Amidst the Holiday Season...
We had more snow showers over the past 24 hours, and I must say, it did keep the local assholes at bay somewhat...always a nice thing. I could actually hear myself THINK for a change. And that's not a common occurrence around here all that much.
The winds kicked up a bit, but no drifting to speak off....just a whole lotta cold.
I'm ready for it, too.
We had one FWPD officer ass-ended by "someone wanting to do 90 MPH" (as came over the radio), but fortunately, he was NOT in the vehicle when it was struck. The car's a mess, and the officer was able to secure a backup vehicle for his TOD, but at least we now have ONE LESS careless driver on the roads here.
It's like I said...people do NOT know how to handle bad weather, or they choose to remain in DENIAL (which still is not JUST a river in Egypt).
Yet, while we ventured forth along snow-covered roads, dodged bad drivers, carried on with the Christmas shopping, and otherwise battled the elements...
There was THIS:
*** Early on a December morning, the 7th to be exact, in the year of our Lord, 1941, on the naval base at the Hawaiian island of Pu'uloa, otherwise known as Pearl Harbor, servicemen were going through the trappings of a lazy Sunday morning. Church services would begin soon enough, and many men not on duty were in their bunks, fast asleep.
Little did they know the carnage and devastation they would become witnesses to around 0755 hours (local time).
Imperial Japanese forces launched a surprise attack on the United States naval base, concentrating on what was known as "Battleship Row".
Torpedo planes and dive bombers from 6 (enemy) aircraft carriers sailing several hundred miles offshore swept through the area.
The airbases were also hit, but the submarine base at Pearl was relatively untouched.
What was also NOT hit by the Japanese were the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers, which were out to sea, conducting operations.
Over 2,400 personnel were killed in the two waves of attacks on the island, with over 1,280 wounded.
Four battleships were sunk (two raised to fight later in the war), most notably the U.S.S. Arizona, which took 1,200+ men to their graves.
Also sunk or damaged were 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer.
Over 180 U.S. aircraft were destroyed on the ground, while the Japanese forces lost 29 aircraft and five midget submarines.
And it was this ONE action that propelled the U.S. into World War II, forcing any desires for isolationism to the scrap heap.
We pretty much know the rest...
To quote the Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who was in command of "Operation Z":
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant, and fill him with a terrible resolve."
Helluva way to get in step with Christmas, wasn't it?
And yet, get in step WE DID, proving what a "sleeping giant" this nation was.
Now, here are some websites that you will find interesting regarding this attack, and the subsequent survivors:
http://www.pearlharborsurvivorsonline.org/Index%20Page%20.htm
http://www.pearl-harbor.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor
This story in particular should make us ALL stop for a moment and take notice.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-12-05-pearl-harbor-survivors_N.htm
Currently, there are only about 3,000 survivors left out of over 60,000 personnel that were present at the time of the attack on Pearl.
And, like the rest of us, none of them are getting ANY younger.
Out of those 3,000, ONLY about 100 are expected to fly to Honolulu today to take part in memorial services.
Think about it...ONLY 100...out of 60,000!
That's important to every one of us, or it SHOULD be.
As one survivor, age 92 stated: "It will be the end of an era when the last of us goes."
We should NEVER allow that era to fade from our memories.
Now, I said all THAT...to say THIS...
Christmas IS a time for thankfulness...a time of charitable giving one to another. We have bastardized it into some mega- "sale-fest" for local and national stores, however.
That's not to say that capitalism is bad...it DOES keep the economy from foundering.
How we IMMERSE OURSELVES IN all of it is what we need to focus on.
Do we view this time of year as JUST a time for swapping gifts, holding parties, and getting wasted along the way?
Or are we giving and revelling BECAUSE we are holding those that have given that last full measure of devotion TO this nation in much higher esteem?
We really need to DEFINE that, IF we are to embrace the TRUE meaning of this holiday season.
