He Who .............. Invents

He who mows has more time on his hands lately. He has been thinking about wind energy. He ponders things while he mows. So, he has been puttering and dinking around in his sanctuary, the barn. I have mentioned "the barn" before. Not really a barn. It would be better described as a landing place for all things that he who ponders might find useful one day. Not he who organizes stuff. That will never be his title. He seems to be able to locate things amidst the mess, though and I don't complain about the inside since there are doors to hide the content. The outside, though .......; well, I reserve the right to complain.

The creation isn't all that pleasing to look at. But................ it works! This is currently charging the battery fo my golf cart. I would prefer that it be concealed or at least be all one color and not be secured with a concrete block ............. a little spit and polish would be nice.

We want to wean the kampground from the massive electric bill we get every month. I was thinking to contract this endeavor and we are going to, but he just had to try. He did succeed. I wonder how many of these we would need to power the whole park ...............

Looks like the invention bug is alive in the park! Crazy Tom took pity on his sick neighbor, Johnny. The cold was holding him captive to the kleenex box. Crazy Tom came up with this invention so that Johnny could be on the go with him. They usually golf together. I am thinking he will have to make some adjustments for this to work on the golf course, though.

Just like the windmill, this invention works. It could use a little spit and polish, too, though.

Both the inventors are quite proud of their creations .............

Does Your Face Hurt?

My dad has been known to say strange things. When I was a little girl he would extend his hand and say, "Shake the hand that shook the hand of Buffalo Bill." I thought he knew Buffalo Bill. Hey, I was a kid. I was pretty gullible, too. There were lots of "daddyisms". If you sat on a table, he would proclaim that tables were made for glasses, not for asses. That one was hilarious to an eight year old. Had the extra bonus of a bad word.



He will be 80 soon and still says some of the very same things. If we had rolls at dinner he would hold the basket aloft and ask if you wanted a roll........ "Want a roll?" yes "Get in the floor." He would crack himself up while explaining that if you wanted to roll around, you should get in the floor. It was funny the first ten times or so. Another favorite was "Does your face hurt?" no "Well, it's killing me!!!!" If you are over the age of ten it is just not that funny. But, Daddy likes to entertain himself.

Should he show up today with his question the answer would be yes. My face hurts. Poison ivy, oak, whatever; I am extremely allergic to it. I am miserable. It itches and is hot and tender to the touch. Someone told me to apply Pepto Bismol. I will try just about anything to find some relief. Now it is tight in addition to the itching and hurting. I am in the pink!!

Why am I smiling? I have nothing to smile about. My torso is also a mass of itching rash and I apparently sat in it. I am pink all over. The relief is temporary, though. Feels good as you apply it, then the skins tightens as it dries, and then the sensation of a thousand ants biting you begins. I won't be recommending this remedy. I will stick to the tried and true Caladryl, which now comes in a clear solution. I noticed some new outbreaks on my legs this morning. I am making a conscious effort not to scratch them. If I rub the pad of my finger over the bumps it feels kind of like braille. It is difficult to wear my glasses with this stuff on my nose and under my eyes, so I may need to learn braille ...........

Yes, Daddy, My face hurts and none of my cheeks are smiling. Feel free to have a good chuckle at my expense.

The Birthday Frog

It really is all about the frog............. One of our campers, Bill, celebrated 6o years of living last week. One of his dear friends told me that he was a little bummed out about turning sixty. We pondered and speculated about how to honor this event.

And that is how the Kan-Do Birthday Frog came to be ..........

He is bright and colorful. A happy creature, ready to party, his eyes and mouth glow in the dark. He definitely catches the attention of passers-by ............ the frog, I mean, although, now that I think about it, Bill looks pretty happy, too ............. but his eyes don't glow in the dark ...... at least I don't think they do..........

I thought about the message we could have Frog extend. "Happy Birthday" is so over done and not really very personal. We wanted to address the significance of turning 60. And we all know how I feel about the safety of my campers. The speed limit is 10, but just in case, we decided to let every one know to slow down at this site and make it an elderly crossing. You know, just in case..........

Bill was a good sport and posed with Frog. Be warned, fellow campers, it is now my mission to know every one's birthday, so that the Birthday Frog can visit you, too!!!

I Had A Dream ..........

With the weekend here my inner clock was confused this morning and woke me at 5 am ........... a day early. So, I went back to sleep. It was just chilly enough with a fan in the window to snuggle under a quilt with three dogs tucked close to me.



Feeling nostalgic as I dozed, remembering being a young girl tucked into bed with my cousins at my Aunt Hazel's house, the big fan in the window at the head of the bed blowing the delicious cold night air on three giggly girls. I was in the middle ....... to keep the sisters from fighting over who would sleep next to me. Happy memories.



