Tuesday, November 26, 2013

and from this goofy turkey to you...

Hello Everyone!

  Tonight... well, perhaps tomorrow night.... is my last long night for the season.  I am finally done with leaf season, and tomorrow night I head up to see Mom and Dad for Thanksgiving.  These 12 and 14 hour days have taken their toll, but I'm feeling good.  I did only one "pro-bono" lawn this year....  couldn't manage to do more with the press of responsibilities and the uncooperative weather.

  So, I want to send off a quick note to everyone with the promise that I'll be more attentive to things in the near future.... you know, after I get home from seeing Mom and Dad.  And, I want to remind us all to be thankful... there are small and great things in our lives for us to be thankful.  I don't always remember that.  Sometimes I get down on the rough spots of my life.  I bet you do, too.  So, please know I send love, I send peace, I send hugs.   Happy Thanksgiving!


Saturday, November 23, 2013

Dad sent me a pic

Hello All;

  Dad sent me a pic from their place.  You can look in past posts to see other pics from there.  It's beautiful there.... I wish I could spend more time.     hugs


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

O'Reilly: Transgender-Inclusive Locker Rooms Are Like Hooters Without Chicken Wings

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/11/13/oreilly-transgender-inclusive-locker-rooms-are/196872

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!  The Sky is Falling!

I looked up a bit of Statistics.  Outside of artificially maneuvered China, the natural and general population divided by gender in the United States and in the world is about 105 boys to 100 girls.  So, roughly half of us are born with one set of equipment or the other.  The mystery solved, Bill.

Now, I can imagine that some are quite shy of their particular plumbing.  I know I was, and still am to a fair degree.  But, one thing I admire about Naturism is that skin is skin.  The skin we are in does not define us, despite the way it is used to interact with the world about us.  What defines us is our mind, our character, our soul/spirit..... the thing that is still me if all of my other me is taken away.

Unfortunately, we in America have a long standing tradition of judging the book by the cover.  "Indians" are worthless savages standing in the way of progress and wealth.  Blacks are useless but for cheap labor.  Women are useless except for being barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen.  Immigrants are useless... ad nauseum.   And, don't get me wrong, those same prejudices are often turned about as those who are misused judge others by the actions of those who abused them.   So, the fact that Billy boy can't look past the outer covering of a person and realize that the inner person may be totally different doesn't surprise me.

  Now, there is a huge difference between arousal and 'skin is skin'.  To presume that a person who is gender different is going into the other bathroom or locker-room for sexual gratification is quite small minded.  To presume that Hooters is not a place for arousal..... a place named for boobs, not breasts, boobs....but is the same as a gender different person coming into a locker-room is very small minded.

  I guess I am sad that people can't get past the whole "skin is skin" line.  We are such an immature lot.


I have the tendency to be an in house nudist.  I don't live in an area where I could be outdoors, but I figure that if my curtains are pulled, then i should be able to be free inside my own home.  Of course, this is a summer/warm weather activity.... it's a bit nipply in here in the winter.  But, I don't have the self confidence to be so free publicly, like at a resort/beach/etc.  I don't mind it around my doctor or in locker-rooms, and my doctors have been both female and male, but perhaps it's because it's expected.  Who knows, but I do have going to a nudist camp/resort/beach as a goal in my life.
  when i was a kid, it wasn't acceptable to be nude.  Not really even in underwear.  Just one more thing I wish i could do over in life...
  May your day be free.

hugs;
randy

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

how to know if your government is insane...


Hello Everyone!

  I'm in the picture mood, I guess.  I thought I would remind you of the pic I took on Saturday, and then compare it to the picture I took today.
  I am so very sore... I shoveled 4 driveways today.  I couldn't use my snowblower - it was a very heavy soggy snow, and dummy me didn't take the belt off over the summer so it stretched.  On the way to work this morning, I passed three accidents and topped out at 35 mph - for the majority of my drive, the speed limits are 45 and 55... not today!
  Good news.... I don't have to do leaf pickup tonight.   lol.    

Saturday, November 9th

Tuesday, November 12th

Monday, November 11, 2013

What a Difference 2 days Makes...

Gracie wanted to go play with her friend and take a walk.  I took a quick pic... well, two.



Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Merits of Doing Well

Hello Friends;

  It's cold and windy out today... I think I'll stay in and write.