Now, I love getting gifts, and I also love giving them, but it should never be from the "hip-national-bank", but done rather from a sincere and humble heart.
Were I to invoke Judeo-Christian belief into the mix, I would state that it was our GOD that bestowed unto us the ultimate gift, and we would be wise to acknowledge that and pass forward something in kind to our fellow man.
But, many of us already know about that, right?
We need to hold fast to those values that made us AMERICA, and if those values entail preserving the memories of those sacrificing all so that we have a future for ourselves and OUR children, that's fine by me.
And if others can't quite get their brains wrapped around a lot more of the TRUE reason of the season, that's THEIR fault...and NOT ours.
Still, it is our duty to those fallen to remind others about how much is given by many, in order to allow the rest of us to have anything at all...and to have it freely, living in a nation that bestows liberty for ALL men and women living here...not just a few, or some.
Remember Pearl Harbor...
Remember WHY we can enjoy all that we do enjoy at this time of year.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

(( Don't forget - 18 shopping days until Christmas))

Monday Musings...
And what a wonderfully COLD Monday it is in the Heartland of my ghettohood.
We've been "enjoying" those marvelous "lake-effect snowshowers" for the last TWO days, with at least another day of it (joy).
On both Saturday and Sunday, we even saw parts of both I-69 AND I-469 (our city's interstate "loop") shut down because of accidents.
It's been keeping a LOT of people REAL busy, such as the FWPD, the ACSD (Sheriff's department) all the flatbeds that tow cars away, Parkview Hospital's helicopter, the FWFD, the local body shops AND...more than a few insurance companies.
Not MY favorite way to keep any economy going, but when you're given lemons...make lemonade, hmm?
(talk about JOB SECURITY)
And that's just along the MAJOR arteries of the city...
What you DON'T see is often more interesting and rarely gets cited (at least from where I'm viewing things).
People drive through the ghettohood WITHOUT even cleaning the snow from the rear glass off their vehicles.
That just BEGS to be pulled over (in MY book).
Ditto for people that are driving around with a blown out headlight, tail light (and my personal favorite) a blown out LICENSE PLATE BULB.
Most don't even CLEAN the license plate the hell off.
The department COULD be making some nice change off of such people (and teaching them a valuable lesson) down here, IF they had a mind to. Trouble is, people GET AWAY with it...sometimes for YEARS.
And the last time I checked, ALL vehicles DID come with the proper illumination as STANDARD EQUIPMENT...NOT an "option".
So, there's NO excuse to NOT have all the lights that came with the vehicle OPERATIONAL, is there?
(especially in snowy conditions with visibility less than 100 yds in many cases)
That's just common sense (uh, oh...there's that phrase again).
I was telling the missus this morning, that there are TWO things that do NOT go well together in this kind of weather...and that is BAD ROAD CONDITIONS...and BAD TIRES.
If you could see the number of idiots that "think" (and I use that word loosely) they can motor along on "may-pops" or "baloney-skins" on the rims of their vehicles, you'd be amazed.
I've seen more "fishtails" at our intersection that at the trout hatcheries!
I mean, "if" people want to act in a totally IRRESPONSIBLE manner in inclement weather with bad road conditions and an ill-equipped vehicle, they SHOULD have some kind of SIGN to let others know that there's an idiot nearby, don'cha think?
Some sort of magnetic placard on the doors, or a flag on the roof to signify that:
"I am an idiot driver, do not belong on the road, so please stay as far from me as is possible, because I'm not looking out for you...I'm too busy chugging a "40", rolling a doobie, and playing with my cellphone."
Yeah...that's kinda LONG, but makes the point beautifully. Don't want to be distracted having to READ all that, right?
Perhaps something more like:
"If it looks like I'm driving with my head up my ass, it's because I AM" ?
Or maybe:
"I should be a pedestrian."
How about:
"CAUTION - MORON-AT-PLAY"?
