Before and After

Wendy,

We are almost at the point where that bottom limb on the coconut tree should be trimmed off. It's beginning to block the water. And we have the boat show to watch you know.

reggie

You are too funny. I know I know. I’ll get it hacked off, just for you, by special request.

XO

W

Thank you. Looks better already.

Reggie

A Discovery!

I'm a guy so I am slow but I have made a discovery. I can now discern a womans time of the month remotely via Facebook. This is handy if a guy needs to avoid being broadsided emotionally by any particular woman that he may need to converse with.

Just like watching a quarterback can help determine a play call. Just like I know Gigi is lying with 100% certainty by her mannerisms. Women give out hints in their Facebook posts and comments.

Of course the younger the woman the stronger the radar and eventually it becomes a very faint blip in their 40's and 50's. But isn't that how it is supposed to work?

I'll do more research here and publish my findings later. Men can thank me later.

This is Why I like to Wake Up

Brilliant - from Wall Street Journal

At least several hundred mile-junkies discovered that a free shipping offer on presidential and Native American $1 coins, sold at face value by the U.S. Mint, amounted to printing free frequent-flier miles. Mileage lovers ordered more than $1 million in coins until the Mint started identifying them and cutting them off.

Coin buyers charged the purchases, sold in boxes of 250 coins, to a credit card that offers frequent-flier mile awards, then took the shipments straight to the bank. They then used the coins they deposited to pay their credit-card bills. Their only cost: the car trip to make the deposit.

Health

According to Dr. Karen Weatherby, a gerontologist and author of the study, gawking at women’s breasts is a healthy practice, almost at par with an intense exercise regime, that prolongs the lifespan of a man by five years.

She added, "Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female, is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics work-out."

More Interesting Facts (to me) and Observations

Sometimes when you buy Pillsbury canned biscuits in St Croix, the dough is gray. The biscuits turn out gray but taste the same. I don't eat them but I am told this. I guess they sat on a boat too long.

I can fall asleep in my chair sitting up and sleep deeply. I did it last night for an hour before I realized it and went to bed. My mother has done this all her life.

Google now has their own dictionary http://www.google.com/dictionary and as of yesterday their own DNS server to speed up your searches. http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/ I like this and made the DNS change. Yes I am a nerd.

It is Friday, the bills are paid, I feel good and I have two games to watch this weekend. This is good.

I'm mixing it up Sunday at the tailgate...calling audibles so to say. No brats this weekend. Good old American bun length hot dogs with slaw, relish, chili and onions. Mustard and ketchup if you like with choice of hot sauce. I'm making the chili. Of course they'll be some burgers and Bash is bringing flank steak to grill. It will be cold.

Daily Drivel

I noticed that St Croix got their credit rating yesterday of BBB- for their new 30 Million bond issue. Not too bad considering the economy and their lack of bond history. How can you go wrong with rum backed bonds though?

Around here our local unemployment rate has topped 12% and rising. This is unheard of in these parts. I sure hope the "trickle up" federal stimulus approach will trickle up soon. There are a lot of people to fill the wind mill and power grid jobs at present but I don't see anything whirling except jaws flapping.

We are down to a very lean mixture of daylight at 9.9 hours and falling. What daylight we are getting is obscured by clouds or very low in the sky which is bright in the face and casts long shadows. Saturday calls for snow flurries and Sunday will be cold and windy at the game. I must build a Wreggie room where the lights are bright, the humidity is high, and the fake windows show summer or tropical views when you look at them.

I am always surprised and caught off guard when someone with an opposing position turns so quickly to anger when I unveil my opinion. Just because I don't "think right" doesn't mean you need to be so pissed off. How about a little civilized dialog? I don't get mad when I listen to your drivel.

SLR Cameras

I am a point and click guy when it comes to cameras. I like action photos and random shots. Very few people pose well in my opinion.

I must have a thousand holiday pictures of my MIL and BIL posed in the exact same expression. The only difference is 30 years of ageing.

I like cameras simple....I ain't shooting for The National Geographic. I used to have a fancy film camera back in the day with lenses, f stops, focus rings and all the hardware and it was a pain in the ass and rarely led to better random unrehearsed photos. Usually I can make changes later on the computer.

It pains me so when my MIL takes 80 seconds to push the damn shutter release to take my annual picture at Christmas of me looking pissed off sitting in my chair on my PJs. Same picture every year...the only difference is 30 years of ageing.

I love my iPhone camera. It is good enough to see but fuzzy enough to make everyone look good.

Here and idiot has complicated a perfectly good iPhone camera.

Radio Shack

[mortally wounded] "Let me know...when you see...a Radio Shack". ~ Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

I have determined that my on again off again problem with my High Definition TV is attributable to a small B band doohicky on the back of my receiver inline with the cable coming into the satellite box.

