Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How ya doin' this mornin'! What am I thinkin about? Wait til ya get some coffee first! LOL. Grab a cup and find a squat somewhere! Paper'll be along in a bit!

Well, let's see! Neighbors. Neighbors....They're kinda like business partners or roommates in a way. The best thing that ever happened to ya or yer worst nightmare, I think. That's about all that needs to be said about that. What? OK. Well, it's kinda obvious to me, I think. They can be good and kind and responsible and help ya when ya need it and not expect anything in return. They're just bein' good folks, is all. They'll keep half an eye on the kids when they see the kids runnin' around the neighborhood. Make sure they ain't doin' anything too stupid, ya know. If ya need somethin', it's yours, whether ya have to ask or not. They ain't gonna start the mower too early on a Saturday. They ain't gonna throw a loud party without at least invitin' ya or warnin' ya first. They know things you might not and they can help when ya need somethin' ya don't know about. Not to mention the inevitable and legendary cup of sugar.

Bad neighbors...well, I think we've all had some experience with that at one time or another. They'll borrow and borrow and bleed ya to death if ya let 'em. They'll always be wantin' something and will never offer to help unless they get something outta it. Noisy, nosy and messy and don't care anything for anyone but themselves. They'll be tellin' stories on ya, mostly stories that aren't true at all.

The thing is, sometimes it's a bit troublesome to tell at first. They'll all be nice and then deny that they do anything wrong at all. They won't understand your concerns about their boorish behavior or the sorry lowlifes they associate with at times. If ya ever have to call the police on 'em, it might just be simpler to move!

Folks need to watch out for each other and yet, allow the other guy the right to exercise his freedoms and rights. It's kinda hard to figure out sometimes. Just what is interference and what is genuine concern on anyone's part. Building relationships is what it boils down to, I reckon. Kinda tough for some. Kinda hard to keep up without some work. I wonder if we have the time for it anymore. What makes a good neighbor, I often wonder. Too much of a good thing is bad. Too little is sad.

Just somethin' I was wonderin' about today.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a good day! A new opportunity! A new chance to get it all sorted out! Make sure ya take advantage of it!

Morning Coffee
 

'Mornin' folks! How ya doin'! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get yer eyes open before ya start yer day! Paper'll be along after a bit, I reckon!

I get kinda confused about some folks at times. Might be why I have so much trouble when I go to the mall or to WalMart, I guess. First of all, for me, that's a lot of input. I watch people. Lots of people to keep an eye on at the mall....I try to learn what motivates them as individuals and as groups. Now some things make sense to me. They 'add up' if you will. Some things don't. To get things to add up, ya have to start out with the details. Small things. One plus one makes two. Then you can move on to larger things, and one plus one usually still makes two. Now individuals in groups can throw ya sometimes. It don't add up. They do the same things as the group does when they're individuals, but throw some of them individuals into a group and they change up on ya. The whole dynamics change. Things don't add up the way ya think they might. Good and bad in this, I reckon, but I was thinkin' of somethin' I ran into yesterday when I was surfin' the net.

Sems a feller was railin' against the support our troops 'pro-war' types. They was havin' a small rally and he didin't like it. He figgered if they were so pro-war, they oughta go join the military and get dirty. Basically said they were hyppocrites fer only bein' a 'pro-war' type without joinin up. Well, he had a point of sorts. But when ya think about it fer a minute, it don't add up. If nuthin' else, he shoulda been over in Iraq and bein' a human shield on that logic. It's like sayin' yer for gettin' criminals offa the street, but ya can't be that way if yer not a cop. In addition, it seemed well and good that he could have his say, but was disappointed that some one else was havin' theirs.

I couldn't make any sense out of it, however well written it was. One of those columnists. It was kinda like some of those celebrities sayin' they'd leave the country if Bush got elected. They didn't. Now that doesn't make sense to me. If ya say yer gonna do somethin', then do it. Otherwise yer a liar and nuthin' ya say after that makes any sense. If one alternative is bad, then the other is good. If ya don't go after doin' what ya think is good in that situation, then it don't make sense.

Well, I better stop before I go off onna rant.

Oh, that columnist? He didn't serve in the military...but his sister did......

