Facts

Yesterday I pointed out that a racist quote attributed to Lincoln was in fact composed in a letter TO him in 1862 by a man concerned Lincoln would free the slaves. I do not understand the desire to besmirch someone long dead, especially someone who accomplished as much in his life. Was Lincoln racist by the standards of 2017? I'm sure. But by the standards of 1862 he was a dangerously colorblind man. God help us all when the citizens of 2167 judge us by the criteria of their world.

AP World History

In the good news department, YaYa passed her AP World History exam with a score qualifying her for college credit!

Fireworks on the 4th!

The finale at Humboldt was AWESOME!

Fireworks '17

Vintage Baseball

Smiley and I now join you from the annual 1860's baseball game,  already in progress . . 

I bought this tee shirt at the ballgame to help subsidize it's return next year!

1776

Truer words were never spoken Ron.

Hit the Pause Button

It's the 4th of July. If I can pause political posts so can you my Lefty friend.

A Great Moment

As I was driving to pick up the family,  I could see the fireworks over the lake and their reflection in the skyscrapers downtown.  The blasts filled the warm night sky with sound,  and a moment later the echo off the buildings added to the din.   It was wonderful.  I may not say it often,  but rare is the moment I'm not grateful to be alive. There is so much to enjoy in every moment.

The Great Wall

This was the movie that was accused of "whitewashing" Chinese culture. Huh.  Well, it's a fantasy movie (the enemy are green monsters), and it has prominent Chinese leads, so the only strike against it would seem to be having Matt Damon star, but his character serves as a convenient Watson for everyone else to explain things to, and he's not even the big hero.   It's not a very good movie, but it's hardly a slur on China.

The Power Rangers Movie

I'm not going as far as Smiley, but it was REALLY good for what it was. I don't know the mythology of the show, beyond watching a few episodes with Jonah Slapczynski back in the day, but the movie treated the subject with respect and gravitas and you can count me impressed.

4th of July '17

Lisa,  Lk and friends headed down to the lakefront for fireworks,  as did GC and her friends. I dropped them all off and picked them up.  Drop-off: 20 minutes.  Pickup: 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic. But they had a blast!

Little Grandpa Wisdom

Our dogs used to hate fireworks when I was growing up. You know what my Grandpa said about that? That he wasn't going to make decisions based on an animal that would eat its own poop if you let them. As with everything I remember, the man was right.

Happy 4th!

Happy birthday America! Forever my home💙❤️💙  Lulu

Kato Kaelin is a distant relative by marriage. 

Just fyi, Trump's controversial WWE/CNN tweet is his most liked ever.

A Visit

I visited my stepmother in-law Louise K today. She was lucid and talkative (180 degrees different than last time) and it was a pleasant visit. She really wanted to buy candy so I went to add some money to her account (she might have a billion in there already, idk) but the staff were knobs and demanded it in check form - who carries checks to a nursing home? - so I went to Walgreen's and bought her three boxes of Good N Plenty. I think I now have a fan for life.

Handman

I just taught Smiley how to change the belt on a vacuum cleaner.

I wonder

I grew up in a house with an Army combat vet of WWII and a Vietnam vet; my Great Uncle's included an Army Air Corps vet of WWII, a Pearl Harbor survivor, a tank driver who had his knee blown out at Anzio, and a family friend who lost an eye to a Japanese bayonet on Guadalcanal. None ever complained about fireworks; indeed I have many happy memories of them enjoying them on the 4th. I'm not saying someone can't be affected by PTSD on Independence Day, but my grandfather's generation would have viewed their complaints with a skeptical ear.

New Tricks

S12's premiere "Last Man Standing" may be one of the two best hours of television I've ever watched.

I love this show. 

Bop

Earlier today I got bopped in the head when my van hatch slammed down unexpectedly. Not to be a baby - I did the patio table and replaced the motion light afterwards, after all - but I'm a bit woozy. I'll live but ugh. OTOH the hip (knock on wood) is but a faint ache. I'd quote some Eastern religion about the duality of the universe, but I can't think of any.

Introducing my replacement patio table!

It's back baby! Rich folk would have just bought a brand new table set,  but us common folk come from more innovative stock.  The glass top was changed out for thick plywood. A temporary fix that should last at least the season.

Drummer Boy

Just so you know

I have few restrictions on what I'll accept on your Facebook feed. I rarely unfriend. But if you post serious crap about worshipping Satan, or use the n-word - the full six letter version - buh bye. I dropped two people today.

A League of Their Own turns 25

I went to see it with  my sister Katie at Skyway (that's the one that used to be across from the airport, right?)  We took the bus and on the way home stopped at a baseball card shop. 

Still relatively new to baseball, I asked about Jimmy Dugan - Tom Hanks character - and he didn't ring a bell with the shopkeeper. I wasn't surprised, as I guessed it had been a fictionalized character. Had it been a year or two later, I would have figured out that Dugan was loosely based on slugger Jimmie Foxx. 

Quote

"Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don't have a plan." - Larry Winget