The Season of Greed

I know, it is unusual for this type of take on Christmas.

 But I have to acknowledge that mankind has failed once again to realize it's full potential and failed to recognize the Creator's handiwork. A way to be reconciled to said Creator has been provided and that is the true message of Christmas. It isn't about presents and Santa Clause and forgiving one another. It IS about being forgiven, not by the birth of the Savior but by His death, burial and resurrection. The planning for this event began before time was created and this plan will continue till the Creator ends time. For you non-believers and followers of false prophets this is certain knowledge of unseen things for me. I am stating my opinion and I am entitled to it according to the laws of the land as well as the unalienable laws of existence.

Nowadays, Christmas shopping seems to be a new god. Black Friday starts on Thursday evening or in some cases the week before Thanksgiving. People go to extremes to get a certain item that is "special" and usually unneeded at an alleged "reduced " price. On rare occasion some of the items might actually be a needed thing and a reduced price, but that would be the exception not the rule. Regardless, the intent and purpose is to get you in the box and relieve you the stress of carrying money around and to help you explore the limits of your credit rating. Anything that will get you to part with real or imagined wealth. So few of the big box stores care anymore about the customer so I recommend you expect bad service from cold uncaring people and should someone actually give you good service, you should reward them with a smile and a "thank you, and to you as well". Realize that the person you deal with at the register is usually a minimum wage temporary employee who is put in a position of having to deal with over-tired and over wrought shoppers who are irritated by the whole shopping venture. They are given the barest minimum training of how to operate a register and generally no training on how to deal with customers except the eternal "smile and wave, boys" philosophy and nowhere near enough "supervisors" around to give on the spot advice and showing instead of telling when an error occurs. This is probably why I never ventured into the retail business for a job. I have little patience for machines that fail to perform as designed and even less tolerance for the rude, crude and should be socially unacceptable behavior of many of my fellow customers.

So when you are out shopping for presents be sure to make allowances for the occasional (read as often) bad tempered shopper or the overworked register operator who has been on their feet for 6 hours. I mean really, does being an ogre gain you anything? All you do when you behave like that is to reveal your bullying nature and bring everyone else down. And if you should believe in Christ, your example on such occasion reveals your lack of understanding and certainly does not reveal an understanding of the Love of God that we should all be reflecting.   Rather, follow the "high road" of benevolent attitude and give from the heart, not the wallet. A card of tacks worked for me when I was young and something handmade or assembled by you would probably be more appreciated by true Christians.

Love rulz dudes and dudettes. Simply put because God is Love.                                   Cosmic Charley

The Tales you didn't expect

Tales. Not the wagging Kind, the Telling kind.

The following is an expression of the many tangents of my mind. Please take no offense at this but if you are offended, then go suck an egg, I do not overly concern myself over your feelings about what I write because I write from the depths of my heart and soul and if you are offended by me, then you know not the God I serve.  So there!

    Mie Werld Vu
Yes, not overly punnie, I know. Yet here ‘Tis.  My eldest will get it and maybe a few others.

 Can we ever have world peace? I think not. Because if there is one or more humans on this planet peace is not achievable.

And yes, I know of Audio Adrenaline, if you are one of “those” that cannot let things go.

I don’t think I will use proper writing in this either, as I do not really concern myself on what grade I can make; nor am I trying to be impressive. If someone can perceive what I am saying, then well and good. If I cause someone to think about why this is so confusing, that is fine also.

If someone is upset with the lack of pictures and drawings, oh well, you aren’t thinking on the same level I am. You may be higher, or you may be lower, but you are totally irrelevant as for as this goes because this is MY perception, not yours. Nor is it free from my prejudices, shortcomings, ignorance or awareness.

Do I think I am right? Of course I do. Am I right in an absolute sense? Only God knows for sure. Neither you nor I have a real clue. So you people out there, do not put words in my mouth that I personally have not said. Do not pull things out of context as my context is the sum total of my interactions with my existence. So here ‘tis, the beginning, or thereabouts....

