There must be a reason, so invent the conspiracy

I am becoming easily distracted, and it was surely the television's fault that I have to change what I am doing because of boredom. They invent remotes and I get fat but can quickly find something new to distract myself -- heavens! I wouldn't want to actually sit and think and write a new purpose in my life and direction - just go with the flow... when you bump into America it will be wonderful.

I visited the trailer park people (stereotypes thereof) at their shopping spots, I was looking for .22 LR in bulk. But Big Kmart didn't have any, Wal-mart didn't have any and I was not happy. Looking at their shelves, which aren't really loaded with bunches of bullets anyway I figure if China made lots of .22 LR I would have found it piled up everywhere, but they probably protect the Pandas by not providing plinking power to the people. Today I will try the more expensive gunshop, and not write anything bad to jinx the visit.

Along with the frustration for foolishness is good news and pictures of my reason to be grandfatherly, over ninety days now, working on that important one hundred day mark. All ye of little faith, just remember - if I couldn't fix the world, there is the promise of entirely new untainted generations being born that can. Turn off the televisions and teach them to think. Where did I leave the remote?

Range day testing, just testing...

I know nothing about optics and scopes, but need to learn so I buy a cheap one to mount on my single shot .22, and fool around and get it mounted and kind of lined up, you know using my calibrated eye-ball. So I go out to shoot the x off my target, and don't, I have to adjust the sights, up and right, up and right then just a bit more right. Done! I paste the target, kind of. Okay, now we work on the Remington 597 and see what I can hit with it. Umm, high left, so what do I do without Tech sights? Shift my Sight Picture to hit the center of the target, without pointing at it. I love Kentucky windage.... and I fire multiple magazines at the target, Can't wait for the Tech sights and slinging up, I will be dangerous.

Saw another old man with a beautiful M1 Garand, and he was shooting. I talked to him a bit, and wondered if I should have asked him if he had taught any young people how to shoot straight, but I didn't, but I should have... he likes shooting his rifle and that is step one.

What 'da get me? said the child to the adult...

A question I won't ask, since it is always the person more of a prize then the stuff they could be carrying to share. But then I had my old man stone face on last night in the dark, I even had my gun on, but no one noticed, there was some strange shooting going on in Seattle last night, and I just wanted my better half home safe. She is. And the telephone started ringing at nine, the rains are here and she is rustling stuff around for breakfast, since I didn't replace the milk... Love is good, life is great and we give thanks.

Thank God, it IS Friday!

Big day, the end of the work week, my wife will be returning and I have a home to clean up in preparation.


So I wheel into a left turn and merge with the traffic going down Steilacoom Blvd. I see to my right a silver convertible with a brunette driving and top down, in front of me is an SUV, not moving as fast as my impatience. There is the gap, now if I just lay into a hard right lean, roll up on the throttle and then lean left, shift up and roll on harder I will be clear of everything except the thrill of beating the street... where did that Tom Foolery go to? it must be somewhere, I remember it so well from so long ago. There! Lean hard roll on that throttle before that gap gets away, lean back into the left and pass that almost tuttle-like tank quickly, quickly. So smooth and so cool, hmmm, is that fifty-five on the speedo meter? roll back a bit gently - I have done my best for today, and will remember the joy of youth now back to my normal sense of responsibility, the wife will remind me if I forget. Nice smooth moves, Trusty Triumph, very nice, one of these days we may do a long wheelie, NOT! but you can dream.

So I wanted to go running with you today...

You know who you are, I just woke up and knew I wanted to go running with you and laugh and work out the knots and kinks and knees. Of course, you aren't here, you are only in my mind and you run so well there. I would hold my pace back for you, but you are younger and fit and step out strong, I will pay for thinking I should be kind.

I guess I don't know everything...

It seems that Senator Kennedy is getting buried in Arlington National Cemetery. And I thought I knew the qualifications. He was the brother of two serving officers of World War II, one of which didn't return. But I couldn't find the military service that Ted Kennedy had performed. Must have missed it.

Did you ride today?... what kind of question is that...

