Colder than a Witch's .................. um Broom stick

- 10 below zero , a  10 -12 mph wind blows out of  the North West,  It's still mostly dark,, sun just starting to brighten the Sky in the East ,,, the Crescent Moon remains very visible in the Southeastern sky,, just  a bit lower and to the right  is  Venus ,, very bright in the still dark sky.

A man wearing near every sweatshirt, and Hoodie he has. His "Bleacher Creature" Knit wool hat pulled over his ears,  and that hood  tight around his face,,, plus the best pair of gloves I - he -  owns.

Where is he headed ???  Out the Door and down the boat ramp to the Dock that runs parallel to the Fixed  Pier.  A 6 foot long - 1 inch in diameter steel bar with a knob on one end a a 4 inch flat plate on the other is in my right hand, and a yellow handle 16 pound sledge hammer is in the other.  Head down to end, 100 Plus feet , to where the Pier no longer acts a as a wind shield.  Pylons  - one  foot round pylons are there (these have been sunk 20-30 feet into the mud at the bottom of the marine)  they,  along with what looks like a 2 x2 foot horseshoe collar that is bolted back in the base of the dock hold that part of the Floating docks in place. There are 30 some of these in the Marina, ,,, ALL  need to be Struck a dozen times or so  with that 16 lb sledge to try to break the Ice that has formed on them , so that the collar does not get hung on the Pylon as the Tide moves the docks up / down on the Pylons,,, then the Steel bar comes into play chipping ice away from the dock and the collar....... 

There are 75 - what we call ICE EATERS - see photo -  scattered along the docks and attached to the Pylons to circulate the Water so it does not freeze; however, in temperatures below 15 degrees (and Certainly below zero temps ) they can only do so much to keep the ice at bay..  these Ice Eaters look like a five gallon pail - but open on both ends. With a 1.5 hp motor on mounts in the Pail with a small  6 inch propeller  on the motor  - there is a power cord (obviously) and then 2 lines attached to the top. The Ice Eaters goes into the water approx 4 feet down and is held to the dock using the same cleats that are used to hold boats in warmer weather... These SO break down.  Electrical problems, something - a  piece of a branch,  fishing line, rope, a plastic bottle , snaps off the wings of the propeller  - so that they need to be pulled from the water and either repaired or replaced - and NO that work can't wait for a warmer day.....

A really neat job is having to maneuver the Snow blower down the ramp onto the docks to clear the snow to make it safer to do the Ice Chipping or work on the Ice Eaters ,, you can see the path left by  the blower in the top photo.... 

I think I will remind myself of these Absolutely freezing day - when I get a few of those days in August when its  so hot you cannot breathe ,,, and  on the docks you can't  kneel down too long or it feels as if you are being burned !

Oh -  I missed some of the Real fun ..... there are 6 Pylons that are out in the middle of the Marina - AKA - NO dock near them, Just the post sticking out of the water., that floating dock is either moved or removed for the winter,,, so the  Ice eaters  are  hung from a board that forms a cross near the top of the pylon. Wires are strung from the FIXED  dock thru the air over to those Pylons.....   One of the those Ice eaters stopped working .. so the guys donned those Orange rescue suits - yup the ones you see on DEADLIEST CATCH - and they walked out across the ice to the Pylon and replaced the Ice Eater !!  

Is this Job worth $11 and hour !?- I think I should go to Stewarts or Mickey D's - they pay more !

As it should be

UNANIMOUS 


Now ,,, I can't explain why the Baseball writers did not vote unanimously for past players - Mays, Mantle, Gehrig, Williams, etc,,etc...   What I do know ,, is that they got it right on Mariano.

We were VERY Fortunate to watch that man pitch....  The numbers speak for themselves,, in saves, and Strikeouts.    Pretty much when you heard Metallic's enter Sandman - the game was OVER !
Broken bat after broken bat, Strike after strike...  And consider this,,, he knew he was throwing a cut fastball,,,, The Batter knew he was getting a cutter ,,,, the 50 thousand folks in the stadium knew it was a Cutter,  BUT - NOPE - Still could not hit it !!

