now you are talking Bob

I met a new guy through golf league.  He actually rode with me for 9 holes.  I really liked this guy.  We were very compatible.  He told me that his son and wife said they were offended by what he said and they don’t want them to around their grandkids ever again.  Soooo what did you say that was soooo bad, I asked.  It wasn’t that bad I thought, actually was not bad at all. He said he agreed, BUT his daughter-in-law is mentally ill and when she doesn’t take her medication she gets goofy and maybe in some way that might be the problem.  Okay folks, there are two things that are ugly (i.e. in my opinion). One is metal illness, and the other is the ugly dynamics I see in families that don’t allow grandparents to be around their grandkids.  Okay, I think we are all mentally ill but toooo just different degrees. What is the benchmark as to being mentally normal and who is doing the measuring? And some folks really do and say things that can offend others.  And some folks are more tolerant than others. SusieQ, who can live like the devil at times, says--It use to be you never talked about money, politics or religion around family but now there are way more stuff you can't talk about; you can hardly have a conversation with your family anymore.  If I offend you in any way in this “It’s Saturday” I’m sorry up front.  Please don’t take me toooooo serious. I’m just a little ol’ farm boy from a mile and quarter south of Roseland, MN. 

On my way to CO last week, I stopped at a Casey’s as I had to gooooo to the bathroom really bad. I stepped into Casey’s and the first thing I heard was a person from somewhere who said—Oh, my goodness gracious!  He made me smile. Soooo do you think something surprised him that was good or bad?  I heard his tone of voice soooo I have a better idea than you do, but I wasn’t 100% certain.  If I would have seen him when he said it, I might be surer.  Body language sure tells the story most of the time (i.e. research shows that 55% of communication is body language).  Sooooo if I send you a text that says “you are quite a person” how would you interpret it?  Maybe it would depend on your genetics, your past environment and your current environment I would guess.  And maybe how well you know me and what our relationship is.  Maybe.  That is why communication is sooooooo hard but if we look each other in the eyes, it seems to work better. My opinion. A friend told me that a college friend had a boyfriend who was a cad.  I didn’t know what a cad was; I had to research it.  My friend said that they didn’t get married, but he was soooo dramatic to her that, she thinks, that it is why she never got married. Wow! Oh ya, folks sure can influence each other for the good and the bad. .Bob says--Oh, my goodness gracious alive!

I heard some street talk soooo I don’t know if I should believe it or not! haha  ANYWAY, the word is there are some local folks that are starting their own church and currently worshiping in a barn.  Maybe they don’t believe what they were being told maybe by their current denominations soooo they are starting their own church based on what they think.  It has been done for ever; it ain’t nuttin new. Or maybe they don’t think they are getting enough bang for their buck!  Usually, they go well for a while and then have the same problems that all churches have and then some of those folks go to another church or start another (i.e. the grass seems to be greener on the other side of the fence and sometimes it is).  JoeBlow, who is pretty much a Monday armchair quarterback, says—They are much like cooperatives that start up and work for a while and then become goofy and fall apart pretty much.  Or maybe a coup that overthrows the current government when folks get really unhappy, even a civil war; it’s been done many times as history shows us.  It ain’t nuttin new (i.e. they get goofy toooo).  Some folks say—I can’t believe it why they want to do something different; we have done it this way forever; don’t they understand that it’s tradition and it’s the only way!!!! Da!!!! BUT flip the pancake—Some folks want to keep it the same and that is why they have a new start up; they don’t like the direction the new way is going (i.e. it’s way tooooooo liberal for them, maybe as an example).  It’s great to live in America and have freedoms to believe what we want in many areas. Saturday question—Are there absolute right ways (i.e. black and white)? Maybe there are different ways to skin a cat! Everyone has an opinion.  I talked to a senior lady walking past my house the other day.  She said—Opinions are like…everyone has one. In western MI there is a church on every corner a.k.a. a mecca of Christianity soooo folks have a lot of choices much like in WI where there is a bar on every corner.  Well, sorta kinda maybe alike! BUT I talked to a pastor at the wedding in western MI, and he told me that most churches are really struggling in the area; a lot of folks are unhappy for a lot of reasons.  I don’t know if folks are unhappy in the WI bars!