As I walked across the street in Steilacoom a co-worker in his truck called out "Did you ride today?" It had been misty and scattered showers, but of course I rode, you have to live that dream not just think about it. I think about winning the Mega Millions, but motorcycle riding - just roll out the Trusty Triumph and turn the key and you are off. Where is my key? I had to get the duplicate out today, my Triumph key is hiding. Under something or totally lost and alone -- don't know, had only enough time to find the spare. Then I am off on the ride, and that makes me happy, the smiles come, the laughter only I hear in my helmet, the roll of the throttle and the slick transfer of power between my mind and the bike.

Work through the day, and then it is time to ride the ferry back. In the sky hangs a silver crescent, following the Sun to the West. As it gets darker the Moon goes to brilliant white and I wonder how we got so self absorbed that we allowed the aliens to fortify the Moon against our further incursions. Oh, well, I have a motorcycle to ride and a rifle to work upon. I can't remember what was so important last night that I didn't mount the sling swivels. So tonight I mount the sling swivels, and although I get the electric drill out, I use the manual one drilling the two holes I need and mount the swivels. I add the GI web sling and I am almost where I want to be, just waiting on the Tech Sights.

Dear Remington....

Dear Remington Firearms.

I participate in the Appleseed Project, just made my RWVA Instructor status,
http://www.appleseedinfo,org.

I think the 597 is a great rifle for this. I purchased mine at Cabela's sale this weekend, for $149.99, and got four magazines, and Talon Q/R Sling Swivels (1 1/4") and a GI web sling from another vendor. My TSM200 sights are on the way, too. When assembled I will have a great rifle to shoot with, thanks. The choice of this model or the Marlin 795 was made because the 597 had a better box magazine and was flush to the rifle. My heavy Centerfire is an M1 Garand from CMP, the transfer of skills should be close to seamless, save recoil.

I recommend you sell an Appleseed Model with Tech Sights,
3 spare mags and a GI web sling and I'll recommend it (not that I won't be pushing and showing mine every Appleseed).
Please support Appleseed, we are supporting you.

Sincerely,

William Earl Dungey
Just the Library Keeper

So what is in a name? really...

I dropped my wife off at her church, they are off to Washington, DC, New York City, and Niagara Falls and she is to take lots of pictures. So I worked my library day through, one new hire shelving books heroically, which is good.

I spend my time today thinking about what to call my new rifle, the one I bought just to have one to lend for new shooters and for me to practice cheaply. Yep, I wandered here and I wandered there, trying to figure out what would work best in my mind. The only thing that stuck was to call the rifle "Liberty" which is not the same thing as Freedom. Liberty works well in my mind, thank you.

What is wrong with this picture?

Well, the Trusty Triumph isn't rolling down the road anywhere. Yes, it went to church and came home after picking up the winning Mega Millions ticket for Tuesday. But now it is just sitting in the front yard on the landing strip, looking for adventure and the rider has locked himself out of the house and is sitting on the porch. Waiting for one wife with her keys to return. She will ask if I will be alright while she is away in New York and I will say yes, like I can take care of myself. But she'll then ask how many doors and windows am I going to go through and we will chuckle, cause I can go through doors. Although I find using a key so much easier than my shoulder.

Okay clip is too long to attach to email...

Seems my email will time out when trying to upload video clips, so I give up.

About shopping at Cabela's, they did have a sale today, the Marlins were gone in a hurry, at ninety-nine dollars each. They had five salesmen manning the gun counter, where last year there were fifteen. Some shoppers didn't wait but I and others did so we could get what we wanted. They would have done more business with more sales staff, but then they don't want to pay them and maintain them when there isn't a sale.

Well, enough complaining, after all the gunnies don't get a Cash for Clunkers, turning in your old firepole for newer ones. Do they? Nope, they don't.

No .22 LR ammunition there.

Oh, the lady in the picture is Gideon's mother.

This is my wife on video mode, snapping pix...

She doesn't look at the settings, but did get a picture of me walking to pull the rope, the old guys needed my help (they say they wished I had been there for the relay race earlier).

Like the other one, takes time to load.

Can you tell I am armed and dangerous?

Nah, I didn't think so, and it is probably all imagination...

yep, all my imagination....

still uploading, Cannonball III, anyone?

Okay, we were playing today

and I get to show y'all my favorite cheer leader for the Blue Team, and she told me that she wasn't going to drum today. But she did.

