Hungry Heart

Like a river that don't know where it's going, I took a wrong turn and I just kept going.
and going,
and going...

We went out for a last minute camping trip last Saturday night. Just four of us, getting out just to get out, play washers and have some beverages. Who is fooling anyone? We got out to party by a fire.

 Our identities have been changed to protect the innocent.

 A definite religious experience.

When we got home Sunday morning, I painted the back wall trim to the house and taped the Bronco game to watch after the weather cooled. At about 2:00 pm there was a big cheer. at 2:15, a friend that was helping me paint showed back up after taking a break. He said he hoped I taped the game with an extended time because the game was till going on. Then I heard another big cheer.

Fifty minutes into the game I was wondering how to hell this game was ever going to be tied, sending it in to overtime. It was the worse display of NFL play I have witnessed in a long time. Miami, arguably one of the worst NFL teams, had the Broncos, maybe a slightly better team, at 15-0 with no timeouts. Well like the cheers foreshadowed, the Broncos delivered a miracle and tied the game. Then another miracle, they won it in overtime. It was not pretty. I am not a Tebow fan, but you got to give the guy credit for pulling that win out, maybe with the help of JC himself. Maybe they can run against Detroit on Sunday, ranked 28th against the run. Hmmm. Second religious experience.

The hard freeze came overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, make that Oct. 26. I had to scramble to get the plants and its hard to say goodbye to the fall.

 It was 70 degrees when I snapped this Tuesday.. Wednesday, snow and highs in 30's.

 Pruning all the trees.

 Getting ready for the annual Halloween party. If you are reading this and your local, you're invited.

 Jack. Best dog in America (except for your dog).

 Look whose tending bar. Not sure what I will be for Halloween yet. Hell, I don't know what I want to be when I grow up yet.

Got all the plants in.

Slack-jaw was in the garden eating my plants Tuesday. Don't tell the DOW,  they will come to the hood and kill him because he's deformed. I think he's cute

That's all I got for now.

Let's chit-chat

Which is kind of hard to do since you can't talk back and I am writing. Let me take this opportunity to say the lack of comments can be a little depressing. Maybe it's because my writing leaves you, speechless, or wordless. You're forgiven.

My sister Ellen had a tumor the size of a soccer ball removed yesterday. She is doing fine. Yes, I said a fucking soccer ball. It was attached somewhere in the nether regions of her ovaries. They took out the whole kit-cat-in-caboodle, if you know what I mean. Maybe you pray or don't- but just think of her because she was so scared and probably still is. Thanks.

This week's paper at the Academy was a little stressful on deadline. The computers were down in the PA office where I work for 1 1/2 days. All elements for the paper flow through the network. It all worked out. I hate that feeling with a lump in  the throat racing the clock. Actually it's a love-hate thing.

Talk about stress, everyone excluding my son got up an hour late this morning. G2 took a quick shower to get our daughter out the door on time. He couldn't find his sun glasses and she was down in the car crying and Jesus H. talk about stress.

I just went out to the camper to find the Irish Creme for my coffee, all this stress talk got me craving a little sedation. I am off, what to hell. A little oxymoron, coffee and alcohol. Maybe just moron.

So what do you think about the sheriffs in Ohio killing all those exotic animals? It's a shame. What are those Keystone cops supposed to do? News link here.


What happened to the missing baby Lisa in Kansas City, MO? I think the mother did or knows something. Maybe not. It's hard to know what darkness lurks in a mother. She did change her story to include drinking a box of wine. I am a seasoned wine drinker and if I had drank that much I'd be blotto but I'd sure to hell know better. "Adult time",  my ass, adult time is taking care of your kids. News link here.

I can't say I please very many people. I try. What I can do is when I get up everyday, I vote for this guy so he can receive funds to support his non-profit dog rescue in LA. Here's the link to his FB page, if you like his page, he'll send updates on all his great work and you can get off to a good start everyday and vote to help this dude out. Here's the link to his FB page.

Remember, you're doing great, now get going on your adult time.

