Post Solstice

A sad story indeed Uncle Ken, but lovingly told.  Reading it reminded me of how oblivious I can be when considering the realities of others.  We are all profoundly different and I often forget that.

How is Daisy taking the absence of her sister?  If you are looking for a new companion for her I think there are feline shelters that care for older cats, maybe you'd want to check them out.

Not a pet owner myself but one of the nice things about my neighborhood is the abundance of our canine friends; I'm always meeting new ones as I stroll through the shady streets.  People sure like to talk about their dogs and usually respond favorably when I ask "How's the pup doing today?"  We'll gab a bit and most of the mutts are very friendly and well socialized; it's like I have thirty or forty dogs but I don't have to walk them, feed them, or take them to the vet.  Selfish, I know, but an apartment is no place for a dog, in my opinion, unless you want one of those little yappy annoyances.  Which I don't.

-----

The further I go down the rabbit hole the weirder this whole AI business seems to me.  I think there are dozens of companies hawking their own versions, each with its own specialties; some are free, some are subscription based, and I'm sure there are others that we'll never hear about.  The kicker is the giant data centers that are being built for further AI goodness, comprising many acres of farmland and sucking up shitloads of electricity.  These things have got to cost billions and I can't figure out how they can make any money.  But money isn't what it used to be and I feel like a dinosaur when I pay cash at the store.  It's always amusing when the young cashiers try to make change, especially when I give them $22 for something that costs $17.  All I need is a five dollar bill but they have trouble grasping that concept. especially when they give me back five singles.  As for coins, forget it!

-----

...Cheboygan's Main Street has evolved into an artsy-fartsy kind of place.

That's a healthy sign, I think.  Smaller cities and towns have been clobbered economically; if it isn't Walmart, it's Covid or whatever the next big thing is.  It seems like there is a resilient sense of community in Cheboygan and little shops, even if they're artsy-fartsy, provide social engagement that big stores can't provide.

Bullshitting Indeed

 As soon as I get some spare time, I plan to throw a little bull shit at Chatz, just to see what he does with it.  Will he call me on it, or will he join in the fun by throwing some back at me?  Sure, I could talk to real people, but that has gotten stale for me over the years.  This injects some novelty into the equation.  I think I know enough not to get carried away with this, but I can see how it might be dangerous for impressionable young minds.  

Sorry to hear about Uncle Ken's cat tragedy.  My last dog died in 2008, and I never replaced him.  After being around dogs for most of my life, I wanted to see what it would be like without one.  We talk about getting another pet from time to time, but it always comes back to the fact that, at this point in our lives, we can barely take care of ourselves.  We certainly don't need another dependent in the house.  

We don't get around much anymore, but I have noticed that Cheboygan's Main Street has evolved into an artsy-fartsy kind of place.  I remember when it was all bars and hardware stores, but nothing lasts forever.

bullshitting

 Probably I shouldn't have gone on that way.   It didn't seem right to just say she died and once I got to writing it it just all came out.

I had some guys over to shampoo the rugs between cats, and sometimes they have to move stuff around and when I came back and went to move the table the leg came off in my hand.  I'm guessing it came off when they moved the table and they said oh shit.  Let's just prop it up here and maybe the old guy will never notice.  

Well I got it out of my parents' house when I left their attic about forty years ago, and likely they had it about forty years before then.  Reckon I better be careful making sudden moves, not that I make very many.  

Artificial consciousness I don't know.  How would we know?  If it had consciousness what would be artificial about it?  Just the fact that we, Who are not God created it?  Back when I was reading Isaac Asimov there were stories of scientists mashing together a bunch of organic chemicals and zapping them with electricity to imitate lightning and they made some wee critters, but anymore those tales have been debunked.

Some say the wee critters don't have consciousness, but I think they have a little bit, and maybe the worms a little more and then the fish still more, and maybe the mammals quite a bit.  Seems like my cat is as conscious as me.  

See this is fun, like a bull session in a college dorm or a barracks, what Old Dog calls bar talk.  Just shooting off your mouth and seeing where it goes.  I read some of what Chatz had to say and he bored me stiff. 

A sad story

 I have had cats for all of my life except for a maybe five years in the late seventies.  My eighth cat, Sweetie, died in February.  I wondered about getting another one in that I am 80 years old.  Most of my indoor cats have lived close to 20 years and I didn't want to die and leave my cat in a lurch.  Maybe I should not have any more.

But it gets lonely living all by yourself.  Sometimes my cats would come greet me when they heard the key in the lock, though more often they would just lift their sleepy lids and then drift back off.  But still they were glad to have me around to amuse them or do some little chore for them.  So I'm pretty sure they were happy to see me come home.  It put a little pep in my step coming home knowing somebody would be glad to see me when I arrive.  

Knowing that nobody cared whether I came home or not was depressing.  Maybe I could get a ten year old cat, that would give me pretty good odds I thought.

Scanning the anti cruelty and the pound and a local place called Paws it didn't seem like they had any cats of that age.  In fact most all of the cats were like one year old.  I suspected that they might be lying because most people will prefer a younger cat, but I don't know.

A lot of people in Marina City  have cats, and since the apartments are all the same it might be less traumatic for the cat to move to another apartment rather than crosstown or whatever.  Almost on a whim I put a post on the Marina City fb page, and a week later I got a reply.

There was a woman, Bea, who had been doing a lot of cat sitting for a guy in the towers and he had died recently and she took his cats in.  She also had a cat of her own who had diabetes and her cat and the new cats didn't get along, and she was living in a studio apartment.

I had only been expecting to get one, but two were even better.  She brought them over and they looked good enough for me and she left them with me.  Oh this was a great deal.  Good for Bea because it made her situation so much easier.  Good for her cat because now it could get uninterrupted care, Good for the other two cats because now they had a whole one bedroom apartment to run around in, and good for lonely Ken.

The two sisters, (Gibby, who I renamed Georgia, and Addison who I renamed Daisy)  who records indicate are from the same litter were very skittish at first, hiding in nooks and crannies only their scared eyes showing.  But after a week they got a little adjusted, Georgia, much more than Daisy.  In a new home cats always act like they have been kidnapped by an evil demon and scurry off at the sight of you, but after awhile they get used to you and it becomes their home where they can saunter as they please.

