How hot is it?

How hot is it?

Foretold

Albert Einstein died in 1955, his insight into the future was uncanny considering it was 1955 and the huge electronic social media was 40+ years away. Common sense was fairly widespread back then... today I wonder how the lastest generations will survive themselves. Prior to the electronic media explosion that started in the 90s and took over everyone's life by 2010... People talked in person, exchanged ideas, sat at the dinner table together. Now everyone is consumed by electronic media that not only consumes their time, but negatively impacts their ability to process and intercat in a social environment, and the ability to think for themselves, which includes a lack of common sense leading to more people doing more stupid things. Hense the vast array of warning labels on everything. I got a new propane grill... it had 3 pages of warnings. One warning was to not use lighter fluid went lighting the propane grill... really? This begs the question... how stupid can people be? Ya probably really don't want to know the answer. 
This all ties in with the me generation... what they want, when they want it, how they want it,  and the hell with the consequences. If they can't have their way, it rude. And when things go terriblely wrong, its not their fault. It's the new world reality,  electronic media controlling your thoughts... the dumbing down of America.   
Yes, stupid is as stupid does... without even a second thought about it. This too is compound by the fact that no one can give them any advise,  even if to save themselves from themselves. Go figure.

Watermelon

Watermelon. Hope you love it, and it's a great for physical recovery after being outside in the heat. Temperature here has been around 95 degrees with a heat index of 103. So doing anything outside is greatly impacted. Being an outside person I still can't resist going outside in the heat even if only for a hot time. 30 minutes yesterday doing light work was more than enough. Tired and overheated and actually harder to breathe I came back inside to cool off, relax, and recover. I had cut up a fresh watermelon earlier and put into the fridge to get cold. What a treat... Cold watermelon on a hot day. It did a great job of cooling me off and helping me recover from the heat. 

Here's some tips about watermelons and how to pick a good one.  Enjoy! 

Just Saying

Just saying...

Really?

Yes... Really!

Smart?

Smart or not so smart? Depends on your perspective and your beliefs. And to each their own. So 1/3 of the population have not yet elected to get the vaccine. It's a big debate and controversy. The question is... Why have a controversy? It's s a personal choice. Is it a choice they can live with? Or die with? Only time will tell. Understandable... we live in a society where warning labels are on everything. Presumably because people are not smart enough to watch out for themselves with some common sense. Example: Do not use this hair dryer in the shower. Do not eat the moisture packet in the vitamins. Do not text while driving. Do not put crazy glue on your skin. Cruise control on your car is not an auto pilot, you still needs to drive. Do not smoke while putting gas in your car. Clearly too may people Inherently, repeatedly do stupid things. Not getting the vaccine... Who knows. From my perspective it's not too smart. There's no down side and faced with possible death or probable life long health issues, people should be smarter. It's s the whole it's s all about me society... What they want, when they want it, what they believe, irregardless of facts, must be true. And all that Conjecture and misinformation on social media... They believe it's all true...right? Go figure.

Relax

Today's Endeavors...

Today

Today... What shall I write about?

Long ago...

Long ago... In a land far far away...

Retired

Retirement. Certainly has changed over the generations. My grandfather worked for the same company for over 40 years until he retired. My father worked all his adult life for the same company.

Myself, I was fortunate to work for the same company until I retired. And in my case I was able to retire at 49 years old with a 30 years and out plan. Retirement from 49 to 65 years old have been without doubt the best years of my life. Full time rving certainly has been a major part of it. I have lived more, traveled more, and had more experiences & adventures after retiring than all of my earlier life. The alternative would be to continue to work until 65 than retire. I can't imagine having done that. 

But I digress... Retirement. For the generations of my daughter, and certainly my grandkids... They will probably never work for one primary company most of their life and retire from it. Let alone retire with 30 years and out at a younger age. The younger generations will work for several companies and be destined to work until they are 65+. Of course, this is a major benefit to companies not having to pay retirement benefits, reduced benefits, and deferred benefits. 

I consider myself fortunate to be of my generation... some of the last to get a 30 years and out retirement especially at a younger age. At 49 years old, it was safe to say that the best years of my life after 49 was going to be the next 16 years... with regards to Health and physical ability. I didn't want to spend those 16 years working the same old same old of the previous 30 years... waiting to be physically use up at 65. 

Doing the math. Just based on money. Early retirement gives you less per month after 30 years verses the 46 years I would have worked for. Total of 16 years of advance benefits verses the extra monthly benefits after 65... Well, I would be 80 years old before the total of my advance benefits would have equalled the higher benefits from 65-80, and I'd be going into negative status comparing the two. This doesn't even take into account that those 16 years of advance benefits would certainly have more buying power, 49-65 (inflation) than the increased benefits from 65-80 year 's old. (Hope that is understandable).

So, there you have it. Perhaps with proper planning early retirement may still be possible for you too. Certainly relying on companies for retirement is not what it use to be. Plan ahead as if you could not rely on companies. Even if you have a retirement from a company, they still have found ways of circumventing that commitment, or reducing your overall benefits... monitary and health benefits. So plan accordingly.

I'm glad I got out early before I start loosing something, which now certainly seems probable. 

Tomorrows

Tomorrows...

Emotional?

Emotional?

Irrational?

Revisiting

Revisiting.... have you deduced where this is... Elementary!