This article by Derek Jeter is great,,,,,  and  agree with Jeter ,,, there is not one stat that sums up a career like MO's ,,,, but yes - Check this out,,

In human history, more people have walked on the moon than have scored an earned run off of Mariano Rivera in the postseason. Sounds crazy, right? But it’s true. According to NASA, 12 people have had the privilege of walking on the moon and ONLY 11  people have scored an earned run off of Playoff Mo. 

here is the link to the full article ,,,,,,,

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/derek-jeter-mariano-rivera-baseball-hall-of-fame


And Mariano enters the game for the Last time.....All you need to see is that the Opposing team come out of the dugout to applaud him....

And If you never saw this one,,,, it will bring tears to you eyes, as Pettite and Jeter take Mo out of the game.,,,,for the Final time,, and Marino just loses it.,

AHHH What a mess....

What a mess we are in,,, our Government is in turmoil,,, Brits are in the same mess,,,, and I have the feeling that Putin is smiling,,,,   Did he orchestrate all this, ??? Part of it for sure,,, getting his Butt Boy Trump elected President.....   and him having something on Trump is the only reasonable  explanation of why  your POTUS is doin what he is doing !

I'm in a mess.....  no sleeping ,,,,,  I think my eating is out of control,,, 

I wake up before 5am,, and can't get back to sleep - but only on the days I'm off,,, on the days that I work, and need to get up at 5AM... I am have a hard time getting going,,,  WTF is going on ??  Maybe winter Stress.... ??  Maybe Life Stress ??  ahh - it will all work it self out  - one way or other  - Huh,....

Oh - the Polar Vortex has fractured,,,, What the hell does that mean  ??  I never even heard of the Polar Vortex till a few years ago ,,, Did it just start Vortexing ?   Is there a Southern Vortex ??  a Caribbean  Vortex ???  What the Hell.....


That's all,,, I gotta go - painting don't cha Know,,, at least thats inside,,,,

Here is the new one from Tedeschi Trucks band,..

Give you an old one - also......Watched CREAM - Live from Royal Albert Hall... 

Yea,, that's Jack Bruce on Bass, Ginger Baker on the Drums, and some guy named Clapton playing guitar...

Where the hell have you been ?

So - where have you been,... nothing for like a month,,,,  Let's go for some highlights since 12/20...

- Really nice holiday season... Xmas eve at the Sons and xmas day at the daughters...Excellent foods and a great Family time...  it is certainly more fun with all the kids and we are fortunate to get to see all of the Grands for the holidays. !!  Of Course they received  way to many gifts.

- Work continues to go well,,, I think the Wife enjoys her job... and I am getting by with just the two days per week... collecting unemployment for the other 2 - put it is very minimal  ( don't  know how folks get by on this little money ) .   I work on the boat - up in the heated shop - thank god... Almost completed the tear our, scrape and sand work,,, getting ready to paint all the trim, and the inside bottom of the boat with 2 part epoxy paint,,, like you would use in your garage,,  then replace all the wood - that still needs to be cut out,,, paint that,, and reinstall everything !! might be able to sneak you a photo ....

you a football person ??  - so all the Division winner won at home,  Saint hung on to beat the Eagles... Pats killed the Chargers....Chiefs opened a can of WhoopAss on the Colts, and Rams defeated the Cowboys ,,,   Its Pats at Chiefs and Saints at the Rams,,, I have a felling that both road teams may win these games so the Super bowl will be Saints .vs Pats....

I think the Yankees are out of the Machado (good thing - he is a bum) and the Bryce harper show..
I'll say that they will go - Machado to the White Sox, and Harper either resign with the Nats or signs with the Dodgers..

