Slow Movin

Yesterday coming home from a trip to Newport, we passed a Sheriff's patrol car on the side of the road. In the rear view mirror I saw him pull out onto the highway, one car behind us. After a few miles the other car turned off and the patrol car stayed on our tail, which always makes me nervous.

I kept checking the speedometer and I wondered if we had a burned out brake light or something. Another four or five miles went by, and after we passed through the little town of Seal Rock, he turned on his flashers and pulled me over.

I had my drivers license ready but he approached the passenger side. Carol rolled down her window and he looked in and said to me, “Sir, do you know what the speed limit on Highway 101 is?”

I always think of what I should have said hours later, so all I said was, “55.”

What I should have said was, “35, 40, 45, 50 and 55, depending on where you are.”

“Driving too slow is just as dangerous as driving too fast,” he said, looking at my license. “How long have you been driving on this highway?”

All I said was “20 years or so.” (Actually it's 31 years.)

What I should have said was, “A lot longer than you have, sonny!”

“Well you've been impeding traffic. I clocked you at 42 miles per hour back there!”

All I said was, “Oh.”

What I should have said was, “Since you were the only car behind me, I guess I was impeding you. What, are you late for the donut eating contest at the Waldport bakery?”

It's probably just as well that I think of the smart ass things that I should have said quite a bit later, because after chewing me out some more for driving too slow, and checking my record with Interpol or something, he returned my license and let us go on our merry way.

48 Years!

Wow! 48 years of ups and downs, good times and bad and we still love each other.

A Randy Quaid Kind of Day

Yesterday was sunny and warm when I started on my daily walk to JC's house.

A vehicle slowed down and pulled up beside me, a man leaned out the window of his pickup and asked in a familiar voice, “How far up ya goin?”

Now, I should explain that I'm pretty good at recognizing actors in old movies or identifying the narrator's voice in a documentary, and I swear, the guy looking at me with a smile on his face was Randy Quaid! His face, his voice, and his lopsided grin all said, “I'm Randy Quaid!”

“Uh, I'm walking for the exercise,” I stammered, “but thanks anyway!”

He waved and went on his way upriver.

I know that Randy Quaid is supposed to be in Canada seeking asylum from “star whackers” but he either has an exact double or he's secretly visiting Oregon.

I found JC already sitting on his deck enjoying the sun with two iced glasses at the ready, waiting for some wine to be poured.

“This is probably the last wine I'll be able to drink for a while,” he said, “my new prescription says,'no alcohol' and I have to start taking it tomorrow.”

A little while later he looked up at the sky, threw his arms wide and yelled, “I'm not dead yet!”

I thought that maybe he'd given up his atheism and was talking to God, but when I looked up I saw the three vultures circling above us.

It was one of those days.

Blast from the Past

Another old friend stopped by for a surprise visit on Friday.

I hadn't seen Cecil Fredi for close to fifty years. He and I went to gunsmith school together at the Colorado School of Trades, and after we graduated we became partners in a gun shop in Las Vegas. Our shop was located on Charleston Blvd. in Cardinal Sporting Goods, and we specialized in gun repair and custom gun stocks.

We called it quits and went our separate ways after a couple of years but we had a good time while it lasted.

The picture was taken while we were still in gun school, fishing somewhere in Colorado in the late 1950's.

Future Baseball Stars?

Our grand daughter Shelby and great-grand son Dominick showed off their baseball skills the other day at Kendall Field.

Sunshiny Day

Finally!

After a couple of months of rain, rain, rain, we had a sunshiny, nice day!

We've lived here for over 30 years and I don't think we have ever had so many crappy days without a break.

We had grilled hot dogs and salad and sat there sipping wine and looking at wispy clouds that looked like hands or turtles or rabbits. The dogs enjoyed the sunshine just as much as we did.

It was a gorgeous day but unfortunately it was one day in a row. Now we're back to more rain.

Genetic Memories

Our Papillon puppy Squeak either has genetic memories going back to her wolf ancestors or maybe delusions of grandeur. She takes a mouthful of kibbles from her bowl in the kitchen, brings them into the living room and puts them on the belly of one of her toys, usually a ragged, white stuffed sheep. Looking like a wolf feeding on a fresh kill, she defends it fiercely until the last kibble is gone.

