"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." ~ Thomas Jefferson

FAKE NEWS!

Good morning friends and neighbors and welcome to where I am coming to you live and in-person on this Wednesday, June 10, 2020. To the best of my recollection, I was alive and in person when I was sitting at the tablet typing this memo to whom it may concern. Here's a truth for any and all who are 65 and older. You might as well give up on any item that claims to be easy open. This is why we keep scissors, pliers, and other tools readily available. We do this to shortcut our frustration when trying to twist and shout the easy-open package, lid, or bottle. I can see the person on the assembly packaging line. They are responsible for using the machine that puts the lid on. They end up having a bad day and they crank their machine up as high as it will go. Olives, dill pickles, and other assorted bottles and jars end up in our kitchen. We have one of those plastic gripping devices but it is no match. Don't get me started on medicine bottles. We are almost 100% on generic and they use the bottles that come with a glued-on cap. Finally busting one open and seeing 180 pills fly all over the kitchen, yeah, that will make your day. Yes. We do ask for the old people caps, but, it is most likely the fact they use the cheapest they can find. I've had them between my legs, with channel-lock pliers, and beating them with the big end of a buttle knife. I try not to use my mouth anymore. I did that many times when I was younger but it finally dawned on me that I should do my best to keep the teeth I have for as long as I can. Also, those easy peel off packaging for sausages, who was the genius who came up with that? There's no tab to pull. It would be easy if you could separate the end and get it started. "Forget about it, please hand me those scissors before I have myself one of those old people fits." 

I am sorry about that first paragraph if you have any trouble reading it. My little grammar program lost its mind marking up all kinds of things. I didn't agree and so I ignored its suggested fixes. It didn't agree with me ignoring and continues to flag. Maybe I should recommend they add a 'we agree to disagree' choice. My trouble stems from the way I structure my sentences. I again apologize but it does seem to be a problem that will be with me as I continue my journey. It comes down to how it sounds to me. If it doesn't sound right I'll not make the change. Never think I don't care because I do. However, since I am the originator of the text I claim as a privilege to put it out there in a way that reflects me and my style. I have a history of being overly wordy. I know that. I, at times, do try to deal with it, but, generally speaking, I suppose I write wordy stuff because I am, at heart, a wordy person. I've been through some classes where you take away any and all words that are not 100% necessary to communicate your thought. When I was in business it was said I should do it out of respect for other people's time. I think my style of writing is called conversational. I finished a huge consulting project once and I wrote the final report to a great extent like I write my blogs each day. One of the senior officers of the company came by my desk one day and told me in all his years of being in business he had never read anything exactly like my report. He said it clearly conveyed the findings but was also refreshing. I took that as a compliment, especially since I had never written a final report for a consulting engagement. My point? Bear with me, I am, after all, a work in progress. 

One thing is certain. You can never make everyone happy no matter what. Yesterday, I was out mowing early, around 7:45 a.m. The grass was thick and still had a heavy dew on it. Most of the folks around us are up and going by that time. However, there are a couple of young families nearby and I'm sure they love the sound of our Honda mower parading forth and back. See what I mean? A Blue Jay and a Mocking Bird were keeping a close eye on my progress. I would do my long strips and they would occasionally dive down into the grass and grab whatever bug or worm that caught their eye. They come up for a look-see because they are curious about the vibrations made by the mower. The birds are very pleased with this development. The families of the bugs and worms, not so much. See what I mean? And, before you put me in for a wildlife award be aware I am using a gasoline-powered mower. That rules out any consideration by many groups. See what I mean? Just remember, you can never make everyone happy no matter what. May God bless each one. Amen. .....More later.