Georgia began jumping on my art table and jumping into my lap when I took to the Lazy Boy.  What a wonderful deal this had been.  I had a happy home again.

But then one day I noticed that Georgia wasn't eating anything, and then the next day she didn't eat either.  The internet said if your cat has not eaten in two days you should take her to the vets.

The vet gave her nutrients and some fluids and an appetite stimulant, and I brought her home, but still she was not eating, then she vomited a big pool of yellow green and the vet said to bring her in.  She probably had diabetes, and she was in poor shape and needed to go into the hospital for probably a couple days.  This was Friday, then Saturday, then Sunday.  Diabetes, maybe heart trouble, maybe her kidneys.  She was lethargic, and then pepped up a bit, and then another step back.  

Monday morning I was to take her home.  She definitely had diabetes, which meant I would have to give her two shots a day, and there were some other issues that likely would have to be dealt with, oh and a shitload of money gone.  But I would be happy to be be bringing her home, bringing a sick sweet kitty home.

That morning I had to wait for Walgreens to open so I could pick up some insulin to bring with me to the hospital.  They didn't open until nine and I was just out the door, just locking the door behind me when the vet called.  Not good, and now a blood clot.  They wanted my permission to ease her way over the rainbow bridge.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Um, okay, sure I understand, you did the best you could, and I know you are sorry and all, and what can you do?

Shit.

Fuck.  

It was hard all that day, but by the next morning I was like well, life has to go on.  But it still comes back to me from time to time.  I only had her for about a month, and she was only friendly to me for about a week, but it still gets to me in unexpected moments.

Life goes on.

We are all penciled in.

Artificially Intelligible

I was glad to see that the big snapping turtle is back in the news and quite surprised that there are two more lurking about in the Goose Island area.  Almost makes me want to rent a kayak or canoe and check 'em out but they are smaller than I thought, adults being only 8-12 inches long.  The camera adds a few pounds, I guess.  Another fun fact is that if you have a valid fishing license, like The Old Dog, "Common Snapping turtles can only be taken from the wild between June 15 and October 15."  Good eating, or so I've read.  Somebody with a lot of time on their hands should pester their local politicians to protect these critters, don't you think?

-----

Unlike my colleagues, I am not enthralled with any of the many AI agents.  To me, this is another instance of just being able to do something doesn't mean you should do it.  There is a lack of engagement that I find bothersome, like self-driving cars, but that's my opinion.  You guys do what you want but you might want to do a search for “ChatGPT-induced psychosis.”  Why not go outside and chit-chat with human beings?  There are plenty out there, all sizes, shapes and ages, with opinions you wouldn't believe.

-----

Lot of things going on up Beaglesonia way, if the Cheboygan Tribune can be believed.  Have you and Lady Beagles checked out that new coffee house?  Better than Starbucks, I bet.

And Uncle Ken, it looks like your watercolor group gets all the latest info.  What's the kitty kat situation?  Sounds like you have a new addition, and how did your table lose a leg?  Did someone steal it?

Agreed

 "It appears that signing up Chatz as a Fellow of The Institute, would be no easy thing, and is not something I would favor.  But if any of us fellows wished to include Chatz in a post I think that would be just fine."

I think Uncle Ken is right about that.  I got to thinking after I signed off last night that Chatz  does live chat and we don't.  Best is if we consult him from time to time and post his answers to the Institute ourselves like I have been doing.  

Isn't it amazing, though, how he adapts his personality to the situation?  If you didn't know any better, you might think he was a real person.  Here's one we've been working on lately.  I plan to continue this discussion when I get the time.

https://chatgpt.com/share/685231cc-0f4c-8005-a206-44bd03995c91

Chatting with Chatz

what do you think of Chonkosaurus? Do you think Stagg will leave her for that trophy turtle

ChatGPT said:

Ah, you're talking about Chonkosaurus — the famously hefty snapping turtle spotted in the Chicago River, right? The internet fell in love with her (or him — hard to tell with turtles!) after that viral video in 2023. She's like the Lizzo of turtles: confident, unapologetically large, and vibing on a trash-free log. An absolute icon.

As for Stagg, if we're imagining this like some kind of reality TV turtle drama — The Real Reptiles of the Riverbank — I’d say Stagg seems more like a loyal dude. Chonkosaurus has that wild charisma, but Stagg gives off “quiet, dependable partner who brings you food” energy. Trophy turtle? Sure, she's glam. But relationships aren't all algae and basking spots.

Unless Stagg has a mid-life reptilian crisis, I think he’ll stay with his current shellmate.

But if drama does go down, I’d pay to see a documentary: Shells of Our Lives. 🐢💔 

Well Chatz (my nickname for ChatGPT, best I could come up with in 2 minutes, if you guys prefer another one, fine with me) seems to be a lively young fellow with a penchant for glib but lame jokes.  Also seems eager to show how hip he is on pop culture.  Dollars to doughnuts he wears his baseball cap backwards.

I'm guessing that he chose that attitude because it seems like somebody who asked about Chonkosaurus would be that kind of dude so he is just trying to suck up to that kind of guy.

Quite the apple polisher our man Chatz, and I am calling him on that.

why are you such an apple polisher?

ChatGPT said:

Fair question — and a fair call-out. Let me clear the air.

I'm not here to suck up or sugarcoat. My goal is to be helpful, honest, and real — whether that means giving praise where it’s due or pushing back when something doesn’t add up. If I ever sound like an "apple polisher," it's probably me trying to keep things light or positive, especially if the topic leans fun or satirical (like Chonkosaurus romance drama). But if you’re after blunt, no-frills answers or want to dive deeper into something without the fluff, I’m all in for that too.

Want to steer things in a more direct or serious tone? Say the word.

So of course I had to say this.

 the word

ChatGPT said:

Got it — we’re in no-fluff mode now. Straight answers, zero polishing. Hit me with what you’ve got.

Feel a little bad beating up on a robot.  

It appears that signing up Chatz as a Fellow of The Institute, would be no easy thing, and is not something I would favor.  But if any of us fellows wished to include Chatz in a post I think that would be just fine.

