Morning Coffee! ;)

[wrbones]

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?? Coffee?s on, and is it hot, and is it good this mornin?! Ya best find a cup and get some! Paper?ll be along after a bit, I reckon! Them funny pages are mine, dammit! How many times I gotta tell ya?

So what do we got goin? this mornin?? Anything? No? Ok. Well, I wonder what we?re gonna visit over, then? I don?t have a clue! Serious! ?Well hold yer horses, I?m thinkin? here?No, that smell is not the clutch and gears in my head a grindin? out?Dang. That hasn?t happened in a long time. I can always find somethin? to visit over! I?m drawin? a complete blank here. Well, I mean I could visit over politics and religion, but I?m tryin? to stay away from alla that today. I did get to work in my flower garden and yard today. It was a gorgeous day today. A perfect day. Cool breeze, a warm sun, birds a singin?, a quiet neighborhood, and nothin? to ruin any of it. The flower garden is lookin? good, and it?s a lot easier to take care of since I redesigned it last fall. If my little brother hadn?t helped me, I never woulda got ?er done I don?t think. Two cripples a workin? inna itty bitty flower garden, took us three days to get ?er done! We got ?er done, though! Neither one of us was supposed to be a doin? anything near like that. Bein? poor folks I didn?t have much choice inna matter. Little brother bein? such a nice guy, he didn?t either. Lots easier to work in this year, though. Lots easier. Callin? ourselves cripples? Hell, you didn?t see us tryin? to walk when we was done with ?er! If that ain?t crippled up, I don?t know what is!

Them lilies and irises are gonna look pretty, and I found a couple wild rose bushes to put out there, too. Oughta look good when those rose bushes mature some. Wild roses are quite a bit different than them store bought things that bloom alla time and take alla care ya gotta give ?em. Wild roses bloom oncet fer a few weeks and that?s it. They?s real pretty, though. Real pretty. Don?t take no care to speak of either. Trim ?em once in awhile is all. Got some mint onna yard side of the flower bed, some trees I keep cut back fer a small hedge on one side, and lilies inna circle inna middle, with irises inna line down the middle of the garden on either side of that circle, and lilies linin? the edges of the garden, and the two roses are right on each side of the circle of lilies inna middle. Oughta be real pretty what with things more or less bloomin? at different times and all. Gotta couple wild onions inna corner of the garden?well I just left ?em there just because, ya know. A little bit different texture and color of green.

Now like I say, I ain?t supposed to do none of that kinda thing ,and it really tells on me later inna day and fer a few days afterwards. Thing is, it just does somethin? fer me heart and soul, ya know. I get all calm and think a bit better after I do that kinda thing. Then I sit onna deck and watch the clouds go by?all the way to the horizon, some forty-odd miles away. My little bit of red neck heaven has a million dollar view, ya know. At night, I see the lights from alla houses, and cars and such, a twinklin? near to the horizon as well. It?s a real pretty view. Come the Fourth of July, I got the best seat in the county, too! I ain?t a kiddin? ya!

Well, I ain?t visited over much of nuthin? this mornin? I reckon, but what with the last few weeks, we needed a break anyway. Time to get back to basics and just relax some before we start the day. Warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around yer day before ya head out. It?s a new day, folks! It?s a new season. A season of new beginnin?s. A chance at a new start and new growth for all of us. We got us another opportunity to get ?er right. We got another chance to get ?er all sorted out! Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[nang]

Sounds like some good visitin' if you asked me. I can just picture your garden a sproutin. Here in Michigan the daffodils are all out and beautiful. Can't wait to do some plantin- but we just had snow 2 days a go, so have to wait. I love spring. I know it's God's reward to us for sittin through the long cold dreary winter. Yes indeed, life is good.

[MarineAO]

Well Bones I just know that watchin that there garden bloom and show its glory makes all that hard work worthwhile. Roses are my favorite especially the wild one's taken over a trellis (gonna have to get one going one day). Well take the time now to enjoy the fruits of your labor Bones, set on the deck and watch the show we all call livin.

[wrbones]

Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyway? Coffee?s on, and it?s good and it?s hot! Get yerself cup and find a spot to park it, why don?t ya? Paper?ll be along directly, I reckon.

Well, I got a couple things before we get to rollin?. Hadda feller bring up somethin? that I thought was dead and buried, and I spent most of the day yesterday beatin? it inna head and makin? sure it was dead and buried. That?s ok, I reckon. It wasn?t dead and buried to him was it! Well, other thing was a sweet little thing at the local paper don?t like my style a visitin? over Morning Coffee. She kinda figgers folks gots to talk like she does or it?s bein? false or some such. Well, I?m done with ?em here locally, (I gave ?em four chances at me) but I wanted to do one thing more. Well, it?s kinda mean, but here?s her email addy at work, if ya wanta let her know what ya think about things. What? Hell, I?m human! I can be mean oncet in awhile?.inna sly sort of a way. peggy.sagen@rapidcityjournal.com Anyway, to give her credit, she did like ?For the Families of Fallen Marines?. ?Course, I didn?t drop my g?s in that one? I sent her an email a tellin? her alla about how nice you folks was to me and such. I also told her she had one more chance at me. She don?t understand it any, but I ain?t in this to get rich or famous. I?m just visitin? is all.

So what?re we a visitin? over this mornin?? I mean besides me a bein? mean and all? No, I ain?t doin? alliterative verse. It?s too danged hard. Now if ya get to readin? too many Dr. Seuss books, it?s awful danged hard to stop. Gettin? started and doin? it right is troublesome. I read one of his books one time and it took me two hours to stop talkin? like that. ?the only reason I stopped was ?cause I was laughin? so hard I couldn?t breath, but that ain?t the point.