I did demonstrate the video feature of the Cannon Powershot A540 to another old man owner, he didn't know about it either. Now we both are so smart - but there must be an editing feature somewhere so I can add, crop and expand - where to go for more knowledge?

Of course I go off to eat an orange, watch Cannonball II, and just mellow out, it does take time to upload the clip.

And more time.


and more time..


and just a little more time...

Go ahead, let the imagination ruin the reality...

Well, the motorcycle ride to Purdy was good, and the one home last night was better since it didn't have that misty rain and slick streets. I did get a bit of a smile when I tried to call attention to the fact that my motorcycle only had two wheels and I shouldn't pay four dollars like the big gas guzzling automobiles. Yes, equality until the law works, I paid four dollars - I have the same number of axles and the Governor doesn't love me, sigh.

So for all of you that haven't been to a Women's Correction Center - what you will find there is no prisoners. Well, none that I recognized, I was still looking around for men in khaki. There were lots of women in sweats but no men in khaki. There are lots of flowers, the gardens grow all over, flow all over and they make money on Horticulture. They also train working dogs, and we had a couple in the library for a bit. A blind woman and her dog came for a meeting while I was waiting at the entrance, the dog was on constant alert, the woman calm and sure, a very nice team.

The IT folks came and fixed the printer for my use while on the DOC1 computers, if I had been on the other one I would have been okay from the start. The library is smaller than mine, although the claim is only a few thousand items less in the total collection - there is much more room on the shelves. Four women in the crew, and they work together and quickly - and as bad as I am with names I have all of them today still, so there is hope I will improve some of my failings. I did get to check departing inmates out and clear them from the library computers. Four didn't have all their material turned in, two returned and cleared after finding it. Nice system. I even put in the ILL requests for the week, laughing a the small number of requests, my normal day is like his normal week.

I got a tour of the total facility, seventy-five acres of it, about 950 inmates, and J unit has the mothers with babes to eighteen months, another thing that isn't right in the world of Earl. There were three periods of library open and twenty patrons is the maximum so only sixty could have used it yesterday, one period was about four or five, the other two fairly full. Doug introduced me to a few people so they would be aware I would be back. The important one was the officer that manned the desk that watches the hallway and the library - if she is gone I get to send all the women out of the library and lock the door. Don't get caught in the library alone with any number of women inmates. That is supposed to be the safety advice from my Program Manager, works for me. My wife's rule is don't get caught with one woman, that has been in effect for many many years, that has always worked best.

Overall, I think I won't have any trouble covering for Doug during the time he is on vacation, the goal is going to be to get the doors open, move the mail and distribution and don't make a mess (at least not one that Doug can't clean up when he returns).

It isn't a secret, so expect an ambush on the way...

I am locked into going to WCCW and Google maps has me in their sights. This information can be lifted from the internet and all those people wanting to do me, personally, harm will be gathering at certain choke points to get me. Now, if you will just wait until I get my tinfoil cap off, I can mention that I have no idea if there are any such anywhere and that is a very good thing.

Facebook is a bit interesting, I have been found by Jeanie Johnson (now of another name), and am again friends with Tanya, her sister. Whom I remember from before she took off to school (yes, before kindergarten), and her picture is part of the happy from her mother. So long ago and so far away. I think I was the closest thing Tanya had to a pet of her own. Very long ago and far far away, almost another galaxy.

Hiding in the shadows? or just a little empty....

I worked today, as all week, and closed the library for the week, tomorrow I go to the Washington Correction Center for Women (WCCW) to understudy Doug the Geek. I have avoided it so long, there were always women in the area willing and able to cover for vacationing staff, they are running out of them, too. It will be interesting the motorcycle ride over the Narrows Bridge, bring toll fee for return. And I will be able to destroy all my illusions about women and women behind bars and find out they are only women behind bars.

Fun things for the weekend, Cabela's has special sales on Saturday, 8 to 12, and I could go and get a 22 semi-auto for almost peanuts. I was alerted by another interested shopper looking for a Liberty Training Rifle, but his store is flashing Marlins, and mine is doing Remingtons, of the type I was looking at favorably. I will see. First I have to get up that early, drive the Caravan down I-5, and fight my way through all those fellows that want my stuff more than I do... and to think I have always laughed at people that shopped sales (remembering that I am never going to be rich buying the way I do - but there are lots of happy salesmen).

