December book review

"Three Weeks with My Brother", by Nicholas Sparks

OK, you have probably already read this one. Nicholas and his brother Micah take a three week trip around the world together. That part of the book was "alright", but what the book is really about is telling his life story in between the story about the trip. This is a very good book "by and about" one of America's favorite authors.

It is not right!

Over the weekend most of the parents traveling with children had movies playing in the car to keep the kids busy.

That is "not right". Parents should have to suffer with "Are we there yet?", as we older parents did.

Winter driving in a "big truck" can be a challenge with rainy, icy, and snowy roads,

but the real reason I am not fond of driving in the winter is the fact that the landscape is almost naked





and the women aren't.












For those interested I wrote in my "Life story" blog today. My nieces have asked for more.

Full Moon?

Because we will not work Thanksgiving, the normal "run" schedule does not apply this week.

I ran Monticello and Hamburg yesterday. Had to make unscheduled stops in Pine Bluff and Star City to drop off Buttermilk that we had run out of then those trailers were loaded and delivered. Buttermilk takes several hours to make, so when you are out, you will be out for awhile. No big deal, just get the job done.

Everything was going fine until I left Monticello. The speed limit is 45 mph thru town and after leaving city limits the road is uphill. I'm doing about 50 mph when a car at a stop sign on my right pulls out in front on me headed back to town. The driver was a young woman with kids in the car. She simply failed to see a "big 60' long truck". I had to brake sharply and she looked and I could see the terror in her eyes. It unnerved me as I thought about what could have happened.

About 2 miles down the road, a big truck blew out a left front tire and ended up across the road on my shoulder. I was never in any danger as it happened about a mile in front of me, but I could see it all as it happened.


5 miles further down the road, a deer hunter in a pickup with a 4 wheeler on a trailer ran a stop sign and was half way out in the road when I passed.

Some days just seem more dangerous than others.

Working stiff

One of the bloggers I read said, "I think I will take the day off." There was no reason, they just wanted the day off.

I'm just a working stiff and would never think about taking a day off , "just because". I have my faults (did I really say that), but being a slacker has never been one of them.

My take on employment goes like this; I was hired because they needed an employee to work. If they wanted a "part-time employee", I would have been hired as one.
I expect to be allowed to work when I am scheduled to work. So why should my employer not expect me to show for work when I am supposed to. I never turn down extra work because I would not be asked if I were not needed.

If you do not want to work, then do not take a job, period!

Camera

I want a small light weight "point and shoot" camera for my upcoming trip. We have a nice camera but it is just too big and heavy to have on your person all the time. After researching my options, I finally decided on the model I wanted.

Buying online is something that I am comfortable with, so I placed an order before their store opened. Basic camera, basic order, just ship it to me! Now is when the problem begins.

They call and want to sell their "camera accessory pack". I was not home and my wife would not authorize the addition and told them I would call them back.

I get the most over baring salesman I have ever encountered. I tell him I just want the "camera" and nothing else. He will not take NO for an answer. I then tell him to cancel my order. He says he will not do that until he tries to help me. Now I am getting more angry by the second. After I tell him I have 2 battery chargers and 16 rechargeable batteries and do not need his, he proceeds to tell me the camera has a cheap plastic case (it is metal!) and I need to upgrade to the metal case. Rather than call him the bold faced liar that he is, I just say that I ready don't care about it being plastic.

The whole time I have said "please cancel my order" several times. He changes his tactics by telling me the camera is imported (HELL, they are all imported) and the instructions are not in English and he can upgrade the software for only $25.

Now my blood is really boiling. If I could have reached through the phone this lying #*&%+ would be minus his teeth if not his life. We proceed to exchange pleasantries as we are now both angry. I finally call him just what he is and tell him he will cancel my order and I will dispute any charges to my credit card and hang up.

I call my credit card and tell them what is going on and when I go back to the camera store's website I see that my order has indeed been canceled. I printed it out for future reference.

All this to save $30. Sometimes it just does not pay to be a tightwad.

Grocery tax

Our governor-elect wants to eliminate the sales tax on groceries. Everyone pays the tax and poor people pay a disproportionate amount of their income on this tax, so it would seem a win-win for everyone.

Not so in my opinion. We know that the tax money will be made up from some other tax (even though our state has a large tax surplus). At least the grocery tax is charged to every one no matter their income.

The hotshots (did I misspell that by one letter) have various ways of not paying taxes, but not this one. Sure they can eat out often on their "expense accounts", but the groceries their wives buy for the house gets taxed.

Of course a 'fair' tax system isn't going to happen (ending corporate welfare/pork/political nepotism). That being said. Will the tax be eliminated or just the STATE portion of the tax? City and county taxes eat away at our income also.

Politics

Well, we survived another political season. Now we well see how the more important issue is handled. How soon do they take down all the signs?