So, why did I dream that I was in a WalMart rolling a cart endlessly through the store, unable to locate the check-outs? Why didn't I dream about my cousins? Or my aunt? Or my childhood? No, I am not going to WalMart today. I am painting picnic tables and pulling weeds (again). I woke up annoyed and unsettled. WalMart, why?????????

Fog and Foggy People

I pulled myself from sleep and got the dough rising, took the dogs out, threw two loads of laundry in the machines, and went to clean restrooms .......... all this with no coffee. The fog hung heavy. I could feel the sun trying to burn through, so I took a little walk around to enjoy the solitude. Frank, the pug had the same idea and was out for a walk with his person.........

See how very big the gravel parking lot is?

So, why do you suppose I see this big rig towing a car parked on the grass?

Yes, on the grass. The grass we mow and tend. The grass that it just rained on. The grass that will now have tracks on it.

I awaken he who is brave and he goes forth to check this rig out. While he is on his mission I check the night drop box. No registration for this rig and no one is in it. Time to cook the cinnamon rolls and I am watching and pondering. We can account for all the after hour registrations except this abandoned one. I drink my coffee and grab a quick shower and put myself together (sort of). The breakfast crowd begins to arrive and they all want to know what this rig is doing in a no parking zone.

While we all speculate ( I think the person(s) are sleeping in one of the other rigs that did register) he who is miffed about the grass calls upon Dave, the state trouper. While the cops are here checking it out a lively discussion is in progress as we all watch out the window and drink coffee. Someone thinks that the owner is at the state park because they are towing a car and couldn't fit, so they left it here. Another thinks it could be stolen and abandoned, while Crazy Tom is sure there is a body on board that will be discovered any minute.

He who is shadowing the state patrol comes in to inquire about the name on a registration. And the plot thickens .............. the licence and the VIN # don't match! We have one late arrival here who has not been questioned and they want to see if the vehicle is registered to him. We are still all watching as a blond woman and two little dogs get in the motor home and move it off the grass. She is now parked in the exit drive................ no, wait...............she is moving............she is on the road.............and she is stopped. Waiting, I suppose for her fellow traveler. I was right, she was in the other rig in our park. The other late arrival who did not fill out the registration properly, putting only his name and $25 in the drop box, then pulling into a full hook-up site that goes for $28 is coming around the corner..........

He who rides in my golf cart is also waiting for the fellow traveler who stops and tells my hard working husband that this is the nastiest park they have ever been in. He who is normally very mellow and forgiving of minor infractions tells the man that he owes us $3. The man throws the money out the window and leaves............. violating she who blogs speed limit! Of course there are no law upholders around. I find out that before the blond and her two dogs come up to move off my grass that she let the dogs do their morning business and was walking away when he who mows asked her if she was perhaps forgetting to pick up the dog leavings. "Oh, that is for maintenance to pick up." 'Your dog, your poop' is our motto here at the kampground. In fact I have never been in a campground that allows you to leave your dog poop where it falls. Perhaps I am not as well traveled as she must be. I don't assume it is okay to park where ever I choose and to pay what ever I want to, either..................

The sun burned the fog away and all the excitement left. I sold most of the baked goods and checked in some swimmers, but mostly, I am just waiting for bed-time. I guess I am a little foggy myself...........

And Justice For All.......

Justice.......the administering of deserved punishment or reward............

Are we to assume that our judicial system can mete out justice fairly? I think all of us are aware that there is a different code of justice for some people. It is all in who you know and how much influence you can assert. Not fair, but, we all have seen it happen to those who are in the limelight. We all watch Law and Order, don't we? We see the system at work as portrayed by actors as it is ripped from the headlines. We see how hard the opposing sides try to win their case. Sometimes by devious tactics and sometimes with outright lies. In the end, though, there was a legal battle fought and their is a winner. Sometimes we watch as a plea bargain is bartered for whatever reasons. Is this justice? We see the whole case thrown out on a technicality. Some letter of the law not upheld properly. But the defendant's rights are always considered........


When the defendant is a juvenile, their rights are protected by their guardians (parents) and if that is not possible, then a guardian is appointed by the court. They also have the right to legal council whether they have the means to pay or not. I am sure there are many dedicated attorneys out there in this country who believe in our legal system and do their very best to uphold it. Then there is small town USA. The system is as good as the people involved in it. There are corrupt judges and lawyers, as well as those who would strive to be fair in the midst of it.


I know of a case where a young man at the age of 14 was brought into a police station and told to sign papers. He was young and scared and did what he was told to do. By following those instructions he was denied legal council and his guardian was unaware of his plight. He was questioned and confessed to a deed that he committed. He was tearful and contrite. It was a sex offence. He was charged as an adult. He told of some questionable behaviour on the part of the adults under whose care he was living. He admitted what he did and admitted that it was wrong. No investigation ensued. He was placed in a juvenile detention facility to await the outcome.


