Mirror, Mirror on the wall (reflections)

I remember that line from a 'Fairy Tale' of my youth.  Although it was not a fun tale, it brings out the power of the mirror.

We look into a mirror and see ourselves, we see what we want to see. There are days when I am shaving that I will look at myself and try to remember what I looked like at 17. I cannot come close to remembering. I look and try to see my dad in me, but I cannot.








Sherry can look in the mirror and say, I am old! I look at her and she is young and beautiful.  I understand she is seeing herself. She is looking at gray hair and a few wrinkles,  I am looking at the girl I met in my youth.

Mirrors may tell the truth, but it is eyes that interpret what they see. And my friend, that is what that counts, the interpretation.  Every house I have built for us has 'required' apposing mirrors so one could get a 360 degree view (or the back of my girls head to see if she needed to touch up her hair-do.)

Have you ever watched someone use a 'hair pick'? To someone else it doesn't look as if anything was done. But to the lady, she might have only moved one hair, but it NEEDED fixing.

Mirrors are a necessity. When my girl leaves a mirror and she is smiling, I am a happy dude.

There was a time when no mirrors existed. The only reflections was in water.  I liked the shots I have enclosed.

Nite Shipslog
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Women, who needs 'em?

Life has always been unfair in many ways.  But still better than the alternative! I have heard many times, women are the weaker sex.  (BIG SMILE)

 At my age,  I think of the past often. When I get a ‘can’ of something out of the cabinet, I can see my mama reaching into the pantry to  get a quart of Green beans that she had picked, broken, cooked and canned while still keeping up the housework, sewing clothes, washing, starching, ironing and cooking 3 meals a day.  She also took the phone calls, acted as a secretary and major support for my dad.

There were women, like Susie, my mother in law, who did all the above and worked 40-48 hours in the cotton mill.  I have often thought, “Could a man have done that?”  My answer is, very few!

I don’t know about women's clothes, etc. because I did not pay attention to dresses in the 1940-1950 era, but I do not think the mature ladies had the ‘peer pressure’ of today in ‘styles’ and fashions.

My mama had a few dresses and I would guess 4 pairs of shoes.  I doubt if she cared if Sister Jones wore the same dress to church or shopping every day.  Now here is where, if I were a woman the stress would come in.Thinking like a man, I could wear the same dress (if I were  woman) to work several days, until it was dirty, then change. Peer pressure (society) does not allow a lady that option.

It seems to me in today's world the lady is still carrying the heaviest load, to be the weaker sex  :-o . And today, someone may notice if the lady in the office had worn an outfit already this week. I am appalled at our standards today. If Hillary, Fiora, or any lady politician were to wear the same dress to two functions some 'Fashion Police' would point it out.  Bernie, Marco Polo ;-), Cruz or any male politician could wear the same suit for weeks and no one would give it a flip. That ain't fair.

And heaven forbid if the shoes do not match the purse or dress. To a man, THAT IS CRAZY.

I remember awhile back Kate Middleton wore the same dress at two functions a week apart and some Fashion Police, ripped her to threads.

I ask myself, are these ladies supposed to have throw away clothes and not wear them twice? As a man that confuses the heck out of me.

Anyway, with all the other pressures on the ladies, why add the stress to please the 'fashion Police'?  Maybe I am over reacting, but I think it is prevalent in most all office settings.

Who needs Women?  The world and WE men, that's who!

Okay I vented, I feel better.

Nite Shipslog

PS: Sherry and I have always tried to work together, but she has OFTEN  took the brunt of the load.  Since I am older and wiser, I try to help as much as possible, trying to pay her back.

PS2: I trust these ladies, I am going to allow Dr. Tucci to cut into my head, then drill into my skull and insert 4 wires in my head. (AGAIN), I TRUST THAT WOMAN!

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 1929 Studebakers and a Packard.

Some information in the life of Jackie

(Son Mark  looking at Bar Harbor Maine from atop Cadillac Mountain)

Pictures are of the USA!

I was born Jan 17, 1939 at home. I have never seen the house, but it is in (South) Gastonia, NC.  Dad was a preacher and had founded and built the South Gastonia Church of God. Our family totaled 9 but we lost two, a baby boy an a sister Ovaline, who lived a short time. I was the baby of the family, mama's pet. (Sister Shirl was Daddy's pet). We moved in my lifetime. Shelby, High Shoals, Burlington, Albemarle, Valdese and Belmont all in North Carolina. I had two brothers who served honorably in the USN during WWII. Both OLDER sisters married great guys who became close friends.