Class of 66

It doesn't matter what year you graduated high school. Mine just happened to be 1966. Yes, 40 years ago. The Statler Brothers song of Class of 57 fits my class and your class.

CLASS OF '57 (Don & Harold Reid) The Statler Brothers - 1972

Tommy's sellin' used cars, Nancy's fixin' hair
Harvey runs a grocery store and Margaret doesn't care
Jerry drives a truck for Sears and Charlotte's on the make
And Paul sells life insurance and part time real estate
Helen is a hostess, Frank works at the mill
Jeanette teaches grade school and prob'ly always will
Bob works for the city and Jack's in lab research
And Peggy plays organ at the Presbiterian Church
And the class of '57 has dreams
We all thought we'd change the world with our great works and deeds
Or maybe we just thought the world would change to fit our needs
The class of '57 has dreams
Betty runs a trailer park, Jan sells Tupperware
Randy's on an insane ward and Mary's on welfare
Charlie took a job with Ford and Joe took Freddie's wife
Charlotte took a millionaire and Freddie took his life
John is big in cattle, Ray is deep in debt
Where Mavis finally wound up is anybody's bet
Linda married Sonny, Brenda married me
And the class of all of us is just part of history
And the class of '57 has dreams
But livin' life day to day is never like it seems
Things get complicated when you get past eighteen
But the class of '57 has dreams
Ah, the class of '57 has dreams


"We all thought we'd change the world with our great works and deeds. Or maybe we just thought the world would change to fit our needs." These are truly powerful word and I must say I have fallen down on my part. What about you?

Why!

Why do we let them be manufactured and sold, when the only the only reason to own one is to circumvent the law. They have been outlawed in "big trucks" for years (and rightly so), outlawed in some states, but for the life of me, I can't see why they are not forbidden all together.

I guess so idiots like the one that passed me last night doing what I estimate to have been at least 90mph can get away with it. Yes, there on his rear view mirror was the little tale-tale light of a radar detector.

If you are caught doing 20mph over the speed limit, I think you should have your vehicle impounded, you license taken away for a year, and spend at least 48 hours in jail.

If you are driving a big rig then your CDL should be pulled for 5 years. I have no tolerance for speeders ( my old classmates will get a kick out of that).

SPEED KILLS!!!!!

November Book Review

John Steinbeck is most remembered by my generation for two of his novels that were made into movies. The Grapes of Wrath, starring Henry Fonda and East of Eden, starring James Dean.

In 1962 Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for his account of Travels with Charley.

In 1960, after suffering a small stroke, Steinbeck and his poodle, Charley, set out to see America in a pickup truck with a camper on back. It depicks life in the '60's.


He did not keep notes and wrote the book after the trip. It was actually written in Barbados and finished in New York. It became the largest commercial success of his career.

Outhouse

Seems these are what come to mind when we think of "outhouses".











In yesterdays post I failed to mention the cute decor of the bathroom at the restaurant in Calico Rock. It was a very old building with high ceilings, rough painted walls and the original wood floors.
















The walls of the men's restroom were covered with framed 8x10 photos of old outhouses and a caption with the state where it is located. Very original, I thought.

Fall Colors

We made a drive thru the Ozark National Forest today to take in the beautiful fall colors. We drove to Mountain View, Ar. and up hwy 5 to Calico Rock.

Since my photos will not do justice to the foliage, I thought I would show you the quaint hamlet of Calico Rock.











Just around this curve is the bridge that crosses the White River and Calico Rock.












This was taken from the bridge and shows some of the building on the bluff of White River.












These two were taken from the end of the bridge.
What you see is about all the old town there is. Just over the hill the road forks and there is a little newer town but not much.











We had lunch at Don Quixote's Restaurant. Their menu is written on a black board and today they had a choice of six items if you count "cheeseburger".
The other five choices were gourmet quality meals.

We had Grilled Ham and Cheddar Sandwich and Pasta Fagoli Soup. The bread was homemade multi-grain wheat that was about 8 inch square with about 1/2 inch of thin sliced country ham and a large thick slice of quality Cheddar. It made for a VERY large sandwich. The Fagoli soup was made with homemade pasta. All this for $5.95. We were stuffed so had the homemade Apple Strudel to go.

Tunes

Even tho I spend long hours in my truck, I seldom listen to the radio. Music is just not a big part of my life. That said, I would like to tell you about "Flintstone" (my car toy). Flintstone had no radio when I bought it and I finally bought a stock radio to fill the hole in the console.

I didn't need a gadzillion watt radio as I am not into that "jungle bunny noise" being passed off as music. I like classic rock and if a rear seat speaker was all I needed back in the day, then a modern factory radio will more than surffice.

Yesterday was the first day to drive Flintstone to work with "tunes". For a old gear head, it doesn't get much better than this. Just like yester year.