God loves a drunk

     A segment of the Varsity squad went on a late season camping trip to Trout Creek pass a few weeks ago. The aspens were at their peak and the night temperatures were not even flirting with freezing. Crazy Bob invited his neighbors that seemed like reasonably nice folks. We went out on the ATVs for forty or so miles, photographing the landscape of bright colors and blue skies. We were at a point where it was getting late and the road ahead was too rugged for the novice neighbors. We did a few loops trying to find a way a way back north after driving south for so long. Mark and I ended going down this trail from hell. I haven't been that scared on an ATV in a long while. Large rocks and an off-camber hill. There was no going back. When he saw me hesitate he hollered up, "Just put it in low and crawl." I thought he said, "Just put it in low and GO!", which is pretty much the same thing but a little more urgent. When we reunited with the rest of the group, four of us went one way, Bob and friends went back the way we came, the sure thing.

I asked the guys if they thought we'd beat Bob and his friends back to camp. Mark said, "not at our current speed of 0 mph."

    We had a good campfire. Bob played guitar and we sang our hearts out, the usual, Bobby McGee, Midnight Special, Willin'. After a few hours of drunkin' camp singing people started drifting off to bed, until it was Bob, the woman neighbor, and me. The female neighbor was very intoxicated and started hanging all over Bob and me for that matter.  I decided my time for bed had come. The neighbor ended up professing her love for Bob. She put the shit in shit-faced. Bob said she was drinking vodka straight. Normally I would say, so what? She's an adult. Evidently, she had not drank alcohol in a very long time since she had gotten a few DUIs, even spending time in jail. I didn't see her in the morning but I did feel sorry for her. She must of been hurting and embarrassed.  Plus she loves Bob. Anyway, here's a song for her by one of my favorites, Richard Thompson. 

     I guess she didn't make the Varsity squad.



   

Filling the void.

I cannot stand by and do nothing when my friend Joe says there's a hole in his life where my blog posts used to be. How can I? I have simply just been lazy. I have no shortage of things to say.

I'll finish my NY trip real quick.
I stopped in Western New York. The night we held a BBQ to see some old high school friends it rained hard. It was cleansing the slate for renewal, I suppose. That's how I looked at it. Not that I remember any hard times or bad feelings, but just in case. I don't know too many folks back there, and for that, I blame myself - for not keeping in touch. That, and my memory has gotten so horrible that I have to stop and think to figure out if someone on Facebook, or in my thoughts, is from Lake Placid, Wayland,  Alfred or Colorado.
For no reason known to myself, my knee swelled to cantaloupe size overnight before driving to Buffalo. I was worried about being able to drive or walk.  I was pretty pathetic. Anyway I hobbled up to my friend's Lyn and Jim's land in Attica for their annual summer party. I was toted around in a golf cart by her awesome friends. We had a great time.  Here's some of my favorite pix:

 Had a great time catching up with old friends at my sister's home in Springwater, NY

 My father is an old guy but he is still sharp enough to skunk us all at cards. It was good to spend some time with him and Betty.

 Myself, bloated, on the left, Donna, my absentee college roommate, center, my long-time best buddy, Lyn, right, aka Pinhead. We sure had a great time. Sang every song that needed to be sung; John Prine, Jerry Jeff, Bromberg...ect

 

Their dog Casper will not flip the treat off his nose unless you say O. K. No other combination of O's or K's will make him flinch. He is precious.

 

Lyn and Donna take in some conversation, beers and sun.

 The dog isn't the only family member with talent. Jess is double jointed in many places.

 Jim has been sitting beer cans on his air-puffed belly for years. He says it has gotten easier since he doesn't have to puff it out so far now-a-days.

 My son got real muddy. Mud Boy. He had so much fun in their pond.

 Not long after we returned home the insanity of school year routine had the family back into the slavery of the clock, up at 6 am, out of the house by 7:30, work, home by 6 pm, dinner by 7, sleep by 10, boredom in between.  Maggie has been running on the cross- country team and has been impressive in renewing her personal record, otherwise known as the PR, wish I could run and have a PR. Here's little Mag's running:

 Went on a retreat to the Perran's cabin in the mountains to the west. They have done a beautiful job keeping it rustic but well-designed. This was not a religious retreat, however a religious experience. I did the cockroach for the first time in years. This is the process in which, I, usually fairly intoxicated, however surrounded by good friends, who are most likely of the same mind-set get on my back and wiggle my legs in the air. Like kick in glee. I don't have any photos of that but enjoy these:

 We had quite the spread. And lots of food too.

 

Part of the crew.