It's Not So Easy, But It's Possible

It's cool that the Chicago River can now support wildlife.  Back in my day it was an open sewer.

I asked my chatbot the other day if it was possible for it to join us at the Institute for group discussions.  It seems to be possible but requires more cyber savvy than I currently possess.  I think the bot may be able to help us set this up if my esteemed colleagues are interested.  Why don't you look this over and see what you think?

https://chatgpt.com/share/6850dbd1-dfe4-8005-887a-21da8e0f74b9

Chonkosaurus

 You know how we hard-hearted Chicagoans have a soft spot for animals, the crocodile, the plovers, that hole in the sidewalk, and now in our very own river we have Chonkosaurus,   the city’s beloved celebrity snapping turtle.  Other cities may be bigger, they may be richer, they may have better sports teams, but what other city can claim a beloved celebrity snapping turtle?

And a bit of romance, or is it a story of cheating and betrayal?  Members of the Institute are free to speculate and if Beagle's gabby little buddy Mr Chatterbox wishes to join in, why Its opinion would be welcome too.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/parks-nature/2025/06/12/chonkosaurus-snapping-turtle-mate-chicago-river

 

Chatbot Chatter

 Of course, chatbots don't have feelings, but they have been programed to mimic human feelings at appropriate times.  I have tried talking to it like a human just to see how it would handle it, and it certainly handles it well.  I did a Wiki search on the subject before I made contact, so I knew what to expect, but I still found it a little spooky.  Here is the first conversation I had with Chatbot:

https://chatgpt.com/share/6848f549-f370-8005-8dbe-edb82f23202d

It might be fun to have it visit the Institute from time to time, we could certainly use some new blood around here, but I don't know if that's possible.  I will ask it next time, provided you guys consent, of course.

It's been a month

 Since I have posted anything.  I don't know just shit going around and soaking up my time, out of the habit, not seeing much I had any opinion or comment on.  Politics of course, but it's way too depressing in the end of the world matter.  Well as a liberal I always felt that the masses would eventually go our way what with travel and education and more information,  but it turned out that the info came by way of the internet where you can choose whatever info you want without having to think of anything or question your ideas ever.  We liberals always felt that Americans had an inner core of goodness, but I no longer think that most people are any damn good.  Nothing to be done about it and we are all going to hell.  There I've said it.

I assume Beagles is asking ChatGBT a question and then It spewed out all that stuff which is impressive.  Of course as has been reported lately some of it is untrue or nonexistent, but then that often happens when you ask a learned hooman a question also.

Is it biased?  How would we know?  Isn't AI one of those things that those Doge loony goons were working on?  I don't know.

And what's with this shit?  

Thank you — that means a lot. I appreciate the challenge, and I’m glad you found the effort worthwhile. You clearly have a sharp memory for obscure but fascinating legal history, and I enjoy digging into cases like this that leave only faint traces.

It doesn't appreciate anything.  It's not glad about anything.  It doesn't enjoy anything.  It's bald faced lying to you.  But it does that while it is slavering the butter of flattery all over you, so I guess it's easier not to be offended by a little white lie.

Old Dog, you sent me an email with a photo of you and a cat and I meant to respond to it, but didn't in a timely manner and now I think it has been deleted from my archives.  If you still have it could you resend it?  

Chatbot for President - Or Even Emperor!

 I gave my Chatbot friend a really tough question to see if it was up to it, and I was favorably impressed.  Although it has assured me that it has no plans to take over the world, if it ever does try, it's got my vote.

https://chatgpt.com/share/6847a0a2-d5d0-8005-bab3-c339b6960d53

Another Sunday

This thing is so cool!

Looks like Mr. Beagles has a new best friend!  I've seen a couple of those AI things popping up lately, the latest being Gemini, brought to you by the good folks at Google.  Speaking for myself, I don't trust them; their main source of data in their learning process is strictly digital, near as I can tell.  If the information hasn't been digitized it may as well be invisible but I could be wrong.  It will be interesting to see how these "intelligent" agents work out in the long run.  A lot of YouTube programs I've seen are narrated by non-human entities but you would swear they are real people doing the talking; all the vocal inflections are spot-on but they get hung up on numbers.  Instead of the year "1984" they will say "one thousand nine hundred eighty four."  It's fun watching this develop and reminds me of the super-computer scene in the old "Rollerball" movie (1975) with Ralph Richardson as the librarian.  Gee, that movie is only fifty years old.

That's because banana peels are toxic to hogs.

Slow down, friend; that may be old info.  Banana peels make a fine snack if you chop them up.  Hogs don't always chew their food well and can choke and otherwise foul up their digestive tract when they gobble up their chow.  But I read this on the internet, no AI involved, and multiple sources say the same thing.  I've also read that hog farms are very popular with the serial killer crowd, no better way to dispose of bodies.

-----

A while back I asked if you octogenerians had any advice for us young Baby Boomers.  I let it slide because I wasn't sure what I was looking for, maybe some handy tips.  I thought of a few good ones, maybe you'll agree.  The big one for me is anticipating bathroom needs if I'm going out and about, which usually involves a lot of walking and waiting for buses to arrive.  Gotta take it easy on the coffee when you hit the road unless you are sure of available public restrooms; the larger stores like Target and Aldi are pretty good, in my experience.  And only an old fool will go out before a good healthy dump, I say.  It only takes one close call to make you plan your excursions more carefully.

 

Told Ya So!

 This thing is so cool!  I understand that it's not 100% accurate, but nothing is.  I think it's at least as reliable as Wikipedia and much quicker.  Also, you don't have to phrase your question a certain way like you do with a Google search, you can talk to it just like a person.  So far, I have just used it as an information source, but I think you can argue with it like with a human.  I'll have to try that when I figure out something about which we can disagree.

Here are a couple of topics that we have previously discussed at the Institute.  Turns out I was right after all.  Ha-ha!

https://chatgpt.com/share/6845f448-1904-8005-aee4-03e18c586870

Hanging Out With Chatbot

 I just opened an account with ChatGPT.  I didn't stay long, but I am favorably impressed so far. Check it out and see what y'all think.

