Last Rose of Summer

Well. probably not the last rose, but it does look like Summer is on the way out.  

The forecast calls for a high today in the mid-80s, with a cold front moving in and causing thunderstorms just in time for the trick-or-treaters. 

This morning's low here at the Boggy Thicket was 70, and tomorrow's high is in the mid-60s with a low in the upper 40s. 

A forecast like that already has me wishing for Spring.

Fake News

Today is the 80th anniversary of the Orson Welles production of War of the Worlds  on CBS radio.  
It was presented in the form of a news broadcast, and in spite of disclaimers broadcast before the show, it scared the bejeezus out of a large segment of the American population.
As of today, the Martians still haven't landed, but "Fake News" is still around.

Happy Birthday to Us

I have been surprised by how many of my Facebook friends share the same birthdays.  
It seems like, if there is one birthday on a given day, there will be two or three.
Maybe this is the reason why:

If just 23 people are in a room, there's a better-than-even chance at least two of them have the same birthday.

This birthday paradox comes from a careful analysis of the probabilities involved. If two people are in a room together, then there's a 364/365 chance they do not have the same birthday (if we ignore leap years and assume that all birthdays are equally likely), since there are 364 days that are different from the first person's birthday that can then be the second person's birthday.

If there are three people in the room, then the probability that they all have different birthdays is 364/365 x 363/365: As above, once we know the first person's birthday, there are 364 choices of a different birthday for the second person, and this leaves 363 choices for the third person's birthday that are different from those two.

Continuing in this fashion, once you hit 23 people, the probability that all 23 have different birthdays drops below 50%, and so the probability that at least two have the same birthday is better than even.

Halloween Traditon

In our little neighborhood we have an annual Halloween hayride. 
It has grown from one wagon years ago and this year for the first time there were four.  I guess it has earned the title of tradition, since some of the first kids to trick-or-treat this way now have grandkids on the hay wagons. 

Every year, I intend to bring my camera out to the road but never do.  

This year, I finally brought it, but found that shooting pictures of moving kids while holding conversations with their parents and trying to hand out candy is a bit beyond my level of photographic expertise.

Voting Early

Honey and I went to the Crosby Library and voted yesterday.  

From the number of vehicles in the parking lot, I was expecting a line, but there was only one person ahead of me waiting to sign in. The election official did say that we came at a good time and that they have been busy since early voting began last Monday.

After I voted, I got my sticker on the way out

When she was offered one, Honey declined, saying that we were on the way home so there was no one to show it to.

Doggy Dope Two

I posted yesterday about a very unsatisfactory and disturbing experience I had with a website peddling CBD oil for dogs. 

Shortly after posting, I got a call from a young man (He sounded young, but at my age I can use that term for most people.) who asked me about my experience on their site.  I told him it was completely unsatisfactory and I wanted the transaction cancelled. 

He agreed to do that and explained that it was a new website that still had bugs to work out, then spent several minutes asking me specifics about navigating the site and thanked me for my input.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again.  This time it was a young lady responding to the message I had left on their customer service voice mail.  She apologized once again, and assured me that they had stopped the transaction before any charges were actually made to my account. 

She also emailed me a link to the parent company's website www.nirvalla.com which does have the typical "shopping cart" and where CBD oil for dogs and humans can be ordered one bottle at a time.

Doggy Dope

Tinker has thrown her back out again. 

On Monday, she was running around like a puppy, but by Tuesday afternoon,  she was hardly moving and obviously in pain.  We started her on pain pills and muscle relaxers from a previous episode, but by last night we could see no improvement. 

I mentioned to Honey that I had just received an email extolling the value of CBD oil for pain management in dogs, and we decided to check it out.  It led to a link where I ordered what I thought was an introductory order of the stuff for $32.50.

When I put in my card number and clicked Enter, I immediately got a confirmation for a purchase of $190!

Most websites that give you a page to review and confirm your order before you buy - this one did not. There was no way to cancel and no contact number anywhere on the website, so I called the bank and they put a hold on the transaction.

This morning, I got a confirming email from the vendor that did have a customer service number.  I called and left a message asking them to cancel the order.

If that works, no real harm done.  If it doesn't, I guess I've learned an expensive lesson.

Wasn't Me

There was one person somewhere in South Carolina who picked all the numbers in last night's lottery drawing, and at least one ticket sold in Texas good for a little over $3 million.
Like most people, my lottery ticket was totally worthless.

Renewal

I went to my local HEB store yesterday to renew our license plates.  

Actually that isn't entirely correct - in Texas the plates are semi-permanent, only get replaced every seven years or so - what I got was a decal for my truck's windshield like this one,

 and a sticker to attach to the plate on our 5th wheel trailer.

The computer was taking forever to process the purchases, and the lady at the counter had already apologized twice, when I said "While we're waiting, why don't you sell me some quickpicks for the Megamillions?"

For the first time ever, tonight's jackpot is over two Billion dollars, so, if I wake up a gazillionaire tomorrow, it's all thanks to the amazingly slow system at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

Donald Trump I-Phone

The president will be speaking in Houston this evening in support of Senator Ted Cruz, and all indications are that the response will be ridiculously HUGE.  