They cost about $13 online and Direct TV acts like they cost hundreds of dollars and is balking at sending me a new B band doohicky.

So yesterday morning I headed to the local Radio Shack to find said part.

I was the first customer of the day and walked in on two employees conversing. I turned to the one who appeared to be in charge and asked, "Do you have a B band converter that goes inline from a satellite on a Direct TV receiver?" I couldn't have been more succinct in my question.

About the time I started my question the employee broke into the mother of all yawns. It was one of those giant yawns that is reminiscent of a hippo and a chimp where the mouth is cranked wide open, teeth exposed and slobber strings are seen connecting the upper teeth to the lower teeth. Then there is the pause, the sound of air passing, and then the watery eyes that follow from a massively satisfying yawn.

Frankly I know it was good for him but it pissed me off.

He had no idea what I just asked, something to do with a TV connection and pointed me toward the connectors. I said, "It is Direct TV" and he replied, "We only have Dish".

I swear I don't know how they stay in business.

A Great Week

I took this entire holiday week off and stayed home. This is the second time in 30 years that I've done this. No agenda, no heavy projects. Just relaxing at home and spending time with Gigi.

Gigi and I expected to be in Southport, NC for Thanksgiving week but in preparation of the RV and installation our new bed we both pulled our backs with me the worse of the two.

So we decided to stay home and had a quiet thanksgiving meal just the two of us. That was a first and it was wonderful.

I rented a walk behind leaf blower yesterday that I have for the entire weekend. Every so often I go out and fire it up and blow leaves for 30 minutes or so. This machine does the work of 10 men but it is not as precise as a hand blower. Today I'll finish the bulk leaf movement and begin the detailing then finish gain with the bulk bower.....all between naps.

The bed we installed is the 4th bed in 30 years of marriage and is a California king. This is an upgrade from our queen size bed. The new one is a beautiful Tommy Bahama four poster that fits my dreaming themes and it is damn comfortable with the new memory foam mattress. All new Tommy Bahama sheets and we are all set. Plus this new bed sits much lower and it is so easy to roll in or out.

My Jeep has sat for months. I usually keep the roof off all summer and throw a trap on it at night. But this year we had such a rainy season in August and September and then the weather became too cool for top down ride. So the Jeep has sat. I went out yesterday to fire it up and the battery was dead. Served me right for neglecting my jeep so.

I got it started and took Tanner out for a ride and bought a new tire for the Jeep. Now I have all new tires on the Jeep and had them all turned with the raised white lettering out for a change. It makes the Jeep look busier. Tanner is a great Jeep dog by the way.

I decided to stop by Auto-zone and have the battery tested. The service guy kept telling me about how "angry" my Jeep looked. This is good I suppose. The Jeep is my driving work of art.

The weather here has turned cold (freezing at night) so my thoughts turn to my tropical vacation in early February to St Croix. I dreamed I was there last night sitting naked at one of the open air bars. I am not a nudist but have this dream often. I remember Gigi leaning over and suggesting that I might want to put on something while I was at the table. I swear I didn't know I was naked until she mentioned it.

Today my Appalachian State University football team plays in the first round of the playoffs and I'll enjoy more fun and leaf blowing. It is Saturday....right?

Happy Thanksgiving!

McMansions and Meals

Over the past decade Gigi and I fought the urge to buy a McMansion. It seemed every community had them. They were personal palaces of what became the real estate glut.

Everyone it seemed was going out and buying $500,000 to $700,000 houses with the availability of low interest and easy credit. I was even told by a builder once, "You know the difference between a $500,000 house and a $700,000 house? About $60,000 of molding and marble."

But somehow we rationalized staying in our modest ranch home with 8 beautiful acres and being satisfied with what we had. Oh we had the discussions that questioned ourselves if we were fools to staying here.

One thing that stood out in these McMansion were the kitchens. My God.....the equipment, the storage, the prep area, the sinks all rivaled professional kitchens that I have seen in restaurants. Kitchens became showplaces but no one cooked.

Some of the best meals of my life came from Gigi's Grandmother in her tiny firetrap kitchen in northern Georgia. There was barely room for two people yet she made magnigfacant meals here. A free standing stove/oven, a refrigerator, an old porcelain single sink and an electric fry pan with barely enough counter space for a biscuit bowl.

Or a professional kitchen like The Pickled Greek in St Croix. There chef Aaron stands in the midst of grills, fryers, ovens with barely room to move in 125 degree heat and serves magnificent meals with passion.

Hell, my nephew and I crank out some pretty darn good meals standing on the dirt ground hovered over a stove, fryer, a few grills and an enthusiasm for cooking when we camp on Jekyll Island.

