Wait in Line For That Cherry Pie

Kruta Bakery is located in Collinsville , IL. It was not always there. Back in the day, Kruta was in East St. Louis along with another great bakery called Biersdorfer. Across the river on 'The Hill,' you can visit another terrific bakery...Missouri Bakery. These bakeries have two commonalities: great tasting pastries and a long line of patrons holding numbers waiting to make their purchase. Many times, I held a number one higher than the person in front of me who ultimately bought the last canola.

People don't mind waiting in long lines if the perceived 'pay-off merits the fortitude. I have waited in long lines to eat, pee and be entertained. The pee-line always seemed to move the slowest.

We Americans are coming to the holiday seasons where the various lines we encounter are indeed longer, moving slowly and filled with eroding joyous spirit. I'm talking about those SAM'S CLUB lines, grocery stores lines and shopping mall lines. My wife and I have left that mall Christmas present purchase line by giving money to our kids and grandchildren, etc. That decision was made primarily due to the generational fashion appreciation chasm with the younger set. Hallelujah, one less line.

I don't mind standing in the holiday food-purchase line because it's the one time a year that I'm going to ignore my diabetic-diet and buy my favorite pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
(Touch)Cherry Pie

Who Should Be Fired?

Yesterday, November 11, 2017 on Veterans' Day, posted my blog remembering the brave military men and women throughout the years who have protected our nation. I particularly wished to acknowledge the families of veterans who suffered the ultimate loss of loved ones.

After posting that blog, I turned to the morning television news and note that President Trump did have a couple of brief face-to-face conversations the day before with Russian President Putin. Afterword's while speaking with American reporters on Air Force One, President Trump reassured reporters that he once again asked Putin if his government meddled in the 2016 American election. Trump said, once again Putin said, "absolutely no." Trump continued saying, "I can't stand a argue with him and I believe him."

Our American President denies all United States intelligence agencies evidence of Russian meddling in our 2016 election and has no problem arguing with our intelligence leaders about their findings, however he accepts the Russian leader's words of denial. And the Trump's supporters buy-in.

And Trump wants to "Fire that son-of -a-bitch" (NFL football player) whom he believes shows disrespect to our nation? I ask, what about our President's disrespect of the hundreds of American intelligence agents (spies) who risk their lives in heroic missions on behalf of this nation?

This guy is a bona fide dumb ass
(Touch)Dumb Ass

My Sincere Gratitude

May I pause this Veterans' Day and offer my sincere thanks and gratitude to every man and woman living and passed who served in the various military branches of the United States. The commitment, dedication and sometimes ultimate sacrifice is duly noted with grateful humbleness.

As noted, in some instances wives, children, mothers, fathers and siblings were forced to pick up pieces of broken lives while others were oblivious to such pain. I was old enough to recall the tears and angst of my own mother as she waited two-years for my father to return from the World War II battlefields of Germany and France.

On this Veterans' Day may this Nation pause and think Thanksgiving.
(Touch)A Special Salute

Advantage 'Old Farts.'

I acknowledge that my daily Rants can come-off as a diatribe or a bitter piece of writing. Many times, I bemoan the angst found in aging. Well, today allow me to shift gears and underscore some 'senior-status' advantages namely found in the proverbial 'discount.'

Early mornings, I can grab my first senior discount at the nearby McDonald's with a 64-cents cup of coffee and unlimited refills. My haircut these days has become a win-win for me and the barber. Non-seniors pay $18 for a haircut...my oldster's discount is $4 cheaper. When I used to pay 'full price' I tipped the barber $2; which brought the total to $20.  I now tip $3, which increases the barber's  money and still saves me money...win-win. Speaking of haircuts. Toy Poodle Yodie's haircut costs a non-Senior dog owner $40. Senior 'pooper-scooper-picker-uppers' pay just thirty-six bucks. Just?

My wife sends AARP a minimum yearly auto-club payment and we get road side service for flat tires, breakdowns or forgetting that gasoline is a necessity. I've noticed most restaurants will darn near give food away to old farts if we eat at four o'clock.

