No PayCheck

Amidst the squabbling between those that represent us and the leadership at the top of our Republic, There are thousands of government employees that are expected to work for free in the hopes that the disagreements will be solved.  Namely, they are the operational support members of DHS and TSA agents among others.  All of these citizens have bills to pay and mouths to feed.  They have house payments, car payments and insurance payments.  Many are visiting and utilizing food banks to supplement their lack of income in order to feed their families.  They have been told to file for state unemployment benefits. Some of the TSA officers have been forced to quit their employment because money has. run out and they need to find jobs.

Back in Washington, the speechmakers on both sides of the aisle have demands the opposition will not meet.  THERE IS A REAL COST to all these employees.  Needs are unmet because of their so called principles.  While they are dining at upscale restaurants,  these folks are standing in food bank lines.  All of the speeches don't mean a thing to average citizens.  When you work for a company or a government agency,  it is done for fair, agreed upon compensation.  These elected officials are failing their constituents. 

Went to a nurse practitioner in dermatology yesterday which filled me with dread.  People my age have had years of sun damage, no sun screen and baking at the beach working on their tan. The last time I made such a visit, I had MOHS surgery to remove cancer cells from my face,  not a pleasant experience.  This time, not so bad,  only had some freeze treatment and some cream, a much better outcome.

Still cold out there, noticed frost on the windshields when I went out with the garbage. I am not happy but resigned. 

 

Ive always loved pickles

 I woke up this morning thinking about pickles.  Mostly because I love the flavor and texture of the dill variety as well as the smell of the herb in its just grown state.  My mother Dorothy made pickles which all of us enjoyed.  For all those reasons, I am gonna give it a try.  

I viewed a couple of online tutorials today and methodology seems pretty simple.  Cucumbers, vinegar, water, garlic, and stalks of dill in Mason jars and thats it. My plan is to construct some and add pickled cauliflower to the repertoire.

I abandoned the beard for a mustache like I had before.  The goatee just did not feel good on my face.

not going to bitch about our latest invasion and war invention by our leader.  Nor am I going to complain about gas going to over 4 bucks a gallon in our area.  Apparently, this is what America wanted in a leader.  

anecdote

These entries are some times intensely personal and part of my past.  I make no apologies for sharing these stories.  My uncle Bill Kocsis would be 106 today.  He told me as a boy that he was exactly 30 years older than me.  He was probably my favorite uncle.  When we were kids Joan and Pam and I, we would be thrown in the back of our 1961 blue Chevy wagon and would motor off to West Dearborn to Bill and Bonnie's.  It might be a simple night of grownups playing pinochle or sometimes a larger party with family and friends.  I was about 11 and Joan was 9 with Pam being a toddler.  These events were always fun as we got to play with our cousins Kathy, David and Mark.  The grownups were downstairs playing cards or in the basement with friends.  We might be listening to records or just playing around.

Bonnie his wife was probably Dorothy's (my mom) best friend.  They shared stories of their youth and parenting advice.  Bonnie was a fiery redhead with a big boisterous manner about her.  Even though she was bossy, we knew we were loved.  I have vivid memories of her putting David, Jimmy (another cousin) and me in an old cement washtub in the basement and bathing us all at once.  It seemed pretty proper at the time.  In my memory, I can still feel the roughness of the surface on my skin.  

The food was always plentiful and we could eat as much of and whatever we wanted.  No one went hungry.  These visits are some of my fondest childhood memories.  I remember traveling home in that station wagon and falling asleep un a blanket in the back seat.  That post party nap was one of my most cozy feelings of warmth and safety.

As I approach my 76th birthday, these things came to mind.  I appreciate the indulgence. 

 

Tabling

The other day there was a large box about 60 inches by 36 by 8 sitting in the entryway of the upstairs of our house.  It sat there with few markings as to its contents for a while.  Turns out it contained an unassembled coffee table bought from Amazon.  It needed assembly.  Judy, Stephanie and I ripped it open and removed the large quantity of foam packing materials to reveal a pile of wooden parts with letters labeling.

I have always been perplexed when viewing a pile of parts such as this.  I have trouble following written instructions.  If I can visualize the end result, when see the parts, I can be successful. If not, I get frustrated and flummoxed. 