So as the rest of the country's McMansion kitchens go under water and revert back to the bank Gigi and I will be cooking in our modest kitchen a fantastic meal and I will wonder what the banks will do with all those fantastic kitchens.

Today I am thankful that I didn't over extend during the good times and what I have does me just fine.

Gigi's late step father once asked us in his way of giving advice, "How many toilets can a man sit on? How many beds can a man sleep in?"

It was his way of saying get what you need and no more. He never went broke either.

Blogging is So Last Year I Suppose

We had our annual Hunnicutt Thanksgiving in Durham this past weekend. We have done this for a number of years so that we can each have our own Thanksgiving at home or be surrounded by the loving in-laws Norman Rockwell style when the actual day arrives.

As usual my sister and I were in the kitchen catching up on the blogs we read. Many blogs we have in common, Ali, Zig, Teresa, Terri, Terry, and then there are many I read that she doesn't and many she reads that don't interest me.

One common thread we noticed is our regular bloggers who's lives we have watched from the outside, watched their children be born, leave home, or struggle in this economy have gradually stopped their daily posts and are down to a trickle. Some just throw in the towel.

I guess blogging is so last year.

My blog still continues to lay an egg almost daily that has to be deposited somewhere. So for now at least I'll be here until the egg laying dries up.

Tis The Season of Family and relatives

Most families have that one or two special relatives that my any standard are very dysfunctional at best or down right crazy. I had two as a child. No three. They were harmless like senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia but like him still loony tunes by any standard, yet able to function in society to some extent.

I loved them all because their deficiencies made them endearing to some extent and I knew after they were gone a generation of rational people like me were talking their place.

Guess what? I have discovered that as our generation ages a few special ones come forth and take the place of the crazies from our child hood. So now I have several obvious dysfunctional family members just like when I was a child.

Kind of makes me feel all warm and toasty like holidays of old.

As least now my generation is "on deck" and we are the next to take our dirt nap. You younger folks reading this look around and decide which one of you will step forth and be the dysfunctional family member for the next generation.

Time and Space

I awoke and glanced at the clock....it was 4 AM. Darn I think I'm awake.

I lay there trying to go back to sleep when an inner voice told me that I will die in my sleep and I will die soon.

This startled me and I looked at the clock and it was 5:30.

It is amazing to me how time can lapse like this and how the mind plays tricks with itself.

Needless to say I ain't dead....but that was so real.

Happy Wednesday.

Changes Going On

Gigi and I have been doing some home renovation and remodeling.

Fortunately we have found a talented contractor that is willing to do the work as we go because we are paying out of pocket as we go.

Our home is a modest 3 bedroom two bath ranch built 35 years ago. Over the years we have done a few interior upgrades like the kitchen and baths and flooring. Even these remodels are getting a bit outdated.

The exterior of our home is t-111 which is glorified plywood with fake board joints sawn into the wood to make it look a bit more appealing. You may recognise this exterior from any old lake house you stayed at during camp as a child.

Our front had a major exterior design flaw that allowed water from the roof to baste the house when it rained and therefore slowly rot a portion of the front exterior.

The first thing we did was get all the front windows replaced in the affected area with modern efficient triple pane super duper windows. We love them. I could feel the change immediately not only from air quality but also noise. Then the roof line was altered and all the rotten wood was replaced and then the new exterior was applied.

We chose the same exterior as our guest house which is a coastal grade vinyl shake shingle. These are very thick and high quality and should out last us.

We then carried the exterior down the side and replace the two windows in the master bedroom. All of this came in slightly over budget and we were broke for construction but the problem was fixed.

Next we found a great deal to replace the old wooden garage door with a modern steel clad insulated door that had a carriage house exterior design. This custom item is on order and is paid for including

installation.

Now we are about to start a major change in the front which will enclose out 4X34 foot porch into living area and a 10 foot by 34 country porch will be added. This space is on the north side so it will be cool in the summer and it is real outdoor living space compared to the ledge out there now. An additional 4 feet in the interior will be significant as will the new front door, foyer, and windows. The porch will have paddle fans and a painted tongue in groove deck painted battleship gray. The new exterior will carry completely across the front and around the garage. From the street the home will look completely different.

The new living space will have pine floors instead of carpet. I am promised a man portion of the new larger room for my wide screen TV and the other sitting area will be girly for tea parties and pillow fights.

Finally the last phase will be tying the old house into our guest house. I am not sure when this will happen and how much, but it will happen after I digest financially the changes we have made now.

Why Hurry So?

Why did I used to think 5 minutes was such a long time?

In five minutes I can have a wonderful boiled egg and toast for breakfast. Or a delicious bowl of old fashioned Quaker Oats. They are much better than the instant and still I have to wait 5 minutes for the water to boil.

