Well, I had to go do it, shopping on Black Friday, that is. I was not, however, one of those to go wait in line for the 4 a.m. opening. We got to the mall around 8 a.m. and as the morning progressed we were joined by more and more people. I lamented a bit about not going to the gym instead, but after I finished ducking, sucking in my gut, doing pirouettes, stopping short for those who did the same in front of me, listening in on nearby cell phone calls, and on and on, I'd had enough exercise. To start the morning out I was very polite and said "Excuse me" each time I ran into someone or got banged by a woman's purse when she turned sharply. Mary told me it was time to go home after I told her that I'm going to stop being polite and start saying, "Get the hell out of my way," or "Watch where you're going, Lady" or some other more graphic expletives. Mary knows me pretty well by now so I had to agree.
We lucked out with finding a good parking spot since we happened on someone just backing out. I made a couple of trips taking things out to the car and felt a certain diabolical pleasure in teasing other cars who thought I might just be leaving. I'd open my trunk and they'd sit waiting for me to get in and drive away. Then I'd casually close the trunk, open the car door as if to get in, and then change my mind and walk back into the mall. I haven't quite gotten into the Christmas spirit yet.
To top the morning off, I thought about buying an item for a gift that was a "Door-Buster Special," but I held off because I wanted to ask Mary if I should. After finding her she agreed with me and we returned to buy the item only to see two store clerks cleaning out the basket because the time had come and gone for this special pricing. Merry Christmas
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Interested in Learning
The recent election of a new president made me interested in learning more about all the presidents of the United States. One day while browsing around in Barnes and Noble, I spotted a book on their bargain table and bought it, The American President, A Complete History. In it seven or eight pages is devoted to the lives of each man. I’m finding each one an interesting read; last night I finished the seventh president’s story, Andrew Jackson. He was a very colorful character, liked by some, despised by others.
Jackson had to make his own way through life. He became orphaned by the age of 14 and learned to be combative. It was said of him that if a fight occurred at school he was usually in the middle of it. He participated in several duels and carried around a bullet slug in his chest received while killing his opponent in 1806. When Tennessee became a state he served as its first congressman and became a high ranking officer in its militia. In the War of 1812 he, to quote a line from a Johnny Horton song, “beat the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.” This was really quite an unfortunate affair as far as I’m concerned because the British had signed a peace treaty several days before the battle. News traveled slow in those days.
His reputation was that of supporting the common man. When Congress tried to recharter the Bank of the United States, he promptly, as President, vetoed the bill. If he would have had any power in the not yet existing state of North Dakota, he would never have gone along with our Bank of North Dakota, the only one of its kind in the country. His support for the common people did not extend to slavery or Indians. It was under his guidance that the ill-fated Trail of Tears, the relocation of Indian tribes, took place.
Our visit to his plantation site east of Nashville showed where he showed compassion to his favorite slave by letting him be buried close to Jackson’s grave. Compassion? While standing by the grave sites at The Hermitage, I looked northward to an open pasture area and saw a herd of black cows with white belts. It was a bit of information I passed along to my Uncle Russell while he lay in his hospital bed. I know he liked hearing the story since he's the one who founded the Buelingo breed. Now it’s on to the story of Martin Van Buren.
Jackson had to make his own way through life. He became orphaned by the age of 14 and learned to be combative. It was said of him that if a fight occurred at school he was usually in the middle of it. He participated in several duels and carried around a bullet slug in his chest received while killing his opponent in 1806. When Tennessee became a state he served as its first congressman and became a high ranking officer in its militia. In the War of 1812 he, to quote a line from a Johnny Horton song, “beat the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.” This was really quite an unfortunate affair as far as I’m concerned because the British had signed a peace treaty several days before the battle. News traveled slow in those days.
