I don’t care if you don’t go to church. I don’t care if you don’t believe in God. I do feel that you should consider that there might be something out there larger than yourself. Ask yourself a couple of questions. Who designed the human body? Who figured out how to make butterflies?
Dave Thomas
6/6/2023
We went to Outback for dinner. I kept an eye out for kangaroos but didn’t see any. I thought I saw a duck-billed platypus. It turned out to be a woman who had that Botox thing done to her lips.
Dave Thomas
May 24, 2023
I was thinking of the Republicans and Trumpsters. That may be redundant as they seem to be one and the same. I was wondering how low that scumbag Trump has to go before they abandon him. Let’s list some of the things that are attributed to him by others:
Traitor
Coward! He knew the Secret Service wouldn’t let him go to the Capitol building on January 6, so he sent his henchmen to take the blame in case the coup attempt failed.
Bully
Adulturer
Liable for sex crimes
Alleged to have raped more than 20 women
Racist
White supremacist
Tax cheater
Trump followers are as disgusting as he is if they find these things acceptable.
Dave Thomas
May 24, 2023
Happy Mother’s Day to Pat!
My wife, Pat, turns 79 today. Two years ago, I sent the kids and grand-kids a little story about the picture she had taken for her 50th birthday. It is my favorite picture so I’m posting it to the blog today.
Dave Thomas
November 29, 2016
My wife, your Mom/Grandma/Great-Grandma, Pat, has always been self-conscious about having her picture taken and usually dodges the issue. However, as she approached her 50th birthday she thought it might be a good idea to have her portrait done. Being a Sears employee, she made an appointment with the Sears Portrait Studio. She showed up at the proper time but had to wait because the little boy who was scheduled ahead of her wasn’t cooperating. He was unhappy, wouldn’t smile, and just flat didn’t want to be there. His Mother was doing her best to encourage him but it wasn’t helping. The photographer, an old hand at dealing with kids, reached into a cabinet behind him and came up with some sock puppets. He put one on his hand and started talking in a goofy voice and quickly had the kid laughing. The photographer soon had all the shots he needed of the boy and it was Pat’s turn. The photographer got Pat situated with a proper background, made suggestions for posing, and was ready to take pictures. However, Pat went into her normal tight-jawed, picture-taking mood and wouldn’t smile. The guy kept talking to her and trying to get her to lighten up but it wasn’t working. Finally, in desperation, he asked “how do I get you to loosen up and smile?” She says ”Well, you might try treating me like that little boy.” So, the photographer puts on the sock puppet and starts talking in a goofy voice and all of a sudden Pat is laughing! The guy starts snapping pictures and gets some fantastic shots. He captures the Pat I know so well with laughing eyes, maximum dimples, and full of fun. The picture I’m including is the best and most real picture you will ever see of her. You might want to save it.
Dave/Dad/Grandpa Thomas
October 9, 2014
America has big problems for our Congress to work on:
-Our children are being shot by the thousands.
-Global warming
-Healthcare for all Americans
-Women’s rights
-Racism
-Civil rights
-Gay marriage
-Human rights
(And many more)
The Republicans, though, seem to have their own set of worries:
-Abortion
-Firing those who teach sex education
-Banning those naughty books
-Stripping LGBTQ folks of their rights
-Checking gender for sports (by pulling down pants and checking gender?)
–Letting young women die rather than abort
It sounds like part of the Republicans are prudes or perverts, and the rest are just Trumpsters who can’t think for themselves and refuse to acknowledge that their leader instigated a coup attempt and is a traitor and all-around scumbag.
Dave Thomas
4/13/2023
I went to the doctor down in Fort Worth yesterday and when I got in the waiting room I sat down beside another senior citizen. We talked for a few minutes about the big storm that was due to hit during the night. After talking that over for a few minutes we were sitting quietly with our own thoughts. I was mainly thinking of the chores I should get done before the bad weather hit. Then, all of a sudden, he says, “We’re from up in Denton and we’ve got some horses on our place up there or, to be correct, I should say that my wife has some horses on our place up there. The problem is she’s afraid of storms and especially scared to death of being hit by lightning. So, when the big storms like this one come, I have to get out there and feed the horses. Among our family and friends I’m known as the “Sacrificial Horse Feeder.”
Dave Thomas
April 23, 2008
Reposted 3/23/23
I was digging through a box of stuff this morning and found my old dog tags. Thinking about it, that first sentence could have another meaning. Since I haven’t worn the tags since 1961, I should definitely be classified as an old dog.
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Banking officials are supposed to be experts in financial matters. Their Board of Directors reward their brilliance by bestowing huge bonuses upon them. If their bank fails, don’t you think they should give back the bonuses?
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Putin and the head Chinese guy are supposed to be good buddies. If the Chinese guy is really a buddy, he will council Putin that he should get out of Ukraine because it’s making him look like an ass.
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The white supremacists think their defecations are not odorous (their shit doesn’t stink) because they have white skin. What confuses me is that these white guys spend millions every summer vacationing at the beach so they can get a good tan.
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It’s been more than two years, and the traitorous scumbag who wants to destroy our democracy and our way of life is not in prison. What gives?
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If you want to be happy and enjoy your old age, make sure that when your kids are young you give them lots of hugs and kisses and love and respect.