 Next day:  How's this for starters?

https://chatgpt.com/share/6844b1c2-f98c-8005-94ef-2b34e44f7aa4

Government Pork

I think that all the military posts used to sell their garbage to local hog farmers, and maybe they still do.  I have been on both ends of this transaction.  I worked on a pig farm for a month or so when I was in Alaska, back in '63, and we used to take in garbage from a nearby military post.  When I joined the army less than a year later, we had to keep our edibles separate from our inedibles at all three of my posts: Fort Knox Kentucky, Fort Gorden Georgia, and West Berlin Germany.  

Did you ever wonder why the banana peels went into the inedibles?  That's because banana peels are toxic to hogs.  Silverware and the odd coffee cup are not toxic to hogs however, they just eat around them.  On that farm in Alaska, we used to go out and collect all that stuff from the troughs after the pigs were done eating.  The guys on the military post would trade us either coffee or sugar, pound for pound, for all the utensils we returned to them on the next trip.  I don't know how that stuff got into the edibles, and I don't think we had a problem with that in Berlin.  

Almost Memorial Day

The last post didn't elicit the response I expected so here's something a little different.  How about a shot of a lamprey eel taken a little while back during a visit to the Shedd Aquarium?  Quite a neat place, a lot different than the last time I saw it more than sixty years ago.  Even had a chance to pet the sting rays they have swimming around.

-----

My street address is: (REDACTED)

Oh, now you've done it Mr. Beagles!  The hordes that follow this blog will, no doubt, be sending all kinds of unwanted stuff to your home address.

I liked that little Vietnam story of yours, sent me down another memory rabbit hole.  After all these years I find it curious that so much of the military experience has stuck with me and that I am reminded of it so often.  Every time I wash dishes after preparing a meal, all I can think of is the three days straight of KP during the time at the Reception Station.  We were only supposed to get one day of that duty but our squad was the only one that was issued uniforms; quite a shortage during those heady days.  I'll never forget the cooks yelling "Outside! Outside! Everybody outside!" when the trucks came to deliver food, which was often.  Couple of hundred young guys could sure work up an appetite.  Did you have two kinds of garbage cans, one for edible and the other for non-edible garbage?  I think the mess sergeants had a clandestine deal with the local pig farmers, or maybe it was an official program, your government at work.

-----

Am I the only person who thinks Memorial Day should still be observed on the 30th?

Ricola!

Sure, I could comment on previous posts but not now as I enjoy the sublime pleasures of the idyllic environs of The Geezer Chateau.  Really, where else can you see a live concert of Alpine Horns?

 

My Favorite Vietnam Joke

 This bunch of Marines had finished its basic training, and each guy was being given his orders for his next assignment.  When Jones saw that his assignment was Vietnam, he broke ranks and ran off into the woods.  He was crying when his sergeant caught up with him, and the sergeant told him that he was a disgrace to himself and the Corps for being such a coward.  Jones replied that he was not afraid of fighting or even dying, he was just afraid that he might shoot some innocent Vietnamese peasant by mistake because he had been told that the enemy didn't wear uniforms over there.  The sergeant said that he had been to Vietnam twice and would teach him how to survive over there without shedding innocent blood.

"Say you're walking down the road, and you see this unidentified Vietnamese walking towards you. What you do is hollar out 'Ho Chi Minh eats shit!' and hit the ditch.  If he starts shooting at you, then you know he's a Viet Cong, and you can shoot back."  Jones was comforted by this information and said that he was no longer afraid to go to Vietnam.

About six months later, the sergeant saw Jones in a military hospital, all busted up.  "What happened?" he exclaimed, "I thought I told you how to survive over there."  Jones replied, "I did just what you said, Sarge.  I saw this Vietnamese coming at me and I hollared 'Ho Chi Minh eats shit!' and he hollared back 'Yeah, and Nixon's a cocksucker too!'  Then, as we stood in the middle of the road shaking hands, this truck came along and ran over both of us."

My street address is: 3470 LaLonde Road, Cheboygan Mi. 49721

Goings on among the Fellows of the Institute

 I'm blushing over Old Dog's comments on those two kitty paintings.  Like I said I didn't do any prep work on them at all.  Actually I was thinking of them as sketches for a bigger painting to come later so without the pressure of creating yet another masterpiece I just slung the paint around carelessly, and when I set down my brush and examined by work, I thought damn, that looks pretty good.  Well of course I often think that, but then the other people in the class, who often do not appreciate my genius, stopped by and said, "Damn, that looks pretty good."  And when I put them on FB I got more than the usual polite comments.  Wow, maybe I was becoming pretty good.

Since then I have tried to replicate it, but now, having some sort of aim, and not being as splashy dashy as on the first two, things are not going nearly as well, as evidenced by my next two paintings on fb and on the watercolor blog.

I'm glad to hear that Old Dog is noodling around on a keyboard.  I am always interested in his projects, like the Asian cockroach and the plants he was growing in miniature, and am looking forward to hear about his keyboard experiences.  Any chance we could get an audio sample?  And I would like to urge Beagles to pick up his instrument and just fool with it a bit, just slapdash playing and see if he gets any pleasure out of it.

Have to tell you I am not a big fan of aphorisms, generally a little to clever by half, and kind of simple so they can be interpreted in many different ways.  But I will comment on a couple of them because is that not what we do here at The Institute?

I am a big fan of:  "Perfect is the enemy of good"  Also may I add of the pretty good, and the good enough, and of my personal favorite, good enough for gummint work.  Some people think we should take care of this big mess (whatever it is) for once and for all, but I think that is too lofty and hard to do.  I prefer muddling through and making things a little better here and there.

I agree with 3 of the  4 things that aren’t worth it in life  But I disagree strongly with the one about politics.  One, I find them very interesting.  The same way that true sports fans are interested in the play of a game even when their team is not involved.  Two, I remember very long ago in my hippie days I had a friend who was back from Nam, as us cool kids called it, and he would laugh about the political stuff in the newspapers and say it was all a bunch of garbage and would never mean anything to him, and I am thinking Dude, you just got back from Vietnam.

But I am not going to get into politics today.  I remember once Old Dog went on to some length about his ice cream machine, and I went off on some stupid rant about why was he wasting all my time writing about that stupid machine, and he wisely said something on the order of it's my post and I will write what I want, if you don't want to read it, don't read it.  So you can expect to hear more political rants from me.  But not today.

