Life

Focus

~ crittersandcats ~ 3 Comments

I can’t keep my mouth shut any longer. We are surrounded by fools. We are not even close to the “greatest generation” as this is a generation of morons. We are at war! 580,000 Americans have died! If some foreign power had done this, we would all be in an uproar. Instead, we are acting like a bunch of school kids. “You can’t tell me to get a shot or wear a mask!” When this started a year ago, if we had all come together with a determination to whip this thing, it would be behind us now, with few lives lost and our resources intact. Instead, a bunch of fools politicized the problem, and we are not over it yet.

 

The polls say that 39% of our fellow Americans will not get the Covid 19 vaccine shot, and many more refuse to wear a mask. There are two important things to know about the vaccine and two important things to know about the mask. If you get the shot, that vaccine causes your body to create little critters called antibodies. It’s like having an army inside to protect you. The other benefit is the protection of others. The antibodies kill any invading virus and keep you from becoming unknowingly infected, and accidentally infecting your grandma.

 

The mask also protects yourself and others. The virus amounts to a bunch of evil little bastards floating around in the air. The only way they can enter your body is through an opening. Your nose and mouth are your greatest liabilities. They will act like vacuum cleaners and suck up all that virus stuff if you don’t keep them covered. If the work “mask” is too scary for you, then let’s use the word “barrier.” Place the barrier over your nose and mouth, fasten the loops around your ears, and you are good to go. You are protected.  The second benefit, of course, is that if you unknowingly become infected, the barrier will keep you from blowing the virus all over grandma.

 

See how simple this is? Stay focused, folks. There is an evil, rotten enemy out there, but it’s not your fellow Americans.

 

If you have placed yourself in harm’s way by refusing the vaccine shot and refusing to wear a mask, you have committed a selfish act. If you have brought children into this world, it is your duty to protect and raise them. To say that if you should get sick and die would be God’s will is some kind of misguided, macho crap. It is your duty to do your best to stay healthy and alive for you kids. Use your head. Quit running with the herd and do something right for yourself and your family.

 

P.S.- That book that asserts that vaccines cause autism has been widely de-bunked. Do your research.

 

Dave Thomas

5/13/2021

Be Careful

~ crittersandcats ~ 1 Comment

I always like to go to the zoo.

It’s fun to see what the animals do.

But when you pass the Simian cage

Look out for any signs of rage

’cause you might get hit by some monkey poo!

 

Dave Thomas

4/22/2021

From The Older Guy

~ crittersandcats ~ Leave a comment

Don’t get me wrong. I love my doctors. They keep me patched up and able to enjoy life with my wife, Pat, and my kids, grand-kids, and great grand-kids. However, it is sometimes necessary to bring a few things to their attention. Here are a couple of those items:

The heaviest door you will ever encounter today (and the hardest one to open) will be the door to your doctor’s office. It doesn’t matter if you are old and disabled, or if you are on crutches, you may need some help.

And here’s another observation: If you can read the telephone numbers on your eye doctor’s business card or appointment card, you may not need the guy. Graphics designers, with the approval of your doctor, will put the phone number in the smallest type size possible. It may be just me, but I thought a person would be looking for an eye doctor’s phone number because they have a vision problem. I thought I had died and gone to heaven at the Fort Worth Retina Specialist’s office when I saw that the phone number on the business card was the biggest thing on the card, and I could read it

Dave Thomas

04/07/2021

The Palette is Changing

~ crittersandcats ~ 1 Comment

The Palette Is Changing

Apparently there are some organizations that are worried about the color of our skin. Not to worry, guys, as a solution is forthcoming.

As I understand it, the human race had its origins in Ethiopia. I guess that means we all started out as black folks. As we dispersed throughout the world, our skin colors changed, mostly due to environmental factors. Don’t worry about our differences as a large change is under way. The amazing increase in the number of interracial marriages means that in a few generations, we will all be the same color again…. A beautiful chocolate brown or perhaps a rich golden tan.

Dave Thomas

3/30/2021

We Need Some Preachin’

~ crittersandcats ~ Leave a comment

We Need Some Preachin’

Like most of you, I have been totally disgusted with the events of the past four years. It’s been all about power,  greed, hate, and a complete disrespect of others. It makes me wonder if anyone has heard of the Golden Rule. Nowadays, it seems to be all me, me, me. When I was growing up, we were reminded constantly of the Golden Rule, and how it should be practiced in our everyday lives. Our parents, teachers, and Sunday School teachers reminded us over and over again: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If this isn’t an exact quote, don’t worry about it. The message is there.

Dave Thomas

3/18/2021

Company for Breakfast

~ crittersandcats ~ 2 Comments

Pat and I had gotten up just a few minutes before and were just sitting down at the

kitchen table with a cup of coffee. We heard a noise outside and Pat got up and opened

the curtains. There was a donkey with his lips almost against the window. He must have

been as startled as we because he cut loose with Hee-Haw, Hee-Haw and it was loud

enough to shake the house! We recognized the donkey as the pet of the Noble family

that lived several houses up the hill from us.

