I am a person who has a positive outlook on life. With so much negative news and uncertainty in society these days it may seem that there is not much positivity to go around. Not true.

Despite what you may see, hear or read via television, social media or radio (do people still listen to the radio….?), THERE IS ALWAYS MORE GOOD THAN BAD IN THE WORLD. ALWAYS! Good news isn’t good for ratings though…..  But don’t ever forget that there are more good than bad people and more good than bad deeds.

I am not a fan of the current administration as you may well know. The appointed Cabinet members have proven to be mostly unworthy. That being said, I’d like share this message: What YOU do in YOUR  “house” is far more important than what happens in the White House, the House of Representatives, the State House or the penthouse for that matter.

Instead of wasting energy worrying about things I cannot control I make choices to help me be a better father, husband, son, brother, nephew and son-in-law. Hopefully this makes my “house” better for my family.

Speaking of houses, we all are part of our respective neighborhoods. Being good neighbors makes our neighborhoods better. We can be accountable TO each other  without having to be accountable FOR one another. Think about it. We have far more in common with those in our  communities than we do with those in Congress or the White House in spite of our Democratic or Republican differences. They know and believe this and that is why they govern in the manner in which they do.

As for the current leadership, the  main reason why I disapprove of them is more so for their “practices” than their “policies”.  This administration not only chooses money OVER people, it chooses money INSTEAD of people. Very dangerous for a country that is built upon the principles of capitalism and Social Security and which relies on them simultaneously. How does the people’s vote truly represent the people if money ultimately decides their freedom? Choose wisely……

Let’s start by being better people. Let us also be better members of our communities. And let’s make the most important “houses” in America better. Our houses.

How powerful is a leafblower?  Well, it depends.  Manufacturers usually advertise the units’ power in miles per hour.  The faster the speed, the more leaves you can move in a certain amount of time.  There are a lot of different brands and models to choose from. 

The model you see above is the Husqvarna 150.  It’s a decent consumer grade leafblower that fits my needs.  It happens to have  a 2-stroke motor as opposed to a 4-stroke.  In simple terms it just means that you mix the gas and oil together to fuel the engine. Which is where this story begins.

2-stroke motors have a very distinctive high-pitched sound and aromatic exhaust smell.  Especially in dirt bike form.  More on that later.  Those of us who have experienced this know how intoxicating and thrilling it is. The immediate response, the urgent power and hyper personality make 2-stroke machines a lot fun. 

Back to the dirt bikes.  I have a cousin named Herb. We were introduced when I was four years old.  Herb was the older brother I never had and our bond grew stronger even as our lives chose different paths.. His mother, whom we called Dee Dee, and his father, whom we called Sparky, share a special place in my heart and mind.  As a young child I spent summers at their home hanging out with Herb, falling in love with motorcycles, especially 2-stroke dirtbikes.

Now Herb, Dee Dee and Sparky were cool enough as it is, but the fact that they owned MOTORCYCLES made them even more so to a kid like me.  I loved hangin’ out with Herb, being spoiled by Aunt Dee Dee and being taught “how to be a man” by Uncle Sparky.  I don’t see them much nowadays as Aunt Dee Dee and Uncle Sparky have since passed and Herb and I leading separate lives.  But you know, something strange happens every time I start my leaf blower. 

I pull the cord.  I hear the sound.  I smell the “Bel Ray” 2-stroke fumes.  At once I’m traveling through time, back to days long ago.  I hear my aunt telling us to comb our hair, treating us to McDonald’s and allowing her slightly over weight nephew to have “anything he wants” (“he can have 2 Big Macs if he wants to!”).  I’m riding along with Uncle Sparky as we head to the next dirt racing track for the weekend. Mostly though, I am transported instantly into the mischief that Herb and I got into on a daily basis. I could go on and on.  I love and miss them more as life goes on.