Any of them sound nice...and CORRECT.
Of course every OTHER school system was on a TWO-HOUR delay this morning EXCEPT the FWCS (and they have to start EARLIER even).
Sure hope those salt crews got out and got something done, because the side streets here are kinda slicker than snot on a doorknob.
We don't need a plow (yet), but something to get rid of the packed down snow would be nice.
Unfortunately, the local boomcar brigade hasn't taken any time off (another reason to always have some officers in the area).
It's bad enough trying to concentrate on the road conditions, so the last thing you "need" is some asswipe thumping his POS down a snowy street, on those God-awful 30 inch rims.
And that's something else to think about...
THOSE rims and tires are not like the huge knobby four-wheel-drive tires you have on specialized vehicles...are they?
They actually have LESS TREAD than normal tires and no real "aggressive" tread pattern to speak of.
Not to mention, those wheels don't TURN as easily as the wheels that came with the vehicle, so evasion of a child darting into the street is not going to happen all that well.
But, since it's a "cultural thang" with these idiots, maybe they'll just wind up killing more of their own kind (like they don't do enough of that already).
Helluva way to "cull the herd".
People today just do not posess the attention span, nor the ability to properly handle bad weather in the manner performed in decades past.
There ARE too many distractions...way too many.
Snow chains are all but extinct...ditto for studded tires (both were great in the day).
I still have a set of Philly police chains in the garage...just in case of an apocalyptic snowfall...lol
Hey, 'ya never know around here.
And you have to remember that the salt the road crews dump is NOT that effective with low temps and blowing winds.
No one ever seems to dump ASHES on the streets these days, although using a solution of (or all things) BEET JUICE shows promise in colder climates.
So much for GLOBAL WARNING, eh?
I know those polar bears are loving it...but it's still a driver's worst nightmare.
Dad always said that "DRIVING IS YOUR SECOND JOB", and he was so right.
And when it comes to weather such as THIS, you can tell straight away WHICH drivers are really bad "workers".
Lastly today...Sunday, we started decorating the house inside...got all the bears out...AND the Santas...AND the beanie babies...AND the bric-a-brac.
Next, I do the blue candles and finally...the tree.
I even dug out the balsam fir incense and pine tea lights and had the house smelling like Christmas...
Now THAT will get you in the mood...and it never hurts to have Nat King Cole on the radio (although it IS a tad early for REAL Christmas music).
So...the word for today in a LOT of cities across the USA...is CAUTION.
Take your time out there in the snow, ice, sleet...whatever you're facing.
Nothing is that important that your life (and that of others) gets shoved to the back burner because you're in some hurry.
Wherever place you're going to will STILL be there when you get there...
Take your time, be cautious, and make sure your vehicle can be seen and that YOU can see properly from your vehicle.
That's just COMMON SENSE...and it does SAVE LIVES.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.


((Remember - 19 shopping days until Christmas))

Friday Follies...
Old Man Winter is doing a number out West (several FEET of snow in some places), and temperatures have settled into their "seasonal" highs and lows most all over the country, which means that all this here GLOBAL WARMING crap must be...well, CRAP.
I've already got some ice-melt at the local big-box (to add to "my" stockpile), because I do believe in being prepared. (it's a old boy scout thing...LOL)
And it was on SALE...remember, NEVER pass up a sale for something totally PRACTICAL, for there will come a time when you NEED it, and wished to God you bought it when you had the chance...trust me.
And speaking of "practicality"...
--Wow..imagine that.
Right smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season, we get an nice early Christmas gift...
Charlie Rangel DID get censured by the House yesterday, and Pelosi looked as PO'ed as could be...I was loving it!
It was like getting a "two-fer"...LOL!
This is only the 5th time anyone got censured (the last four comprised three DEMOCRATS and one REPUBLICAN...that's gotta tell 'ya something).
Yo, Charlie...thanks for making MY week a little bit nicer.