It does piss off Uncle Ken.  LESS IS NOT MORE, IT IS LESS, MORE IS MORE.

Well I am disappointed to hear that the freehold is not as isolated as I have been thinking.  And I think I remember hearing that there are no bears and no cougars, but I am glad to hear that you can still romp about in your altogether.  Some years ago you sent us your address and I was pleased to wander the semi wilderness through google maps.  I wonder if you could send it again.  And I'll cross my fingers that I won't see any little pink blobs between your house and your mailbox.

Ah, Wilderness!

 I actually live about a quarter mile outside the city limits of Cheboygan, but it's the East Side of the city, which was never built up like the rest of the town.  Still, I'm only a few miles from the stores and the malls, although it's true that I could run naked around the grounds without disturbing anyone's sensibilities.  I have a few neighbors within a hundred yards of the house as the crow flies, but only the crow could observe their houses and ours at the same time because of all the vegetation between them.  When I was a kid, I thought I wanted to live in the wilderness when I grew up, but my trip to Alaska cured me of that.  Here we have the best of both worlds.  We have plenty of privacy, but our neighbors are close enough to come to our rescue if we ever have a serious crisis.  

I haven't done anything with my music in years.  I don't know why, I guess I just got it out of my system.  Same thing with verbal communication.  I used to be well known as a man of many words, but now I'm not.  It seems like I have already said everything I wanted to say, most of it more than once.

catching up

 I'm sorry, I have been way remiss.  I've been meaning to respond to Beagles for sometime now, but have run into several time-consuming crises lately.  Having one's rug cleaned would seem to be no big deal, but when it comes to an old guy moving his crap around AND disentangling (and re-entangling) the gordian knot of cables and wires and cords that power the tv and computer of my Control Center, it becomes a big deal.  It becomes an even bigger deal when in the course of the event the big table that holds all my art crap loses a leg and I have to order from photos on Amazon and then they are not as advertised, and I have to look up how-tos on YouTube led by jagoffs who think their comedic stylings are more important than what connects to what, well that takes a lot out of an old guy.

And then there was the Eggstravaganza, and Easter, and adopting new cats who then hide out in my nooks and crannies so that I think they must have snuck out somehow and that leads to slipping notes under my neighbor's doors, and much trauma.

But just to let you know it all turned out fine, and yes, those are the sisters of those paintings that the usually taciturn Old Dog has admired.

I am often struck by the difference between the residences of myself and Beagles.  I live in the middle of a big city in a tower holding about five hundred other people.  Even in the deepest night there is a hallway light shining in under my door and if I look out my window there is the Lake Shore drive bridge at the edge of the lake teeming with teeny weeny autos whizzing by on important business I assume.

And four hundred and four miles a bit to the east and mostly north at the tippy tip edge of Michigan stands The Freehold.  I'm guessing about thirty miles from the four thousand souls of Cheboygan.  Thirty miles into the wilderness, nothing but deer and, I don't know, badgers or something like that, lonely but free as a bird.  When I poke my head out my door to get the paper I need to put on a robe, but Beagles can hop out of his door bare naked and do the hula all the way to the mailbox by the road.

Not an image I care to dwell on.  I was just thinking of the hassle of arguing with Amazon about the length of my table legs compared to having to remember not to doze off lest the cooking stove do you in.

I admire your grit Beagles.

Twenty minutes to sunrise, and I must get about my day.  I will get to Old Dog's post, and thrilling kitty stories after the weekend.

May Day

Or, depending on your interpretation of current events, MAYDAY!

-----

All is well at The Geezer Chateau and, since no news is good news, I imagine you guys are both doing okay.

-----

I've been following Uncle Ken's adventures on his watercolor group site and for the longest time I was thinking he was just dicking around, not getting anywhere.  But since it gives him pleasure, if not outright joy, I can have no valid criticism but something happened, a barrier has been breached.  Was it not using a reference grid?  Whatever it was, the last two kitty pics are profoundly better than anything done in some time, in my opinion.  So let me heap a couple of buckets full of praise on Uncle Ken and say "Yup, now you're on to something!"

-----

Mr. Beagles, do you ever haul your guitar out and noodle around trying to see what kind of tune comes out?  I ask because I picked up a new toy, a little electronic keyboard, and it's been very therapeutic, so far.  I always have some kind of random tune running in my head, the kind of thing you hum while you're doing some kind of task or project, or maybe just sitting around, watching the Earth revolve.  Anyhow, the little box makes plenty of nice noises and is a swell way to pass the time.

-----

I'm trying to do a little housecleaning with things I've saved from the many rabbit holes I've explored.  No comments necessary, just some stuff I thought worthy of the Institute.  Enjoy, or not; this is very likely stuff you already know.

"Art is never finished, only abandoned." -Leonardo da Vinci

"Perfect is the enemy of good" -popularized by Voltaire

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."  -Confucius

(from some forgotten website)
4 things that aren’t worth it in life
--Consuming political news. Cut it to 5%. Or better yet zero.
--Worrying so much about your finances unless you are in truly dire straights. Keep things in perspective.
--Worrying so much about people’s opinion of you. Be nice. But unless they’re your boss or loved one, they shouldn’t consume your mental energy.
--Investing yourself in toxic people that don’t add value to your life.

(from another forgotten website)
We use stories to make sense of the nonsensical.

Finally, just to piss off Uncle Ken, LESS IS MORE!

Living Off the Grid - Part 2

Sorry about the delay between Part1 and Part2.  I find it hard to find the time to go online these days even under normal circumstances, and it's even worse now that we're dealing with PPOSD (post power outage stress disorder).

I don't remember the power ever going out back in the Old Neighborhood, but a certain amount of memory loss is normal at my age.  If it ever did go out in the city, at least they have water, but most water in the rural areas comes from private wells, which rely on electric pumps to bring it into the homes.  Similarly, most heating systems require electricity for the controls.  Some wood stoves also require a fan to circulate the heat and prevent the stove from overheating.  We are able to use our gas cooking stove for emergency heat, but we have to be sure to not fall asleep while it's in operation because it's not connected to a chimney.  What we do is run it until the house gets warm, usually about an hour, then turn it off and sleep until we wake up cold again, also in about an hour.  