(Looking down into the Grand Canyon)

No one could convince me the importance of an education, so I dropped out of school.  I had many jobs, but made a career of the military, USMC, USAF and the USN.  If anyone reading is familiar with the military pay grades, I served over 8 years as an E-3. LOL  (I am a glutton for punishment).  At 17, Not long after quitting school, Sherry saw 'some good in me' and we married. The smartest move in my whole life.

(Sonny and I at Pikes Peak)

After retiring from the USN, I tried the Roach Coach business for a couple years. Then I went into the building business, studied and became a general contractor.

(Arch at St. Louis)

This is an election year.  I have always tried to participate in the political process. I love this country and  with all its warts, wrinkles and scars, it is absolutely the BEST COUNTRY in the world. As I have said, I have been a registered Democrat, Republican and Independent. I have voted for all three, the Independent being Ross Perot.

(Above, fishing in Alaska)

(The USAF Academy Chapel, this place is gigantic)

I have always voted for someone I thought would run this country using the Federal Income $'s and balance the budget.  I haven't always picked a winner.  Looking back over the years, hind sight is GREAT, It is actually hard to tell if either party has done any better than the other. The politicians have been 'sweetly' defined by comment-er, Lisa, as being:  all clowns in a different circus.   My best friend, a registered died in the wool Democrat, Sonny Boy Helms described them as cheeks of the same butt.

(INSIDE A giant Redwood, xxxx National Park)

I have never been a Libertarian, after this year, that may be next. To be honest I like SOME of the things Trump has said, I JUST WISH SOMEONE ELSE WAS SAYING THEM!

 (Mt Rushmore,  with son Mark on the left and Son Jack on the right)

Please vote, vote your conscience. BUT VOTE.  I have no idea WHO will get my vote at this time, but I know someone will.

(The last picture, very fitting for this year, Crazy Horse Monument)

Nite Shipslog

PS: I realized after I had placed the pictures that this was almost a duplicate entry from one in the past.  But it's ready so here goes.

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 These cars were new when I discovered America. The Lasalle above and the Ford below.

I smelled wild onions today

We are home in Belmont, awaiting my new ear. I have determined not to be out in the public much, I do not want to catch a cold or the flu. They will not do the operation if I am sick.  So I want to be careful.

I am keeping busy here, picking up fallen limbs and burning them. We have a couple large trees at this house so I had a good job. Then I burned them.  I started cutting grass in the Third Grade, I had to do it often because it was a push reel type mower like this:

Then came the modern ‘Power mower’.  It was a reel type mower with a Briggs-Stratton motor.  When dad was not watching I could ride the sucker by standing with my feet on opposite sides of the motor and lean back over the engine to operate the levers. The mower was going forward and I was facing to the rear. I could not guide it of course, so the rides weren't long, but to a kid it was fun.

When and where I grew up, anything green on the lawn was good. Even some weeds and wild onions. In the spring when anyone was cutting grass in the neighborhood you could smell onions. It wasn’t an objectionable scent at the time, it just meant someone was cutting grass.

You see that was before the manicured lawns, before the lawn services, and long before the average citizen could afford a lawn service.

                                

So I have never went out of my way to ‘kill’ the ‘dandy-lions’ and wild onions in our yards.  I have pulled some of them, but we would never have won ‘Yard Of The Month’.

                                                                (Our lawn today)

Today I smelled onions, there was very little grass, too early for that.

Nite Shipslog

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1962 cars.....

I have no title for this post

This evening as I try to follow a debate on 'live blogs' and get my mind set for this entry, I have no idea which way I am going. LOL. I was a Democrat until I felt the Democrats left me so now I am registered as a Republican, but have no idea who I am going to vote for. I have voted for folks of both parties over the years.

We have been asked where we have our state residence, and where we vote?  Our residence is in Florida.  We were both raised in North Carolina and when I retired from the Navy we returned to NC.  We both worked in NC until the time Sherry could retire.  After a couple false starts we put out house up for sale and moved into our RV, to live on the road.

We gave the Realtor a few months, and our house did not sale. It was turned over to a real estate manager and we hit the road. So we still own a few pieces of property here in NC and live off the rent and our retirements.  It finances our escapades and gives us a home base here in NC if we need it.

When you are full time in the motorhome you learn from other full-timers. Find a state that you like that has no state income tax and move your residence there. We did our research and liked Florida. We had lived in the Keys for a few years, so we set up our residence in Florida. We try to live in Florida the required 6 months out of a year to be residents.  Once we bought on Lake Dora and settled for a couple years. BUT we missed the road, sold that place and hit the road again.