This leaves the patience and fortitude  of my talented spouse and our daughter in law.  I looked at all the parts and with my poor vision could not read the instructions from afar.  Shuffled around for a while and excused myself to the apartment below, running away in fear of failure.

These resourceful ladies put together the pile of sticks into a fine table shown above.  They put in about 5 hours on the effort calmly and with quiet voices.  I admire this feat in that I don't have the patience or demeanor to do so.  Bravo!

Supposed to be warmer today although rainy.  Going for breakfast with my cronies today.  Was going to bitch about current events, but decided against it. I think many folks are feeling the same.  Don't need to drone on. 

a review of the past few days

Has America led by DJT over stepped by abducting the Venezuelan president and killing the leader of a corrupt theocracy in Iranz?  We and Israel have started a war in the region.  Plain and simple we are the aggressors.  Congress has not authorized these actions, in fact they were bypassed without a thought.  American servicemen have died already with more to come.  What does the government tell their parents even as a passing thought?  This cannot be justified.  This supreme leader is a bad guy, there is no denying it along with his staff that were killed.  

This is not the country I grew up in.  We defended countries agains aggressors.  Never perfect but with some moral code.  It appears we have lost our mora. center.

As citizens, all we can do is to see how this plays out, voting in elections both national, state and local.  

Weather is improving finally.  I am able to walk around the neighborhood.  We have a little more sunshine.  That's all the good news.

This is Judy's delicious lemon cheesecake for Kate's birthday.

Katherine Rose Kocsis

So in 1994 we went to amusement park in Ohio with Kathy and Ron and our family.  I have forgotten the name.  I have always been terrified of scary rides, generally refusing to go on them.  I remember it was Kings Island near Cincinnati.  The lead attraction was a roller coaster named "The Beast". For youngsters and fraidy cat adults there was a ride called "the beastie", a very watered down version of the bigger.  Katey convinced me to go with her.  The park takes photos of riders at the most opportune time.  Please note that I thought I was going to my death and my lovely daughter was having a great time.  Later that same day she and I were stuck at the top of some ride and secuded fromt to the line passes which we gave to Judy and Ron.  

So thats us, me terrified and she gleefully screaming. In some ways a metaphor of our relationship.  She is a great daughter reminding me to not take life so seriously.  She crosses a big road today.  I still remember when she decided to arrive before schedule. Nothing was ready.  The boys were farmed out to neighbors.  Katey has always moved with her own schedule.  Some days the ride is pretty wild. Please know I love you and hope the day is grand.

A Commentary

 

I have watched the newest season of "The Lincoln Lawyer" on Netflix.  It has taken an un expected turn in plot line with the main character, Mikey Haller, a defense attorney is in jail for accused of murder and stuck in jail.  Elliot Gould plays a minor part and is a legal mentor to Mickey.  He is old really, and I remember him as Trapper John in the original MASH from the 70's.  Still having some of the smart assed wit from his younger days, still refreshing to watch him ply his craft.  The two characters have a genuine affection of each other and a lot of history.  Well the old guy succumbs to a heart attack brought on by a highly anticipated pastrami sandwich. Mickey is devastated. I was devastated too.  Sometimes a story just gets you.

I have been recovering from my annual fall on my face.  Wounds have improved and appearance is normalizing.  I have never been accused of being a matinee idol (a young person would not know what that is).  So, normalizing is the best I can hope for.

Been watching a lot of Elijah's bowling of late an his team had a rather weak finish to the season yesterday. I think the boys were tired after about 5 days straight of tournament play.  Good guys all with wonderful supportive coaches, they have jelled as team mates.  Bowlers can come in all shapes and sizes, short, tall, skinny and wide.  The skill set is very specific.  Like golf, extreme focus, consistency and coordination are required to be successful.  I enjoyed seeing them and cheering the time on.  

Judy joined in as they had a parents day and did not embarrass herself earning at least one spar.e.  The last time a tried a few years ago, I felt like my arm was coming out of the socket so I declined to participate.  

It's still quiet at 8:06 and I am the only one up.  Breakfast is done and coffee is drank. My only parting thought is that we all need to practice more self forgiveness.  I make a mess when I cook.  I stumble when I am distracted  and trying to do multiple things at once. Give yourself a break.