They've received over twice as many ticket requests as there are seats available at the Toyota Center, and although the event doesn't officially get underway until tonight, there are people  who have been lined up around the block since yesterday evening.

I really don't know what, if any, effect this will have on the election, but it is truly a sight to see.

As Honey put it, "You'd think they were bringing out a new I-Phone."

By George, I think he's got it

I've never actually met George Smith, but he has been a valued Facebook "friend" for the past couple of years.  
George is a former East Texas newspaper publisher who retired to Arkansas, and I suspect the move raised the average IQ in both states.  
He is one of my liberal friends - not a screaming, rioting, Pussy-hat liberal - but his views on most things would fall left of center.  That being said, his political posts are always well thought out and expressed in a way that I can appreciate.
Although retired, George still writes a weekly guest column for the Marshall, Texas newspaper.  Here's the one from today:

(This column appeared today in the Marshall News Messenger. Thanks to Publisher Jerry Pye and Editor Caleb Brabham for allowing me the space.)

Lightening rods of dissention

There are two so-called leaders that should be removed from the national political landscape., like, today.

Both are blowhards, both have accomplished much in their careers and more than a modicum of their efforts have resulted in positive results; both firmly believe they are more important in the national discussion of issues than they really are. But (there’s the expected ‘but”) the time for their actions resulting in anything positive for their party is over; this duo is sucking up the positive oxygen necessary for righteous party platform plans, diverting attention from party members who need freedom to move and maneuver the rocky road of partisan, hate-filled actions and rhetoric.

What can be done to create an environment for change that will mandate camera-hungry politicians who still attempt to sell their particular and peculiar brand of leadership to go ... go away? Poof. Disappear. Gone.

What is it about these two born-and-reared political machines that cause them to hang on despite the fact they their time in the spotlight has past, despite the fact their individual and collective power bases are crumbling and that their ability to influence even the most simple of issues has eroded significantly. Too many people literally hate them for for them to be effective.

Yes, it’s time that these once powerful forces in politics, these lightening rods of dissention, retire to the company of a warm and welcoming cliché of old friends and supporters and live off the income from reveal-nothing books and say-nothing, repeat-platitudes speeches.

Both were forces to be reckoned with at one time as they delighted in dictating policy and political protocol and were surrounded with kowtowing sycophants who followed the orders flowing from the silver-tongued leaders of … what exactly?

Did the duo lead a party? Attempt to lead a party? A movement, perhaps? A segment of the political spectrum they could bend to their will? A cult of like-believers or thought-zombies? What exactly did they do? And what are they doing now?

Without a thought, they are chipping away the foundation of their party with an atomic jackhammer; every time they open their mouths, they not only do irreparable harm to their personal legacies but drive a number of party faithful into the Independent category, if not the ranks of the opposition party.

There was a time when these destructors of self-image and party were heralded for their uncanny resourcefulness, ability to read the rough-and-tumble forays into the political equivalent of a WWF cage match, confident in their individual abilities to conquer all foes.

Today, everything they touch seems to wither before the eyes of the nation; the edges of their pictures in the annals of national leaders are starting to turn up at the edges as the color in the pictures themselves fade from vivid hues to monotone.

Like old vaudeville troupers who refused to understand that motion pictures tolled the dooms-day bell for their careers, these two, once-powerful purveyors of political push-and-pull tactics refuse to exit the stage gracefully, with the spotlight following their stage left exit. Instead, they hunker around the edge of the stage, holding desperately onto the curtain, waiting for an encore when all that is awaiting them is the fabled hook.

Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, once party powerhouses, are now the scourge of the party and should exit not just the stage but the entire theater of politics.

When the opposition party leaders continually use your name and image to excite and enthrall the party faithful, instead of sticking to the discussion of important issues facing the nation, it’s time to remove the ammunition from their arsenal.

Go home, Hillary. Take your resume and travel the world over and give speeches and write books. Leave the Democratic party to find a new road to success without having a Clinton as a crutch, and deny the opposition the availability of a convenient whipping girl.

Go home, Nancy. Your time is past and you are hurting the party and the section of Congress you once ruled competently. Do not be the continuing virus that has infected your party. Be the solution to the problem, not the cause that could endanger the Democratic Party’s future as a competent political party.

Go now. Go with grace and dignity. Or kicking and screaming. Just go.

UnBEARable

After 24 years as Jazz Bear, the Utah Jazz mascot, John Absey has been fired...

The team is not saying why, and an Absey post implies he quit.  In any case, there will be a new person inside the bear suit from now on.

When I was a child, I always thought

I would grow up to be an astronaut

(Or a cowboy or fireman)

In all my childish dreams, I swear

There was never a thought of becoming a bear

Now that I’ve been fired, I can honestly say

It wasn’t my dream job, anyway

Over

Thanks to our Houston Astros for another great season - and one excellent playoff  series.  Unfortunately, the ALCS didn't go our way, and the death throes of our team over these last few nights were almost too painful to watch.
Still. like they say, there's always next year.

Part American Indian II

Part American Indian

I almost posted something making fun of Elizabeth Warren and her claim to being "part" Indian.  Then I realized that anything I said could also be applied to me!