His reputation was that of supporting the common man. When Congress tried to recharter the Bank of the United States, he promptly, as President, vetoed the bill. If he would have had any power in the not yet existing state of North Dakota, he would never have gone along with our Bank of North Dakota, the only one of its kind in the country. His support for the common people did not extend to slavery or Indians. It was under his guidance that the ill-fated Trail of Tears, the relocation of Indian tribes, took place.
Our visit to his plantation site east of Nashville showed where he showed compassion to his favorite slave by letting him be buried close to Jackson’s grave. Compassion? While standing by the grave sites at The Hermitage, I looked northward to an open pasture area and saw a herd of black cows with white belts. It was a bit of information I passed along to my Uncle Russell while he lay in his hospital bed. I know he liked hearing the story since he's the one who founded the Buelingo breed. Now it’s on to the story of Martin Van Buren.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Thrift
I missed my keyboard Friday, but we felt we needed to drive to Lisbon to visit my mother in the hospital. When a member of the family falls ill everything else gets set aside. I've been thinking about blogging regarding a recent article in our daily paper titled "Americans Turning Toward Thriftiness." The first line of the article stated that frugality is making a comeback and that Americans are showing an enthusiasm for thriftiness not seen in decades. As we drove back home I thought that my mother and dad and Mary's mother and dad plus many more in their generation wrote a big chapter in that book.
My thought turns to a popular style of jeans where the knee, sometimes part of their rear end, shows through a rip or frayed spot usually manufactured to be that way. While we were growing up we earned the look the hard way. Small bales of hay required our walking along and throwing them onto a rack. Most of us used our thighs and knees to give the bale an extra boost, especially when the load grew higher. New pants hardly ever took their place. My mother and many others patched them, and when that patch wore through, they sewed another over that spot. A basket full of holey socks always waited on her attention, and an old light bulb sat in there, too, which she inserted to give some body to the sock as she sewed with needle and thread.
The article talked about people staying home more and cooking their own meals. We never did go out to eat a meal. Physical work on a farm dictated a large breakfast, an even larger dinner of meat and potatoes, and leftovers added to and prepped for supper. Cows were milked for fresh cream and milk, chickens were kept for fresh eggs and meat, garden fruits and vegetables were preserved for winter eating, and on and on.
This Christmas season will probably wash out some marginal businesses because of people tightening up. In the long run, though, it doesn't bother me because I think this trend towards thriftiness is good for the country as a whole. I probably won't do much different since I've always been thrifty. I had good teachers.
My thought turns to a popular style of jeans where the knee, sometimes part of their rear end, shows through a rip or frayed spot usually manufactured to be that way. While we were growing up we earned the look the hard way. Small bales of hay required our walking along and throwing them onto a rack. Most of us used our thighs and knees to give the bale an extra boost, especially when the load grew higher. New pants hardly ever took their place. My mother and many others patched them, and when that patch wore through, they sewed another over that spot. A basket full of holey socks always waited on her attention, and an old light bulb sat in there, too, which she inserted to give some body to the sock as she sewed with needle and thread.
The article talked about people staying home more and cooking their own meals. We never did go out to eat a meal. Physical work on a farm dictated a large breakfast, an even larger dinner of meat and potatoes, and leftovers added to and prepped for supper. Cows were milked for fresh cream and milk, chickens were kept for fresh eggs and meat, garden fruits and vegetables were preserved for winter eating, and on and on.
This Christmas season will probably wash out some marginal businesses because of people tightening up. In the long run, though, it doesn't bother me because I think this trend towards thriftiness is good for the country as a whole. I probably won't do much different since I've always been thrifty. I had good teachers.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
History
Last evening a program on public television caught my attention, so much so that I passed on the semi-final of “Dancing with the Stars.” The title of the two hour program — “The Bible’s Buried Secrets: Exploring the Evolution of the Bible, from the Origins of the Israelites and Beyond.” I find it intriguing how, with bits of writing and shards of pottery, so many conclusions can be drawn from the smallest of clues. Apparently some discussion has gone on whether or not King David was a historical figure or a mythic character. On a found bit of stone tablet, dated to about 1000 B.C., an inscription indicating “The House of David” proved to archaelogists that he did indeed exist. So many points regarding the development of the Bible and monotheism were made that I’m not going to try to summarize them. One interesting point though was the discovery of two tiny silver scrolls that pre-dated the Dead Sea Scrolls by 400 years that when unrolled revealed the Priestly Blessing still used today as found in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 6.