Roll the window down, crank the music up, power shift thru the 4-speed, listen to the barely legal exhaust tone, and hear that 4-barrel moan. Hot dang, that is therapeutic.

Step 1

I applied for my passport today. I plan to visit my son in Le Mans, France in the spring.

If you know me then you know this is a big step for me. I am looking forward to the trip but don't mind telling that I am a little apprehensive about it.

Doldrums

I seem to be stuck in the dulldrums after coming out of a period of anger and depression. I swing into these moods from time to time and am glad when I recover.

I was paid a "compliment" at work this week. I was told that I am "opinionated". Not stubborn or bullheaded but opinionated. I would hate to be so shallow that I didn't have an opinion. One should stand up for their opinion even if it is not the popular one.

If at work there is a statement made that everyone is afraid to say. No one has to ask who made it because they know it came from me. I have always thought if something needs said then it should be said.

Why should we be afraid of stating our opinions? Changes only come about when enough people stand up for what they believe in.

Teachers

Yesterday while unloading 1/2 pints of school milk, I noticed the side of the carton asking kids to nominate their teacher for "Teacher of the Year".

As a student of six different (seven it you count going to one 2 different times) schools, I have had my share of teachers. Most were OK, several had no business in the profession, and 3 were outstanding.

Mr. Stark,
As a young boy who had lost his father this teacher was special to me. He lived on the back side of my block across the open field we all used as our playground. Mr. Stark was elderly and several times he asked if I join he and his wife for dinner. Sometimes I would go over and just talk with him. I can't recall anything we ever talked about and that wasn't really important. Just the fact he was there to listen.

Mrs. Roach,
She and her husband were both teachers. He taught History and she taught English. They were in the twilight of long teaching careers and were childless. She made me realize that my poor grades had little to do with my intelligence. She was the one that administered the standardized tests and I always scored a lot better than my grades indicated that I should.

Mrs. Slayton,
My senior year and in a new school. I was a very scared and angry teenager. I was trying to act tough and not let everyone see my real feelings. Six years after my dad had died, my mom married his younger brother. To make matters worse, I was plunged in a house without a bathroom and a first cousin/step-brother my same age. He was honor student and a nerd. I had always been the quiet (cowed-down) type but at a new school, I could appear to be anything of my choosing. Mrs. Slayton saw thro to the real me and helped me fit in.

These three teachers might or might not have been great classroom (but I think they were) teachers but they possessed the greatest characteristic a teacher can have. They believed in me when I did not believe in myself. That is huge!

Terrible Weather !

The weather here the last couple of days have been horrible. Temps in the 70's with a light breeze. God, I hate it. I deplore having to work under these conditions.

I like to work when I need to get in the truck to get warm, cool down, or dry out. These gorgeous days make it hard to be cooped up in a truck. It is bad this time of year but the spring is the worst.

Every fall and spring it all I can do not to quit and just enjoy the weather by spending all day outside.

Hope you are also having this "terrible weather".

Roadtrek 190

As I approached the restroom at the roadside park south of Gurdon, Ar. on I-30, I spotted a Roadtrek 190 B-class motorhome like the one in the picture. Being a big fan of B-class motorhomes and the Roadtrek in particular, I decided to investigate.

As I walked past the front, the Dashound in the front seat let out with a "Mom, someone is here" bark, followed by a "would you pet me" look.

The lady in the kitchen looked up as I said hello and asked her about the camper. She said they had been to the east coast for the summer and were on their way back to Beaumont, Tx. When I asked about the gas mileage, she turned to the rear of the coach and asked "Sue" about it.

Turns out it was two older ladies traveling together. They said this was the third year for them to head for cooler temps for the summer. About 200 miles was a long day for them. They were not in any hurry to get back home. They were staying in campgrounds about twice a week and boondocking the rest of the time when the weather cooperated.

It was about 4pm when I talked to them as they were having dinner . The camper was parked under a big shade tree with the windows open and they said they were there for the night. A beautiful night for camping, about 55 degrees and a gentle breeze.

Really nice to see two independent older ladies out enjoying themselves.

Disappointment

As a long time reader of

Countryside magazine

, I have been hearing about the book, Five Acres and Independence, for a long time. It is not an easy book to find, but I finally obtained a copy last week. I am SO disappointed in it. I thought the copyright was in the 70's but that was when it was re-released. The copyright is 1934. The book is full of common sense ideas but for the most part it is just too outdated to be a "good read".

October Book Review

Seeing "the walker" a few days ago reminded me of this book.










"A Walk Across America" by Peter Jenkins.
Peter sets out with a backpack and his dog in the 1970's and walks from the northeast to New Orleans, finds the love of his life and he and his wife walk to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way his dog is accidentally killed, he lives with a black family for several months while working at a sawmill in North Carolina, meets a mountain hermit and he and his wife are befriended by an old rancher in Colorado.

I think you will find this a very interesting book.