The POTUS you ask ??  That Ass-Wipe ?   Government still shutdown,,,He said he would be happy to own the Shutdown over a border wall that EVERYONE know is not the way to go,,it's not what the Border agents wants, and it WILL NOT WORK  and now says it's the Democrats that are responsible. While 800, 000 people are out of work,,, sure most will get paid back,, but what are they doing now ??  And it has to be some new kind of insulting to hear a President that had a Multimillionaire father, and lived the life of Luxury all his life say that he understands what these people are going thru - What an ASSHOLE !!  His FIXER Lawyer is going to testify before Congress...  Cohen should make for great TV,.. what a Circus...Dickhead continues to Tweet and give - blurb "press conferences " that are not... the latest is the the FBI -OUR FBI,,, THE FBI investigated if he had direct ties to Russia and was working on their behalf. Imagine that statement, the FBI - that BTW has a few other things on its plate - investigate to see if the POTUS has committed TREASON
 FBI officials were contemplating with regard to Russia whether Trump was "acting at the behest of and somehow following directions, somehow executing their will." !! AND even when asked about it by HIS Butt Buddy Pirro on FOX news,,, he did not answer the Question.,,, here is what he said,... Jeanine Pirro pressed him on whether or not he’s working as a Russian asset. “Are you now or have you ever worked for Russia Mr. President?” Pirro asked the President. “I think it's the most insulting thing I've ever been asked. I think it's the most insulting article I've ever had written,” Trump responded. “And if you read the article you'd see that they found absolutely nothing.” 

Let me tell you that one report - had on sentence that may be devastating - it said that the Information about Trump ties to Russia had not yet reported Publicly ...  Humm,,,, Publicly ??  so they know  something that is still under Wraps,,,  there is a report that the Interpreter in some of the SECRET meeting ShitForBrains had with Putin would be compelled to testify before Congress.  now that would make great TV,,,   We read a report last week that tRump would resign this year, in a deal that will halt the investigations into his and his families business ties with the Soviets IF he agrees to resign the presidency - OMG from their pens to Gods ears....

Bigger News,,,,   I bought a Truck !  yup - not new but a 2012 RAM 1500 Quad Cab SLT  ,, White , with black highlights,,, I love the look of this Truck,,,  I ordered and have installed , a Tonneau Cover - nice one - Extang Trifecta,,, it folds up in three sections , guess that the  tRifecta.  Westin Black 4 inch oval Nerf Bars (kinda like Running boards) - easier to get in and out of the Cab,  and I have yet to figure out how to install the bug shield,, the clips they gave me don't work for shit,,, so i Need a warmer day to do this,, 3 hours laying in the Driveway to install the Nerf bars was enough fo this nearly 63 year old body - felt like I was hit by a truck !

These shots with no accessories....

Going to reduce the number of concerts that we go to this year, saving all the pennies for the Alaska trip in about 6 months.   Most of that is paid for , but still need extra Coin for food and travel. I did score tickets to see the ROLLING STONES ! in June. I can't wait,,, hope they all live long enough and I live that long !!

Heard a great story about Ancestry dot Com data helping to find a person that murdered someone out in California.  Police  had DNA , but no match in any FBI  or local data bases...   However, when this guys sister who was  unknowing of his crime - sent in her sample to be analyzed for Genealogy ..... I guess you agree in that process that they can share that data for Criminal cases .  This from the Report. Experts confirm DNA in these databases can be accessed by law enforcement and third party companies under certain circumstances, revealing intimate information about user’s medical history and biological relationships. and Whoops - she was a partial match - so they knew that someone else in her family committed the Crime, and they arrested her Brother - after he was an EXACT MATCH - GOTCHA !!

Did you see Escape at Dannemora  ??  Great short mini Series - 7 episodes - about that Prison break that took place in Northern NY state in 2015....   go watch it...

Two new songs for videos,,,

Mumford and Sons

and  Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats...

Later Dudes ...

What's next ??

Now that is an interesting question ....

