Humpday Happenings...

Welcome to the middle of the week...a much "easier on the body" week, weather wise.

Temps are expected to reach into the lower 90s in the afternoon, and again...no rain in the immediate forecast (maybe this weekend?).

In any event, let's press on, because standing in place only works for military parade units at rest.

*** And we're overdue for our military quote of the week,...aka WHO SAID THAT?

"Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage."

So...WHO said that?

The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.

Meanwhile, back at the barracks...

*** It's "official" now.

We got a mailing from the SORRY ASS SALOON (formerly known as the Senate) yesterday, and I just HAD to share it, if for no other reason, than the NAME of the place.

While it doesn't appear ghetto, it sure as hell appears red-necky, and I don't know how well that kinda stuff goes over down here, with all the "diversity" dripping (and leaving puddles) around us.
"We need you"...? They NEED me? FOR WHAT? And WHY?

It would appear that at some point they recently had their liquor license reinstated. I know the place hasn't been "shut down" at all...some cars are always in the parking lot...chronic imbibers, no doubt...at 9-frigging AM (that explains a lot, traffic-wise).

Thank God the place isn't a hangout for outlaw BIKERS (yet), because the local gang called the OUTLAWS just had their crib busted by the FEDS.

Coulda saw that one coming...like a jail-on-wheels.
Based on other arrests, it would seem like a "state-wide" OP.

(at least)
Here's the breaking story link:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120711/LOCAL07/120719927

So, the bikers might be scoping out some"new digs"...and what better place to congregate for "social gatherings" than the good old...(...all together, gang...) SOUTHEAST SIDE of town.

The name of the bar would fit THAT venue to a tee!
(and that creeps me out to no end)

*** I'm like my Dad in that I really like driving...provisionally-speaking, that is.

You give me a two-lane blacktop lined with trees in the foothills of some mountain range, and I am in Kismet.

But, as much as I enjoy the OPEN road, I pretty much detest inner-city driving.

And maybe that's why my 29-year old Firebird STILL has yet to see 60K on the odometer.

But there ARE other people who seem to make my penchant for driving pale in comparison...BIG TIME.

Like this gentleman I remember first hearing about way back in the late 1980s when I was living in Philadelphia.

Here's the link to the continuation of Irvin Gordon's remarkable driving story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/retired-long-island-schoolteacher-irvin-gordon-racing-3-million-miles-1966-volvo-article-1.1110995

Can you imagine logging almost THREE MILLION MILES in ONE car?

And a Volvo P1800S at that. (the same type of car that Roger Moore used to drive in the UK series THE SAINT)

Okay, so this (now) retired schoolteacher had the engine rebuilt twice, put on 120 sets of tires and changed the oil about 840 times, but hey, the car certainly doesn't OWE him anything.

Not bad for a $3,962.20 investment made in 1966 (the AM/FM radio was a $10 option).

Volvo has given Gordon a new car at both the 1 MIL and 2 MIL mark (he sold the first car).

And Gordon was featured on Jay Leno back in 2002 when he AND the car appeared on the show (and was celebrated in Times Square by Volvo itself).

I remember Gordon using the car to get to and from work...it was a daily driver, as they say.

And with an hour run ONE WAY, the miles added up quickly.

Volvo requested that they purchase the car for their museum, after Gordon is finished with it.

Gordon replied: "Sure...they can have it for a dollar a mile."

That's nice to see people take CARE of something...my Dad used to say: "What's worth having is worth waiting for and what's worth having is worth taking care of."

Seems he was right again.

*** Imagine you having to clean out an attic of your aunt...dirty, dusty, sneezing while you're doing this crappy task, but you like your relatives, so what the hell, right?

Then, imagine finding some VINTAGE baseball cards stashed there, among sundry junk and relics from a kinder time...

And we're talking cards possibly worth MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!
(helluva find, eh?)

Well, that's what happened to one family in Ohio.

(Holy Toledo...no, this was in DEFIANCE, OHIO)

Here's the story link:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120711/NEWS03/307119960

I've got some baseball cards...not that many, and certainly not any worth a lot (well, maybe except my Roberto Clemente/Pittsburgh Pirates card the year he died..and some classic Mike Schnidt cards when he was with the Phillies).

The big find for Karl Kissner was a set of E98 cards...a pretty rare set, dating back to the early 1900s.

And, according to authenticators, THIS set is the most pristine one they have come across to date.

These were cards that were smaller than the ones we see today, didn't come with bubblegum, and had NO stats on them.

(shades of Honus Wagner)

Goes to show that maybe it's a good thing to be nice to your relatives, especially when they move to Florida and leave YOU the house.

"Hey, Grandma...lemme fluff that pillow for 'ya and get 'ya some more tea...and do you need your basement or attic cleaned?"

*** Lastly today...windfalls (or successes) can come in various sizes and for various reasons.

Some folks get to drive a car a distance equal to more than a few round trips to the moon, while others may find that pot of gold in some small cardboard box covered with dust...fate can be funny that way.

Now, I said earlier this week that life was complex and not meant to be easy...and yet, here we see examples of how life can reward those both immediately and over a long stretch of time.

And, I'd wager these folks were not contemplating a reward...they just went about their lives.

I'm not saying to drop what you're doing immediately, and start tearing your house apart...or to get in the family car and start a cross-country trek (or ten).

(that's for you to decide)

What I am saying is that life will change up and toss you a curve ball once in a while...or a slider (usually low and inside...lol).

How we face such things as they happen, as well as in the aftermath will say much about us, our upbringing, what we've managed to learn, and our life in general.

It's like the recent storms we had here...some folks set about getting their lives BACK TOGETHER right away, while others might just toss up their hands in quiet resignation. Many will have to start over, or at least have a lot that needs fixing along the way.

And that's what our lives REALLY are...works-in-progress.

We never really STOP building upon that which we have laid the foundation upon...or at least we shouldn't.

(that's what the "big dirt-nap" is for, anyway)

How we view life is every bit as important as how we live life, and even if we never have such windfalls as the people above have enjoyed, we will still find our own victories along the way, no matter how small they might seem.

To me, I'd much rather have a plethora of small victories than one big one...all those smaller ones, staggered out over the years tend to have a more lasting effect anyway, instead of that one big one that's over almost as soon as it began.

But, to each his or her own...and that's something that makes life even more remarkable...if we take notice.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America.