My awareness began in the fifties with somersaults through the front yard, a tornado moving Aunt Jo’s house, and hurricanes blowing through the neighborhood. I had no idea who “Ike” was but I knew who Tom Terrific and Mighty Mouse were. Mr. Greenjeans and Captain Kangaroo were friend on television as well as Mr. Rogers and I remember the Jimmy Davis “Hymn of the Day”. Didn’t realize till much later in life that he was the governor at the time. I did eat dirt when daddy plowed the field, but only fresh turned dirt. I was picky. I also started 1st grade in ‘59. There I found my first “love”, small l. I still bear the mark of that affair in my arm. My first tattoo, a graphite dot where Dorothy stabbed me with her pencil. I doubt she remembers the occasion but it is deeply impressed in my mind, and flesh. At that time I think I was too self absorbed to be aware of world conditions or others for that matter. I remember reporters that reported facts and not opinions. The news media didn’t have to make up stories or blow stories out of proportion as there were plenty of phenomenal stories to go around. Radio played songs that were good, at least to me, although as we went into the 60's I wasn’t listening to a lot of radio. I did watch a lot of cartoons on Saturday morning. By the way, I had no desire to try to jump off the roof and fly or blow up anybody, although I didn’t mind blowing up toys with firecrackers.  Nor did I seriously wish to shoot anyone. Whack them over the head maybe, but not to the point of termination. The early sixties were best described as relatively uneventful from my perspective. The assassination of the president interrupted my Saturday morning cartoons, so you can tell I was not cognitively aware of world events. Vietnam was already going on, as were other world events and the cold war was intensifying. They made not the smallest blip on my radar. Now by ‘64 or ‘65, the radio was becoming much more a tool of interest to me, particularly rock and roll stations. One thing to mention in this time frame, I was becoming aware of the difference in views of the people around me, even the racial differences. One girl knew that the church I went to and the church she went to had services at the same time, so they must believe the same thing. I had no answer.  Racial tensions made no sense to me as I believed everyone was the same to God so I didn’t understand why people didn’t understand so simple a concept. People are different regardless of what group they belonged to, or even in their groups so why bother with all the drama? It is pointless. Turns out I was right although people still refuse to accept it. All I can say is “get over yourself.”  In just a few short years my experiences with the racial perceptions of many was proved that what I thought was right. As the years of integration commenced many people insisted on drama over using common sense. The dramatist were and are  wrong. Their actions showed how small their perceptions were/are as people, and how shortsighted they were/are being.  One thing that I developed during this era, the first radio headset, (out of an AM transistor radio and tape) which I used to listen to KEEL out of Shreveport while I was choppin’ cotton. I can’t remember what I got paid for that but it kept me off the streets during the summer. By the way, I got paid 5 cents a pound for picking cotton while other hands got 7 cents a pound. And they got paid more just because they were more productive! But then again, I remembered a parable from the bible and no arguing with God or Daddy in my book. I also got 5 cents a pound for picking up pecans during the fall. Of course 20 pounds meant up to eight comic books so I did get some picked up. Also this was Christmas “present money” if I could hang on to it. The few times I got near to 60 pounds I thought I was rich. Mike, my brother, almost always had over 100 pounds which he promptly wasted on girls and beer and such. I didn’t understand that either. Back then if I got a hundred pounds (maybe once or twice) I’d get the “annuals” that cost 25 cents and be in hog heaven. Also during these mid and late 60's I spent a lot of time on the bayous. Mostly Bayou Boeuf fooling around and snake killing and crawfishing and Cocodrie for fishing. I proved that a 14 foot Polarcraft boats won’t sink if you don’t weigh it down because of the  foam in the seats. I also swam the bayou (Boeuf) from the power station to my cousin’s house both ways a few times. It was only about 3 miles and the alligators were all upstream back then. Only thing to worry about were the moccasins and they don’t party a lot at night. In general I didn’t bug the water snakes as they never seemed interested in a fight but the moccasins were down right mean. I’ve seen one that tried to get to me even though I was twenty feet above him. He leapt straight up as I was on the bridge and it was on a log hung up against the pylon. I used most everything from a stick to a 12 gauge against them, including fishing poles.  During the summers I also mowed grass for money. Maybe get 3 or 4 bucks a yard but that ate into my cartoon time. I also had to give Daddy a buck or two as it was his mower that I used. I guess that was my introduction to capitalism. Was ok with me as it made sense. Keep in mind that there were no “zero-turn” riding mowers back then that I knew of and the regular riding mowers were expensive. I was also terrible at setting prices, having next to no business sense. That is something I still have issues with when I work on computers.  