I do think that I will wander off to the family room to read "Tuck" while my lady watches her television shows. I think Lawhead has done fine job putting Robin where he has and keeping us traditionalists interested and entertained. Yep, time to go and pamper myself with enrichment of my neurons, or some such thing.

So what did you do Saturday?

This photo reminds me a bit of some of the other pictures of people, that don't want to be seen on the internet. I am the little guy in the orange cap, and the man with the Red Instructor's cap on is Fred of the Revolutionary War Veterans Association. He was helping me get that hat right off of his head. Since he was the Shoot Boss he was supposed to be wearing a Green Cap, but I figure he was just tickling my interest by showing me how fine it looked on him. He worked with me, and decided that I would do just fine as a RWVA Instructor. I thank the sneaky photographer and sharing, and all the people that made my weekend special. True mentoring is like real charity - good to find but hard to fake.

I am catching up on sleep, so my wife is late to work.

I am still mulling over a post, but I know I want to get started on writing the program of instruction (POI) for a two day Appleseed, as if I were the shoot boss, with the verbatum instructions, memory phrases and time lines. Well, too much weight, have to get moving and out and about.

He's back... okay?

Two long drives across Washington in the darkness, two days working hard on the Appleseed in the Lewiston, Idaho area and being evaluated on my progress towards full Instructor (Red Cap). Two days of meeting great people, seeing some very fine shooting and finally an Appleseed with a three hundred yard targets for the better shooters to engage and brag over. So I have to open my library and get to work and I am falling behind but if I ever get organized and on schedule I may frighten myself with the stranger. Although I didn't get to shoot (one almost never does when one is teaching) I have enriched my life and will write more about it as I mull it over in my mind.

I did use my video on the digital camera, and will share the clip, just because I really love the people in the picture; real wonderful Americans, doing it the best they can and sharing their bounty. May we all be so blest, and for my my blogging buddies - I thought of the beautiful pictures you could take in Idaho, the miles of highway and the big trucks not hauling big tanks, and the awesome starry skies over the dark plains and mountains, you know what I am talking about - the beauty of America.

Be back sometime early, early on 17th...

Don't worry, I can live a couple of days without access to my blog and computer... yeah, and the President can quit smoking anytime he gets serious about his and his family's health. Y'all be good, shoot straight, hug your kids and laugh with them, and smile more for better reception. Love you!


Yeah, I know, that is almost the man that lives in my mind, about 1964 Junior class picture. Silly me....

So the rains let up and I ride the motorcycle to work, smiling, almost laughing with the tickling of the guy only I know that lies deep inside me. I stop and drop off my prescription for a refill, will pick it up on my return. I wonder why I missed all those good looking young women at the pharmacy, then realize that I didn't take pills for any ills when I was much younger and looking. I stretch out and stride down the walk to the dock. One of the men in the parking lot asks what the weather was going to be like today, I say I heard scattered thunder showers, and wonder why he cares, he drove his car to work.

I have two library clerks to work with, so I do what I should have, I fire the non-working soon to depart ones. Or I mention that I want to and hire two more, I get a reply that I am not doing it correctly, and am referenced to the policies that apply, and the two counselors that need to be part of the process are notified. After lunch one of the soon to be fired clerks shows up and I tell him to notify his counselor that he needs terminated in this job, so he can concentrate on school and preparing for his release. He says he wondered how long it was going to be before I would fire him to hire a replacement. He worked fine on his own when he was at work, but teamwork is one of those things that doesn't come easy for some people. I wonder if I should look deeper into that here in the prison, maybe you must trust more for teamwork to happen, and not too many people trust anyone inside the fence. I know that in the military I had to gain trust to get the most from people around me, and I had to trust them or it wouldn't work. We got a lot done, I re-learned something I had forgotten, since I didn't do it hands on it fled until I was pointed in the proper direction. The amount of things I don't know continues to grow with every new discovery... of long forgotten wisdom.

Turn it all off, lock it all up, depart and drop off the overdues on the way out, no fines just give the material back or renew it. The day is grayer, matching my work trousers, motorcycle jacket, if I weren't wearing a blue ballcap I would look like a Confederate cavalryman... well, most of my life is just pretend. I find a corner and nap hard on the ferry, waking up to the drumming of raindrops upon the roof of the boat. Big juicy drops, plunk, plunk and plunk. I ride the bus to the parking lot, the rains are scattered and light, but there are piles of billowing dark clouds rolling in from the West with arcing electricity to cause a spike in one's expectations.