These senior-years are exciting times. Why just yesterday, I got one of those  senior-citizen magazines and saw an advertisement for Pink Flamingo yard decorations. If you purchase one 4-foot tall pink bird for $19.95, you get a second pink bird for half price AND seniors get three two-foot baby pink birds at no cost. I ordered enough to give our three children each a complete set of Pink Flamingos for Christmas. I know they are going to love them because this past summer, I heard the children whispering about the three new Pink Flamingos we put in our backyard...I pick up on that kind of envy...I may be old but I'm not dumb.
(Touch)Old Farts Gain

Sometimes You Must be Sorry

I've heard, as you have heard people say, What was he thinking? Why would she do that? We are often dumbfounded trying to understand the behavior or actions of others. There's a song with an opening line, "How many times have you heard someone say, If I had his money, I'd do things my way." We all do some things 'our way,' which can perplex others.

We should be thankful for that brain component that permits the ability to rationalize. I believe if we lacked this rationalization-argument, we'd have more people jumping off tall buildings. All folks engage in some behavior that satisfies need, greed and pleasure. Some needs are basic while some need is self-serving or giving...it can be a mixed bag and often is. I know this to be true because my personal scorecard reflects all the above. Welcome rationalization. Through the years, I have often used rationalization to defend or forgive my actions or bask in self praise. I need not jump from a tall building...I had 'good' reasons for my behavior...so I rationalized.

Like much in life, more IS NOT better. Too much rationalization without regret or forgiveness is dangerous. I would thank all for their tolerance and forgiveness of my offensive behavior. If you must draw upon your ability to rationalize on my behalf to forgive...I am most appreciative.
(Touch)Say 'Sorry'

You May Wish To Pick One

Most churches offer two Sunday morning services these days. Often the first or early service is the more traditional platform while the second service is usually the more 'contemporary' format. There are three distinct ways in which folks can identify the differences between the two services:
1) men's wearing apparel; traditional service men are decked-out in sport coats, ties and smart leather shoes while the contemporary fellas are seemingly more comfy in jeans, pullover shirts and tennis shoes. 2) music, ah, the music. Traditional pew-sitters sing out the old gospel hymns, i.e. Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art trying to be heard over a rather loud organ. The contemporary service-singers will find themselves repeating thirty times a four sentence-phrase while guitars and drums aid the effort. 3) Of course, you've already guessed that the third distinction between services is found in age differences. Older grey-beards who cannot sleep in on a Sunday morning attend the traditional service and the younger folks prefer the later offering.

I'm relatively sure that the Lord cares little about what we wear or how we sing as much as He cares about the 82% of professed Christians who didn't attend either service on any given Sunday.
(Touch)Do I Hear a Train Whistle?

Miss Soda Fountains but not Wool Pants

If you stick around and welcome a lot of New Years', you notice many things fade into the past thus becoming fuzzy-memories. Many of those disappearing fades, fashions and activities can be chalked up as good riddance while a few tug at the nostalgic heartstrings.

I surely don't miss those Sunday-go-to-Church wool dress trousers or those wool youth baseball uniforms worn on a hot-humid East St. Louis July summer days. I could only survive that wool when wearing cotton pajama bottoms between skin and wool. I also don't miss taking clinkers from the furnace stoker and spreading about the backyard alley way. I don't miss being the designated 'television-rabbit-ears-adjuster.' Thanks for today's remote control.

I do miss those 1950's model automobiles that sported those fender-skirts and whitewall tires. I still have a set of 'curb-finders,' which I saved since 1956. If whitewall tires make a comeback, I got my 'finders' ready to attach. I also miss the local corner drugstore where I could get a cherry phosphate soda. I also miss hearing those neighborhood evening sounds: kids' voices, newsboys hawking papers and roving push-cart vendors yelling out their pitch, "Red Hot...Gets Your Red Hots!"

Now...at seventy-eight years old, I find myself too often, too clueless. The age of technology challenges me at every turn. One no longer buys a television and simply plug it into the outlet. Land line telephones and Smart (cell) phones require an electrical engineering degree while Internet trouble shooting moxie creates a first-name relationship with all the Best Buy 'Geeks.'

Some times I feel out of place.
(Touch)Stranger in Paradise