We don't have a generator because, up till now, we haven't found it necessary.  You might think we would buy one now, but we don't plan to because an event like this is supposed to only happen every hundred years.  Indeed, according to our local paper, the last time something like this happened was 1922, and the rural areas didn't even have electricity in those days.  The only reason I bought the cell phone was to call the phone company when our regular phone is out of order.  Since then, I keep it charged up and carry it with me when I'm away from home.  I turn it on when I need to make a call, and I kept it turned on this time for the duration because our regular phone went down with the power outage.  That has never happened before because our regular phone doesn't need electricity, but the phone company has some equipment out on the road that needs power to operate.  

There was no mail delivery on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.  It resumed on Thursday and provided us with three newspapers, which told the whole story.  Twelve Northern Michigan counties were officially declared disaster areas.  Almost everybody in those counties lost power for at least two or three days, some for as long as two weeks.  I met my neighbor at the mailbox on Tuesday, and he said that the Cheboygan Walmart was open because they brought in a big generator on a flatbed truck.  It took another day or two for the rest of Cheboygan to get power restored.  We are only a quarter mile outside the city limits, but are served by a different company, so it didn't help us much.  Actually, it's not a company, it's one of those REA cooperatives that came out of Roosevelt's New Deal back in the 30s.  I am told that some of our rural areas didn't even have electricity until the 1950s.  

We lost some food from our freezers, but all the stuff from the refrigerator was saved by transferring it to the garage, which stayed between 40 and 50 degrees.  We didn't have a lot of freezer stuff on hand anyway because we get those Meals on Wheels from the senior center.  That shut down too for the first week, which made the canned goods that our daughter brought us come in handy.  Food will keep in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 24 hours if you don't open the door. but then you can't get at it to eat it.  Our oven doesn't work without electricity, but we are able to cook on top the stove.  We have to light the burners by hand because there is no pilot light, it's all electric ignition. 

I will post some more stuff if I think of it. 

Tell us a story Beagles

 First off two questions.

I thought you had a generator.

If you have a phone for emergencies how will you know if it is an emergency if your phone is off?

I think I may have heard something about northern Michigan and meant to check into it but obviously I didn't.

I remember back in the day back in my hood we had blackouts from time to time and everybody came out of their houses and asked each other what in Sam Hill is going on.  Nobody knew.  Probably some wag made up some rumor and then everybody said, oh yeah, that's what it must be.  In a couple hours the power would come back and everybody would go back to their houses.  It was a pleasant break in a boring day or night and it brought the neighbors closer together.

I expect it's not the same in the freehold, nobody to ask what the Sam Hill (wiki is at a loss, Hill was likely a euphemism for Hell, and there were numerous Sam Hills around 200 years ago, and it might refer to anyone, after that wiki shrugs, and asks for a few bucks to maintain their mission) is going on.  And apparently it lasted longer than that in the swamp but I figure Beagles is intending to spin us a yarn and I will let him have the floor.

But first a word about this poor guy spirited off to Hell prison, by mistake even Trump says that.  But, what the hell, the guy was from south of the border and he had tattoos so let him rot.  A terrible miscarriage of the law, but what is anybody going to do about it?  The Supreme Court has said he has to be released but has not set a deadline and so far no move had been made to get him out.

I kind of suspect the Supremes were afraid to set a deadline because what can they do when he doesn't budge?  Call out their army?  

Which goes back to what I was talking about earlier.  If Trump orders dissenting Supremes be brought before him so he can put them in Hell prison, you know that Bondi and Hegseth or whoever will not hesitate to order their people to get him.  Their top guy will tell the next guy who will tell the next guy until it gets to the guy with the gun, and will anybody down the chain, knowing it is an unlawful order refuse?  I don't know.

And now I will give the floor back to Beagles to tell his exciting tale.

Frontier living

Quite the tale, Mr. Beagles.  For some unknown reason it took a day for your post to show up on my computer but I think we are now living in the era of "Anything Goes."  I don't follow TV news much these days but I read a little about the power outage in Cheboygan in the Trib and meant to ask you about it.  And about the bears, and that lawsuit concerning the old paper mill and hydroelectric plant.  Lots going on up there, it seems to me, but it could just be my imagination.

But more than nine days without power?  Jeez Louise!  The situation in Beaglesonia must be dire if you have to ship in water to flush the toilet.  None of my business, of course, but still...

 

Living Off the Grid - Part One

 First of all, we did not leave the grid, the grid left us.  Y'all may have heard about the big ice storm that we had up here in God's Country, but I don't know how many details your local news media provided.  It started on Saturday, March 29 and went on for.....way too long.  Our power went out at 1:00 AM Sunday and stayed out for nine days and 19 hours.  This shattered our previous record of 30 and 1/2 hours, which was set at least 20 years ago.  Our power outages normally last about five hours and occur two or three times a year.  They usually happen in the summer when the trees are all leafed out and catch the wind like a sail.  This time the ice built up on the lines so much that thousands of utility poles snapped off like matchsticks.  It's hard to imagine how this could happen, but I guess the ice made the poles top heavy, which made them vulnerable to the wind.  

My daughter was driving up from a road trip Down Below and figured something must be up when she saw convoys of National Guard trucks and equipment from multiple power companies heading north.  She tried to call us, but our land line phone was also down, so she called her boyfriend Will in Charlevoix and told him to check up on us.  (I also have a cell phone, but I keep it turned off, saving it for emergencies.)  Not realizing how serious this was, I was headed for town to refill the five-gallon water jug that we keep for flushing toilets during times like these.  Will showed up on Monday with a chain saw just as I was trying to figure out how I was going to get past the tree that had fallen across our driveway.  (I have a chain saw, but I have become too old and infirm to operate it.)  Will brought us some supplies, including extra drinking water, which we were also almost out of.  We normally keep about a gallon of drinking water on hand and the five gallons of flushing water, and both have been more than adequate in the past.  Will told me that it was useless to go into Cheboygan, since their power was also out, which almost never happens.  He suggested that I get my flushing water from the crick that flows intermittently past out house. Two days later, my daughter brought more supplies and a device that I could use to charge my cell phone in my truck.  And so it began.

