Be prepared

The 4th of July is right around the corner so we have to be
ready for the extra nocturnal noise and possibilities of fire.
Here in our little river city on the east coast of Iowa things
are already sounding like a war zone after dark.

We haven’t noticed a big difference since consumer fireworks
were legalized this year but time will tell. What we do find
laughable is the state actually thinks it can tell citizens
when then can shoot them off.

Around our neighborhood fireworks don’t start going off until
after the legal hours have ended. We would ask those who wish
to set off the late night fireworks to be considerate of their
neighbors and pets, but then we’d have to take the time to
explain what considerate means.

Police, Fire, and Medics will be probably be just as busy this
year as they were last year and we wish them well. Back in the
day we’d cruise down to Missouri where fireworks were legal and
get some black cats and lady fingers to shoot off.

After a few bangs from the firecrackers we’d go back to
whatever it was we were doing. Today it sounds like some enemy
army is carpet bombing the neighborhood and it goes on for
hours. Times change.

Enjoy our Tuesday, I know we will.
Comments are always welcome.

Tremor

On the way back home this past weekend we came across a
pickup truck I’d never heard of before that got my
attention. I knew it was an F-150 Ford, yet it was unlike
any I’d seen. When we got closer the side of the bed
proudly proclaimed it was a Tremor F-150.

I also noticed it had “twin turbo-charged” badging which
almost made the low profile tires make sense. It just looked
fast. Turns out Ford has discontinued this series according to
research I’ve done since we got back.

It does have two turbos on a 3.5 liter ecoboost V6 making 365
horsepower and 420 pound feet of torque. That size would equal
about 213.5 cubic inches. With the torque and a set of 4.10
rear gears it would be a stop light bandit. And you could get
it in 2-wheel-drive or 4-wheel-drive.

Marketed as a truck that would appeal to street truck
enthusiasts looking for V8 power with V6 fuel economy. It does
look like they might bring both the Tremor and the Lightening
as Ford promised 12 new global performance vehicles through
2020.

I looked at the Lightening when it first came out and wasn’t
impressed. Yes it had a V8 and was fast for truck. But it had
as many options as a Cadillac and a stripped down version was
not available. If you want a laugh, go to a dealer and tell
them you want a half-ton pickup with manual transmission but
without air, power steering and power brakes. The look on their
face is something to see.

Enjoy our Monday and have a great one.
Comments are always welcome.

Pizza test drive

A friend recommended I try a Lotzza Motzza pizza and assured
me they had a bacon cheeseburger pizza. So while getting
groceries friday we picked one up. The first thing we noticed
is these pizzas had a lot more cheese on them compared to the
ones we usually buy. A half pound of cheese.

The other thing we noticed is these pizzas are 3 times more
expensive than my stand by pizza. But I was drooling just
looking at them in the freezer so we brought one home. Last
night we tried the pizza while I was again drooling with the
delicious aromas wafting from our pizza oven.

The pizza was very good and we will be buying more next week.
It won’t replace my go to pizza because of cost, but we’ll keep
a few in freezer for future reference. We got the biggest size
they had at our usual haunt and it fed the wife and myself. I
wasn’t looking for a snack for at least 3 hours.

While the pizza was good, and quite flavorful, I couldn’t
taste the bacon in the bacon cheeseburger pizza. Not a game
changer but perhaps they should call it a cheeseburger pizza,
put mor bacon on it, or I need my taste buds overhauled.

We like it better than DiGiorno frozen pizza which cost about
the same. Thanks for the suggestion Dale, we’ll be buying more
soon. I have enough Jack’s pizza to last me until then.

Enjoy our Sunday.
Comments are always welcome.

Sunday snicker

A friend shared this one and it made us laugh so here it is.
——–

At Friday night services, Morris went to his friend Irving and said, “Irving, I need a favor – I’m sleeping with the rabbi’s wife. Can you hold him in temple for an hour after services for me?”

Irving not very fond of the idea, but being Morris’ lifelong friend, he reluctantly agreed.

After services, he struck up a conversation with the rabbi asking him all sorts of stupid questions in an effort to keep him occupied.

After some time, the wise rabbi became suspicious and asked, “Irving what are you really up to with all this?”

