Apple Pickers at Marker-Miller Orchards

Patti and Brad October 6, 2011

Winchester Virginia

Today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better still.

When one emerges from adversity, one realizes that it is that very adversity that plants the seed of appreciation for happiness.

A Blog A Day Keeps Everything Else Away!

Admittedly, I like to post something on this blog once in a while. However, a daily blogger I'm not. Anyway, here's a short status: Today, it's raining in Manassas Virginia but the grass, flowers, and plants are loving it. I just finished checking/responding to my online graduate courses - whew, that's out of the way - at least for today. Last week sucked - spent Tuesday - Thursday back in the hospital and got nothing for it but a big "we don't know". Maybe this week will find some solutions. At least I haven't fallen in the past couple of days.
Father's Day was nice. I heard from everyone. PattiQ, who lives close, was here.
We need to do some visiting this month - family awaits. Pat's Dad seems to be doing OK - I do wish we could have been there with him but traveling isn't advised yet. Maybe soon.
Since I like to be out and about, I'm going stir crazy. Today, I better find someplace to go to, just for that sake of doing it.....big box stores are out (too much walking), but maybe just a little would be fine.
Now, if only I could figure out how to keep those squirrels away from the bird feeders - oh, yeah, my pellet rifle!

It's been quite a while.

Blogging has taken a back seat to a few other things like moving, recovering (back surgery sucked and still does), and just getting things settled in the new house. Add to that - teaching a full load in grad school, and trying to find time to open a can of beer once in a while and you have little time left.
Virginia is hot in early June this year. Yesterday, the temp on the outdoor car thermometer read 100 and I believe it. Maybe we'll have a cool spell soon - I hope so.
Anyway, life is always good when it's still there so complaining is a bit of a waste of energy, isn't it?
Here's to a fun summer for all and hopes for a few more bike rides before the inevitable happens.

El Sucko

Just a short note to myself to remind me that things suck and probably always will. Before you accuse me of not being a positive kind of guy, I really am. Right now, I'm positive that things suck.

Absence makes the blog grow fonder.

No blogs for a while but here I am. Seems I get into this around the time I'm planning a trip to the beach. Anyway, Happy Veteran's Day.....everybody is a veteran of something.

Blogging again

Time to update the blog so here goes. It's raining at Topsail, the roof is leaking, it's a boring day being stuck inside. Somebody is baking chocolate chip cookies - just what a lethargic, house-bound person needs on a day like this....but they're sooooooo good! Chinese tonight - hopefully it won't suck.
Better day tomorrow maybe - early bike ride is probably smart given the afternoon storms.

When does happiness die?

It seems that sometimes people reach a point in life when there's no more happiness left to be had, at least in their minds. Loosing friends, loved ones, and possibly worse, one's sense of wonder, humor, and love of life pretty much puts an end to the bright side of things, leaving nothing but sadness and gloom for the future. Too bad this has to happen but it seems to be so.

Tea Party Time!

I went to a Tea Party rally in Holly Ridge, NC yesterday - interesting. There was considerable diversity present, all working or middle class people united for a simple cause: lower taxes (and presumably better use of tax dollars), less government intrusion into our lives, and adherance to the concept of personal responsibility. It's hard to argue against these concepts. Unfortunately, the liberal media continues to portray these people as a bunch of red necked bigots, likely to cover their own bigotry against conservative thought.
Personally, I worry about the lack of participation by younger people (20-30 something). If they would allow themselves to become informed through their own research and not what the press stirs up through unfounded emotion, they would realize that it is they who will be footing the bill for all of these wasteful spending jaunts and giveaway programs that we are currently seeing take place.

Can you believe how much time has passed?

My last post was during the big March Virginia snow storm...talk about taking a break. Well, it's April now and we're in Surf City where, at least until today, the weather has been unseasonably warm and begging one to be outdoors. It's a bit chilly now but warming up tomorrow for the rest of the week.
I've been thinking about many things lately, the economy and jobs being one of them. One of my current hot buttons has to do with the plain hard fact that it's simply too easy to be unemployed in this country.
Under current unemployment compensation programs, individuals can sometimes draw over $900/week for up to 79 weeks, hardly a strong incentive to get out and find a job. Right here in Surf City, there are help wanted signs posted in several places, fast food and grocery stores among them. Naturally, they can't come close to paying the kind of money mentioned above so where's the incentive to get out and work?
Now I admit that some sort of unemployment cushion should exist - logically at the level initially envisioned which I believe is 13 weeks, and the compensation during this 13 week period should equal something less than the prevailing minimum wage so as to not unduly enrich those who aren't active and productive members of our society.
Taking the above steps would probably go a long way towards encouraging the chronically unemployed (aka non productive members of society)to get out and find a job. In order to ensure that they keep it, benefits would be available only once during any calendar year with a lifetime limit of 39 weeks total. This would discourage those who intend to make unemployment their life's work from doing so and would certainly keep these individuals out of the taxpaying public's purse.
There you have it, like it or not, but it's high time someone began to realize that the real victim in all of this is the responsible taxpayer, not those who pray upon them in the name of social programs.