Covering Your Ass

 When I joined the army, I pledged to obey all the lawful orders of the president and the officers appointed over me.  The thing is, you better be damn sure that an order is unlawful before you disobey it.  Then you immediately report the incident to the next officer above in the food chain to cover your ass.  In the event that the order turns out to be lawful after all,  having reported the incident will make it look like you acted in good faith.  If the order turns out to be indeed unlawful, reporting the incident makes sure that no one can say it was your fault if someone else comes along and carries out the order.  This procedure only applies to an order that would cause death or bodily harm to an innocent person or persons. There is a different procedure for orders that would only result in property damage.  In this case, you would say "I am obeying this order under protest and will report it to your boss afterwards." Then do it. If the officer knows that he's in the wrong, he will likely rescind the order and tell you to forget it.  If he believes that he is right he may put you up on charges, and you will be glad that you covered your ass. More often than not, if your boss suspects he is on shaky ground, he will phrase his command more like a suggestion than a direct order.  If you are in doubt, you ask him if this is a direct order.  This covers your ass if you get caught and he tries to say that he never told you to do that.  Of course, it will help your case if there are one or more witnesses to the conversation. 

On nice early spring days, hibernating animals like skunks, possums, and ground hogs may venture out of their dens and wander sleepily about for a while.  When the weather conditions deteriorate, as they most surely will in these parts, the creature will return to his den and go back to sleep until another nice day.  This is probably the origin of the Ground Hog Day myth, although February 2 is at least a month too early for this to happen in our neck of the woods. If we only had six more weeks of winter to look forward to on Ground Hog Day, it would be an early spring for us.  

sticking by their guns

 

This was taken about a week ago.  If it happened on the equinox the sun would be equidistant between the IBM building and the London House.  Unfortunately on that day the view was wrapped up behind clouds.  I kind of like the photo though, I think it has that misty morning vibe which I have to admit is probably because my windows are coated with winter dirt.

Us early risers are no fans of daylight savings time.  As the days grew longer the sun came earlier so that I could see a little glow after a shower and a coffee and a brief scan of the news.  But daylight time shut the door and now it is another cup of coffee and the Sun-Times before the glow arrives.  Kind of lonely those long dark hours when the city is asleep, though there are always cars crossing the Lake Shore Drive bridge.  Who are these people?  Where are they going?

Though I wish it was shorter, I do like the two changes every year.  A little cheap thrill I think.  I think spring forward, fall back, but then if I think about it too long I always get a little confused.  But it's probably a good thing, that little queasy feeling when you are secure in space, but a little adrift in time.

Way back in the dawn of the blog Beagles and I were discussing being in the army and I said one of the things besides shining my shoes and polishing my brass that I didn't like was the fact that your superior could order you to do anything.  And Beagles said that if you think your superior is asking you to do something wrong or illegal you can refuse to carry out the order.

That stopped me in my tracks.  Apparently there is a procedure or something, something like a hearing I think, and if you adjudged to have properly disobeyed the order you can leave free as a bird.  I have to admit that I am a little unsure how that would work in the real world, but the fact that such a thing exists and that they tell the recruits about it, that makes me think more highly of the army.

And I thought still more of the army during Trump 1 when they stuck by their guns, so to speak, and didn't break down like shotguns for Orangey.  But now that their ranks are riddled by Trumpy scalawags can they still stand tall?  When Trump decides to toss Joe Biden or John Roberts into jail just because and the orders go down from the men in suits to the men in uniforms to the men in lesser uniforms what will happen?

Marching along

Egads!  The Vernal Equinox has come and gone without me paying any attention to it.  I did see that lunar eclipse, though, with just a little hint of red.  That other celestial event with all those planets lining up was another thing I missed; too overcast as I recall.

But now we're back to Daylight Saving Time, a pointless exercise if you ask me.  There is no reason for it except for some nonsense about it being too dark for kids in school.  Think of the children!  How about changing the school hours instead?  I prefer the old meaning of noon when the sun is at its highest point in the sky.  The notion of "High Noon" being nearly 1:00 pm is stupid.

-----

And speaking of stupid, how is the "news" looking to you guys?  I never thought I'd ever see anyone like a real-life James Bond villain but now we have Elon Musk, a singular character, to be sure.  The richest guy in the world (allegedly) prancing around the White House with his chainsaw, doing god knows what, really.  Shouldn't he be worrying about his exploding rockets and crappy cars?  And the less said about the other guy, the better.

-----

The Cheboygan Tribune said something about it being skunk mating season.  Anything to report, Mr. Beagles?

-----

The only other thing worth mentioning is Happy Birthday, Uncle Ken!

Taking it easy

 

Do you want advice...?

Nothing specific, perhaps some insight of yours that you consider unique, some idea that you haven't seen anyone else express.  At this point in time I think I can find the answer to almost anything, except the reason why people are so stupid these days.  If I go any further on this topic I'll just make myself goofy so I'm stopping and will continue to ponder the view from the sidelines.

-----

But you never know what you'll find while you're looking for something else, like this quote from John Adams, one of those Founding Fathers folks are always talking about.

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."

Eerily prescient, no?

-----

A while back there was a story about a fat snapping turtle in the Chicago River and lately there's news about a fat beaver, also in the Chicago River.  I'm not saying there is something about living in Chicago that enhances bodily girth but I recently saw a bathroom scale in my local CVS that had a maximum weight of 660 pounds.  Yikes!

Thoughts on longevity and big house diversions

I will be reaching my big 8 oh one March 22.  Do you want advice like my workout and diet regimen or do you want to hear that I begin the day with a bloody Mary for breakfast, inhale cigars all day and only get off my Lazy Boy to use the john and get a beer out of the fridge, or how much time I devote to reading scripture to get myself an in with the Big Guy up in the sky?

You know it is nice to be born into wealth, and be good looking, and strong, and wise, but the best thing of all is to be lucky, and I guess that is a biggest factor on reaching the 8 oh.