UncleBob was telling me that he got hearing aids, I had to have them but now I don’t wear them. How come?  They are a nuisance, and I can hear good enough without them.  Another friend had his teeth pulled and was madder than hops that it took soooo long for his dentures to come.  He got them but now doesn’t wear them.  Crazy! I golfed with a buddy who said—Only if I got new golf clubs, I would be a lot better.  He got new clubs and his game hasn’t changed a bit!  Now he thinks if he gets a new golf cart his game will improve. I doubt it! On TV they say he needs new shoes! haha  Sooooo many times we thing if we only had something new it would really improve our life and we have to have it and in most cases it doesn’t.  We fall for the old trick all the time. Sucker.  Like stuff to make us look better or a magic trick to lose weight or some cloths to make us really look good or some magic exercise gadget to make us look unbelievable good in one workout.  You get it sucker? Folks get it and never use it or wear it sucker. It ends up being something to hang our cloths on to dry and then we sell it on a garage sale for a couple of bucks if we can even get rid of it. Sucker. Aren’t we something else! Or some guys buy some bath wash that will make all the girls want to fall in love with them! Not! Sucker. Now you’re talking Bob!

My rear brake on my Yamaha XT250 didn’t work. I checked the brake fluid, but it was okay.  Soooo I called a friend who has a couple of cycles and also is very mechanical.  He said bring it over and I will look at it.  The first half hour we sat on the tail gate of his pickup, and he told me about how he has stage 4 lung cancer which he thinks he got from Agent Orange while in Viet Nam.  Wow, it is sad.  He is a tough guy but cried.  I sure wanted to do something for him, but I said I would pray for him and his family. He cried some more. Yes, he knew right away what was wrong with the brake. The calipers were frozen from corrosion or junk or crap.  He sprayed some cleaner on them and pried them lose, and it worked.  AGAIN, if you know what is wrong and how to fix something, it’s a lot easier especially if it is fixable (i.e. I know now).  I wish I could spray some stuff on my friend and fix him. He said it is in God’s hands, not ours. You know I could of probably googled it, watched a YouTube video and figured it out how to fix the brake, but wasn’t it a lot better that I didn’t and went to see my friend instead. I think soooo. Now you are talking Bob!

The Beetles sang a popular song titled “Help!” I get humbled sometimes and that experience has been quite pronounced recently. I was really affected. I don’t know about you folks but at many points in time I am humbled by something.  Maybe it is because I get tooooo proud, I think it is. Some call it being broken.  It makes me pull in my horns, it knocks me down a notch. I would guess even the most egotistical and confident folks get broken at some time.  Maybe and maybe not! I don’t know. Bob calls it being put in my place.  And that could be. And that is ok.  Bob says that a horse needs to be broke or they are useless other than for glue, but don’t kill his spirit as that will ruin the horse. Sooo being humbled by circumstances isn’t bad I guess even though I don’t like the feeling.  Are you ever humbled?  Are you a better person when the process is done? Is the humbling experience humbling? I read in the paper recently, soooo it must be right, that every pound of weight puts 4 pounds of pressure on your joints, particular your knees.  Sooooo maybe being humbled reduces stress on my biggest joint, that being my soul.  Could be maybe! BUT I don’t know. What do you think? That is what I thought.