Recently I read just a bit about "The Society of St.Vincent DePaul".  Like any organization, I would bet it has a share of less than dedicated volunteers mixed in with those who are real in their mission, and I would bet that some aspects of reality strike at their mission to feed and clothe and house the poor.... but with all that said, I like the premise.  I like the idea of sanctifying oneself through service.  Not sure it is for me, but the concept is simply beautiful.

 I would like to imagine that such are the people that, in deference to some of you who don't believe, if there is a God, that He looks down in pride and love.  I imagine Him saying "My Good and Faithful Servent, Well Done".  I want to believe that He makes the way for resources and what have you to be made available.  It's a good life in a hard job, I bet. Perhaps, as the old saying goes, one can live one's life helping his fellow man and come to the end of life to find that there was no god waiting for him with arms wide open.  But, in such a case, that person lived a life filled with love, caring for his neighbor.  It's a good life, I think.

  I was thinking about some of the things I am seeing recently in politics.  And, of course, this is why politics and religion should not meet.  They just don't play on the same field.  But, over and over again, we hear from the conservative right that we are giving too much in food voucher (snap), too much in unemployment insurance, too much in health care.   At the same time, we seem to step on ourselves trying to give ever more breaks to those who don't need the help - wealthy corporations, tax breaks for wealthy individuals, buying off other countries' politicians, etc.  You see, what bothers me is that these same conservatives will thump their chests proclaiming themselves of such and such religion, decrying the actions others take as blasphemous and horrible by the basis of that religion, and yet routinely acting in direct opposition to the very dictates of the man/God for which their own religion is named.

I think I now understand, acknowledging a belief in God is a necessity of Government because it maintains the understanding and humility that the government is not the ultimate, pinnacle, acme, end-all/be-all of life.  There exists something greater.

  But, to be a good leader, it is necessary to do what is best for the country, making the horrible decisions to put one need above another.  Sometimes that does mean putting limits on money spent to help the poor, the sick, the homeless... It's simple economics:  in my home if I don't allocate enough money to the heating bill it gets really cold in the winter.  If I give all my money to the heating and walk about in here like it's the tropics, I can't eat..... well, so goes government.  They have a job to do with the money allocated and sometimes cuts in food allocations or such are required in order to do a good over-all job.
Scary thought, eh?

Now, then comes this question:  Are our leaders in fact doing what is best for the country?





Saturday, November 9, 2013

Fall colors in Michigan, or, what goes up a tree must fall... and be picked up.

Hello Everyone;

  It's been a while, but a bit ago I went to see my parents.  I thought I'd put up the pictures from that endeavor.... I just took a few... I'm posting these differently, so please let me know if they suddenly disappear on you.  I'll redo the post the old way.


This, of course, is my Gracie.  We hiked down to a near-by campground area early Saturday morning.  As you can imagine, Gracie loves it up there.  I believe if heaven exists for dogs, it would look a lot like this.
I liked this picture.  Sort of has all sorts of elements of a good photograph; movement, leading lines towards the center while above the eyes are able to easily open back out and view the whole, color, reflection, hard and soft colors.... now only if it had a good photographer to capture it!  Gracie went down these stairs to get a closer look at the creek and I tried to get a picture of her on the stairs.  I'm too slow.
  After a moment, I followed to get my own look and Gracie followed a squirrel smell off into the area above, then suddenly realized she couldn't find me.  Poor thing panicked.   Isn't it nice to be needed?

These two are from the folks house, looking out over the lake.  My parents bought this place when I was 11, going into it with my two aunts/uncles.  This is where we spent a great deal of time since it fairly well tapped out any reserve any of them had, but I lived on that lake as a kid.  Terrorized the poor bluegills and swam until I looked like a prune.    I hated to leave at the end of the stay - life seemed different there; the horrible things didn't seem to be there or I was off on my own so much that I simply escaped them.

And, now, a bit of the reason I've not been on line so much doing postings...

Fall has arrived!  I work my day shift job from can't see until 3:15, then come home and clean up leaves until I can't see anymore.  I love this time of the year, but I do get tired of doing leaves every dang day!

I hope you all are doing well right now.  I know November, especially in the northern states, can be grey and cold, depressing.  Write me if you like, we can be cold and grey together :) lol       Hugs!