I gave up years ago fixing my own breakfast because it was too much trouble and took too long.

What did I do with all those saved five minutes? I sat in line at McDonald and bought shitty food at $4 a pop.

I can buy a gallon of oats for $3.50 and eat with my family. Or a dozen "chicken butt never touched a cage" organic eggs.

Oooo! My eggs timer just went off.

I'm off to a flight to Philly this morning with a proper breakfast.

Video Time

The Blood Sports...Not Much of A Fan

I bought my new notebook PC on Friday and I have spent some time now with Windows 7. It works fine but is unfamiliar. There is no "Windows Classic" setting so I'm turning new ground and settling in. It will take a while before I have my iTunes configured and all the old stuff moved from my dying PC.

I decided not to load Microsoft Office but opted for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint readers that I can read and print from and I will continue to use the free Google documents.

On Saturday I went to an Appalachian State Football game in Boone, NC. The college football experience is so different from the professional football experience. It was a lot of fun and our team won. Next time I'm taking the grill. Eating grocery store prepared deli food from plastic trays seems wrong to me. There must be fresh meat, smoke and fire for a proper tailgate party.

We are in the season of the blood sports here in North Carolina. The booming sound of rifle fire sends my dogs running for cover.

Yesterday I saw a heaping mound of internal organs in someones yard. I assume it was a prank and they were deer parts.

Personalty I don't get hunting but don't make a bid deal about those that do enjoy it. It seems sad to shoot a majestic animal for fun and then complain that the meat is dry.

I do enjoy fishing to some extent but I feel sorry for the fish I catch. I usually release what I catch.

I need some Saint Croix Heat

My notebook PC of almost 4 years is dying. I'm afraid it will take a mother board which the part alone refurbished is $475. So for now I type away on a pink screen, sometimes green, sometimes normal hoping it will last until I get a new PC.

In good news.....I entered a photo contest that was open to the entire planet and I came in second! I'll be collecting my winnings in the form of Miss Anna's Hot Sauce. See the winner below.

I got busted yesterday by a dear friend and reader of my blog and occasional Facebooker. I was bitchin' about winter on Facebook yet resolved on my blog not to bitch about winter. Technically I was okay because I didn't bitch on my blog but failed in spirit. I guess it would depend on what the definition of "is" is.

As far as this blog is concerned I am in total love of the polar season.....who am I kidding? Oh shit. Three flu infections this season between the two of us and it is cold as Ned's ass outside.

92 days 'til Saint Croix.

Tanner

The border collie fairy left this at my doorstep.

Jimmi Cawda Flowchart

Click to Enlarge

Peaches 1996-2009

Yesterday we decided it was time to give up the fight and we euthinized Peaches. She was quite alert but her body was failing. I have done this enough where I can say my vet did a good job. Yet it never gets easy. We shed a lot of tears. I will miss her very much.

So that leaves me with 5 border collies, Haley, Cedie, Abby, Duke and Tanner. Oh I haven't mentioned Tanner yet have I?

Somewhere in the fog of my fever last week Gigi had gone to the vets to pick up some more medicine for Peaches. When Gigi returned she then came to my bedside and set this small male border collie beside me.

"His name is Tanner", she said. "I tell you more when you feel better."

Turns out Tanner is a 2 1/2 year old tri color male border collie. He is sweet, obedient, mostly house broken and a fun guy.

His owner had taken Tanner to his vet and demanded that he be euthinized because he was crazy. His vet refused. He took Tanner to my vet and demanded he be euthinized and my vet refused and took the dog. My vet knew Gigi.

So for now Tanner is part of our family.

Border collies may seem crazy if you don't know the breed. They are driven herd animals. They must have a job.

So we adjust now to life without Peaches....our first border collie.

What Is Next?

Let stop and talk about this fellow for a moment because I didn't get the memo.

This looks like a fine healthy young man who is more devoted to his jitter juice than say beer and chicken wings. He looks fit. It looks like he has a passion for the IT arts...and he is organised and neat. And one could assume he is concerned for his cranium because he has a bandanna wrapped around his head.

When I was a kid guys just didn't wear hats. John F. Kennedy freed us from hats....and tie clips and men were grateful. This was a simpler time when the only people with tattoos were alcoholic retired navy men.

Hair was a wonderful statement. It could blow in the breeze and be cut in whatever way suited the owner.

Gradually baseball caps became vogue and all the pre-Kennedy era rules about wearing hats fell like the Berlin Wall. Guys wore hats indoors out doors at the dinner table whatever. Bald guys took to hats like a fat kid does to a tee shirt at a swimming pool.

Soon the goatee made it's appearance and all guys looked pretty much alike.