Now, about the ETHICS violations on MAXINE WATERS...
(a stocking stuffer for the masses?)
We can but hope.
So, you got the decorations thing going on now, right?
RRRIIIGGGHHHHTTT?
Good, now you've also checked the wiring for the extension cords and all the plugs involved too, right?
Excellent!
And, you've tested the batteries in your smoke detectors as well, correct?
Marvelous!
You're pretty much set to start looking for other things you may need this season, but might have overlooked in your zealous pursuit of those "perfect gifts".
For example, do you have enough SCOTCH TAPE?
What about WRAPPING PAPER, or TISSUE PAPER (for lining gift boxes)?
And how about some RIBBON and/or BOWS to go with that?
I know I've gotten to a point in years past where I had everything ready to go...and then couldn't find wrapping paper in the house.
It's one of those things we use UP, and then forget about...at last I used to be that way.
Then, after I hit the stores days AFTER Christmas, I stocked the hell up. I could now wrap the GARAGE with the extra rolls we've bought, AND have plenty of tape to hold it together.
Still, you can snag some deals for gift wrap easily enough - ditto for the tape.
Now, if you're shipping stuff somewhere else, you'll need boxes, probably of varying sizes.
Did you keep those eBay boxes from auctions past?
if you did, you got some freebie "recyclables", and they're probably USPS boxes to boot (easy to seal, re-seal, and are sturdy).
We have stacks if such boxes in the basement for just such a situation.
Nothing ever gets wasted around our house (except ME...once in a great with with my "high-octane" EGG NOG during the holidays).
For those packages going out of town, you're going to need address labels and a sharpie and clear packing tape.
I ALWAYS cover the label with that clear tape, in the event that someone spills something on it, or it gets rained on, and the ink from the marker should run.
That eliminates ANY problem with the package getting to the destination YOU wanted it to go to.
Postage isn't going to be a killer, unless you send out a LOT of Christmas cards (as I like to do).
I have cut back the list from years past, as so many people we USED to get cards from stopped sending them.
There was a time when I was young, that our family received so MANY cards every year, that Mom used to have me tape them down the banister stiles...and they were FILLED from top to bottom. That was a LOT of Christmas cards...from a lot of good people...and from a kinder time in America.
Wifey and I were placing our cards around the cutout between the kitchen and the family room addition...that would hold a nice number of cards.
But in recent years, we've barely received any at all...just the usual ones from her side of the family (most of my side is pretty much deceased).
I'll still send some along, even if I don't get one back...just because I like doing it. It's one of those "traditions" we had at our house.
Now, if you're sending items to our troops overseas, there are some info you need to know.
** It typically take 14 DAYS for standard mail to go from Maryland (point of departure) to Iraq or Afghanistan (sometimes, it takes a little as 4-5 days).
This includes flat-rate shipping.
** Do not mix FOOD and NON-FOOD contents.
Sending cookies with deodorant is NOT a good mix, for example, because a nice-smelling underarm is ONE thing, but having those chocolate chip cookies taste like Right Guard doesn't help a soldier's morale in the manner designed...LOL
** Send your items in easy to handle boxes, and wrap it like Mighty Joe Young is handling it, because there probably IS an 800 lb gorilla in the room doing just that. If whatever you send rattles around inside the box, it probably won't survive the trip.
(and wind up as an EOD "demo" for the newbies)
** If you're wondering WHAT (and what NOT) to send, here's the link:
http://www.give2thetroops.org/items.htm
That should provide the necessary heads-up when you sending things overseas.
Now, "technically" you already missed one deadline (26 November for SAM - Space Available Mail), BUT, you have until 10 December for PRIORITY & FIRST-CLASS mail, and 18 December for EXPRESS MAIL...so what are you waiting for, hmm?
