16 November 2020
It was a busy day in the neighborhood. The weather was beautiful and the neighborhood saw the sun for the second day in a row. There wasn’t even a rainstorm during the entire day. I made my short walk this morning (short, medium, long, and very long varieties) and did my yoga stretches.
I was just about to go swim my laps when I noticed I really needed to rake the leaves around the pool, otherwise, they would just blow into the pool and clog the filter. I then noticed how the grass had grown over the border that edges the pool and trapped numerous leaves under the grass.
I pulled out my electric hedge trimmer and started in on the overhanging grass. It soon shut off and I realized that a repair to the electrical cord had worn through. I cogitated on that for a while and then decided to use the battery powered weed eater. That worked pretty well.
By the time I had trimmed all the overhang and packed it into the yard waste container and hauled that out for tomorrow’s pickup, I was hot and exhausted. Instead of swimming, I just jumped in the pool and cooled down.
One problem was I had let the overhang go too long and it discolored the edge of the pool deck. I was too tired to do anything about it then but thought maybe late afternoon would be a good time to attack it. The problem was I needed a scrub brush and the one I have is like a pencil stub. There’s just nothing left of the bristles. I decided to head to Ace Hardware to pick up a new brush, especially since Ace sent me a $5 coupon for my birthday.
I purchased the brush and then decided to restock some booze while out and about. Total Wine is next door to Ace so it was convenient. One store down from Total Wine is Publix. I headed there next.
This last week I’ve ordered delivery from Publix twice. My cousin Jimmie and I talked this week about Thanksgiving and particularly about cranberry sauce. I gave her my favorite recipe the last Thanksgiving I spent with them. It got me to thinking about making some cranberry sauce just as a condiment for – well, just about anything. I thought I ordered cranberries for my last delivery but I realized I either didn’t lock it in when I ordered it online or they forgot to include it in the order.
I found two bags at Publix and came home and made a batch. That got me in the mood for cornbread dressing so I made that. It looks like Thanksgiving came early to the Searcy household.
While waiting for the cornbread to cool to make the dressing, I attacked the staining on the pool deck with the new scrub brush and diluted bleach. It worked but scrubbing the pool deck takes a lot out of you. I headed back into the pool to cool down one more time.
Dinner tonight was simple – cornbread dressing and cranberry sauce. I did cheat and use chicken stock in the dressing but other than that, it’s pretty much vegetarian.
Yesterday, Florida had over 10,000 new cases of Covid. It looks as though things are gonna get far worse. I listened to an episode of Diane Rhem and she had a member of Biden’s new pandemic committee on. He was pretty much doom and gloom and suggested there may be shortages of materials. That led me to stock up on some more freeze dried food from REI and dried fruits and beans from Publix.
On the way back from Publix, I put diesel in the jeep. I still had a half a tank left from my last fill-up in March of this year. That gives you some indication of how often I get out and about.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why people will not take this pandemic seriously. Thanksgiving could push the U.S. over the edge on the number of cases and deaths.
What else could explain the staggering price difference between two neighboring countries? Price controls are in place in Canada viagra soft 50mg and this keeps the prices low. These PDE5 enzymes are naturally present cialis on line more in the erectile tissue of the penis that enhancethe effect of nitric oxide in the body, they promote better blood flow to the penis. However in case of psychological problems, cheap viagra prices it is termed as mental impotence. You can cialis generika tell a story.I read the other day that the Boy Scouts of America now has over 82,000 cases of sexual abuse filed against it before the deadline for filing for court action. Fortunately, I never experienced any of that although I don’t doubt that it went on.
I joined the Boy Scouts later than most. Mother made an early attempt with me and Cub Scouts but that died out pretty quickly. I was 15 when my parents encouraged me to join Troop 28 in Morton. We met at the National Guard Armory and the Scoutmaster was H.D. Polk and the Assistant Scoutmaster was John D. Stokes. Both were amazing gentlemen and excellent role models.
I was shy, skinny, nerdy, and every negative thing you can think of and most of the boys in the troop were the same ones I knew in high school. That was not a plus. They tended to tease and berate but for some reason I stuck it out and eventually made Tenderfoot. One of the good things about scouting is it is goal oriented and it encourages advancement in ranks from Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle scout. I eventually worked my way up to Eagle.
Another benefit was it taught me how to interact with others. I didn’t do that very well as a kid and scouting taught me self confidence. Summer camp brought more interaction with people from throughout the Andrew Jackson Council which encompassed the Mississippi Delta, all of greater Jackson, east to Newton, and south to Magnolia.
I learned a lot of scout craft but also a lot about people. Eventually I applied as a camp counselor and look back fondly on that part of my life. A lot of what made me what I am today I can thank the scouts. I built some amazing, long term friendships through the organization. Either I was extremely naive or there wasn’t any sexual abuse going on all though my experience with scouting. Again, I’m not discounting the 82,000 complaints – I just never experienced that myself.
My song recommendation is a little reminiscent of my scouting days – “The Happy Wanderer.” I recommend the Frank Weir and His Orchestra version. We often sang this during hikes. The song was originally written by Florenz Friedrich Sigismund (1791–1877). I’m sure the words have changed over the years. Here are the lyrics, thanks to scoutsongs.com.
THE HAPPY WANDERER
I love to go a-wandering,
Along the mountain track,
And as I go, I love to sing,
My knapsack on my back.
Chorus:
Val-deri,Val-dera,
Val-deri,
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
Val-deri,Val-dera.
My knapsack on my back.
I love to wander by the stream
That dances in the sun,
So joyously it calls to me,
“Come! Join my happy song!”
I wave my hat to all I meet,
And they wave back to me,
And blackbirds call so loud and sweet
From ev’ry green wood tree.
High overhead, the skylarks wing,
They never rest at home
But just like me, they love to sing,
As o’er the world we roam.
Oh, may I go a-wandering
Until the day I die!
Oh, may I always laugh and sing,
Beneath God’s clear blue sky!