Saturday question—Are you a humble person? Bob says—Some of you are and some of you just aren’t.  Yikes! Some churches are humble and some aren’t. Some folks think they know everything about everything and don’t and some folks who do know everything about everything and sorta kinda do it seems but don’t know it! Yikes! I played with a friend in Old Goats (i.e. a senior golf event).  When we got done, they give out prizes (i.e. a few golf balls).  As everyone was sitting around waiting, I saw a guy who I know a little through golf who was the Iowa Golf Association the player of the year two times (i.e. had the most points in all the state’s sanctioned amateur tournaments).  He won over 100 tournaments at 9-hole courses in IA in one-day tournaments, won three major Iowa amateur tournaments, and was inducted into the IA Golf Association Hall of Fame.  Wow! Yes this guy could play.  He has had cancer, almost died, went through a divorce, doesn’t walk very well anymore and can hardly play golf.  He’s just another old fart with the rest of us sorta kinda.  Life can be humbling. Illness, age, and death seems to be equalizers alright. Look around, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Now you are talking Bob! Rookie, our grandson who is 10, said to me—Grandpa, you aren’t an old fart!

I was playing some golf the other Monday afternoon with some friends who are old farts.  One of the old farts, who was riding with me, said he has lost all confidence in his golf swing.  Confidence is such a fine line; you got it, you don’t have it, or you are over confident.  We all know if we lose our confidence, it can be hard to get it back again.  It seems we need to get some success in order to do that. BUT many times, folks will just quite as they can’t seem to get it back again (i.e. it hurts our egos tooooo bad).  In the last month, I have had more of an interest in golf than I have for the last several years.  I have worked on my game some to try to play at a level I’m happy with. It has been hard for many reasons as many of you experience in your activities as well.  I know what I need to do and can do it always soooo many times I revert to “The Default Swing." I don’t always have confidence in what I need to do (i.e. besides, my body doesn’t always like it).  Now you are talking Bob!

Soooo my neighbor got back from his fishing trip to Canada with two of his old buddies a.k.a. old farts.  How was your trip, neighbor—great, had a great time, BUT one of my buddies didn’t go along—why—we were to meet at 5 a.m. but he didn’t show up, we kept trying to call him and finally got ahold of his wife at 8 and Harry was still in bed sleeping, well, get him up, we are going fishing, Harry said he thought it was next week and said he couldn’t go--neighbor, I think he just didn’t want to go with you guys and that was his way out—no no, he’s an old fart and can’t remember worth a toot! Now you are talking Bob!

Bob says—"I think they are pulling our leg folks.  The government says inflation is about 8.6% BUT rent is up 30 to 40%, gas prices have doubled over the last year, home mortgages have doubled, and groceries have skyrocketed. Everything I buy has gone up a lot, everything. Even Dollar Tree has gone up to $1.25, that is a 25% increase. C’mon folks, figure it out. Maybe you might be able to buy some campers and boats pretty cheap real soooon folks.” Flip the pancake, a truck line owner told me that his drivers are making $150,000 a year if they drive over the weekends and if they want to be home for the weekends, they make $100,000.  Sooooo on my way to CO I talked to a trucker at a truck stop by Kearney. He was hauling a John Deere tractor from Waterloo, but he was from AR. Part of our conversation, I asked him if my acquaintance was right who told me that truckers make about $150,000 a year.  He said he does and is home every weekend and takes quite a bit of time off. He thinks many truckers make that kind of money or more.  A family in CO told me that inflation will not affect their life style but will affect their amount they save, but we don’t go out and eat as much. I have been told there is a shortage of camper spots! Soooo what does that mean? All of  Iowa home football games are sold out; what does that mean? Yabut think about the families that inflation will affect their life style (i.e. basically that means that the more affluent will have to pay for some of their kids’ school costs—those costs are built in to the cost of those that can pay—it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out—somehow it needs to be paid). Some folks have to greased to make the machine run! Some of you folks like that philosophy and some don’t; it depends which side of the fence you are on, probably! LuckieEddie, who sees the big picture, says—It’s a form of equalization just like death! Ouchy ouchy!

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyFriendJean says—Do your best, leave the rest.