I need help with the opening lines of my first chapter. Any suggestions? Is anyone good at the opening lines? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... No, wait, that's been done. In the beginning... No, that's been done too. Stranger things have come to pass, yet nothing, no matter how improbable, must be true once you exhaust all logical conclusions... Perhaps.

Now I know...

Somehow during the past 26 years I managed not to know this. Even being certified and trained to fill  propane tanks by the state. And aggravated with our current propane grill that would not get hot enough. A built in safety feature that I didn\"t know about. Now I know. What a pain it\"s been barely getting a 4 burner grill to 300 degrees. 

Arggg... 

Advise

Advise: Something that most people ignore. To each their own. As you get older, life experiences teaches you many lessons. Years of knowledge and experience not only of what to do, but what not to do. It's probably been this way for generations. Younger generations that have the world in their pocket and know everything, therefore are not receptive to anyone's advise, let alone someone older, like a grandfather. Then as a grandfather you watch them make mistakes over and over again as they ignored your advise, disgarding your years of experience and knowledge. 

And while you find a Subtle diplomatic way to convey to them... "I told you so"... It's all for not. For nothing changes and they are destined to learn the hard way all on their own. But that's American society. 

Abandoned

Abandoned homes in the countryside. It's hard to imagine how these homes were just simply abandoned, People just walked away from them. People died, or whatever happened, and they're just left to be returned to nature. No one to claim them and no one to save them. Some of them really look like they were a magnificent homes in their time..

1958

Yep, the year was 1958. The tractor stopped running. Couldn't get it started been there ever since. And that's just how things are in the country.

Retired

Retired... What now.

Light it up

Lighting the way... setting the mood.

Convenient

Convenient, always handy, carried right on your keychain...

Cuz you never really knew when you going to need it.

Something no respecting marylander will never be without.

Good Morning 🌅

Good Morning 🌅 

Hope your day is off to a great start. The sun is coming up,  it's gonna be a beautiful day... 60 to start with, warming up to 75. I'd say that's perfect. Peaceful, quiet, and a bonus, everyone else is still fast asleep. Except for the birds at the feeder. What's next? A good breakfast to start the day. Coffee, eggs over easy. Rapa scrapple fried brown on the outside, soft on the inside. Crispy home fries and a buttered English muffin. And two pieces of bacon... Isn't breakfast without bacon. And if that wasn't enough... a short stack of pancakes. And yep... That's real butter on the English muffin and pancakes.
Nothing quite as nice a sax a good breakfast watching the sun rise.

Talk gave a great day. 

News

The news media... TV news... Everyday they continue with stories that bring up more questions than answers. Not about the story itself, but their analysis, conclusions, and what they are implying. A pedestrian walkway over a highway crashed down onto the highway. The media called into safety the structural integrity of bridges and walkways.They even called for a vote on TV and shared the results they the viewers called for investigations as to safety. They ended the story reporting that a truck that was out of ICC compliance struck the bridge bring it down. 

Now I'd like to think the news people are intelligent... But are sometimes questionable. Simple fact... A truck hit the bridge walkway bringing it down. So why Sensationalize the story in a direction that is not supported by the by the actual events and facts. They further subjected they story to being questioned when interviewed the director of public safety and the walkway had already been inspected a approved safe.

So again why the story lead of questioning bridge safety? Not a rational or intelligent approach to start the story? But maybe that's just me... question everything... not only the facts, but why. 

(this is not the actual bridge that was brought down)

Magic

Magic wand...

6 things

Only six things...

Revisited

Sunset

Nature... Sunset... Perfection.

Best meal

Fresh salad

Fried pickles

Steamed shrimp

Cream of crab soup

Jumbo lump crab cakes

Out of control

Just when you least expect it.

Lessons

Lessons learned in life. Yes, indeed, mistakes were made in my youth, but it was usually cleaned up with ivory bar soap. Just thinking about it. Makes me still taste that soap. Yuck. Comes under the heading of a lifelong lessons learned while I was young.

????

Why?

Looking

You will find what you are looking for...

Be it negatives

or

Be it positives.

Begin-End

The older you get, and the more you experience life, you realize that everything... absolutely everything... has a beginning and an end. Many beginnings, all with endings. People, places, careers... good times, bad times, all the times in your life... all change. 
Take comfort in the fact that even the bad times come to an end. Enjoy the good times making the most of each,  for you don't know when they will end or change. You can look back at the good times with fond memories thinking how nice it would have been if they had lasted a bit longer. Most you will never go back to. Take comfort that new adventures await you and that change, no matter how inevitable, will create new memories... memories to last a lifetime. Cherished today... inbrace the change... making the most if everyday. 
Along the way, take joy in nature and all its beauty. It my be one of the only constants in your life. 

Just the facts

Just the facts... somewhat...

Hope

Team

I made the team... go figure.

Even have the shirt to prove it.

News

News... Aside from the fact that the news media tells you what to think, who to love, who to hate, and gives you only some if the facts to meet their agenda... Rather than simply reporting the news, they sensationalize the facts, and then bait-and-switch you into tuning and later for the rest of the story. Keeping you tuned in for better viewer ratings. Including returning later at 11pm... 6 hours later to get the story. Some things are what they are... Doesn't mean you have to like it.

They ca it the news.... Ironic.