** There are prohibited items, such as horror comics, obscene articles like print, video, cards & paintings, as well as nude or semi-nude depictions, porno or sex-related items ( guess that Picasso will have to remain stateside), and unauthorized political materials (so much for a copy of the U.S. Constitution, December's Playboy, Field & Stream, or GUNS magazine).
Add to that bulk quantities of religious material contrary to the Islamic faith, though personal use items are permitted (Thank you, Jesus...oops, didn't mean to offend)
And NO pork or pork by-products.
(What? No SPAM? No VIENNA SAUSAGES? No HAM SPREAD? How bloody barbaric!)
Geez, I know if I were over there, and had such "restrictions", placed on me, I'd be SO pissed off, I could take on the Taliban AND Al-Queda single-handed...and win in SIX DAYS, resting on the SEVENTH (naturally) to enjoy those Vienna Sausages and Spam sandwiches while reading that End-of-year issue of Playboy!
You can easily see how GOOD "we" have it over here, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
If there are any restrictions on ourselves, it's usually self-imposed, as we are the type of people that CHOOSE (freely) to NOT do something evil or wrong.
But there are those among us who take such freedom and pervert it to their own end.
And for that...we have LAWS.
They are restrictions for those without the capacity to use common sense and think logically for themselves.
We have to be careful here, because when such laws, rules, or regulations begin to intrude on those of us WITH the ability to make the good decisions and choices (which would be the vast majority of us), we tread on tyrannical ground, for we abrogate our freedom and liberty for the sake of controlling a handful. We give the government control and basically say that the civil "servants" should run the manor. (that we, the people own)
This should never be allowed to occur.
SOME people need control in their lives, for they are without any, others need someone to provide them a hand-up, and that's where being charitable comes in.
The rest of us are there to make sure that those who need are provided the opportunity to need no longer, and we allow those that need help to help themselves, restoring their own dignity in the process.
THAT is part of the AMERICAN spirit...and it's been around for some time.
Something to think about as we bring the holidays to OUR homes and families near and afar this year.
Have yourselves a fantastic weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone...and, as always...
Stay safe out there, America.


((Remember - 22 shopping days left until Christmas))

Deck Those Halls...
That's always been a fun song that takes me ALL the way back to elementary school (when the school systems actually EMBRACED Christmas, instead of changing it to some secular-humanistic venue), and has always carried with it (to me) the whole "get up, get started and get decorating" gig, but these days, when it gets to that part about the whole "gay apparel" thing, all I can envision are the guys from those Police Academy movies sending their antagonists to the Blue Oyster bar where all the leather-clad and mesh-shirted patrons are "Village-Peopling" the night away...LOL.
Somehow, that doesn't invoke a whole lotta "Christmas"...
But I still wind up humming it (along with more than a handful of others) when I go and dig out the decorations.
Yesterday's weather helped in no small part to get the season going, too...
We were SUPPOSED to get "a flurry or two", according to the weather folks.
(*ahem*)
Didn't QUITE turn out that way (does it ever?), as a light snow fell most ALL day, along with the temperatures.
What we finally wound up with, was a nice 1/4 inch coating on damn near everything, and that kept the FWPD WAY busier than normal.
Over 46 accidents happened around town, most of them slide-offs and minor fender-benders, which tells me ONE thing:
--People cannot (or will not) adapt to weather changes in the manner that they SHOULD...period.
My Dad was a man who, whenever he heard the weather report say we were in for some "light" snow or flurries, he'd go and put the scraper in the car, along with some old carpet remnants (for traction), and dig out the foul-weather gear, because he KNEW the roads would suck-on-ice...literally!
And he was rarely wrong, but at least he was ALWAYS prepared.
Thankfully, he passed that along to me, and I to my wife.
I put the brush-scraper in Wifey's car yesterday, and this morning I added an "Emergency Kit" we got at K-mart in the trunk.
Now, she has THREE sets of jumper cables, plus some tools, and some reflectors should she ever encounter trouble.