As I watched I was reminded of a book I’d read many years ago. James Michener’s The Source which, for the main point, centered on an archeological dig and told of successive discoveries made as the scientists reached deeper and deeper into one cities’ past. Michener, in all his genius, explored the evolution of the Jewish religion in this large novel.
I’m further reminded, given my and Mary’s interest in family geneology, of how difficult it is to ferret out information of family after two or three generations have disappeared. Most of us do not have to go back very far before we hit a solid wall which we cannot travel through. The average person who passes through this life does not make many waves and facts of his or her life are not recorded in history books. About all we can do is make generalizations about their lives by reading history of the period in which they lived.
As I watched I was reminded of a book I’d read many years ago. James Michener’s The Source which, for the main point, centered on an archeological dig and told of successive discoveries made as the scientists reached deeper and deeper into one cities’ past. Michener, in all his genius, explored the evolution of the Jewish religion in this large novel.
I’m further reminded, given my and Mary’s interest in family geneology, of how difficult it is to ferret out information of family after two or three generations have disappeared. Most of us do not have to go back very far before we hit a solid wall which we cannot travel through. The average person who passes through this life does not make many waves and facts of his or her life are not recorded in history books. About all we can do is make generalizations about their lives by reading history of the period in which they lived.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The VP
The vice presidential candidates received more than their fair share of attention this year. The election is finally over so we can get back to more important issues, but the vice presidency intrigued me, though, and prompted me to do a little research on the beginnings of this office since I'd forgotten most everything I'd once learned in Political Science 101. The first vice president was John Adams. It was no question that George Washington would be elected president, and, after only a little discussion, Adams was chosen to serve as VP because of the solid reputation he'd earned with his domestic and foreign statesman experience. Also, his peers considered him to be a man of high intelligence who inspired a lot of the thinking that went into the Declaration of Independence, although Thomas Jefferson has received a lot of credit because he was the better writer. With input from Benjamin Franklin these three gave birth to the document. The Declaration did not meet immediate approval from the Second Continental Congress. There, Adams had to go to work promoting it because he was much the better orator; Jefferson was poor at speech making. It was adopted, as we know, on July 4. At this point Adams and Jefferson were still on friendly terms.
Washington retired from the Presidency after his second term, probably with a belly full of the bickering that had developed within his cabinet. Alexander Hamilton held the post of Secretary of Treasury and Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State. These two battled over their huge ideological differences, and as an outgrowth of it, the political party system began to take shape. Adams was in the background to this because as VP he had no voice in the cabinet, but he agreed with Hamilton who supported strong federal powers. Jefferson believed in strong states' rights, and when the election took place it was Adams versus Jefferson. The electoral college met to elect a president and chose Adams with 71 votes to Jefferson's 68 votes.
Adams was now the top man and Jefferson's second place made him the vice president, the only time in our country's history that men of opposing political parties held the top two positions in the government. Since Adams supported the Hamiltonian philosophy of government, he was at odds with Jefferson. The rift between these two former friends widened, and in the next election Jefferson went on to defeat Adams. Still, these two held enormous respect for each other, and after a period of several years of no communication between them, they started their friendship up again. It seems as though their destiny revealed itself with this improbable fact: they died hours apart on July 4, 1826
Washington retired from the Presidency after his second term, probably with a belly full of the bickering that had developed within his cabinet. Alexander Hamilton held the post of Secretary of Treasury and Thomas Jefferson was the Secretary of State. These two battled over their huge ideological differences, and as an outgrowth of it, the political party system began to take shape. Adams was in the background to this because as VP he had no voice in the cabinet, but he agreed with Hamilton who supported strong federal powers. Jefferson believed in strong states' rights, and when the election took place it was Adams versus Jefferson. The electoral college met to elect a president and chose Adams with 71 votes to Jefferson's 68 votes.