So, I wipe the water off the seat, start the motorcycle and ride gallantly onward. Still stuck in that Confederate Cavalryman foolishness, I find some of the dampened road a bit slippery for my feet when stopped, but nothing that has caused the Trusty Triumph to swish out of my control. I find totally dry roads in places, only the drippings from the vehicles ahead providing proof that it is raining somewhere. I stop at the drug store again, to pick up my medicine, and notice that the young women are not the same ones from the morning, but still looking just fine - and they have jobs. Outside the deluge has begun, the rolling thunder just highlights that my time has come, drowned rat mode has replaced gallant rider... well, my skin is mostly waterproof. I get on the bike and start it up and wheel on down the road, soaking ever soaking, you know the full face helmet means the only dry part of Earl is under it. My gloves are soaked, the sleeves of my shirt soaked, the shirt is clinging to the body, molding it self, and the rain is COLD, yes that shrivel the nipples up and produce goose bumps on the arms in the chill. And, I laugh at how neat it is that I am on the way home to hot meal, hot shower and dry clothes. I remember when there was no escape from being soaked and cold and when no one loved me...

Home, safe and warm, and saying many thanks for survival at optimum operational levels. G'night! and God bless.

Not much in the news but I think... therefore...

ABC World News is alarmed by the number of women driving drunk, and wonders why the increase. Earl knows, wildly waving his hand for their attention, and he says it is because they don't have a man to do it for them.

Congress and the President think that there is too much uproar over Health Care Reform, but what should concern them isn't that the voters are paying attention and expecting better. What should concern them more is that they aren't trusted at all.

Voters make it simple for the professional politicians to understand, if they are passing good laws and programs they must be good for everyone. So the first people to get the Swine Flu vaccine should be CDC and Congress, and the first organizations, and people to get enrolled (forever) in the wonderful Health Care Plan from the Federal Government should be those officials. When that happens, then I will believe the plan is good for everyone. When that small group is too special to be enrolled in the Health Care Plan, it is too special for many other things...

What are you aiming for? are you going to hit it?

At the Library I have three workers, that only two work kind of together, and all three seem to like to shelve books twice, once organizing on the carts, and then onto the shelf at some point when they can't find another reason not to... I need fewer carts, faster moving workers or a long black whip. I don't like being called "Boss" but have to admit to being one, 'Jefe' is so much friendlier - a foreign language so I don't get the little emotional baggage. Friday seems so far away, but we will get there and it will be right by then.

I am in contact with people from other places and we are preparing to have an Appleseed Shoot in Idaho this weekend. For me it means downloading the Progress Check for the Shootboss and preparing myself to do it all, Verbatim and demonstrated ability, my History of April 18 and 19 and the players must be perfect. I am on stage and being watched, of course since my focus is to be the instructor that the shooters are coming to learn from, it will have to be friendly, disciplined and competent instead of the snarling Earl of library fame. That snarl is the only barrier I have against demanding patrons, ah, well, no snarls for the weekend.

I am starting to realize that I am following my father's path into his retirement. He joined the Powerboat Squadron and moved up the levels of membership and spent lots of time teaching and sharing. I guess doing something similar in the Revolutionary War Veterans Association (cool name, huh?). My next level is Instructor, if I get it right and perform well, but again I need to be the man that can help the new shooter, the long time shooter and the just needing some pointers and practice shooters that will be coming to the Appleseed. It isn't about Earl, it is about creating more American Riflemen, and their desire to be a person with the right to keep and bear arms competently, and who will step up and become the next instructors and gun community leaders.

As the sunburnt skin, flakes and peals away...

Monday morning, get ready and return to the world of work, the prison, the library. There are a large looming banks of dirty gray clouds rolling in from the West, but I ride my Trusty Triumph to the Credit Union to turn in the sixteen dollars of rolled coins. The ride is cool and good, the weather has turned to Fall, we used the Sun and heat up too quickly and need reminded of what is normal. Florida was pretty but seems ages not just a week ago.