Irving, filled with feelings of guilt and remorse, confessed to the rabbi “I’m sorry Rabbi, my friend Morris is sleeping with your wife right now and asked me to keep you occupied.”

The wise rabbi smiled and, putting a brotherly hand on Irving’s shoulder, said “Irving I think you’d better hurry home—my wife died two years ago!”

We’re back

We survived our weekend mini-vacation and have no lumps,
bumps, or bruises to prove it. Things started out great until
we saw the smoke signals at the crest of an upcoming hill and
noticed the traffic had ground to halt.

After sitting in park for about a half hour traffic started to
move again and we came upon the reason for the delay. A two
vehicle fatal accident complete with one car burnt to the
ground and still looking hot as we passed.

Once things got moving again we marveled at the beauty of our
Iowa countryside. The crops were looking good and sky was blue
with enough clouds to cast interesting shadows on the landscape.

Of course when we arrived in the river city we’d decided to
spend the night at the traffic was bumper to bumper. Yet we
kept our good mood as we were escaping the daily grind, if only
for a short time. I even had some greens with my supper. Well,
if lettuce and pickles on a cheeseburger count.

The ceiling in room didn’t leak, everything else worked, and
the sky put on a spectacular show as the sun dipped behind the
trees. Thanks to the wife for taking the pictures while I was
driving.

We arrived back home grinning, refreshed, and ready to tackle
whatever life hits us with until the next getaway. Enjoy our
Saturday, we will have a snicker later that a friend shared.
Comments are always welcome.

A little birdie told me

Trump was in Iowa yesterday in a city close to us and the
righteous indignation has begun. Iowa gets around 36% of its
energy from wind turbines and during his speech the president
said “I don’t want to just hope the wind blows to light up your
homes and your factories as the birds fall to the ground.”

These few words caused one of our Senators to proclaim “Trump
would succeed in ending the production tax credit in Congress
over me dead body.” Supporters of green energy spoke out and
gloom and doom was predicted over a simple sentence. Yet the
consensus is that those who attended the event cheered the
remark.

Wind energy is like ethanol in Iowa and considered by many to
be the only answer to our many problems. Both have been around
longer than people think. I am one Iowan who believes both are
over rated. Wind energy is still more expensive and ethanol is
just a stepping stone until something better comes along.

It is fun to read, and hear, all the people forecast the end of
the world as we know it if changes are made. We lived before
these fads came along and will continue breathing when they are
gone as long as the good Lord is willing. Too many people take
this stuff too seriously.

We, on the other hand, have a life. And since the wife has a
few days off in a row we are going to cruise the two lane
blacktop to somewhere, spend the night in a motel, and cruise
back when we’re ready. Until then I will have no internet
access but will post upon our return.

So enjoy our Friday, it’s the last one we get this week.
Comments are always welcome.

Strange things

I went and had my chest x-ray today in an older hospital that
had just been remodeled. At one time I could find anything in
that hospital with my eyes closed. Now they added curved walls,
meandering halls, and confusing signage. I guess the updates
were needed but still saw nothing wrong with old straight
walls.

I read in the newspaper that people were surprised at the
small turn out in the 3rd Ward election to narrow the field
from 6 candidates to 2. Perhaps it had something to do with
the fact that the issue was more important to the politicians
than the voters.

And last night while I was cruising the information highway
something strange happened. There I was rowing through the
gears and speed shifting the tabs when an IM noticed popped
up. That wasn’t unusual but what made it a Twilight Zone moment
for me was the message came from my cousin who recently died.
All the message said was “Thank you”.

Then we all know common sense has died as surely as we know
Elvis has left the building. The way things look today Mr.
Sense has company. Common courtesy is no longer with us if we
disagree and debate has turned into hate filled rhetoric aimed
toward those of us who haven’t drank the Kool-Aid. The sad
thing is that those who argue the loudest and protest the most
are the problem and don’t have the ability to figure it out.

Political parties have become opposing sides in a war against
imagined rights and innocent slights. Our lawmakers are once
again the butt of jokes while they imagine they actually doing
something that would help the average citizen. I think a lot of
people need a nap.

Enjoy our Thursday as the weekend is almost knocking on the
door. Now I need to get some mowing done or declare our yard
a tropical rain forrest.
Comments are always welcome.