THE GARBAGE OMELET & A RIDE WITH TRACI

The bride and I met Missy and her husband for breakfast at a quaint little family store/restaurant near the last day of last year. A local's place. Police cars and big trucks pulling snowmobile trailers in the lot this particular morning. Real Hugs and in we went.

Stools at the counter surrounding the cooking area were full and the four of us sat at one of the three tables. Tablecloths of the season and a row of Nachos and Cheetos partitioned us from from the rest of the convenience store

I teased the waitress and she replied back this was her first day and she had never served folks before. Hook, line and sinker, I took the bait. She laughed out loud and said, “not really.” We ordered.

Ususal eggs, bacon, toast and potato options. Missy did not read the menu. She looked at the waitress and ordered a “Garbage Omelet.” With a small wave of her hand, Missy told the waitress to throw in everything they have and that would be fine. Gutsy, I thought. Missy said she had not eaten for a day and she was hungry.

Breakfasts were served and Missy was last to receive her breakfast. The Garbage Omelet was large even by my standards. Thick and obviously chocked full of “garbage.” Toast looked small in comparison.

Come to find out, there was no meat inside the omelet. Not a complaint, just no meat. Sausage was ordered and then added as one might add butter to an ear of corn.

The breakfast gathering lasted two hours and we talked of all things, all told stories, enjoyed coffee refills and it was what it should have been. A fun gathering around good food and great service. All four plates clean as a whistle.

The Garbage Omelet is on my mind now and I am going to be bold and try that next time at the little restaurant. An adventure! “Garbage Omelet, no peppers but with meats and cheeses, please.”

THE MEME STORY PROMISED FROM THE LAST POST

NASA sending a teacher into space; January 1986, had been a big part of the news circle for well over the previous year. The teacher chosen, many background stories and the public school system across the nation was primed for this shuttle launch into space.

Most teachers set this moment inside their class rooms to be a crowing teachable moment within their subject matter. Sending an everyday, normal teacher person into space touched all of our lives in those months leading up to that January launch.

We were not connected in real time then inside the classroom. There was no way to find out immediate news, good or bad and anything that did happen went through the principal/office filter first, then an-over-the-loud-speaker announcement was made.

While checking my physical mail inbox that morning, I noticed that our head high school secretary was visibly upset. Something was wrong and I knew not. She told me that the Space Shuttle had exploded on take off and all were lost. The announcement to the school had yet to me made as that was not an easy moment for anyone. BUT the tragedy needed to be dealt with and told to the student body.

Deja vu for me, the assassination day of President John F. Kennedy. The same numbness. But on this day, teachers across the nation had a school day ahead of them and kids to worry about.

I faced it head on. My bet is most teachers did. With honesty, dignity and respect, the truth as told to them as best I could. I wore the moment, as I always have, on my sleeve. The kids could read the emotions in me. I opened each class that day with the tragedy. They asked questions and in the openness of a high school classroom and classrooms across this country, teachers discussed this event with their students and children. The looks in our students eyes and their facial expressions came from a main line to their hearts. Bringing it out, discussing and talking of all of that in the moment was the correct thing to do in my opinion.

We endured. We came to grips with it. No safe places, no grief counselors, no agenda to adhere to or sell. It was indeed a human moment and thank goodness teachers and staff were trusted to be human with our kids. We did just fine in a day of overwhelming pain and adversity.

The student center in our high school would see kids sitting, in small groups; talking and processing over the course of that week. Never never ever was there behavior nor activity against the grains of that incident.

And I think it appropriate here to mention that the grade school teachers across this country, were some of the real hero's that day. They, along with a classroom full of wide eyed youngster's, witnessed this moment in real time. “Adapt, improvise and over come!” They did and God Bless!!

I cannot imagine how messed up this tragedy would get in today's climate of agendas, editing, half truths or for the want to protect. I cannot imagine!!

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I have been visiting the TRUMP App I spoke of in the last post. I am not pie in the sky gaaa gaaa here, just processing. Over the course of the next days, I witness the same information as sent through the media and beltway filters. I am going to give this time. See how it sorts itself out. 