The three man crew and I get to work, I change their duties for the next two weeks and so I am in answering questions and teaching mode. One of the best workers understands that the other two aren't jumping into what needs done like he does, he remarks on it, I blame his sense of responsibility. I did mention he was one of the best workers? It is a long day, open 4.75 hours of the eight and the last two periods are overbooked and there aren't any rain checks.

In the processing today I found that Rolling Stone couldn't find a musician nor artist for their cover, President Obama is highlighted since Rolling Stone is going into political commentary and is being graded by that cultural magazine. I always wondered if the title of the magazine came from a Heinlein story but have decided it couldn't have. I notice The Advocate has also taken the popular pre-election image of Obama and HOPE and changed the color and the meaning, another group not very happy with where he is now. Weren't we supposed to have a great unification of all the People? Wasn't that what his election symbolized?

I am worn out by working, turning in all my reports and thinking about this job. Did some good stuff, found the things that the patrons couldn't, hoping it will make life better for all these under the rock creatures. I close and lock up and walk out dropping off the distribution. As the door opens to the outside I see the rain, light and wet, waiting for me (yes, I remember deciding not to pack the rain gear this morning). It isn't a bad rain, just constant, the gray skies filled with the clouds matches the gray waters of the Puget Sound surrounding the island, we have a dead whale dragged to the beach to decay so the Wildlife people can take samples and study the decomposing mass, science what we do for science. There will be lots of well fed little creatures.

Our flag pole is flying our flags at half-mast, in the rain, and I hear taps. The governor has honored another fallen soldier in our war against our terrrors. Concrete Washington has honored him also. I notice that he wasn't alone in his dying, the link is full of other great passings. I am not doing enough, I watched "The Fog of War" and know what happens when our country doesn't go to war - united in the effort, but then I was inside of that Vietnam War, the one they (those that didn't serve or served us ill) still lie about. Wasn't this current conflict also part of the pile that our President was going to get right? It could be a good thing that I think he is way over his head and will one day figure it out, but then what will I do to clean up that bigger mess, since he won't? Lucky that I am just a library keeper and all my problems are small ones.

Just slippin' away, slip slidin' away...

I stopped at a large pawn shop and one very nice Gun Shoppe to see what they had in .22 LR semi-automatic. The idea was, since I thought I had a couple hundred dollars laying around loose that I would buy one for a LTR (Liberty Training Rifle), and take it to Appleseeds. I didn't find any thing of real interest although there was a beautiful Browning bolt action, but then Brownings really are beautiful.

Today after church I went to the rifle range, to work on my use of the Winchester 94 Classic saddle carbine, in 30-30. Hmm, I can hit the target but not the way I want to with that fine firearm. Which means more work, more practice, more dry fire and maybe different sights? Maybe I shouldn't compare my work with the M1 Garand and the target .22 with a fast (open sights), lever action hunting rifle? That might be something worth convincing myself about.

I have been following Blackfork on his time at Camp Perry, one of those places I, as a wanna-be, would like to be. I will pull targets, honest, I will do work. His post today about M1s for Vets meant a lot to me, but then I was hooked when I read his first blog about this Camp Perry. I liked the college team from California, seems not everyone in California is afraid of guns and competition. If you have time read about people with real battle rifles, lots of ammunition and having a good time.

As I looked at the range I fired today, all ages, sexes, and shooting persuasions - enjoying the time and exercising their talents and getting better with every round - I keep thanking the Lord that I live in this great country.

It is all about where you are at...

I think Sturgis, South Dakota and Camp Perry, Ohio are wonderful places to be now. So I will go do the tool shed and backyard, in Spanaway, Washington. It is all mine and hers, ours for hours.

It is better to share than not...

I am proud of this picture, but it wasn't really composed as snatched from the butterfly's best moment that it shared with me, there are real photographers out there that do much better and they share.

I am sending off a package today, of stuff that shouldn't be here waiting for me to pay attention to it again. Two CDs of pictures (which I hope have no malware attachments), three of Hal Foster's Prince Valient books, one old King Arthur book (like the one my mother read me so long ago), one make a castle book (cut, fold, glue), one Mythical Creatures paint set (well, one day they will be old enough to do it well), one book on the science of Dragons (just an Earl thing), and a Save the Planet green shopping bag from Hawai'i, Mahalo!

TIME magazine isn't my choice of truth...