Adams was now the top man and Jefferson's second place made him the vice president, the only time in our country's history that men of opposing political parties held the top two positions in the government. Since Adams supported the Hamiltonian philosophy of government, he was at odds with Jefferson. The rift between these two former friends widened, and in the next election Jefferson went on to defeat Adams. Still, these two held enormous respect for each other, and after a period of several years of no communication between them, they started their friendship up again. It seems as though their destiny revealed itself with this improbable fact: they died hours apart on July 4, 1826
Friday, November 14, 2008
Makes Sense To Me
Somebody said something a couple of days ago that I thought made good sense even though it will never come to pass. It went something like this: Wal-Mart hasn’t made its money by attacking Target or K-Mart. They’ve made it by telling people what they have to offer. Now wouldn’t that be a refreshing way to run a political campaign? Instead of attacking their opponents and digging up as much dirt as they can, they would instead concentrate on what they have to offer. Too often it seems we have to guess at the outcome by voting for someone.
...
We missed quite a snowstorm last week by getting out of here and going to Branson. Schools, businesses, and roads closed, and all we had to do in Branson was complain how cold it was down there. Every time we go on a trip we run into cold weather. Two years ago Texas threw lots of it at us, and last year Florida caught a lot of our group without warm clothing.
...
Our friend Ole is really ugly. When he was born, the doctor slapped his mother. His mother was so ashamed of him, she borrowed another baby for the baptism. His parents had to tie a pork chop around his neck to get his dog to play with him. One night a woman stopped him on the street and asked him to follow her home. There she asked him into the bedroom. Anticipating some excitement, he followed. In the bed was a little boy sniffing and crying. “There,” said the woman, “I told you, Junior, if you didn’t stop crying and go to sleep, I’d bring the boogy man in!”
...
We missed quite a snowstorm last week by getting out of here and going to Branson. Schools, businesses, and roads closed, and all we had to do in Branson was complain how cold it was down there. Every time we go on a trip we run into cold weather. Two years ago Texas threw lots of it at us, and last year Florida caught a lot of our group without warm clothing.
...
Our friend Ole is really ugly. When he was born, the doctor slapped his mother. His mother was so ashamed of him, she borrowed another baby for the baptism. His parents had to tie a pork chop around his neck to get his dog to play with him. One night a woman stopped him on the street and asked him to follow her home. There she asked him into the bedroom. Anticipating some excitement, he followed. In the bed was a little boy sniffing and crying. “There,” said the woman, “I told you, Junior, if you didn’t stop crying and go to sleep, I’d bring the boogy man in!”
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Branson
We returned last evening from our Branson, MO trip. As usual, it was a great time meeting new folks on the tour bus, attending shows and eating good food. A last minute schedule change got us out of Bismarck on Wednesday night because of the threat of weather socking us in. The hunch was correct. We enjoyed hearing about the blizzard without having to experience it. It takes about a day and a half to get there and Omaha, NE was the overnight point both coming and going. The Farmers Union tours are popular and the bus was filled to capacity.
A rundown of the shows we attended includes:
1. Baldknobbers Jamboree Show - Good music and comedy, the highlight being three hillbilly comedians, two of whom took out their false teeth and one who put in a set of buck teeth. We laughed so hard I had a sore throat yet the next morning.
2. Doug Gabriel Show - Good music furnished by Gabriel, his wife and kids, and some good backup.
3. Daniel O'Donnell - My favorite, a world class entertainer. He has a tremendous ability to connect in his folksy style with an audience, and I always enjoy hearing the little old ladies in the audience squeal when he wiggles his hips. His singing partner Mary Duff is good, too.