I was caught up in my own decade of fashion so I watched this unfold from the sidelines.

Then someone found an old pancake box and thought that a handkerchief tired on their head would set them apart. Certainly an old rag would look better that hair or a ball cap.

Personally I don't get this unless maybe it is spring cleaning time or perhaps one is in treatment for head lice.

But it is a great country so wear your rag.

What's for breakfast?

Will Tiny Tim Walk Again?

A beginning to Cedie's wheel chair. It needs adjustment, gluing, fitting, testing and so forth.

So far Cedie thinks I am some pervert chasing her around for measurements.

This might be all I can do today. I'm still getting well.

A Virus Hack

Today I am the empty shell of where just 24 hours ago a great battle for control of my body raged. I am sore, weak, and still have a persistent but productive cough. Oh what a flu it may have been but I had a flu hack.

At the first sign of confirmed flu I headed to a doctor. For me a fever is the moment of truth confirming flu, assuming I don't have infected sore elsewhere on my body. The fever hit in the night with chills.

In the morning I headed to the local clinic affiliated with my physician and hospital group. I was seeking a medical confirmation of my diagnosis and some Tamiflu. The nurse swabbed my nose and ran the test. The Tamiflu was prescribed.

It seems that researchers have found a way to hack the flu virus and control it's growth in the host body. The Tamiflu is a drug that slows the spread of influenza (flu) virus between cells in the body by stopping the new virus from chemically cutting ties with its host cell.

So my body recovers more quickly than I expected.

They key is to get this drug at the onset or it does no good.

The day continued as usual with fever, chills, fever, chills and lots of sleep. Then the second night I had the sweats. I sweat and sweat with indicates in the 1956 model that I am coming out of a fever.

I wake up day three and feel much better but pee basketball orange. I text a nurse in Canada and he said that it should be orange.

So I'm still taking Tamiflu. I still have flu in me I suppose but I feel much better. What would have been a week event is over in days.

Now I can take Gigi to the doctor this morning because she is sick as hell.

Da Flu

I have h1n1 flu. I am so sore everywhere. I am taking Tamaflu and a most wonderful controlled cough syrup with inhaler. Back to bed.

Dog Wheel Chair

I'm going to take a stab at building a dog wheel chair. The one's I see online are more than $500. I think I can build one.

You see my girl Cedie who has just one back leg also has epilepsy. She takes a drug that controls her seizures but one of the side effects is that it can cause weakness in hind legs of dogs.

Cedie has a difficult time now standing up and walking. I help her up in the morning and she walks fine. But try and get up again and she ends up dragging her hind quarters around.

I think with some old dog harnesses, some PVC pipe, velcro, lawnmower wheels, that I can build her an assist that will allow her to run again. Her front paws and arms are strong.

I'll let you know how this goes. If anyone has ideas or suggestions please let me know.

Cedie is a good sport. I think she'll take right to it.

This Made Me Think

Yesterday was another home game and another

humiliating loss. Thankfully NFL football is more than just the game so I'll pass on my observations from yesterday.

Sunday we had a 4 PM game rather

than the preferred and usual 1 PM start time.

Wreggie's Football Postulate 1: The later

the start time the more alcohol is ingested prior to the game.

We set up early so that we

could watch the 1 PM games in TV and leisurely cook brats and burgers.

At Carolina Panther Games

there is no stadium parking lot. Throughout a radius of the stadium small parking lots normally used by weekday commuters

become small cities. Each parking lot is equipped with two or more porta-jons and one must pay anywhere from $15 to $40 for the right to park here for one game.

This year someone passes out large yellow plastic bags to claim recyclables. Then after a few hours someone may politely ask if they can dig through your bag in search of aluminum.

So gradually the parking lots fill with cars, people, grills, smoke, music, and laughter. Big spreads of food are prepared as if we are the ones about to expend energy in a few hours.

Then about 1 hour before game time the small city begins to disassemble and is packed away. Then 75,000 people descend on the stadium.

Scattered among the three levels are abundant restrooms where men go to eliminate beer. The men's room near my seats has maybe 30 urinals and 4 stalls. All station run about 10 men deep. So at any time there is a big cinder block room with well over 300 men waiting for their turn. There are many rooms like this all over the stadium.

In the bathroom there is an overhead speaker system broadcasting the game with fans of both side yelling for their team. There is a lot of joking and yelling from some that have been over served.

Yesterday not once but twice I saw a small girl, different girl each time in the men's room. They looked to be about 4 years old, maybe younger. They looked kind of horrified at what they were witnessing. They were so small that they went mostly unnoticed. Each was with their father who had to go.

If a guy takes his his little daughter to a game then I guess there is no other alternative if either has to "go" except to walk in the men's room.