I don't have anything as "compact" as that in MY "trunk" (hatchbacks have more like cubby-holes on either side of the open hatch area), so I've had to improvise my emergency items over the years.
I have my tool kit (in a folding pouch) complete with pliers, cutters, std & METRIC wrenches, and TORX screwdrivers, because engineers LOVE to mess with bolts and screws on AMERICAN vehicles. I also have a flashlight, and a trash bag that will do as an impromptu "poncho", in rainy weather.
I've got a spool of heavy-gauge wire for whatever, along with (the handyman's secret weapon)...DUCT TAPE.
And, I've got two road flares..the HOUR-LONG kind you hardly see anymore (with that big SPIKE on the end)...makes one helluva "birthday candle", too.
Just don't try to blow one out...you'll give yourself a hernia. It never hurts to have an old pair of PANTYHOSE in the kit, too.
(What the hell for, Bob?)
I'm glad you asked.
In an emergency like a broken V-belt (alternator or pwr steering), you can utilize pantyhose as a makeshift belt to get you to a repair shop or parts place. It won't last forever, but it WILL work.
And it also NEVER hurts to have a blanket or one of Aunt Millie's old quilts inside the trunk somewhere...in case you're ever stranded.
Another neat idea is to have a "crank-powered portable radio", so you can be advised to weather conditions should you get stranded.
All of this stuff doesn't take up much room, and doesn't really weigh enough to kill the mileage.
It WILL come in handy should the unthinkable occur.
** Almost forgot...with today's technology, you obviously have some sort of RECORDING DEVICE at hand (cell phone, digital camera, disposable camera, whatever) if the need arises to "document" a roadside incident. But if you don't...get one.
Also, if you're out and about getting those decorations and/or presents, it never hurts to know some "basics" when driving.
First and foremost, make SURE you have the vehicle's REGISTRATION with you.
Next, check for PROOF OF INSURANCE, and that it IS up-to-date.
Finally, for God's sake, take your DRIVER'S LICENSE with you.
You would be AMAZED at how MANY folks forget one, or even ALL of the above.
They just get in the car and GO...absolutely NO thought about taking ID with them, or whether they can PROVE to any officer that stops them if the car BELONGS to them, and that it's insured. (which means you DO have registration...it's another circle-of-life thing)
Personally, what I like to do is keep a SECOND copy of all the important stuff ON ME, as well as the originals in the glove box.
I have a "black book" in my car that has all the informational documents in a clear plastic case for ease of use.
Then again, I like to have ANY officer know WHO I am, and that this is indeed MY car.
If you gamble with not having all of these 3 documents in the vehicle or on your person, don't be surprised if you are asked to be a guest at the local lockup.
(not bad if you prefer bologna or cheese sandwiches)
Doesn't matter if you're in the house or outside running errands...always take the time to practice common sense AND safety.
You don't want a citation for no documents for the vehicle (or yourself), and you don't want your house to burn down (shoulda changed the smoke alarm batteries), right?
What you DO want is for the holiday season to be a stress-free AS POSSIBLE, and taking steps to ensure the safety of you and your loved ones can be one of the greatest gifts you can give...at ANY time of year, but especially NOW.
Lastly, today...lyesterday evening marked the beginning of the Hebrew holiday of Hanukkah (or Chanukah...there are several ways to spell it, and all are accepted).
I won't go into the history...that's YOUR assignment for today, so here's the link:
http://www.history.com/topics/hanukkah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah
The Festival of Lights is a time of DEDICATION (as per the Hebrew translation of the word Hanukkah), and when you read up on it, you find some wonderful aspects to Judaism, which for this shouting Methodist is always a good read. In learning about this holiday, I learned more about my own
And let's not forget that many people of the Jewish faith fill in for many Christians during the Christmas season at hospitals and such.
We should do likewise for them during this time of year of their calendar..
So when we're decking whatever hall we find ourselves in, we really should be thankful for all that we are able to enjoy as well as all that's been provided for us.
