up in something, and was hung up on a cross, between two bad guys, and was left there to die, which he did, apparently.

He was put into a tomb, where he got up off the slab a few days later, and walked out. Thus the legend, and religion, was born.

He came out in a Santa suit, and nobody knew where he got it. He was also followed by a bunch of small people.

Together they started a toy factory, that spread across the world, and was only presented on the guys birthday, December 25.

The beauty of having a blog, is total recall. Here's my last four Christmas's.

2021

2020

2019

2018

Here's some past ones from my old blog, apologies if the links don't work since I converted the blog to be responsive.

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013 (eve)

2012

2011

Wow, I don't know where I am in life. Sitting here alone, watched my adopted football team for the last four years, lose to an inferior team, and just, you know, sitting here. Think I'm done with football!

Talked to Steph on the phone as she headed into town, about life and the past. I miss her, but it is what it is.

I have new tires, my truck is ready for a road trip, but I have an invite to hear Maddie sing at church on the 18th, and I have a present for her.

I don't want to be here for Christmas, I've managed to endure the last two.

One year I just sat here alone, the next on a cruise boat. I haven't figured out what comes next, but it will be, what it was meant to be.

I've always been an anti-pill guy, but now I'm taking my drugs, Primidone and Propranolol (where the hell do they come up with these names), and they ain't doing shit to stop the tremors.

My morning consists of staggering out of bed, turning on the heat, and making my hot lemon drink. I then make my bed, do the dishes, and head to the park.

I start drinking exactly at 1100...

I was pulling away from the dock after my morning feeding and I spotted this young grey cat, meowing loudly on the other side of the geese. As I approached, it darted up a tree, where I was able to pet it's nose, before it took off. I'll grab some treats today and maybe I can make a connection tomorrow.

Something is going on with my embedded videos. They work fine on a laptop or desktop, but just display the stupid scrolling thing on phones, so I realize a lot of folks are missing out on my video editing skills!

I actually suspect this is intentional on the part of Google, but... So, I have added an alternate link at the bottom to take you straight to YouTube, and you can play the video there.

Click the Home button and scroll to any post that contains a video you weren't able to watch on your phone, and try it out, if you like.

Not many people know this, but I once spent a month in jail.

I was a teenager one summer back in the sixties and I didn't have a car. I was working a few odd jobs around Butte County California, which consisted of Paradise, Chico and Oroville. The only way I could get around was to hitch hike, and the cops didn't like that so I racked up a bunch of tickets.

Which I didn't pay because I worked hard for my money and didn't want to give it to the County. I finally got hauled in front of a judge who told me I could pay them off by spending a month in jail. I said fine.

The Oroville county jail was interesting and a month there was enough to convince me that a life of crime was not for me. I read a lot, and I learned that the square root of -1 is the imaginary number i, which I applied to Calculus many years later in college.

The food was pretty good, three squares a day and I never got gang raped. Later that year I dated the daughter of a Highway Patrolman, who terminated that relationship when he discovered my criminal record...

Americus tires are distributed by the American Omni Trading Company based out of Katy, TX, and are manufactured in Thailand. They describe themselves as Made for the American Roads which it appears they are, a well made economical alternative to the big brands, styled to our highways and weather.

I think it's unfortunate that they have to imply, in a subtle way by their name, that they are American made, but it is the way it is these days. Here's the rub, their home company is based in Houston, TX. Where does it end?

Here's their office in Katy:

My new Katy, TX tires are installed, and I love them! Great grip on our rainy roads and they run soft and quiet. Nothing like new tires! I should drive to Katy and thank them.

I also had them check out my leaf springs, and a big old boy put some pull on them and he thinks they're fine. Saved me a bunch of money!

Then I had a lot of blood sucked out of my arm at the local lab. This is good, if I have any major stuff going on, hopefully this will find it. Results are heading up to my neurologist.

It was loud and crazy at the park this morning after I fed my ducks, and I tossed some Quack towards the geese. I think a lot of then were waiting for me to leave before they chowed down. Grabbed some video:

As usual, I'm going to try to avoid any kind of Christmas gift exchange this time, like I did last year by hanging out on a Caribbean cruise boat. Not trying to be bah humbug, but I've got too much stuff as it is. Just stating my position, Merry Christmas, and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

But, children need a good gift experience this time of year, and I only have two in my immediate life: my grand-daughter Ariella, and my little buddy Madeline.

So Riley and Jess, and Elizabeth, let me know if there is something special I can do, or get, for these girls!

My friend Farmer Katy's husband Jason, is a Holistic Health Practitioner. He could possibly fix the neurological issues going on in my body, which are many. Maybe I can work out a farm labor deal for treatment, sleep in my truck in the back forty!