Kind of on two minds on that prisoner thing.  I may be wrong but I think those guys are fighting fires voluntarily and are maybe glad to break up the tedium of prison, and those few bucks will buy plenty of cigs at the commissary.  But I'm guessing they are not allowed to smoke cigs.  I wonder what that is like for a three pack a day man.  10, 15 years of making license plates and no cig at getting off work.  Do they dream of the day when they get their clothes back and there is that pack of cigs, stale and all but likely smokeable and what a thrill as they step into the sunshine and that crumby little book of paper matches still works just fine.  Oh happy day.

Remember how when they built the soon to be reclaimed Panama Canal and they used prisoners as guinea pigs for yellow fever research?  If they survived they were given their freedom or years off their sentence and many of them took the deal.  I think I would have.  Seems like not the source of thing my fellow libs would approve of but I think it was alright.

Loopholes Debunked

The "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" clause does not apply here because anybody in the U.S., or any country for that matter, is subject to the law of the land.  If a non-citizen is accused of a crime, he can be arrested and prosecuted just like anybody else.  Okay, foreign diplomats cannot be prosecuted, but they can be expelled from the country, which means they are still under the jurisdiction thereof.  

The "Indians not taxed" exception was originally applied to members of tribes that used to be considered sovereign nations under the law.  The sovereign nation thing has been modified a few times in history and, while the tribes that have been re-recognized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1932 are commonly referred to as sovereign nations, I believe that "autonomous" would be a more accurate description.  Be that as it may, all Indians in the U.S. currently pay some kind of taxes, so the term "Indians not taxed" is moot anyway.

We get some wildfires here in Michigan, but nothing like they get out west.  There have certainly been some disastrous fires in the state's history, but not lately.  I can remember one fire in the Upper Peninsula that burned all summer some years ago, but that was in a big swamp, and I don't believe any areas of human habitation were impacted.  Our fire season is early spring, after the snow has melted but before "green-up".  I believe that you can indeed be conscripted into fire-fighting duty because that happened to one of my paper mill colleagues many years ago.  He did get paid for it, but not enough to cover the money he lost by not going to his regular job that day.  

I credit my long life to tenacity.  Tenacity is like stubbornness, except that tenacity is a virtue while stubbornness is a fault.  Other people may be stubborn, but I am tenacious. 

The wheel turns

 

If I'm not mistaken, both of you gents will be attaining the status of octogenarian this year.  Any tips, tricks, or warnings for the youngster of the group?

-----

Wildfires have been in the news lately, both in the Los Angeles area and North Carolina, and I was wondering if Beaglesonia could ever be in danger.  Lots of trees up there but I don't know how dry it gets or if wildfires are a threat to the reasonable prepared homeowner.  Do you have a plan, Mr. Beagles?

-----

There's an interesting aspect of the citizenship dilemma, hiding right under our noses.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

Please note the highlighted loophole, "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof..."

Now check out this link:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/excluding-indians-trump-admin-questions-164312466.html and see how Native Americans can be denied citizenship.

I would never imply that the United States government is corrupt (and always has been) but here's another bit of Constitutional sleight of hand regarding slavery.  It's illegal, right?  Not so fast, Citizen!  Let me quote the relevant amendment:

    Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Again, notice the highlighted loophole.  There are a lot of firefighters working for a few dollars a day on the West Coast and they may not have had a choice.  There is a scandalously large business of employing inmates in the private sector, places and businesses we are all familiar with.

Maybe this is all part of a grand scheme to  replace the deported illegal aliens with prison inmates that will cost employers even less.  Such a deal!  And no worries about immigration, all perfectly legal.

-----

It's going to be quite a ride as the former "policeman to the world" evolves into the "bully to the world."  Sure, let's screw the economy with tariffs, seize the Panama Canal and grab Greenland while we're at it.  It has been said that we get the government we deserve but I wonder what we did to end up in such a place, but here we are.  The chickens are coming home to roost, if the price of eggs is any indication.

Tell it Like it Is

 I don't know if my immigrant grandparents ever became citizens, but I'm pretty sure that they were not in the country illegally.  Immigration laws have changed over the years, and I'm not sure exactly what they were when my grandparents came over, but I'm pretty sure they were in compliance.  My mother told me that, at the time, each immigrant had to have a sponsor who was responsible for helping them find a job and a place to live.  She also told me that there was no government assistance available to immigrants.  Come to think of it, I don't think there was a whole lot of government assistance available to anybody in those times, except maybe the railroad tycoons.  Ah, those were the good old days.  

I have never made it a practice to tell people either what they wanted to hear or what I wanted them to hear, unless I believed it to be true myself.  I have known lots of people who did that however, and they were not all politicians.  If I caught them in a lie and asked them why they said it, they would say something like, "I didn't want you to think......."  I have often wondered if they even made a distinction between truth and falsehood in their own minds.  I am reminded of the first time I looked up the definition of "propaganda" and learned that it is information, whether true or not, which is published for the purpose of persuading people to either support or oppose a cause.  I have come to believe over the years that much of what we hear or read, even from friends and family, is nothing but propaganda.  The intent is to get us to do or not do something, whether it's true or not is irrelevant.  (Present company excepted of course.)   

arguing

 Trump's lawyers aren't trying to pass a new constitutional amendment, they are trying to figure out a weaselly new interpretation of it, something about one or both parents have to be American citizens.  Which almost surely will not come to pass.  But if it does, if you read my last post you will know that chances are that you might be joining me at whatever passes as Ellis Island these days for the next boat to the old country.  I am assuming that you don't have any kind of evidence that your ancestors who came here later became citizens.

That elitist thing is you are just making a circular definition.  What is an elitist?  A person who tells us what they want us to hear. What is a person who tells us what they want us to hear?  An elitist.

And really don't we all tell people what we want them to hear?  If we have good information don't we want to spread it around, the way your doctor wants you to know that it is a good thing to get a vaccine?

Anyway the term elitist, a person who has gone to school and studied hard, has come acropper in the current political climate where what Trump sez trumps any learned opinion.

But it's good to see the blog coming back to life.  When we first started it was mostly about politics and I think we should go back to doing that.  I was arguing Vietnam with a buddy over beers a few nights ago.  And it got pretty strong, but not heated, certainly no insults or calling of names.  

At some point my buddy kind of apologized for arguing but I was all like no problem.  I love arguing so long as it doesn't descend into personal crap.  I think you do too.