So as you can see, my leaf blower is pretty powerful.  Yea, yea it moves leaves with ease and all, but it’s more to it than that.  When I purchased it I had no idea that it could travel through time. And take me with it.  I’m glad it does.  RIP Aunt and Uncle.  What’s up Herb?  Hope all is good.  If you ever have the time, stop by and check out my leaf blower.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Fall is here. So too are the no longer green leaves that have lost their proper place and are now gathering on lawns everywhere.

Pictured above is the Husqvarna  150BT leaf blower. When we moved into our current home fifteen years ago the backyard was about thirty feet from the woods. Many different types of trees, many different types of leaves. As I had previously lived in a home with a much smaller yard my leaf blower at that time was a handheld electric model. It was no match for the first Fall in the house.

It was time for a more powerful model. I initially bought a handheld gas unit but it couldn’t keep up the the sheer volume of leaves  falling on a weekly basis. Enter the 150BT. Problem solved.

The 150BT has served me well for the past 14 Fall seasons. However its beginning to show its age. It has occasional gas leaks and burns through spark plugs more frequently than expected. It takes a little more muscle to start and it coughs and hiccups while drinking the required gas/oil fuel mix. All in all though, it still works. And I’m grateful for that.

Yesterday I attempted to start the leaf lower without success. I did the obligatory spark plug and air filter check, cleaned all connections and tried again. After about fifty string pulls it fired up. YES!  To be safe I left it running between uses as I was finishing up. And then it just stopped running. Luckily I was almost done. Fortunately for me I grew up at a time when using a  broom to sweep was a required household skill (and I didn’t need GPS to find a location to get one if needed….).

Hopefully the 150BT will last through  Fall  number 14 and be around for Fall 15.  I’ll find out soon as the leaves are back just 24 hours later.

Everybody says they’re waiting on a love song

When you sing them one they cry the blues

Spending money tryin’ to buy some more tomorrows

No more money left for you to lose

Everybody says they need another dollar

When you give them one they’re fast to lose

Wasting money tryin’ to buy someone tomorrow

No more people left for you to use

The United States has positioned a battle ship in the Caribbean in anticipation of (unnecessary) military action against Venezuela. This is in response to Venezuela supplying illegal drugs to America.

Question: why Venezuela? They are not the only country exporting drugs to America. In fact there are several other nations who send larger amounts of drugs to the U.S. So why Venezuela? Word on the street is that Donald Trump wants to influence/change the current leadership of  Venezuela so that their government is more aligned with the Trump administration’s policies. So let’s trump up some charges to gain American sympathizers as we “manufacture” a war.

Let’s review Trump’s campaign promises: lower priced eggs and groceries. Ending the Russian/Ukrainian War in 24 hours. Stronger economy. Yea.

Please know your history America. And choose wisely.

So. FBI Director Kash Patel himself made the announcement that an NBA player and a coach were involved in scandals. If true then fair. But of what importance is this to the American citizens.

Coincidentally, this is the same FBI that has been instructed to ignore existence of the  Epstein files. Don’t go to sleep America. In other words, stay “woke” lol.

Hey, check out this article if you are so inclined. Choose wisely.

I started writing on this site in  2019. It was just prior to the Corona pandemic and the Presidential Election. As the campaigns were taking place I was very critical of Donald Trump and I stated my reasons why. In doing so I tried my best to remain as objective as possible. I hope I provided clarity when I was stating an OPINION as opposed to sharing facts.

Aaaahhh. FACTS. Interesting word. Full disclaimer: I am not a Trump supporter. This is true not so much for his politics and policies (we’ll get to that) but more so for his PRACTICES. Fact: the cost of doing any kind of business with Donald Trump is always too high. Fact: the collateral damage created by dealing with Donald Trump is ALWAYS more than expected. Fact: many of his business practices lead to diminishing returns. There are many documented examples if you’d like to see for yourself. Here’s an interesting point I’d like to share.

Long before he became the President Trump tried to become an NFL owner. Even at that time he belonged to an exclusive group of people: white American man who was rich, famous and influential. These very traits were shared by all 32 NFL owners as well. Yet, those 32 NFL owners denied Trump access to their exclusive club. Why you ask?  Bad business practices, lack of liquid capital and “insufficient” business partners. Look it up.