I just hope there is no lasting damage to the young ones witnessing the event.

Dress for whatever

I have written in the past about scrubs and the medical profession. How nice to wear PJ's to work.

When I was in St Croix last I had the occasion to be around chef Aaron of The Pickled Greek. He is serious in the kitchen and wears chef jammies.

Yes apparently unbeknown to me there are chef scrubs out there.

I dress casual for my industry and rarely wear a suit. I did wear a suit one week ago and noticed how differently people treated me.

Same old Wreggie but now I got more attention and "yes sirs" while wearing a suit.

Funny on a side note somewhere about five years ago I became Mr. Hunnicutt and was no longer referred to by my first name. This is mainly with vendors I trade with like my laundry guy, my grocery store and of course staff at my club.

Today I shall be in a football jersey and shorts attending a game in Charlotte and they'll call me Wreg....or shithead.

Fish

I was reading this morning on my blog fiends site about her on again off again affair with Tilapia. Basically she ate Tilapia because if didn't taste like fish until she read the horrid conditions that most Tilapia grow in. They are bottom feeders. Now she is no longer a Tilapia eater.

I love fish. I expect fish to taste like fish. I avoid tasteless fish like Tilapia and Mahi which are everyone's fish of the day because they are tasteless.

Any taste in the above mentioned fish is derived form blackening, a sauce, or frying. Otherwise one is eating white bulk.

Thursday I met my match. My friend insisted we go to a sushi bar for lunch. I like these places fine but I don't particularly like eating with sticks and I am never sure what I am eating so I try it all. Somewhere in the mix I swear I ate some slightly bad carp. I belched strong fish the rest of the day and into the evening.

Ideally I like salt water fish but make exception for fresh water trout and crappy. Salmon ranks high for me. I can it it daily but tuna moves down the scale. I prefer salmon over tuna by a long shot.

I like most fish you can catch in the surf here in NC, yes even spots and croakers.

But I draw the line at bottom fish like catfish and grouper. I prefer caught in the wild to farm raised. I love most any crustacean or shellfish or fish with no skeleton like squid.

And finally give me shrimp and oysters and scallops until I drop.

I'll Shut Up

It is no secret that I hate winter.

Just yesterday my friend Ty openly declared he hated long shadows. His voice held fear and panic of pending doom. I knew what he was talking about.

On the other hand I have dear friends that love the cold and darkness of winter. Just now they are seemingly coming to life.

They are all excited about Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, snow or driving to the mountains to see snow, skiing, open fires and whatever cold lovers do during this period of depression and gloom.

As a child I loved this stuff too. Somewhere the darkness began to effect my mood and the cold started hurting my skin and bones.

I have learned to cope. I stay mentally on vacation on an island.

This year I promise not to gripe about what I can't change.

I'm Alive

I was reminded tongue in cheek but with a lot of truth from an old childhood friend named "Bunny" that we should be thankful every morning just because we wake up. I tend to take life and health for granted sometimes.

This morning Gigi asked me to take Peaches outside to do her business. It was dark and close to freezing.

We went out into the yard and I noticed Peaches seemed to be on a mission. She was headed toward the barn.

In her younger days this would have been a 10 second burst of running but today is was a deliberate and determined amble. She paused once but never stumbled.

We got up there and were met by Haley and Millie the cat. The horses seemed curious.

I looked up and the stars were brillient and the sun slowly began to fade the stars. The air was cold on my skin and cold as I drew it into my lungs. For just a moment I felt very alive and thankful that I was alive.

Peaches turned toward the house and slowly walked back.

Gigi was waiting worried as to why it was talking us so long.

Thanks Peaches.

Festivals

We don't have any festivals and I miss that. In places like St Croix they will celebrate most anything at the drop of a hat and once in place it becomes an annual event.

This is unabated celebration too. Not the reserve "trying to teach Muffy a culture lesson" but open smiles, dancing, drinking, food and music. Alway music.

It is all rather orderly and is over in a few hours.

People of all cultures and ages pour into the streets and celebrate such island heritage as St Patrick's' day, or Christmas Morning Jouvert, or most any holiday like Labor Day Jouvert, Jump Up three times a year, Feast if the Three Kings, whatever.

We used to have celebrations based on history but what few we had were forcefully swept under the mat because one or more groups became offended.

Sad...we should make up something new but I doubt we have the heart to celebrate openly and meaningfully like the islanders do.

My Thursday

Yesterday I drove north to visit a client who lives almost on top of the Eastern Continental divide. I like standing on a Continental Divide...one side and the water flows to the Gulf of Mexico, the other side and water flows to the Atlantic Ocean.