Warm up yer coffee, folks! One of these days it might all make sense! LOL. It's a new day! A new opportunity! Let's take advantage of it. We've got a new chance to get it right.

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get some! Get yer eye's open! Paper'll be along in a bit.

The depths of wisdom can bever be plumbed, really. The same principles keep coming up again and again, but in slightly different ways. Things never really change in that venue, it's just that our perceptions change, and then, only then, do we come to an understanding that we didn't have before. That we couldn't have before. We weren't ready. Well, how do ya get ready? That's a good question. I don't really have a good answer for ya. One thing, I reckon, is to keep lookin'. To keep learnin'. Just pay attention, I guess, is as good as I can say it. One day we'll see something or hear something that sets things off for us. We might see a little kid doing something and think of something else and it all clicks, for an instant, and we know. We' might see an old man setting lookin' out his window and we know. We might see a tender expression of love or faith in another and things start to make some sense to us. What is it all about. No longer a question, but a statemment. It's all about love, I was gonna say, but it's all about that and more. Understanding. We all come to it at different times and in different ways, some learn more here and another more there, but we all come to it. Understanding...

...and understanding brings a certain peace to our hearts and our minds. Doesn't mean we have all knowledge or abilities or that we achieve perfection by any means. But that is one of the things that we come to understand...and to accept.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a good day! It's a new opportunity! Another chance to get it right!



It's Saturday! Spend some time with the family today. Pay attention. Ya just might learn somethin' ya didn't know! ;)

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Ya better grab a cup and get settled! It's Sunday! Time to kick back a bit and chill. Paper'll be here later on. The new paper boy's showin' up after daylight fer some reason, and it ain't 'cause daylight's comin' earlier! That one came back to haunt me, didn't it! LOL.

Well, 'cept fer almost gettin' my nose broke, it was worth it, I reckon. There's always a price to pay, ain't there! Sometimes it's worth it, though. Sometimes it's worth it...

Most of us have paid the price one way or another. A special group. I was encouraged, yesterday when I read the story about the Marines havin' to give up their booty. Marines still know how to scrounge! LOL. There'll be a few who get away with bringin' somethin' home, though! I can guarantee that! Willin' to pay the price. That's a good strategy, though. Let them think yer bein' meek and then do it anyway! LOL. They had their own black marnet goin', too! The game is sometimes worth the price, don't ya think.

I kinda miss that particular game from when I was in the Corps. I was kinda good at it. I had an ulterior motive, though. Kept 'my' birds flyin' and ready to go. Almost paid the price, too! LOL.

I like messin' with folks now and then. Teasin', ya know. It don't mean nothin'. Maybe get them to lighten up fer a bit and relax. Sometimes ya pay the price...

...damn paper's gonna be late every day for a long time now, I reckon.....

Warm up yer coffee, folks. Paper or not, it's a new day! A new opportunity! Another chance to get it right, maybe!

Make sure ya take advantage of it.

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee' s on! Grab a cup and get yer eyes open! Day ain't started just yet! Paper'll be along inna bit!

Well, what have we got this mornin'? Don't grumble. Drink yer coffee! You'll feel better! ;) Monday schmonday. It's just another day! Don't mean nuthin'! LOL.

I got into that 'just another day' bit quite awhile ago. At first, it was outta dang meanness. Didn't get no birthday cake or hoildays off or nuthin' so I figgered it didn't matter what day it was. Most of my life, I've spent workin' jobs where holidays didn't matter, anniversaries didn't matter, Sunday's didn't matter, ya had to work. Nature of the job, ya know. Well, after awhile, I came to realize that one day was the same as the next. But for an entirely different reason. If ya gonna do somethin' special one day a year over somethin', birthdays, Christmas or whatever, ya just as well do for people every day or what was the point? So I do for folks and give 'em stuff whenever I'm ahead and especially when they ain't. They get to wonderin' what I'm after, which is kinda cool. Keeps 'em guessin' that way. Then they get all confused when they finally figger out I ain't after much. I kinda like that look on their faces. They might get to thinkin'. Now thinkin's hard on ya, but it's good for ya, too. Means sooner or later you'll come to some version of the truth or another. That's a good thing. Ya just might figger it all out if ya get to thinkin' fer a bit. Then ya might be worth somethin' to someone other than yer self. Now if a person wants to deal or trade, that's another matter altogether! LOL.