Let's resolve to dedicate ourselves to making this a better place by helping others to help themselves.
Tis the season anyway, right?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Well, here we are people...DECEMBER FIRST.
(wow, how time flies)

We've got a very light flurry condition here in the Summit City today...nice.
And, in a little over THREE short weeks, we'll all be getting ready for the Christmas holiday.
Hard to believe it, right?
That means time to get the house looking "festive".
Now, I'll be the first one to tell you that in THIS part of town, (unless you're part of the problem, which means living the thug life and being a friend to many of the criminal persuasion), you simply CANNOT place ANYTHING outside the house to signify the holiday season, such as a animated figure, inflatable, or otherwise lighted fixture...PERIOD.
And that's a damn shame, because we DO have neighborhoods (with honest-to-God NICE people) that go all-out. They call it Electric Avenue here.
We had something similar in Philly (around the 6700 block of Jackson St)...everyone in that block went the whole 9 yards and it became a winter wonderland of sorts for the season. Mangers, lights, animated figures...it was fantastic to behold.
It was like someone turned Clark Griswold loose on a block of rowhomes...LOL.
I have to admit that even the utility bill would be worth it to be able to have some of that around here.
But, sadly...we cannot, because it WILL get stolen.
That comes from this whole ENTITLEMENT mentality.
"What's YOURS is MINE, and what's MINE is MY OWN" is their mantra.
A few years back, when we still had a few GOOD neighbors left, our late friend Billy across the street placed one of those spiral, lighted Christmas trees on the front of his property, just beyond his porch.
It was taken in the middle of the night, but they DID leave the extension cord (how nice of them...the bastards), and he was bothered by it.
Hell, I would have gone "hunting" for it...AND those who took it.
There are those that do the "easy" icicle light gig...toss it on or near the house and call it done.
The less time hanging lights on the house means more time to swig down some malt liquor..or steal from other people's houses, right?
So there IS a method to such madness.
I used to light up the front windows...not anymore.
We just have BLUE bulb candles in every window (call it a LEO homage thing, OK?), and I have to admit that it looks real nice when the weather is nasty. Those blue bulbs set the tone for the season, and are a lot cheaper to replace that the "flicker" ones I love to get.
I mean, we're not Grandma's house that's over that river and through those woods, right?
We ARE in the damn ghettohood, and have to amend our lifestyles accordingly.
I will also check each light strand to see if the "holiday gremlins" got into them.
Amazing how something that WORKED perfectly when you put it away a year ago, suddenly is NOT working when you unpack it 12 months later, isn't it?
Who's been messin' with my lights?
Damn gremlins!
That takes care of that which you can see from the street.
If you're in the area (and why is beyond me, LOL), our place is EASY to spot...look for the BLUE lights!
Hey...I wonder if the city would let me put up some WIG-WAGS out front? (they're NOT on a vehicle, so it "should" be okie-dokie.)
I could get a power converter (12VDC to 120AC) to juice them up...brilliant idea!
God, THAT would certainly keep the locals FAR away...ROFLMAO!
Remember...it NEVER hurts to dream, folks.
Now, INSIDE the house (proper) is a whole different story.
There's not much that DOESN'T get decorated, and that means for the next month of so, I can't crash on the couch in the living room...and with good reason:
There are BEARS in the house...LOTS of bears.
Wifey and I have been getting those K-Mart bears ever since we've been hitched, and that's 13 years of bears, so the sofa becomes THEIR domain for the season, and I'm relegated to the carpet whenever I wish to "relax" in front of the TV.
From a "drive-by shooting" aspect, that's not bad...I make a harder target in the PRONE position, and can return fire easily enough.
That's in case any of the local gangsta-assholes want to shoot up a house, which has been known to occur rather frequently down here.
You got to remember that these people WANT you OUT of the area, because YOU might be watching all the crap they're doing, and dime on them, and mess up their "good times" (read criminal activity)...yeah, my heart breaks for them...bullsh*t!