Dave Thomas
3/23/2023
“Take This Job and Shove It” wailed Johnny Paycheck. I’ve never understood that attitude. I’ve had many jobs and have enjoyed them all. I’m talking about jobs as defined by the job description and am not including the surrounding company atmosphere. Like most everyone, I have reported to people I didn’t like or respect. Like most blue-collar guys, I started with the basics. I swept floors, cleaned toilets, dug ditches, scooped out the cow barn after the milking was done, washed and greased cars, and did a lot of real manual labor. Time passed and I gained knowledge and experience and moved on up. After the Navy, I started as a Test Technician, then Assistant- Assembly Foreman, Assembly Foreman, Test Foreman, Production Supervisor, Manufacturing Manager, Assistant Plant Manager, and Vice President.
It’s up to you to control your life. Don’t dismiss your job as being boring or meaningless. And don’t perform it as a robot or automaton. Be thankful for the job you have today. It’s feeding your kids and putting a roof over their heads. Equally important is the idea that you go home at night knowing that you have given it your best shot.
Don’t forget the importance of learning. You should learn as much as possible about the job you have, plus you should be preparing for your next job. Learning is an individual thing. In 1961, I was working for an electronics manufacturer as a Test Technician. We tested digital voltmeters, DC amplifiers, x-y recorders, and monitor oscilloscopes as they came off the production line. The technology was in flux as vacuum tubes were being replaced by semiconductors. I was working five ten hour days plus eight hours on Saturdays. Additionally, my commute time amounted to an hour to an hour and a half a day. I took a night course on transistor theory and integrated circuits at City College. It was a good class and has served me well over the years, but I hated being away from home at night. I had a wife, 3 kids, a home, and a yard and thought they all deserved more attention than I was giving them. By 1962, I was an assistant foreman in the Assembly Department, and was getting involved in estimating and product costing. I found a correspondence course called “Accounting for Managers,” and went to work on it. I got up at 4:45 each morning and studied until 6:00 am and then got ready to go to work. It took me over two years to complete the course, but it served me well for the rest of my working life.
About the time I was turning 60, the company I was working for was sold. The new owners were bringing in their own people, so I was let go. I was a little bit anxious about the future as I knew that most companies would be looking for young guys as managers, and I might have trouble finding a position. I was also reluctant to get acquainted with a new company’s rules and software system. I sent out some resumes, and one of the first responses I received was from a temp agency that had a spot for an Estimating Manager. I liked estimating and was good at it. I’ve got to admit that I thought of estimating as a “side” job because, as a supervisor or Manufacturing Manager, I was used to being in the middle of the action. Every department has the potential for problems every day. Machines break down, vendors don’t ship, parts don’t arrive, the power goes off, and employees have problems. I sometimes had as many as 130 electronic assemblers and machine shop people working for me and that makes for plenty of HR problems.
The agency’s initial pitch about the estimating job sounded pretty good, so I interviewed with them and the company they were representing, and took the job. It turned out to be a great experience. Not being in the line of fire, I was able to enjoy the estimating job completely. Not being the “go to” guy in the production arena, I didn’t have to respond to the hourly emergencies or get involved in the drama or hassles of production. What a difference! I loved it!
There are a couple of thoughts for your consideration: Face each day with enthusiasm and with your head on straight. Be aware that after evaluating hundreds of people from entry-level assemblers to electronic engineers, I (or someone like me) can walk in the door of your work place and know from your body language just what kind of person you are. Take this job and love it. Your contribution and attitude will be noticed.
Dave Thomas
3/2/2023
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I haven’t yet found the answer to that age old question, “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” Maybe I can hire a medium to contact the late Tex Beneke and get the low-down on these critters.
Another great musical question that needs an answer would be “Is you is or is you ain’t my baby?” YouTube Music Videos may have both of these questions. I can’t see well enough to look!”
Dave Thomas
2/9/2023
Not long ago, I told you about Pat feeding the crows. The boss crow would land on our driveway and start squawking while his five or six buddies would settle in the tree across the street. When Pat came out with a slice of bread and a handful of Cheerios, the birds in the tree would join the Boss in the driveway, and they would all chow down. If Pat didn’t come out immediately, the Boss would fly to the roof of the garage and perch on the rain gutter. Our house and garage are in a 90 degree configuration. From the garage roof, the crow could see through the picture window into our living room and would watch for Pat while he kept yelling. He never gives up.
This has been the rainiest January we have had in years. This past Monday, the 30th, it would rain and clear off and rain again. The wildlife like the crows and other critters couldn’t find anything to eat because their quarry was hiding from the rain. I figure that all of the local crows were complaining about being hungry, and the Boss crow said, “Let’s go see Pat!” The Boss landed on our driveway and started squawking. Pat took a slice of bread and some Cheerios out to him and tossed them on the driveway. Suddenly, there were crows everywhere. Pat said it was like that Hitchcock movie “The Birds.” There were crows on the driveway, on the lawn, in the street, and in the air. She had to bring out more food. When every scrap was eaten, the crows took off, and we won’t see them again until the next shortage of food.
Yes, I missed it. I was taking a nap.
Dave Thomas
2/1/2023
crittersandcatsdotcom 