I do scare easy. I say that having experienced a few moments of sheer terror, some of which were self induced. We were watching “Twilight Zone” in the living room which set me up for it. I had walked out of the room and into the other bedroom when Moma was coming through it and she heard David coming behind me from the living room. David had heard Moma’s footsteps also and they had decided to “boo” each other. I saw the whole thing happening and when they jumped out at each other I was the one who left the floor three below me. First time I can remember physically feeling an accelerated heartbeat. Other times I have been totally surprised and it generated exactly 0 response. I don’t know. Sometimes I try to remember birthdays and presents and mostly I draw a blank. I do remember a bat Uncle George gave me one year (I was under 15 and over 10, which is as close as I can pinpoint it.) I’m pretty sure I got a glove and ball that year too.  Aside from that, birthday and Christmas presents are a homogeneous mess. I remember giving Grandma a card of tacks for Christmas. It was years later that I found out about how she laughed when she opened it but for the next year each time she needed a thumbtack she would crack a smile and remember the present. Best quarter I ever invested. For a lot of years my Christmas gifts were allocated according to my gift budget. Moma, Daddy, Aunt Jo and Uncle George were always a buck to buck 50. Brothers/cousins up to four bit. Grandma and Grandpa and Dee were not given a limit but seldom over a buck. Carol Jean (cousin that lived next door) always at least four bits depending on the price of chocolate covered cherries. Uncle Possum was usually around 30 to 40 cents depending on where I could find the popping bugs. As you may be able to tell, mental discipline is not my forte’. Other things I remember from the 50's and early 60's are extreme emotions. I have no idea why, but when Aunt Lurlene died I was standing by the phone when Moma took the call. I can only remember the horror I felt at the news. I have no idea why it impacted me so powerfully because I was less than ten, I think. I have to go to her grave to get the year straight in my head and it only last for a couple of days. That’s when Burt and David (her sons) came to live with us. Their dad had died in the 50's in a car wreck in east Texas I think.  Another traumatic incident (for me) was when the rope swing broke as I was reaching the highest point of the arc and was over the concrete table. Yes, I landed on my head but I did NOT break the table. I did take a lot of skin off my ear and the side of my head and I think I was afraid my brains were leaking out, but it was just blood. No idea why I didn’t go deaf either. Other moments of terror, waiting for a school bus and thinking I’d backed into thorns on a plum tree. Turned out those thorns had wings and my feet grew them also as I flew out of the ditch. Another time David and I were hunting and were wrapping it up and leaving the wood behind Uncle Johns house by crossing the fence to his field where the truck was. David went over first while I held the guns and then I went over and stepped into the yellow jacket nest he had just trod on. Four shots to the back and I was once again airborne and flying across the freshly plowed field. Not the last time I was stung, but the last time I was surprised by them bugs. Next attempt on my life by a red wasp resulted in flight before getting stung. Straight across the roof, carport and onto the ground stopping only when the barbed wire fence cause rapid deceleration. Never broke stride even with the eight foot drop between the carport and ground. Like I said, I am temporally challenged in my memories. I know exactly what happened, but when is a challenge. One time my brothers and I went out to the canal to target shoot and I had a 20 gauge that belonged to Burt or David, I don’t remember which for sure. My shells were reloads that a cousin and I had made according to the spec sheets we had. Apparently one shell had a pinhole in it at the base because when I went to shoot a blackbird in the top of a tree, kaboom, the chamber and about two inches of barrel blew out. Keep in mind I was aiming the gun and the chamber and my face were less than six inches apart. I saw Mike and George running towards me and their mouths were moving but no sound was coming out. I heard a little “tick” sound and looked down and there was the shell on the pavement. I looked at the gun and there the chamber where the shell was, wasn’t. Took a couple of days for my hearing to come back but it did. Made me a little more conscious of my gun handling but didn’t put me off from guns at all. I remember Cousin Sidney exposing me to Nancy Drew Mysteries. I read the first hundred of them. I became an avid reader around the sixth grade or so. As far as studies went, I remember flunking the only spelling test I really studied for and I mean F- flunking. I remember reading Dr. Seuss in the seventh grade, not “Green Eggs and Ham” or “The Cat In The Hat” but other books. What snagged my mind was his use of words and the words he made up. I recognized his genius then, and later as I tried my hand at writing. Fortunately none of my earlier writings survived my naval trekking and only a few of the later writings can now be found, thank you Lord.
This covered many of the happenings of my early youth and I’ll right more later, maybe. Not sure I want all my high school secrets out just yet as many of the people involved are still living and do not have the same memories of events as I experienced them. Just to give a preview, no, I did not smoke nor did I drink. Couldn’t afford either even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. I also had limited access to a vehicle so not a lot of dating and such, though I wouldn’t have minded more than I did have. Girls didn’t seem interested and I don’t like to push where emotions are involved. I will say this: there were several that were interesting to me but even then I felt they weren’t the “one” for me. I found her later and we are still married. More about that later also.