You start as a kid wanting to be a teenager - get a drivers license, have a prom date, graduate from HighSchool - Maybe go to college and graduate from there.  For some - finding thats someone  so Marry ?? Or these days S.O. is perhaps more popular.. Get a job or start a career - which ever way you think if it.  Make money - no money does not buy everything - however things go much easier with it than without it... now one does not need to be a millionaire - be being financially sound is a good thing.  Purchasing a home on the list ??  Advancing in that Career that was mentioned earlier... Is being your own boss a thing ??  Retiring ??  really ? from "gee can I bee a teenage " and have drivers license   to  it's time to think about retiring !    I know a little bit of info here....   you gotta have a What's next .  A Part time job,,  A hobby that you can do everyday  that makes you happy or at the very least Occupied...  How many Re-runs can you watch and can anyone watch that much TV. ??

But you better have a plan or develop one,.....  You know - well  "I know" folks that never stopped working,.. their career was there retirement - or they could not think of or think of themselves doing something else..... perhaps frightened at the prospect of not having that  JOB to fall back on to define themselves and/or don't want to do anything different , cause they think its below them to perform menial talks.

Listen - it's not too late - find that Niche - Volunteer , get a job even of you do not need the Money , It will get ya out of the house , it will let you interact with others, and hell you might even find you like it , even of its something you never thought of doing....   !  If you like to be outdoors then find a job where you can do that, plant flowers in the summer.   Want to be inside - only about 1000 jobs that let you do that,,, specially around the holidays and in the summer. I know this .. businesses love to hire folks - my age. You have experience of a life time of employment, Teamwork Communications skills, Interpersonal Skills. If you were any kind of successful at a Career / Job then you are dependable, have a flexible work schedule,   you are honest and hard working.  I tend to go to Disney World from time to time ...  Look at who they hire as Bus drivers, Boat Captains (don't need a Coast Guard License WDW is private waters) Hosts and Hostesses...   Retired FOLKS !!  Cause of the reasons I just described...  Bet those folks show up for work Early , and can stay late... If someone calls in they can - most times - drop what ever they were doing and come in to cover. Plus they are excellent role models for the younger employees  ...... What business does not want that !

OK - so think about WHAT's NEXT ,,, get a plan and get going , even if it's uncomfortable at first... Try this - do what ever the heck you come  up with for 60 days .... If it ain't working be honest and go try something else !!  Now GET GOING !!


Next time I'll be talking HOT STOVE baseball,,,,, and looking forward to Christmas / New Years !!

Enjoy.....  here are  two Christmas / Holiday songs....

Keb Mo...Shopping on Christmas Eve ...

Buster Poindexter,,,  With an old song - that was down by Louis Armstrong

It's about time

I cannot believe that it has been Months since I have been here...  and so much has happened...


Look - the Crap with our current "President" has not changed,,,  Mueller is about set to unveil what he has found out ,,, and Comey and Cohen have both agreed to testify about what they know,,,, Roger Stove says he will never testify against tRump and I guess its just another Lie that the POTUS has said he wants truth to come out,,, but yet praises those who have kept their mouths shut and Vilifies those who have told the truth..  WE know what side of the TRUTH the POTUS is on. I continue to believe that there is someone out there with the GUTS to tell the truth and blow the lid off this thing,.  OR we might see that Mueller - has the truth ,, and then we see what the Republican push back is on his report...   Impeachment or Resignation = we can only hope..

We had a short trip to New Orleans, - very good .... Good food,,, good music,,,as you would expect... Did tour of the St Louis Cemetery #1...  extreemly interesting how they "bury" folks there... Glad we went , don't think I would go back any time soon.,,

We are on the cusp of a 10 day WDW trip....  and for folks that go twice  year - we have not been in TWO years !! So I am really looking forward to this trip. It's a bit longer than we usually go for.. , so I hope it gives us some real time to relax, wander  "The WORLD" and see all the Holiday shows and activities..  Definitely some new stuff to see and do in all the parks...

In 6 months - our Alaska will be underway...  and right before that - we have tickets to see the ROLLING STONES !! I can hope they all live that long !! And we live that long !

I am going to make this one a short post,,,,  with the Promise that you won't have to wait long before the next one...

One Christmas video...  Ceelo Green ,,,,

It's  Johnny Lyon's 70th Birthday...  today....