In the meantime, excuse me while I write real. I have no time left for bullshit.

My walking style is old person with issues, you see it around you everywhere. Last year I was walking strong miles with my bare chest puffed out, abs on parade, and now it's gone.

I have two types of evenings, one where I drink until I can't, then hit the bed with no memory of it in the morning. The other, I shut down alcohol early, drink my hot lemon juice, take my Primidone pills, and go to bed.

Then I lay there with my body vibrating, especially my legs. I have a device next to my head that emits a low frequency sound, that I try to match with the vibrations, and hope for sleep.

When I finally start dreaming, the vibrations and pain wake me up. Last night I was woke up three separate times, and fell back into the same dream each time. My brother Dana, my cat Piper, and some old girlfriend was there, all long gone, and then I met a lady named M, who took me on an amazing adventure!

Ok, choices need to be made! Which direction brings me to the point where I am meant to be. Sobriety of course, is at the top of the list!

I have spent four fucking years surviving alone in this little house, and I'm tired of doing so. What next?

I need new tires for my old truck! I bought these Hankooks back in Idaho Falls from Discount Tire many years ago, and they have exceeded their high mileage rating. I know I've got well over 80K miles on them, maybe a 100K.

They still have some tread left, but with the wet weather and occasional ice, I'm sliding around. So I contacted Sullivan Tires, the local guys that did my brakes and shocks last year, and asked for a good quote.

The owner just emailed me and said I can get your size tire in an Americus brand for 85.99 each. There is no charge to install them and they come with lifetime rotation and balancing. The total for four would be 395.67, and includes new stems and tax.

I researched Americus and the reviews are pretty good. They are based out of Katy, TX and if there ever was a sign to proceed, this is it! For new followers, I have a friend named Farmer Katy, and the lady that serves us up at the Crockett Shoals restaurant, is also named Katy!

I have an appointment for Thursday morning, and maybe we can talk about leaf springs, get this old truck road trip ready...

I'm heading up to Columbia on Wednesday for an 1100 appointment with my neurologist. They told me I had to wear a mask and bring my own, or they will send me away. So, I'm mask ready!

I'm done designing websites and I'm done developing apps. I've been writing code for 52 years now in some form or another, starting at Merritt College in 1970 in Oakland, CA.

The drive is just gone, formatted to empty. Shelby asked me last month about developing a site and I had to turn her down. I told her I didn't have the expertise to code the specific things she wanted, but I could have learned them, if the drive was there.

Losing skills is like the death of a great friend. It's been an integral part of my life, I've had great successes across many platforms, and now it's gone.

I can't even maintain the cool things I've created for this blog. Most of them still work and if you click on the menu item above called Stuff, you can have some fun. Just don't ask me to fix one if it's broken...

I've been hearing a load squawking out on the feeding board, and I spotted a couple of blue jays through the little strained glass window on my door. I knew they would split if I opened the door, so I took this photo through the glass.

It's a good enough shot to show the cool markings on their backs, with a great tail. The feeding board on my porch and the hanging feeder have drawn some beautiful birds to my little place.

Speaking of birds, I haven't missed a morning with my ducks and mister goose, since I started feeding them in the Park months ago. We now have a special spot at the dock, and they expect me there between 0815 and 0830.

Last night I went to bed with a clear head, and the tremors in my legs, and the cramps in my upper back, caused me to research the difference between Assisted Living and Hospice, when I stumbled out of bed this morning.

I'm a very independent old man, and I don't want to end up in either of those situations. But what if I can't maintain that independence?

I have also decided to stop sending Blog updates out to my very few family and friends!

Instead of subjecting my newest Posts to them via Text, they can drop by when and if they're interested. It's the way it should be!

I know, I have said this before, but then I feel the need to share, and perhaps find some understanding or validation in my words. This has to stop, now.

I can't count how many times I have written a gut wrenching Post, only to wake up the next morning thinking what the hell did I write last night!, and then trash it. If I don't send out the link, the odds that people will end up on my Sorry page, will decline.

I'll keep on blogging, it's in my blood after decades, but this is my last Text update...

The annual Lawrenceburg Xmas parade hit the downtown Square this evening, and I was there. The parade was supposed to start at 1700 and I got up there about 1640. I bopped into the bar and had one overpriced cocktail, then ventured out into the crowd.

It was a cold clear night, and everybody was bundled up. Why have a parade at night, in the dark, I don't get it. The first two floats finally showed up, twenty minutes past start time, and there was nothing behind them for quite a ways down the road.

I said screw it, came home, then climbed into my pajamas and turned the heat on. I shot a little bit of content, just to grab the flavor of the event:

That's the moon up there at the top, btw...