This was MY neighborhood a long time before it was THEIR neighborhood, and when it comes to my property, I've got a line drawn, and I'm daring them to cross it...just once, for MY aim is a lot more accurate (on a bad day) than THEIRS.
But, let's not detract from decorating...
My Mom used to do our house up (as Dad used to say)...like GAUDIO'S, which was a home decorating/improvement center back in Philly, and they always had a HUGE Christmas layout every year.
I swear there was not ONE thing that was not in tune with the holidays in my house when I was growing up.
Christmas EVERYTHING...doilies, glasses, place mats, coasters, area rugs...not one square foot of the house went unscathed.
I think if she could have found and been able to afford some CHRISTMAS DRAPES...she'd have bought 'em!
(and I'd hate to think what THEY would have looked like)
And yet, with ALL of that going on...it was done TASTEFULLY, believe it or not. it did NOT look cheap...it just looked real "Christmasey".
Today, I don't go THAT far, but we have our share of Christmas stuff around the homestead.
I have the obligatory Santas, and elves, and even those bric-a-bracs that we ALL collect as the years go by.
Wifey has a slew of TY Beanie Babies she digs out along with Puffkins (another stuffed animal set) that all have a Christmas theme to them.
I have some Garfield mini-plates and a Snoopy (on the Christmas doghouse) porcelain music box that's a collectible from a while back.
Yeah, you definitely know it's Christmas in the Bobby G. house.
(Even the shotgun ammo has RED and GREEN shell casings...LOL)
We have the stockings (properly named, including the cats) hung by our non-functioning fireplace. (cracked flue issues, but I solved that with a radiant heater in the opening...works well enough for the time being - lemons to lemonade there, right?)
Now, I don't really decorate anything UPstairs, as we spend the majority of time DOWNstairs, but I still place the blue candles in ALL the windows of the house.
Actually, after a while, you'd be surprised HOW MUCH Christmas stuff you will accumulate.
You pick up things here...or there, and the next thing you know...you're buying about 5 of those 20 gallon snap-lid BINS to hold all the stuff.
At least taking it all out and putting it all back becomes a much easier task every year, especially if you LABEL the bins.
Still, it would be nice to feel comfortable placing our animated deer outside. It was given to us by Uncle Leo and had a few bulbs burned out. I replaced ALL the defective bulbs, and tested ALL the wiring, and got it working 100% again.
But I don't want OUR deer to become someone ELSE'S deer, because there are those that watch your house, to see what they can avail themselves of.
Sure, it was free (to us), but that doesn't mean it should be "free to take" either, right?
I could wire it and tie it down to the point where it would take an act of God to remove it, or I could dig out the barbed wire and "embellish" the deer thus, making it a costly (and somewhat bloody) venture should some thief wish to purloin it from our humble house.
I haven't decided yet, but dammit all, I really WANT to enjoy the holidays, and that means making things look the way they used to.
I want to recapture a chunk of what it USED to mean to have that merry Christmas we're all supposed to enjoy.
And I feel that NONE of us should ever have to be denied whatever enjoyment of the season we can secure, if we're able to.
It's not asking for much, that's for sure.
A little CIVILITY on the part of the unwashed (and heavily-Axed body sprayed) masses would go a long way...IF they could but understand.
Yet sometimes, I think that's beyond their capability...must be a undeveloped frontal cortex problem.
That's a shame...for them.
By preying on others, they deny themselves of the reason for the season in the first place.
Anyway, we will do what WE do...and do it as well as we can, simply because WE know why we're doing it.
To do less is to make ALL those holiday seasons in our past less meaningful.
And I would never contemplate such a thing when the memories made during THOSE years brought me to this point and made me appreciate ALL that as done throughout those decades...because my folks took some time to give a damn.
Decorate we will...and be glad we did.
In the meantime...
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.