So, every day's a holiday, every day's Sunday, every day can be someone's birthday and every day can be an anniversary. I do like the look on the ol' ladies face when I give her somethin'. "What's that for?" I just smile and walk away. Let her figger it out.... ;) it's only been fifteen years.

Warm up yer cofee, folks! Daylight's a wastin'! It's a new day! A new opportunity! Another chance to get it figgered out! We're gettin' there!

Mornin' Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get some! Get yer eyes open before ya start yer day! Paper'll be here later. Kinda sucks. If it hadn't been so much fun, I'd almost wish I hadn't scared that paperboy. The new guy hops in and outta his little car so fast, I wouldn't have time to sneak up on him anyway. He's always in kind of a hurry....he don't show up til after daylight fer some reason. Have to find someone else to screw with, I reckon. Hey! You'll do! LOL.

We don't pay attention at times. I know there are times when I don't. I started payin' attention to that idea one evenin' years ago. I used to sit under a tree out back of the place I was rentin'. Fenced back yard with an alley over the fence. I'd sit there til long after dark, smokin and havin' a cold drink. One night some kids decided to use the back yard for a short cut. Over the fence from the alley they came! Just like they owned the place! They didn't see me sittin' under the tree in the shadows, didn't see the glow from my cigarette. I let 'em get about half way across the yard before I said, "Howdy boys!" They went back the way they came pretty quick. It'd been easier if they'd just kept a goin'. Wasn't no gate to the front yard. I don't know what they were thinkin'. Fence was six foot high and nuthin' to grab onto from the inside! They made it, though! I think the one kid landed kinda rough from way it sounded. That's what ya get fer bein' inna hurry, I reckon. I could hear them runnin' down the alley afterwards. If they'd been payin' attention, they coulda gone out the front yard and avoided the fence. Of course, if they'd been payin' attention, they'd a noticed me sittin' under the tree in that lawn chair to begin with. Mighta had to walk a bit further, but they wouldn't a hadda hurry to get where they were goin'! I figure they looked a bit closer the next time they cut through someone's yard....

Little things. Details. I've gotten soft over the last ten, twelve years. I don't watch things as close as I used to when I'm out and about. Some places, payin' attention can be the difference between life and death...or gettin' hurt, anyway.

Attention to detail is a principle we all know. I was just takin' a look at it from a slightly different point of view is all. Might get ya to thinkin', maybe. Principles in life can be applied across the board, ya know. From balancin' yer check book, to settin' up a party. From countin' your tools at the end of the day, to washin' dishes. From how ya treat people to takin' care of yer dogs. It works. I'm still workin' on it myself. Payin' attention. One of these days, I just might get it right.

Just somethin' to think about this mornin'. Ain't what I was gonna visit over, but now I ain't gotta strain my brain fer somethin' to talk about tomorow. LOL.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! Get yer head wrapped around yer day! It's a new opportunity! Another chance to get it right! Just as well take advantage of it!

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee's on! Grab a cup and get settled somewhere fer a minute or two! Gotta get yer head wrapped around yer day before ya take off! Peper'll be along later, I reckon.


Well, I guess...I oughta come up with somethin' worth visitin' over. Self-perception. How's that fer somethin' to visit over? Kinda uncomfortable, I know. But we oughta take a good look in the metaphorical and metaphysical mirror now and then just to make sure things haven't hanged, and if they have, well, it might give us a chance to look things over and see if we like the changes before they get to be bad habits. Now where it gets uncomfortable is when ya take a look and think, "Aw, shit. I ain't like that, am I?" Happens to me once in awhile. Well, ok, it happens more than I like to think about, sometimes. Of course, I'm kinda watchin' for it, so I notice it about myself more than some.

A pretty good indicator, but not the only one by far, is when ya see someone else doin' somethin' that gets on yer nerves, and ya think "What a jerk!" Thing is, ya gotta look at yer self and wonder if maybe you do the same type of thing yerself. Metaphorically,metaphysically, it's like lookin' in the mirror and thinkin' " Man, where did all of my hair go?" or "When did my nose get to be that big!" Kinda upsetting. Unless yer the one raisin' hell about someone else's nose...and don't see the realities involved. LOL.