In my opinion Donald Trump is the most unpatriotic president of my lifetime. Despite his show of support for law enforcement at the state and local levels he has often disregarded and disrespected our federal law enforcement agencies. Fact: Trump once stated during a speech about Russia that the CIA did some “bad things” in the past. Fact: when elected to the first term Trump stated that he would pay for his own private security  because they were better than the US Secret Service. Fact: Trump has repeatedly and openly criticized the FBI while targeting and firing agents who oppose his policies.

Lastly I’ll say this. Donald Trump has never done anything for this country where he didn’t expect more in return. Dangerous for the man that leads the “free world”. Trump’s America is always for sale and us citizens, Republican and Democrat alike, will end up paying the price.

Trump’s history proves this and his future will reveal the manifestation. Sadly it was there to be known but for many of us it continues to hide in plain sight.

Choose wisely.

My electricity went out today just before 4:30pm. The supplier sent a notice stating that it may be back on by 6:15pm after completion of a major repair. It is now 9:54pm in my neck of the woods. Still no electricity. Which got me to thinking….

Can you imagine a life without supplied electricity? Now we have many more conveniences than our ancestors but it would still be challenging. You realize just how important modern conveniences are. For example I keep flipping light switches before remembering the electricity is out. My neighbors gave us these cool little LED laterns that came in handy. Went to turn on the TV and again no action. No problem. Grabbed my laptop but then realized my WiFi was down. I’m not one to keep my phone on my person as I move throughout my home. Once I set it down somewhere it usually stays there until I receive a call or text. On occasion I may miss a call or respond a little later than expected. My family and friends “love me” for that.

So no TV, no lights and no computers meant the family had to rely on phones for our usual dose of mindless entertainment.  I pick up my phone and thankfully realize that it is 73 percent charged. On the other hand I found amusement in watching my family members scurrying and huddling to share my son’s portable charger.  They are all iPhone snobs while I am the lone member smart enough to have a real (read android) phone. Samsung Galaxy thank you very much…..

We (meaning “I”) usually cook dinner and eat at home Sunday through Thursday while ordering out on Friday and Saturday. Didn’t cook today with power being out. Could have cooked on the grill had we thawed and prepped but who knew….oh well. Take out Tuesday.

Once the family grabbed their phones after dinner today something unusual happened. Everyone left the dining room and went to the family room together as opposed to going their separate ways. Each person with phone in hand or nearby with me on the sofa half tired, half asleep fully feeling the effect of “itis”. I quietly enjoyed their company and conversation. It was pleasantly peaceful without multiple electronic devices and multiple human voices competing for attention and airwaves. The only interruption being a female voice, seemingly programmed for fifteen minute intervals, asking, “When is the electricity gonna come back on?”  Every fifteen minutes for six hours……

At around 10pm as we all disburse to our bedrooms I settle into the fact that the electricity may be out well into the night. I appreciated the relaxed atmosphere and pace of the evening. And then, around 10:45pm when I was just about to fall asleep the electricity came on. I was awakened by an unidentifiable woman clapping and exclaiming that WE had to get up and go turn off ALL of the lights that she left on earlier. Alerts and notifications ring out into my quiet evening. Guess I’ll turn on the TV…….

Great game for the Cowboys. Dak is playing like he should. However, its just ONE game fellow Dallas fans. Let’s talk in February……

It was Saturday. 9:30am. I was still uncharacteristicly lying in bed but awake. Just peacefully resting. My phone rings interrupting my careless thoughts. It is my mother.

She asks if I’m outside “tending to my yard” as per usual. Not this time. Just peacefully resting. The grass can wait. So she tells me that is interested in going on the cruise that my son’s band will be playing on. Great! I was hoping that more family members would be able to go. I am thankful that my mother’s health and well-being allow her to still enjoy life and continue to love  her grandchildren.