I used to have a great affection for the Appalachian Mountains but now they depress me. The weather was typical for the mountains, cold, very foggy and rain.

I lived in the Appalachian Mountains back in the 1970's for five years and got a belly full of cold rain, heavy snow, and sub zero temperatures. I never caught on the to charm of having frozen hair, slick streets, dry skin, dark days, shrunken scrotum, ice and snow everywhere, skin numbing cold, and high frigid winds that so many other people seem to enjoy.

I drove up early afternoon, ears popping with the elevation change and drove into a think fog bank. So thick was the fog I honestly relied mosty on my GPS to get me to the final destination. But that too is part of the charm of mountain driving.

We met at his home, talked, visited and did our business. Then it was time to see his chickens.

This guy started chicken farming about the time I did but never looked back. Now he has about 200 hens and 1 rooster that he is baby sitting. Egg production has dropped from the dark and cold days but soon a 60 watt bulb will fool the chickens into egg production when he get electricity up to the chicken house.

Thrilling Thursday

It is suddenly winter here. It is mostly dark all day with rain and it is in the 40's. This is classic Carolina winter.

I came home and slipped into my Homer Simpson pajama bottoms that I bought at Kmart in St Croix and threw on my sweat shirt that says St Croix Cane Bay. This or some variation will be my winter household garb until the spring thaw sometime near The Masters.

Gigi already had on layers of clothes and reported the horses were in a "pissy mood". They hate nasty weather.

Earlier I had stopped by the club for some social intercourse and a pint of two of OMB. I decided to pick up supper too since it was already dark.

So we ate supper and caught up on the events of the day.

The evenings now I find that my PC is my constant companion for entertainment. I write some web html, mess around with google maps, do some work at a leisurely pace, read a lot of news, and scan Facebook.

One thing I discovered is Google maps street view has caught up to the entrance to my neighborhood. Soon old Google will ride down to the Wreggie compound and witness my home and horses for the world to see.

Hump Day Edition

On Monday I installed my new car stereo into my pickup. Earlier in the day I asked my lovely assistant if she would splice the rats nest of wires on the wiring harness for me. She did and it worked perfectly.

The install went fine which really supprised me. I expected something to break, burn, rattle or something to go wrong but it didn't.

This is a major sound improvement for me. Fearing the worse I delayed new speakers but ordered them yesterday. I should have the system complete by the weekend.

The Bluetooth paired up with my iPhone and now calls come in over the stereo. I'm still trying to figure out all the buttons.

My oldest dog Peaches is definitely approaching the sunset of her full life. Her kidneys are failing. She spent last night at the vet hospital on fluids and catheter trying to flush and restart her kidneys.

We are not going to put her through a lot of medical stuff. We just want her to be comfortable for as long as possible.

The Good Life

We had a good time tailgating yesterday. I have my part down to a system now and it works rather well.

I now bring a three divided commercial chaffing dish to the event so my first task is to boil a gallon of water. This give me time to set up the two gas grills and or any other device like the fryer.

Yesterday I opted for jambalaya with sausage as the mystery third item. Then we had the usual brats, and bubba burgers. Once all this is cooked I can toss it into the chaffing dish where it will stay warm and moist and I can clean up.

I also bring a collection of hot sauces including several homemade ones my nephew makes and an assortment of Miss Anna's hot sauce from St Croix.

It turns out Miss Anna's is having a contest on Facebook about their sauce and how we use it. All I needed to do is submit a picture of us using the sauce and I might have a shot at winning cases of the stuff.

So yesterday I found these three hot and slightly buzzed women to model my collection of Miss Anna's hot sauce.

Think I have a chance?

Birth Mark

On my right knee is a oh so familiar birthmark. It is about the size of a pill and is tan in color.

Yesterday I looked at it for the first time in years and noticed it was about gone or either faded in the the blotchy universe of my skin.

When I was a child I was so self conscience of it that I refused to wear shorts. Even as a teenager I rarely wore shorts because of this mindset.

One day in the early 1980's I went to an island, wore shorts and flip flops and the rest is history. The birthmark lost it's hold on my life.

Then I thought how perfect my child body was except for this blemish. Now, as my body transforms into a troll I don't much care what anyone see's.

I'm not sure were I was going with this post but it is said now. What was so important is no longer even considered.

With All Due Respect Mr. President.....

The Nobel Prize Tongue-in-cheek award yesterday to president Obama has made us the laughing stock of the world. A least Jimmy Carter was a sweet old fool that tried to bring about peace. The awarding of the prize to Yasser Arafat was equally laughable as yesterday's announcement.

Read the European and Asian papers and you'l see a general disgust for the US and our worship of our new president. No one respects us anymore.

Can the Cy Young award and the Heisman Trophy be next for Mr. Obama?