Now we can avoid that 'meta'-mirror for weeks and months and years, but sometimes, we see ourselves anyway. Quite by accident, in the eyes of others. Sometimes it ain't bad at all. Other times, ya need to go find that meta-mirror and make sure yer hair is combed and ya ain't got no boogers hangin' outa yer nose.

Self-perception. How do ya see yerself and do ya look at others the same way.

I suppose I oughta go comb my hair and make sure there ain't no boogers on my face before I get started.....

Well, it ain't a good look at the subject, bit I reckon it'll do fer a cup of coffee or two, maybe.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a new day! A new opportunity! A new chance to get it right, maybe!

archives. First cup of joe I made on the net....June 2002

Lilies and irises are coming up and my grass is greenin' up...











Just thinking about the folks I worked with. Try to forget sometimes, but it ain't always possible. Marines who put up with my sh!t until I got my head right. Some of those guys had a lot of patience. I was an average PFC, then got an attitude and became a ****bird L/CPL. Got a little top heavy for awhile. I remember being a CPL and being the lowest ranking man in the shop. Walked on water as a CPL 4.7's pro and cons. Shop was the best in the Corps for a couple years. Outstanding with no, or else minor discrepancies for three years. Third year, the I.G. himself walked in! Sgt New. Sgt Beach, who later becam a Warrant Officer and went to the east coast. Cpl Frelix, Cpl Williams, Cpl Walsh, Cpl Lesuer, Sgt Radke, GySgt Wright, The list goes on. Capt Reed, Major Walters, the list sometimes seems endless. Folks who were professionals. I sit here and if I turn around and open the door, I can see for forty-some miles, and the sun is coming up. My lilys are fixing to bloom and my lawn is green. Folks around here don't seem to know people like you and me are even around. But we were. We didn't serve for them so much as we just loved the job. But I'm glad these folks sem to remain so innocent. They won't have to see what we saw or do what we did. Ever. I watch the sun come up and light come in the windows, and for now. I am content. Good coffee. I'm gonna get another cup

Morning Coffee!
 

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya! Coffee's on! Best grab a cup and see if ya can get yer eyes open. Paper'll be along later, I guess....That waitin' fer daylight is startin' to get on my nerves.....Reckon I gave myself somethin' to bitch about didn't I....

Well, I saw this article written by Condoleeza Rice the other day.I know, I don't visit over politics much in the mornin', but there was something she said that kinda stuck with me. She was talkin' about herself and personal growth and that sort of thing. That's pretty much the context of the place I got it from and was the content of her article. Here's what she said that stood out to me. "Nothing good is born of personal struggle if it is used to fuel one's sense of entitlement or superiority."

Now that's a mouthful. Fancy way of puttin' words together ain't it? Best way to relate it is to thinkin' about the Marine's ya knew who got the big heads when they first picked up Corporal or sometimes new Sergeants got that way for a bit. Don't even need to talk about some of those butterbars. That pretty much sets it all out I guess. It's somethin' to think about. 'Least I thought so. One of the many types of things I get to ponderin' about durin' the course of a day. Can't hardly add anything to that quote. I keep tryin' to figger a way to explain it, but I can't get there from here! As far as what it's sayin', it pretty much says it all. I can give examples all day, I suppose, but you folks know what's bein' said here, don't ya?

Well, I suppose a simple way to say it is, just because ya busted yer butt to get where ya are, don't mean yer any better than anyone else. Fact is, if ya start thinkin' and actin' that way, mebbe ya ain't no better than anyone else to start with. What's good is on the inside. The external doesn't matter as much. I'd still wear deoderant and take a bath when yer among civilized folks, if I were you, though. Don't get the big head, is what one of my aunts would say, but as much fun as she is to be around, ya better listen when she's talkin', ya might get yer ears burned if ya don't! She talks straight and to the point and it don't matter who you are or what ya think of her. Wouldn't figger that from a retired government employee would ya? I can say more, but I can't really add much. Guess I'll let 'er go for now, and ponder over it some.

Well, good Friday is here. Hope ya got some plans fer the weekend. Holiday and all, it's a weekend to spend with the family if ya can. Give yer Mom a call or mebbe yer kids. Let 'em know ya care at least a little bit! Don't ferget that Easter stuff fer the kids! Mebbe find some kid that ain't got much and give them some of it, too.