We had been visited by the donkey a couple of times before. We had a Shetland pony

for the kids that we kept in a corral next to our back fence. In the previous visits the

donkey had come down the back fence- line but for some reason this time he had come

down the street. I had my jeans on and was wearing flip-flops or thongs or shower shoes

or whatever you call them. I went out to the shed and got a lead rope and came back

and snapped it onto the halter the donkey was wearing. I headed for the street to take

him home and he was well-mannered and led on a slack rein, walking beside my

shoulder.

We got to the street and started up the hill but it was tough going for me. The asphalt

streets in our development had been sealed a couple of days before and then a fine

layer of sand had been spread on them. The footing wasn’t that good and I kept

scooping up sand with my flip-flops. I was relieved when we got up the hill to the

Noble’s house. However, about this time, the donkey must have realized he was almost

home and he snorted and whirled around and started running back down the hill. I dug

in my heels and yelled “Whoa” as I held onto the end of the lead rope. It was a wasted

effort! That donkey was going downhill as fast as he could go and I was out on the end of

that rope with my heels dug in and looking like a water skier on a slalom course. Our

wild ride finally got us to the bottom of the hill and as we got to our house, I could see

Pat in her pajamas and housecoat out in the front yard pointing at us and laughing like a

crazy woman. The donkey stopped and I looked back up the hill and here comes Noble,

laughing. He was kind enough to say that he had seen the donkey escape but had to get

dressed before he could come out. As you have read, I got no respect at all. It may have

been caused by the donkey but I made a complete ass of myself.

Dave Thomas

7/13/2014 (Repost on 3/11/21)

Not Much Today

~ crittersandcats ~ 1 Comment

I don’t have a story today. For the next couple of minutes, you might want to try one of these:

  1. Give thanks for blessings received.
  2. Say a prayer for someone who needs it
  3. Whistle a happy tune
  4. Zone out.

Dave Thomas

3/5/2021

Augusta, Kansas, Part 2: State Street, 600 Block West Side

~ crittersandcats ~ Leave a comment

I always enjoyed going to town. There was always neat stuff to see in the stores, most of which I could only dream about because our family didn’t have any money. I liked and enjoyed the people, too. I knew most of them, either through my folks or my Aunt Rachel and Uncle Dave.

I thought I would walk down the street and tell you about the stores and the people in them as I went. It’s been 64 years since I left Augusta and came to California, so I’ve forgotten some of the names and the exact store locations.

State Street is the main drag, and it’s probably a mile long and about ¾ of it is paved with brick. The main cross street is 7th Street, running from east to west. It’s also U.S. Highway 54. The intersection of State and 7th was, for many years, the location of the town’s only stop light.

We’ll start at the stop light and walk south on the west side of the street. On the corner is a Standard Oil gas station. I forget who I first knew to be in there. The name might have been “Ruggles.” It was later taken over by the Shryock family. The one I knew best was Bob. He was always friendly when I wanted to air up my bike tires. Next came the Green Spot Café. It was owned by a man whose last name was Londeen. He was a good friend of my parents. They may have gone to school together. The café was a tiny place with just a few stools and a couple of small tables. The specialty of the house was veal cutlets, so that’s what we always had. The next business down was a gas station. I think the building was yellow. The Portico cast a nice shadow and cooled the concrete driveway which was welcome if you were barefoot on a hot summer day. The next business was Martin Brothers Motor Company, a Dodge/Plymouth dealership. The brothers were quite often standing in front of the store and hoping to make the next sale. Next was the railroad tracks, running across State Street from east to west. This was the mainline track of the Frisco Railroad. I remember that before we were old enough to drive, Jack Watson and I sometimes took the train to Wichita. It must not have cost much. Next to the tracks was a giant water tank on stilts that was used to fill the old steam engines. On the other side of the water tank was a siding track that serviced Schneider Brothers Grainery and Safford Lumber Yard, across the street. Schneider Brothers Grainery was next to the siding. I forget the first names of the brothers. One was slim and the other was stocky. This was a good place to get a handful of wheat to chew on. The next business was Parks Motors. It was run by Dan Parks and his wife, Fanny. The head sales guy was Jake Cauthron. I think he was Dan’s brother-in-law. This was a Chrysler dealership. Next was the Renfrow Hotel. I think this was mostly a residential hotel. I believe that Bertha “Bert” Shore, columnist and co-owner of the Augusta Daily Gazette, lived here. Next was a store I was never in. I think it was inhabited by the electric company. The next building, the last one on the block, was the Moyle Building. It was originally a three story building, but a tornado (1930?) took the top off of it. Now, the second story is apartments, and the ground floor is occupied by Burgess Grocery. Ralph Burgess was a fair-sized man. What hair he had was red. His wife, who worked part-time at the store was a red head also. Their daughter, who was 4 or 5 years older than me, had the reddest hair I’ve ever seen. Ralph was really good with kids and well-liked. I remember standing in line in his store during World War II. The first time, my mom had sent me to the store because there was to be bread available that day. I was thrilled to be trusted to stand in line with the grown-ups and wait for the delivery of the rationed bread. The second time I stood in line was for Double Bubble Bubble Gum. It was a rare treat during the war. Each kid was allowed one piece.

This concludes the west side of the 600 block of State Street.

(Thanks to Jack Parker for the picture!)

Dave Thomas

12/21/2020