 There are things:

that go "bump" in the night, that scare us when there is no light.

There are things that scare us in the day.







Through all these things Jesus is there, 
through all these things God does say:

Yes, child, I do Care.

As the sun goes down look to the day past to see what you have done that is pleasing to God. Look to see how you may have helped someone in need. But if you see that the sun is rising, look to see how you may please God and how you may serve someone in need and prepare for the day as you prepare the way. But above all these things, learn to love God and to love like God, who loves us all.

Bella, Bella, Bella

That's our dog. She is perfecting the art of "Whining" to a degree to match and better the children of these days. "What does it accomplish?" you may ask. Much the same as with grandchildren, very little. Yes, I am a , well, you fill in the negative descriptor. I respond to positive work ethics in a positive manner.I also retain positive work ethics in my mind longer. Just a subtle hint to the world. Oh, by the by, that would be MY positive, not yours.

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But anyway.......

Bella is giving me the evil eye. She won't tell me why. Hmm. I guess I'll never know.

NO POLY-TICKS today.

I am all over the place today. So fair warning: NO POLITICS today.

For those who haven't heard, GG Shin has passed. I've listened to his work for years and am glad that his music will live on. I associate him most with The Boogie Kings, but he had so much more going on, including performances with Joe Stampley and John Fred as The Louisiana Boys. Their recording are typically great, but like The Grateful Dead, their live performances were even better. John Fred passed a few years ago but Joe Stampley is still kickin' along. Louis (Coco- host of The Greaser Show on KLIL 92.1) featured him this morning along with Mr. Miller and Rod Bernard who have birthdays around this weekend. 

For some reason these passings have an unaccountable impact on the way I feel. I am not sure what or why that is, but when someone who is involved in music passes, my soul cries a bit. Doesn't matter if they are a performer, DJ, VJ(even), producer, sound man, or roadie, I feel a loss. I feel it less with some as their music is deliberately "controversial", meaning they promote inappropriate or illegal actions. I do feel the loss but it is a loss of pity and sorry that they used their gift poorly. 

People that really know me (as in knowledge, gutter snipes) know that  I listen to a wide variety of music, predominately long hair. For the uninitiated that is old classical (Beethhoven, Brahms, Bach and others) and rock and roll/folk/blues/soul. (Aretha, Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers, Winters, Ruth Copeland, Archies, Monkees, Zappa {some}.  mostly 50's, 60's, 70's and even 80's MTV generational stuff. not so much since the 90's and beyond). I know the difference between Ben E. King and The Swing Kings. I know BB King didn't play a fiddle named Gertrude. I'm aware of and appreciate Glen Miller and Arte Shaw, the works of Virgil Fox, the mastery of Les Paul and the beauty of It's A Beautiful Day. Look up these songs and let me know what you think, as some of them are done by many people:

The Mighty Flood - Elmoore James
For Michael - Ruth Copeland
You Keep Me Hanging On - Supremes, Vanilla Fudge, Joseph and the Prophets (live)

Orange Blossom Special - Far to many to list but Roy Clark
The Midnight Special CCR (also Big Joe Turner and Leadbelly and many others.)

Suzy Q CCR & some other groups not afraid of a long song

Toccata and Fugue in G minor (or other keys) Virgil Fox's album was the first I ever saw with a warning on it. 

Louie, Louie - The Kingsmen
Amazing Grace - Assorted soft rock and gospel personalities

None of these are my favorites overall, but all are loved because of content, presentation, or  personal meaning, which by the way, may differ from the writer/composer's view. In The Garden Of Eden is an all time favorite but it is titled on the 45 and LP as "Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida".  Wikki or google it for the full story. 

I refuse to accept a classification for music except for this: It is good or it is bad - to me. If you agree with me, fine, if not, fine too. I am always willing to give a tune a shot,  but I will not let anyone dictate how I feel about it. As with religion, I will judge for myself whether I like it. 

I find the music of nature to be superior in content and presentation, but much too subtle for recording. It is music that requires immersion and live performance. It is never the same from day to day. I think that might be why I am partial to The Grateful Dead live concerts. Their performance is variable and the recordings caught many of the missteps of the band and they are presented with glitches and all. Also no two performances of the same song are exactly alike, even on the short songs. Whether the band was "on fire" or "way off" each performance (baring equipment failure or roadie mishap) was stashed in "The Vault" and for the past couple of decades has and is being released{google "Dick's Picks" and "Dave's Picks" } and truly deliver mostly good and a few bad performances, uncoloured by corporate directive.  Language on the uncensored recording is a bit excessive to me, but that is me. If your song depends on expletives, you can't write. Give it up. I don't want to hear what you have to say because your expression reveals you can't say anything that is not mundane street speak. Kind of like a 3 year old explaining the universe. Put what you feel in the score and choose expressive words, not expletives. Show me what you feel or I will ignore what you say, oh and not buy anything you put out. 