Well, I reckon. Much as I sometimes hate to, it's time to get the day started, isn't it! It is a new opportunity after all! Another chance to get 'er right! Let's see what good we can do with!

Morning Coffee
 

'Morniong' folks! How ya doin' this mornin'! Coffee's up! Ya better get some and find a seat fer a minute. Paper'll be along after a bit!

Well, I guess I better start ramblin' about somethin'. Ain't got my mind in gear yet! Ya ever have days like that where ya wake up, yer body's movin', but yer brain just ain't inna game yet? and no matter how many cups of coffee ya have, it don't change? Well, it's Saturday, so I reckon it don't matter. Been rainin' here pretty steady the last day or so. Stopped last night. We was supposed to get some snow, but that didn't happen. I'm glad. I'm about done with snow this year! Lilies and irises are comin up good. I need to get somethin' else to border my flower garden. Those timbers are startin' to look used up. I could stain them, I suppose, but then they'd look like stained, used up timbers.... mebbe if I had some olive drab paint....

I always did like to do a job right the first time. Saved the trouble of doin' it again, ya know, and if ya hadda do it again, it wasn't as much work. So some things I do a good job on them the first time just outta laziness. I don't wanta do it again any time soon! LOL. That's especially true with paintin'. Now I don't like paintin', myself. I'd rather not do it if I didn't haveta, but when I do paint, I do it right. Because I have doin' it. I don't wanta do it again any sooner than I haveta. It's all in the prep work. If ya do yer prep work right, the paint will last longer without looking bad or crackin' or peelin' on ya. If ya done everything right and used the right primer and paint, it won't fade on ya fer a spell, either.

I painted my Dad's house a few years ago. I was gettin' around a little better then. Anyway, it took me three days of prep work. It hadn't been painted fer a few years before him and Mom bought the place. Now it wasn't a big place, little over 1000 square feet. not bein' able to move any faster, I had still figgered on bein' done about half a day sooner, but some trim work had to be replaced, and a woodpecker had done some damage to the siding and fascia, so I hadda fix that. Wouldn't a made no sense to paint if I hadn't, after all. I did everything, too. Re-sealed his windows and doors, caulked cracks, wood putty on the smaller holes in the siding, removed loose nails and replaced them...used screws where I could, they don't come loose on ya. Then I did the clean up thing before I stated paintin', too. Scrapin' and sandin' and washin' it all down. Used primer where it needed it. Used the good stuff, too. Then started paintin'. You wouldn't see a better job in the fancy parts of town. I used to do some work on custom built homes years ago, so I had a jump on some folks doin' it themselves.It was a beautiful, detailed job. They got a lot of compliments on that paint work.

All together it took me about a week and a half to do. With the siding he had, I coulda rolled it out and brushed it in about a day and part of a mornin' and been done with it. But the job wouldn't have been right and it would've deferred needed maintenace to keep it from turnin' into a leaky old shack, instead of the beautiful little place that it was.

About five or six years later, Dad wanted to change the paint scheme a bit. He went fer a different tone and a new color trim. I did the job right, too...from start to finish. Ya know, from start to finish the job only took two and a half days. Because I did it right the first time, six years before. Dad's good at some things and figgerin' what he wants done and how he wants it done is one of them. With the new paint scheme, the house looked better than it did the first time I did it.

Just so ya know, that little story was't just about paintin or doin' things right. Some of ya seem to miss the point now and then, even when I spell it all out for ya! LOL. Not that I ever have that trouble myself, don't ya know.....

It's about caring. It's about heart. It's about pride. It's about doin' the mission and doin it right so it don't come back to haunt ya. It's about doin' yer best, no matter how much ya hate the job at hand. You'll feel better for it, too. So, it's about good mental health. It's about not bein' distracted or lettin' the little things set ya off doin yer best. It's about a lot of things, most of which we've visited over before. It's about makin' sure yer life don't end up a used up painted timber......or a leaky old shack.

Just so ya know. This little visitin' we do inna morning. There's always a point. There's always some little thing we can learn from each other.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It's a new day! A new opportunity! Another chance to get it right!

We'll get 'er right one of these days!