I grew up believing that my maternal grandmother was 1/2 Indian - probably Choctaw - Don't just skip over this - actually click here , 

and it gets even more complicated.  My nephew, the only member of the family to do any serious genealogy research, found no official records listing her family as anything but white.  

Gut Music

Honey made a big pot of home-made soup for supper last night - the perfect way to greet the first cold snap of the fall.  
If there was any downside, it is that I woke up this morning with a musical gut. The gurgling could be heard all over the house, and got even stranger when Dusty started snoring.  
My dog and my innards singing a weird duet.

Monday, Monday

Sorted through several ideas for a post today - none of them was a chart topper - then I saw that ...

Cherry on Top

I love cherries - have as long as I can remember.
Cherry pies
Cherry Cokes
Cherry Jello
I can even tolerate cherry flavored cough syrup.
But recently I bought Honey a bottle of vitamin B-12, and failed to notice that the label said they were cherry flavored.  About that time, she decided that I should be taking B-12, too.  If I regretted my mistake before, I really do now.
Those pills not only taste terrible, the taste just won't go away.  A full cup of coffee later, I still have the residual taste in my mouth.

Up A Tree

The fellow we found to take down the big oak tree got a late start, but made good progress yesterday.  The tree should be down today.
Because he got started so late - his helper was unavailable until after noon - he was up in the treetop cutting limbs until it was too dark to see him up there.  Scared Honey, but apparently he could see better up there.

$$$ Update

A couple of the problems I mentioned yesterday are on the way to being solved.  
We found someone to take down the big tree in the back yard, and he helped me get the starter out of the mower.
I was able to determine that the starter needs a rebuild - bushings are worn and. although it spins on the bench, it binds up when on the mower.  I called the dealer, and after three trips to the garage for serial numbers, he said a replacement starter would cost $235 plus tax, and he would have to order it.  I found the same starter on line for $134, and ordered it.

Watching the $ Fly

Everything had been rocking along pretty well here at the old Boggy Thicket, but over the last few weeks, I have found several new ways to spend money...

• the 5th wheel has some minor damage that may end up costing major bucks
• Honey got an estimate to replace the sheet metal on our barn
• I'm going to have to take the zero-turn mower in for service

And, just this morning I noticed that one of our huge oak trees is dying.  I showed Honey when she came in from her walk, and she says I can't go outside anymore.

Winning!

It was a great weekend for Houston sports fans.  

It got started when the U of H clobbered Tulsa on Thursday, then the underdog Longhorns beat Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown in Dallas for the first time since 2015.   

The Astros beat Cleveland twice to take a two to zip  lead in their post-season  series.

The Rockets beat the Spurs in San Antonio Sunday.

The Texans defeated the Cowboys last night in overtime.

Not exactly sports, but the Republicans beat the Democrats at their own game, and Judge Kavanaugh was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the U S Supreme Court.

I'm not one to gloat, but if there was ever a time, this weekend would be it.

Can't Get There From Here

When our next-door neighbors moved to Ohio, Ernest Graff gave me his lawn mower!  
It's a Lexmark Lazer-Z zero turn mower that makes the work of mowing the two acres we call yard a breeze.  It cuts the whole thing in less than half the time of my old riding mower, and the ride is so much smoother that I don't feel beat up when I'm done.
That is, when I can get the darn thing started.  
There is a problem with the starter, or the starter solenoid or associated wiring that has gotten progressively worse, and I can't seem to do anything about it. Believe me, I've tried, but the components I need to check and/or replace are so buried within the innards of the beast that I can't get a wrench on them.  
I've always prided myself on being able to do my own maintenance on cars, lawn mowers, etc. but this time I may have to admit defeat and take it in for service

"Annual" Physical

I went  in for my annual physical yesterday.

The good news is that everything checked OK.

The not-so-good news is that my "annual" has now grown to 14 months.  

My physical used to be scheduled on or around my birthday - August 9th - but Medicare rules will not approve the procedure until at least one year and a day have passed since the previous exam.  The doctor's office has been scheduling me for the first available date after that year and a day for so long that we have blown through August and September and are now into October.  At this rate, it won't be that many years until I have my "annual" exam around Christmas.

Best Laid Grass

I mentioned in several posts this summer about the three pallets of grass we had installed after we put in the pergola.  

I'm sad to say it didn't make it.

I really don't know why.  The grass farm was having mechanical problems with their harvester, and I suspect the grass was cut too shallow - not enough root - but I don't know that for sure. Very hot dry weather followed by days of rain probably didn't help much either.

Whatever the reason, it didn't take long for the grass to show signs that it wasn't thriving as it should have.  We followed the advice of the grass farm, and when that didn't seem to be enough, I went to Randy Lemmon's Garden Line website and followed his advice.  We watered religiously, treated the area with Medina Soil Activator, and even treated once with a root stimulator.

The grass didn't just die, in many areas it decomposed, leaving patches of brown glop where there should be healthy St. Augustine.  The only live grass visible is a few areas of Bermuda which shouldn't have been in the St. Augustine to begin with.

I could have posted a picture, but it's just too ugly.