Driving the media crazy though and I admit I am enjoying that. This morning the national news station was second in line to President Elect tweets and they are forced to report it as you and I can read it. Six hours later, local news picks up the tweet. 

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HANNITY INTERVIEW WITH ASSANGE

If you have not had nor taken the time to watch Sean Hannity interview Julian Assange, I invite you to do so. There is a lot of spin on this interview, and the subject matter. If for no other reason, to have watched this and formed your own opinion, may be worthy of time spent. Also possibly a good window to view much of other information sent our way in the months ahead.

Not sure if the above link will work. The original video I used earlier this week no longer works. If the above link does not work when you try it, find the interview radio replay on line and give that a listen. The interview is again being shown at 10 PM tonight on FOX.

   

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MORNING ROUTINE

If you and I have one thing in common, I guess we all have a morning routine. If the routine goes as planned and prepared, the day starts out on a good note. A morning routine interrupted by a unforeseen event can quickly offset normal morning progress.

It is 7 degrees outside this morning with a strong steady wind. I am in morning get up clothes, the dog is up and for some reason wants to go out w/o the normal petting, loving and ball playing. Within this usual time frame, I am able to wake up, have that all important fist cup of coffee and start the engine. But not this morning, a cold, bent-over start from the get up for me.

I do not mind. But this is not my planned first minutes of the day. I throw on a coat, get flashlight and out we go. I expect her, like on rainy days, to go out, do business and head back in. Why on this ugly cold morning does she want to meander and wonder? And given she is prone to snacking on outside chunklets, it has become necessary for her to be under supervision.

She wanted to walk down the driveway. Black dark with the winter ugly whistling through me. So we go and she wants to disappear over the downy part of the driveway. I follow and damn if she has not found a frozen bitlet of which she begins to become bad dog. I demand she stop, she does and we walk back up the driveway. I have saved her from an upset stomach, dry hacking mouth, excessive water intake, need to go outside on the hour or another visit to our Veterinarian.

Speaking of honey, a dab of good honey, not the cheap stuff, placed inside her mouth sets her into a series of licking and smacking sounds. The throat hacking stops and she rests. Did that for a full day last week and solved the dry hacking mouth with honey dabs.

Honey is magic and if you do not have several containers of good pure honey in your cabinet and one in your medicine cabinet, get to it this season. Do not just have it, use it. Honey with peanut butter on one slice of fresh bread, folded in half and then eaten. Can live many a day in The After on this.

Some research on honey, sugar, and iodine also in order. Home remedies and having a few items like this can save the day in The After. Print out what you learn and add it to the medicine cabinet.

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A RIDE WITH TRACI (VIDEO)

A fun video of the daughter of a close friend who has built a drag car (truck) for his daughter to race over the summer months. His explanation of what she is doing, during the burn out and race, is perfect.

"O.K., as promised here is a run down on what she has to do!

The track will signal her into the water box. She waits for signal and pushes real hard on the brake while pushing and holding a button on the shifter with her thumb. While continuing to hold the button she brings the tach to 4000 RPM and holds for a few seconds and shifts to second gear. Then she adds RPM and releases the button that was keeping the front brakes locked. Letting the truck drift out under power till the tires screech to signal the tires are hot and sticky.

Now as she is heading up to stage she stops, goes back to low and turns on two switches on the dash. When she creeps in to the lights slowly the top light will come on. If the other car is ready she rolls into the second light ( about 10 inches ) As soon as both cars have the second light on she pushes another button with her finger on her right hand just behind the steering wheel. Now she pushes hard on the brake again and puts her foot on the floor. Now all four brakes are locked. With her right foot she mashes the gas petal to the floor but the RPM is preset to only go to 2100 RPM.

When the lights start flashing down at 1/2 second intervals she picks the time that she can leave before the green comes on. With it floored and brakes locked a quick release of the button she was holding and all hell cuts loose."

Put a smile on your face; right?

Have a great week.