So we vote in Florida. We are not allowed to vote in the local elections, but that is fine, but we vote in county, state and federal elections.  We always do it by absentee ballots.  Those two ballots are in my view as I sit here, My question is who will get the check mark?  LOL

NC has a state tax, but since we are here less than 2-4 months a year I don't feel a bit bad at not paying the income tax.  However we do pay enough property taxes to pay the part time salary of a county employee. LOL

Times up!

Nite Shipslog

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When you out live your peers,sometimes you are forgotten

Sherry and I were in the Rondout Valley area of New York. It is on the edge of the Catskills. Driving around one day we spotted a county fair, why not?  So we parked and it was  seniors day and we got in free.  We were shocked to see that BJ Thomas and Billy Jo Royal were there performing that afternoon. Neat!

             BJ Thomas sang 'RAindrops Keep falling On My Head'

WE walked around to see the country stuff.  I have been shocked traveling, learning that places are not as I see them in your mind. For some reason I pictured NY state as being  NYC.  However, There are as many red-necks in NY as there are in North Carolina, maybe more. (Rednecks being farmers or outdoor folk).  Anyway I like to see farm animals 'purtied' up for show. I also like to view, sample and smell the homemade baked goods.  The folk in NY country are just like downhome without the accent. They are helpful and accommodating, even smile and wave. 

Anyway we were in the audience when the 'Boondocks and Raindrops' show began.  The guys sang their hearts out and in the direct sunlight. They sweated their clothes down, both were wearing black and the sun was unforgiving.  We had never seen super stars before, and it was a treat for us.

Then there was this sweet girl standing beside my Sherry who asked, "Are these guys supposed to be somebody?"  WHAT?

                           Billy Joe Royal sang, "Down in the Boon docks"

At times like that you say, yep these guys and we, are getting OLD.

              

The reason for this post is the death of "Sonny James".  He passed away in the last few days at the age of 87. With a smooth voice, his songs stayed at the top of the charts thru the fifties and into the sixties. This dude was cool, we cuddled and smooched to his music. His top single was 'Young Love', and we knew that was us.

Young Love   by Sonny James

They say for every boy and girl

There's just one love in this whole world

And I know I've found mine

The heavenly touch of your embrace

Tells me no one could take your place

Ever in my heart

Young love, first love

Filled with deep devotion

Young love, our love

We share with deep emotion

Just one kiss from your sweet lips

Will tell me that our love is real

And I can feel that it's true

For we will vow to one another

There will never be another

Love for you or for me

Young love, first love

Filled with deep devotion

Young love, our love

We share with deep emotion

Nite Ships Log

PS: Now excuse me, I gotta go get some sugar!

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We smooched in the '48 Chevy below before we married.

We smooched in this 1950 Chevy coupe after we were married.

Is there anyone in your family younger than you?

Computers and cell phones are wonderful additions to our lives. Sorta like a refrigerator, it is absolutely wonderful until it gives out with $265.35 worth of meat in the freezer, then it becomes a headache.

Sherry has handled the phones for many years now. When I went deaf, we still kept both phones.  She carried and answered them. Then when texting came about I began to use one for texting, but she still carries them to answer the VERBAL calls.

Okay, the reason for this post. One of the phones seemed to give up the ghost. She could still call on it, but not use other functions. It also quit recording a log of the calls received and made.  I did all I knew to do. First turned it OFF, powered it down and removed at battery for a short period, re-installed and powered up. Nada.

So to the Verizon store where we got the phones 3 yrs ago.  Young man about 20 yrs old invited us to his desk. Listened to Sherry's explanation, took the phone, looked it over then keyed some stuff into his computer.  Removed the battery, SIM card and re-installed them. Again nada.

WE talked a few minutes, he hemmed and hawed a little and asked,"Would you like to upgrade? This phone is pretty old." We both said no, he looked uncomfortable for a few more  seconds. Then this rep for Verizon, in the store where they were the phone was purchased, uncomfortably asked this OLD COUPLE, "Is there anyone in your family younger than you?" as he handed the phone back to Sherry he continued, "Maybe they can help you."  Then as sort of an after thought he continued, "Or you can dial *611 for Customer Service."

Back in the car we cracked up. There sure ain't no one in our house OLDER than us! Then Sherry laughed, wasn't he younger than us, he should have helped.

Lemme tell you, if it wasn't for stuff like this, life would be boring!

Nite Shipslog

PS: We will take the phone in to a service center, we might even UPGRADE!  LOL   And yes, later I realized the kid was a salesman but he just could not bring himself to say, 'I don't have a clue.'

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Some folk know how to get the max out of their vehicles.