Luddites

The Luddites were a group who rebelled against the use of the machines that replaced people during the Industrial Revolution. Their leader was a man by the name of Ned Ludd. The name has since become a term for anyone who is against new technology.

My wife Carol is a Luddite!

When we got our first computer in the late 1990's I was completely enthralled and I was soon emailing, learning how to do spread sheets, editing photos, and using the word processor. Carol reluctantly and sparingly used it for email, genealogy, and solitaire games. That was twenty years ago and she hasn't updated her opinion or use of computers a bit since then.

When the old original Packard Bell became outdated, I ordered a new custom built computer from a company in Tacoma and then after a few years, when it got long in the tooth, I built a state of the art, super fast, new one from scratch. (With help from my brother!) I transferred all of our old video tapes to DVD and edited them using the new computer and it became an important part of my daily life.

Carol isn't comfortable with more than one remote control in the living room. Even though there are separate remotes for the surround sound, the Bluray DVD player, the CD player and the VCR, we keep them put away out of sight.

In contrast, my brother JC, has at least six remotes (at last count) sitting on his coffee table. His big screen TV plays 3D movies and his lab and bedroom are a technophobes dream. (Or a Luddites nightmare!)

Lately I've begun to agree with Carol. I know that when we all get together for a barbecue or just a visit, sitting outside on our patio or JC's deck and talking is a whole lot more fun than sitting in silence in the living room watching a movie on TV.

I've already made it clear how I feel about cell phones and now people are packing lap tops, tablets, iPads and iPods around with them also.

New cars come with GPS systems and built in computers, new refrigerators have computers to tell you if your food is out dated and that's just the beginning.

I'm afraid that if there was an electromagnetic pulse, either from a giant sun spot or a nuclear attack, which would fry the power grid, kill the computers in automobiles and shut down all of our electric and electronic devices, we'd all be walking helplessly around in circles not having a clue what to do next. Aborigines in the Australian out back would hardly be affected and would go on with their daily lives, blissfully unaware that the “civilized” world was coming to an end.

It's all coming so fast that I feel like technology just passed me by and left me spinning in its wake.

I'm afraid that I'm becoming a Luddite too!

Good Excuse

Three weeks ago a doctor recommended that I don't drink any alcohol for two months because of stomach inflammation that showed up on an EGD. I'm not so sure that was a good idea.

I've been reading articles about the benefits of red wine for some time, and I thought that now with Japan's nuclear reactor scare I should post some highlights:

Reports on the benefits of red wine are almost two centuries old," "The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more,"

Red wine contains a complex mixture of bioactive compounds, including flavonols, monomeric and polymeric flavan-3-ols, highly colored anthocyanins, as well as phenolic acids and the stilbene polyphenol, resveratrol. Brown said that some of these compounds, particularly resveratrol, appear to have health benefits.

Resveratrol exhibits therapeutic potential for cancer chemoprevention as well as cardioprotection.Resveratrol may aid in the prevention of age-related disorders, such as neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

And here's the kicker:

According to the latest research, red wine – along with its many other claimed benefits – may also protect you from radiation exposure. A team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered that resveratrol, the natural anti-oxidant found in red wine, can protect cells from the damage caused by radiation.

Impending nuclear attack? Then scientists may soon recommend that it is best you start drinking heavily and not just because you may be facing oblivion.

Didn't I see on CNN that a tiny amount of radiation is showing up on the west coast? I for one, plan on being well protected no matter what the darn doctor says!!

Listening

Since Parkinson's disease has reduced my voice to little more than a raspy whisper, I sometimes get frustrated at not being able to speak loud enough to be heard.

However, I've found that because of this I'm becoming a much better listener. This is not a bad thing.

Now, during a conversation, I try to take time to think about what I want to say, and often after some consideration, I just keep quiet and listen. Like Thumper was told in the movie Bambi, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

A few of our family and friends are getting hard of hearing, which compounds the problem, but as long as they can see my face, a little lip reading on their part helps.

I've also found that It's pretty hard to put your foot in your mouth if you keep your mouth shut, although it is possible, (especially if you're married.)