I also dislike "artist" stealing other "artist" work. While I may be a tone deaf, tin eared, off key, timing deprived, southern white boy, I like music and without regard to the race/gender/genre' of the artist.When Bonnie Dobson's song was "lifted" by another artist who claimed the song as his, I used to be of the thinking that giving him a busted leg and arm would be fully justified. But as I grew emotionally and logically I came to the realization that there were other legitimate ways to extract justice, I would buy the original artist work and totally disregard the lyric pirate.The unnamed "artist" above is not in my collection anywhere nor will I give him a place. Nor do I like the past rage and present daily "sampling" music. If you can't write anything of you own, keep you "experiments" to yourself and don't stick them on the net. I'm not a purist, mind you. I just have a little respect for most of the music makers out there. 
I also support the original finding that allowed people who bought the material (record, tape, 8track or cassette) should be allowed to make "daily use" copies so they can listen to their music where ever they are. In this digital age the recording industry has made it far to easy to pirate disc and digital music and although I agree that the artist should be paid I do not agree that charging a collector with felony possession just because he (or she, or it) has digital copies that he has made of his personal collection. Now if that collector is selling the copies either locally or on the internet, then yes, prosecute to the extent of his sales. Come by my house with your ridiculousness and I might just provide lunch of a few of the duplicate records and compact discs and maybe hang you with my reel to reel tape of Uriah Heep. 
Had to cut out a part of that as it might have inflamed those "artist" out there who only see the bucks. Talent is a relative term and those people are no more talented than me or a Texas Horned toad stuck on I 10.

But that is enough ranting so goodnight now....

          The above rant is not political in nature. Anti-mid years Scrooge, yes, political-No.

Now I gotta go shave. Face you gutter snipes- sheesh.
 

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I don't see anything of the above on my site. Being as my ancestors left there, I leave it up to Blogger to handle this as I have no way or understanding of what they are talking about.

My ancestors left europe. Many of them for perfectly good reasons.

Haven't talked political trash in a while. Here goes:

First: To Bryan good luck in the second round. What I applaud in politics is common sense and an awareness of cost. I know you can manage both and wish for you to be a blessing to the legislature, they need it.

Second: Nothing comes for free. Nothing. Animals eat plants and/or animals. I don't hear anyone crying over the fields of grain (except farmers praying for rain or cursing the rain, depending on the crop and time of year). Existence on this carbon based lifeform planet comes at the cost of the destruction of other elements from the smallest single cell organism to the mountains of the world. Since the forbidden fruit till now there has been no total peace for anyone. Even the dead slowly disintegrate as the centuries pass. So also the mountains fall and the seabeds rise. The only true peace comes when we understand our place in the system and do what is required in life before the advent of death. Then peace can come and we can understand.

AAAnnd in general scope:

Life is a highway
Travelers abode
Be the car
Not the toad.

This country is once again making me sad. I hear all the bashing of the current president because of his lack of morals, but the lifting up of previous presidents who's morals were just as questionable. This demonstrates the total lack of understanding of the documents left us by the forefathers of the current country. Do I feel that our government is honest in their dealings with others? Nyet. Our current government can't be honest with itself, much less others. Do I feel the government of the 1800's took advantage of the transient tribal groups that roamed the country then, of course. I also notice that while some of the tribes were given permanent  places to live, nothing is said about the tribal warfare that drove many tribal groups out of their lands as the current ones took up residence. God forbid we should require an accounting of that genocide.

I would like to see the end of political disruption and the start of political coherence. No, everyone will not agree completely, on that I would bet. What might give me a heart attack is politicians actually representing their constituents and seeking together a path of fiscal responsibility with an eye on fulfilling promises made and not making irresponsible and unconsidered promises. Everything cost and under no circumstances should any one group be made to "foot the bill" as our government is supposed to be for all, equally. Safeguarding our future should be the biggest priority of all parties and we can only safeguard it if we chose to care about each other. Our forest are necessary to maintain both oxygen and clean water.

We will soon die out as a species because mankind is greedy. We must keep our vision focused ahead and seek ways of repairing our coastlines and waterways. We must keep our animal and plant kingdoms vibrant and growing or we will starve for food and air. It has taken me more than a little while to come to these conclusions but by the time I got married I was sure of what I say here. I have seen nothing to change my mind, only many, many confirmations of my conclusions.

I love The Creator, I love my family, I love this country, and I love you.

Cosmic

Tuesday Afternoon

Wind South at 25Kts
No rain

Sun shinin' down on me.

I wonder how Scholastic could put a "Harry Potter" poster  out and not give him bright green eyes?

Blue/Grey, really?