I haven't liked TIME magazine since they came out against handguns, years before I owned my first one. But concerned about the Obama Care I look to see what is going on and in Health was an article by Tiffany Sharples, where in Great Britain an experiment was conducted that PROVED Swearing is Good for You (always remember that the title may be picked by the editor). Now Great Britain knows good medicine and so instead of getting a pain reliever they will now recommend you go home and use the F-word and other nasty viles for pain relief and to call the doctor in the morning. See how cheap they can get Universal Health Care?

Well, I don't hold with the bad language (profane, obscene and vulgar) and have proved to myself many times over (if you only knew how clumsy I am and bruise badly) that saying "God bless me" and meaning it, makes the pain and stupidity much less and the healing faster. I know, I am not like most people, but then I also remember Buddhist monks setting themselves aflame and not whimpering, screaming nor using any bad language. But then, maybe they were closer to the correct answer than college students looking for money for beer and books.

Of more important news, is the level of protest and questioning the Representatives about HEALTH CARE. Does seem to be some passion about it, why? I wonder if the throwing money around that Bush and Obama have done (and Obama continues to do pretending the good economic news is his, and caused by his plan), have made the citizens that might have to pay for all of this very aware and very afraid of government goodness? If the thought that the PEOPLE might have ideas of their own, or the Government is going to do whatever it wants and then pretends it wasn't really responsible for the failure -- then the fine folks at TIME and Great Britain's medical community suggest you go ahead and swear loudly to take away your pain.

I return to being THE LIBRARY KEEPER

Ride that motorcycle to work, stopping for fuel and checking the cut off valve before going on down the road. Walk to the dock, past the police looking for lurkers, possible rapists or strange fools in the community. Ride the ferry, catching up with my co-workers on the mail status, where I been and where they be... Get the piles of distribution, open the library, turn everything on, and get out of the street clothes for the work day.

First get the returned books out of the return boxes, find some library clerks - find I have lost one to the HOLE! Seems he wanted to argue about good time, now it is all bad time and the library is one clerk short. No, two clerks short, the other one is doing his computer classes. I get a call from the Mailroom and take my two man crew to pick up the six bins of mail that piled up during my vacation. Six full bins and two book boxes. So we start processing; returned books, requested books, newspapers and serials. I start opening email accounts, and ILL packages and print off information that I don't have time to read, and the paperwork for the ILLs to process. The trash is removed and the shuffling books and CDs continues, and the piles don't seem to get smaller, but they must be getting smaller. I have some reports to print out, some email to answer, and my piles aren't getting smaller fast enough.

Break for lunch, one trip to the Mailroom for me and the outgoing, and pick up of one bin of incoming. Pickle, sandwich, apple and grapes! Good to eat and look at more work in my nearest future, as soon as lunch is over.

The third worker reports and I put him on shelving, he doesn't like it but it is four book carts full of opportunity now and another book cart won't help. All the people that can think of a reason to come to the library do, special favors is what the more important than everyone else want. I have enough to do, that I don't do any special favors and upset the self centered a bit. Has to do with taking care of themselves which they aren't. I am trying to select reading material for those in the HOLE, as close to what they requested as I can get, there are too many hardback books and only paperback go to the Hole. I am a failure, I don't finish, the shift sergeant sends an escort to move the books and I am not ready. Tomorrow morning it will be done.

Suddenly the day is over and the final recall is made and the patrons and the crew leave me to shut it all down and lock up. About sixteen CDs, a pile of magazines to process, one outgoing ILL, and the thoughts that tomorrow I had better work hard on the reports to get them done. It will be Friday, my clean up day, making ready for the following work week.

I do know that they like the library open and me back, but they wouldn't pay for it. The best things in life are free, or have no monetary value.

Okay, I am home, y'all never missed me....

I volunteered to help my sister, she gave me her husband's truck and stuff to move, I got to visit my mother in the nursing home, missed my other sister's (got lost!) and went to find Florida and the Fountain of Youth - didn't help I am still old. But there really were youths there.

I had a wonderful vacation, again, I am almost getting very good at doing very little except sleeping and eating. My wife went wild while I was away and had a covered deck built behind our home, it is very nice and needs a lounger or hammock to rest and read upon... such a guy thing. Thank you, lovely lady.