4. Dixie Stampede - An arena show featuring lots of horses. The audience sits on five rows of risers facing the arena and food is served. No eating utensils are furnished, you eat with your fingers. Those who have never attended before were surprised when a whole Cornish hen got plopped on their plate.
5. Red Hot and Blue - Billed as the hardest working entertainers in Branson, and they may well have been with their singing, dancing, costume changes, etc. as they performed music from different time periods.
6. The Promise - A Biblical show depicting the life of Christ. Excellent production on a large stage with lots of scenery changes. We visited with one of the actors before the show, and I remarked on the barely noticeable tiny microphone he had strapped on his head. He said they cost $10,000 apiece and the cast had 28 of them.
7. Shoji Tobuchi - Always a class act show! He has the most elaborate sets and costuming in Branson. He doesn't speak English well, but he talks a lot anyway and tells funny stories. He said he is a good fishing buddy with Mel Tillis and that Mel says in his show that he can't afford to fish with Shoji anymore because Shoji always eats the minnows.
It was our fourth time in Branson, and I'm sure there will be more in the future.
A rundown of the shows we attended includes:
1. Baldknobbers Jamboree Show - Good music and comedy, the highlight being three hillbilly comedians, two of whom took out their false teeth and one who put in a set of buck teeth. We laughed so hard I had a sore throat yet the next morning.
2. Doug Gabriel Show - Good music furnished by Gabriel, his wife and kids, and some good backup.
3. Daniel O'Donnell - My favorite, a world class entertainer. He has a tremendous ability to connect in his folksy style with an audience, and I always enjoy hearing the little old ladies in the audience squeal when he wiggles his hips. His singing partner Mary Duff is good, too.
4. Dixie Stampede - An arena show featuring lots of horses. The audience sits on five rows of risers facing the arena and food is served. No eating utensils are furnished, you eat with your fingers. Those who have never attended before were surprised when a whole Cornish hen got plopped on their plate.
5. Red Hot and Blue - Billed as the hardest working entertainers in Branson, and they may well have been with their singing, dancing, costume changes, etc. as they performed music from different time periods.
6. The Promise - A Biblical show depicting the life of Christ. Excellent production on a large stage with lots of scenery changes. We visited with one of the actors before the show, and I remarked on the barely noticeable tiny microphone he had strapped on his head. He said they cost $10,000 apiece and the cast had 28 of them.
7. Shoji Tobuchi - Always a class act show! He has the most elaborate sets and costuming in Branson. He doesn't speak English well, but he talks a lot anyway and tells funny stories. He said he is a good fishing buddy with Mel Tillis and that Mel says in his show that he can't afford to fish with Shoji anymore because Shoji always eats the minnows.
It was our fourth time in Branson, and I'm sure there will be more in the future.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
We're Taking Off
We're going to Branson, MO for a week and just got a message from our bus company that we're going to leave tonight because of the threatening weather. I'll be back at my blog in about a week.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Slavery thru 16th President
Finally, the last day of the political campaign is here! I doubt if anyone will miss the ads on radio and tv when tomorrow comes. I heard a tidbit this morning that I think is remarkable; it would have been legal for the first 16 Presidents of this country to own Barack Obama as property, i. e. as a slave. So that means the following list of men could have used a whip on him to go hoe the fields and pick the cotton: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, and Lincoln.
I'm not sure how many actually did hold slaves, but I know Jefferson did and has been linked with one of his slave women as bearing a child by him. Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder; I have seen his grave site at The Hermitage in Tennessee where, nearby, his favorite slave is buried.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution officially abolished slavery and was adopted on December 6, 1865.
I'm not sure how many actually did hold slaves, but I know Jefferson did and has been linked with one of his slave women as bearing a child by him. Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder; I have seen his grave site at The Hermitage in Tennessee where, nearby, his favorite slave is buried.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution officially abolished slavery and was adopted on December 6, 1865.
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