I hope Mr. President that you have a legacy of peace and prosperity but accepting the award now is foolhearty.

King of the Road

Avionics means "aviation electronics". I love the word and I have personally adapted the meaning to include car electronics.

This morning I overhauled and updated the avionics in my 2000 Ford pickup.

In one unit I got a hidden CD player (old school) AM and FM and HD radio with Bluetooth, a usb port and auxiliary input port. This will completely merge my iPhone and iTunes with my car. Calls will come in hands free with the ID on the LCD screen. Music I hear on HD radio can be tagged for later purchase. Trapster speed traps and live police warnings will come in via Bluetooth.

All for $159 delivered with all installation kits and harnesses for my truck.

I opted not to get the GPS. I already have the add on GPS and like to tinker with the works too much to have it built in.

Just for this moment I am on top of technology. Gone is the old cassette player.

Style, Be Careful Where You Land

"I like that boom boom pow

Them chickens jackin' my style

They try copy my swagger

I'm on that next shit now"

My style is somewhere between President Dwight Eisenhower and The Black Eyed Peas. We all tend to gravitate to some comfortable place in our past.

My father in law I swear is so 1930's ... right out of a gangster movie.

A lot of my friend stopped developing stylistically in the 1970's.

Personally I was hung up in the 1980's until boredom made me change my music and style habits for a new style.

But then there is noting sadder than seeing a 53 year old white Man belting out the lyrics to Right Round by Flo-rida and enjoying it. That just isn't right.

So, my style is changing and modifyiny to a new place. I don't think I can survive another 30 years on the same AC/DC.

Where are you?

Pointed Shoes II

I have expressed my strong dislike of the pointed shoes women are wearing.

First I guess the pointed shoe reminds me of the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. That was not a good look.

Second, I am a foot guy....not in a creepy freaky way. I think most feet are pretty and sexy just like other parts of women. Ball them up to a point...not so sexy.

Let me tell you what I saw last week...I almost did a flip. There was a woman who had her feet done with that French finish....you know where the exposed nail is painted white. She had on pointed shoes with an open toe. The big toe and second toes were exposed with the French Nails and I swear it looked like a cloven hoof on a she devil. Not a good look.

I hope I don't have to get used to cloven hooves on women. I swear I'll start wearing chicken feet.

I am Fast

I do things fast. I don't know why but I do. Most everything I do is with speed and power.

One of those things that is most noticeable is walking. I walk up to the point of a cantor.

When I was in St Croix a month ago I was walking toward the taxi stand in downtown Christiansted. The taxi driver asked if I need a cab. Then he said, "You walk strong man."

I laughed and thought how accurate that description was.

A Couple of Things I don't Like

I really don't like it when someone assumes the worse or get pissed about something that doesn't deserve the anger. Example:

"Dooflachy gave us a piece of cake."

Asshole response "It must be about to go bad otherwise she would have kept it".

No dipshit...she was just being nice.

Or..."I took Cooter Brown home last night...he had a few too many".

Asshole response "Cooter is a damn drunk....he deserves a DWI".

No...no one needed to die at the hands of Cooter...I was just being nice.

Or on another topic when I go to a grocery store and no one is paying attention. Customers just aimlessly wondering up isles plugging up lanes.

"Hey...this is my life too....get out of my way!"

This may be your entertainment for the week but for me it's just a beer run.

And finally I hate using a card machine at checkout. Why did customers have to get involved with a transaction? They are all different and require my undivided attention for 30 seconds which is hard for me to concentrate that long.

"Sir...the machine is waiting for a response."

"Yes 38.76 is correct!"

Let's do it like we do in a restaurant...I hand you the card and do do the checkout...okay? I don't need a nonpaying job.

The Judy Bill

My sister told me years ago that she believed everyone should have free home heating. Now that the government in charge has the mind set in that direction ...why not?

It makes sense. The poor struggle while fat cats sweat with their thermostats turned up to 75 degrees.

People die without antiquate home heating in the winter.

The feds could take control of the public utility system and "reduce costs". This mean no more greenhouse gases and the world could turn colder again. They would rebuild the grid and reduce costs.

Then they could allot heat based on family members and square feet in one's home. The thermostats would be controlled centrally to make sure everyone complies and no one get too much or too little heat.

People with larger home would be required to heat only certain spaces that they occupy. Central control could enforce that too.

People in warmer climates would be required to buy home heating or face a fine.

No one would go without adequate home heating and no one would die or get sick from no home heat. Pipes would no longer burst under the government plan saving even more money.

The federal workers would be on a different heat plan.

There would be no public alternative except a fire barrel.

It is cruel not to push this through.

Judy also thinks clean underwear should be free too but lets get this government run home heating bill passed first.