He was assigned an attorney through the public defenders office. The attorney encouraged him to take the plea bargain offered by the District Attorney's office. He was to remain in the custody of the juvenile facility until he was 21, then be placed on probation for 20 years, and register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. No therapy or counseling. He was told by this servant of the court that if he refused this bargain that he would go to prison and be raped by " big black dudes" . That night he tried to hang himself. A psych evaluation was called for and in the space of a 10 minute conversation it was determined that he was bi-polar and was prescribed a healthy cocktail of some powerful mood altering drugs. Still no consent from his legal guardian for any of this.


Finally that guardian is notified by the family he was in the care of and action was taken. All efforts to talk with the appointed attorney were met with refusal to discuss the case. He was being tried as an adult and although the young man was willing to waive the confidentiality agreement, cooperation was still withheld. The juvenile justice chief in that state had to be called upon to intervene and another attorney was assigned and tried to help. The tidy little system was disrupted and all attempts to persuade the court to consider extenuating circumstances yielded nothing. In the end a plea bargain was agreed upon. The young man was to remain locked up in the juvenile detention center until the age of 17, at which time he would be released to begin serving his term of 20 years probation. Some concessions were made. He would no longer have to register as a sex offender at the end of his probation and some of the stipulations regarding being around other juveniles were waived. The only juvenile he was not allowed to be near was the juvenile who willingly played a part in the crime.


Upon release from the facility he had to have a home and a job or he would go to jail. Sounds reasonable until you consider his age and lack of socialization. I am sure that being locked up with all manner of offenders does not prepare one for the job market. His first probation officer was pretty lax with the rules and as long as he caused no problems and checked in as scheduled he didn't care what he did. He bounced around from county to county, staying with anyone who would offer a home to him. Unable to leave the state in which the crime was committed, he was unable to go live with his legal guardians. Every county he lived in had a different set of rules to abide by. He was required to attend classes for sex offenders. From the description given of a couple of sessions, these classes sounded more like bragging sessions of the offenders.


He had limitations on where he could reside and work due to his status as a registered sex offender. This made life difficult and he had to call on family often to help him with living expenses. He finally ended up in a half-way house for drug addicts and had to attend AA and NA meetings daily in order to be able to stay. He accepted his punishment and started paying off his debt to society. He paid the state over $8000.00 and contacted attorneys to see if he could have a hearing before the judge. He was told that if he paid off his restitution and did not get into any trouble that his case would be reviewed and that he would most likely be taken off probation.


He has now paid for his crime with 6 years of his life and 8000 of his dollars that were hard earned. He has tried to follow every bit of advice from each of his probation officers. Recently his probation officer actually read the judges ruling and he was told he could live with his girlfriend. They planned to be married in October and were going to move into a rental trailer that her uncle had. The girl is pregnant. They were happily planning a life together, then about three days ago the probation officer told the young man that he made a mistake and that he would have to leave the house he was in immediately or be arrested. He was given the heads up because the probation officer would be in trouble for allowing him to move in with his girlfriend.


Now the young man is living with someone who is known by the probation officer. He is depressed and hopeless. Unable to have any contact with his girlfriend. She was hospitalized last night and is in fear of miscarrying the baby. Oh, he won't be allowed to see his own child. He did try for an audience with the judge, but was told he would have to hire an attorney. He can't afford one and being in the same county he was in when all this originated, the public defenders office won't help him.


Justice?

Tents and Mulch

As autumn approaches and school starts I find myself with lots of time to garden to my hearts content. The pool isn't busy and when I get too hot I can slide into the cool water and float lazily on my back ...... well, for about 10 minutes or so. Takes about that long to see something that needs attention.

He who loves to haul things and run errands procured for she who mulches a trailer full of dark brown mulch yesterday and I started with my largest bed. I was optimistic and thought I would knock it out in no time. He who really hates all things involving manual labor offered to help............ knowing I would decline. His idea of mulching is to grab a shovel and sling the mulch mindlessly into the bed with no regard to where it lands as long as it is within the borders of the flower bed. I prefer to tuck it gently around my flowers and the requisite frogs that adorn all my beds. Looks nicer and I don't knock my plants around and kill them. This requires lots of bending and hauling small buckets and even though my muscles were screaming last night, I continued mulching this morning and didn't stop until I used every last tiny little handful of the stuff. I topped that off with a porch cleaning marathon ............... had to rid the porch of the cat yak I discovered and all the dead bugs. While cleaning was quite satisfying, the hour in the pool made me feel like a new person.

Tent camping has come a long way, don't you think? This one looks like a cottage. I think I could sleep in a tent. As long as it had a bed that I didn't have to fall to my knees to get into ..... and a fan ................. and a bathroom. I really like a bathroom ........... and not one I have to walk through the dark park to get to.

I like this tent, though.