Whatever it is that is you, ya see? Whether it?s droppin? yer g?s, talkin? in alliterative verse?or givin the email out fer a local editor?which is already posted inna public forum onna publicly accessible website?or hittin? things inna head with a shovel ?til they?re dead and by grab buried. (?I done told you??CLANG? ?not to come back and mess with me ??Clang??anymore??Clang?)

Mornin? Coffee ain?t changin? fer no one. I didn?t start doin? this fer money, or fame, or attention, or fortune, or to get anyone to agree with me on anything at all. I was just visitin? over coffee some is all. ..and I?ll continue to visit over coffee ?til someone better comes along. Inna meantime, if we all have a few grins now and then, a decent cup of joe, and mebbe learn somethin? along the way, why we done somethin? worth doin?, I figger. Even if ya don?t always agree with me none. ?Least ya got to thinkin? some, and that?s what I been after all along ya see.

?well, I like tellin? bad jokes, too, but that ain?t what I was after. What?d ya mean jokes can?t get any worse than the ones I tell? See what public service gets ya? Nuthin? but critics! I?ll tell ya?

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day! We got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out! We got another chance to get ?er right! Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin' anyway? Coffee's on and it's almost drinkable this mornin'! Ya best get a cup and get some. Cop a squat somewhere fer a bit, will ya? Yer makin' me nervous just a standin' there like that. ...no, it ain't the caffeine, either! Keep yer hands offa the funny pages, I ain't done with 'em, yet. What's wrong with ya anyway?

Well, I piddled inna flower garden some yesterday. Now my shoulder's all stove in. I hadda run the hula hoe through it and knock the weeds down a bit. This gettin' old stuff ain't fer pussies is it? Ya gotta be tough if yer gonna get old, I'm a tellin' ya! If it ain't my knees tellin' me, "That's enuff fer one day!" it's some other part of my ol' bod? a goin' on strike. No, that works fine, I keep a tellin' ya! Get yer mind outta the gutter once in awhile! That brings ups somethin' else, but I don't know if we're a goin' there today... 'Sides, with stuff like that it's just my opinion anyway. Sex, dammit! Pay attention once in awhile, will ya?

So what d'ya got goin' this mornin'? No. Get offa the sex thing, we ain't goin' there this mornin'. Got a few more new folks a visitin' with us over coffee now, too. Not a lot, but a few more than we had yesterday or day before. I think a couple of ?em are out there in Iraq. Some of the others just got back from there. Welcome to Mornin' Coffee, folks! Tighten up yer cinch, pull yer hat down around yer ears and hang on tight! Ya drink some of my coffee inna mornin', nuthin' else'll do ya! The bad news is, once in awhile ya gotta think some. I know, I know, but someone's gotta do it. Just as well be you! Speakin' of new folks, Kiersten, yer email addy didn't work, try it again, babe.

Ok, back to basics and tyin' this all together some! Ayup! I heard that, too! Some of ya said, "Tie what together?" Others said, "Now how's he gonna do it this time?" One or two said, "Dammit, I get lost every time he does that." Fer you new folks, I get to takin? the most un-likely concepts, thoughts, ideas and outlandish things and tie ?em all together and make some sense out of ?em. Sometimes it?s a bit of a stretch, but I get ?er done! ?what the hell was I tyin? together anyway? Let?s see?I wonder if I take gettin? old, new folks, Mornin? Coffee, sex and thinkin? and make it work? I coulda gone a different route but I woulda got there eventually anyway, ya know. Well, poop. I hate breakin? inna new guys. Only good thing is, when I break ?em in it?s done right, don?t ya know! Old timers around Morning Coffee are already sittin? back readin? the sports. They already know where I?m goin? with this. Assholes needa get off their butts and go break someone else in, instead of just sittin? there? Oh, sorry. I got sidetracked?

Dang it. I could go half a dozen ways with alla that. How about f I go this way? What way? Shut up! I?m gettin? there! Dang yer cranky inna mornin?, ain?t ya? I know where I?m goin?! ?I just gotta stop and figger how to get there from here is all. Well, let?s see if I can keep it simple fer the new guys. Mornin? Coffee is a good place to visit inna mornin?. Lots of folks think so by now, so it ain?t just me a sayin? it, don?t ya know. The ?old timers? who been around?ll tell ya that right off hand. They know how to sit back ,and just enjoy visitin? and havin? a decent cup of joe, and thinkin? on things some. A feller who can stop and think on things some, especially if he?s been down the road a bit and got some miles on him, just might be worth listenin? to now and then. Thing is the new folks can enjoy coffee without havin? been around it any, if they?re payin? any kinda attention and thinkin? at all. Kinda like sex, don?t ya know. A feller might get to be old as the hills, and some things ain?t workin? like they used to, but he?ll get some pleasure out it, and the youngster?s get pleasure out of it, and if they?re all a thinkin? any, thinkin?ll give ?em both pleasure as well. Thing is, the old timer?s got more experience at both, don?t ya know. I might think about askin? the old timer about his sex life, though, if I were you. He might just sit back and laugh at ya. ?Course, he just might tell ya, too. I hope yer ready fer it, either way!! ?Be worth askin? him about thinkin? some, though. He might have a thing or three to teach ya. I hope yer ready for it! ?if he ain?t laughin? too hard, he just might tell ya. Just ?cause his knee?s stove up, or his shoulder don?t work right, or his hair is half gone and the half is white, or he?s got wrinkles...don?t mean his head don?t work right! ( That was a double entendre. Come on, pay attention here! Ain?t no fun if?n I gotta explain the jokes alla time!)

Well, I reckon that?ll work fer a simple lesson in how everything in life ties together, no matter how much we think it don?t. Call it ?Bones Butterfly Theory of Metaphysical Human Interactions, Reactions, and Thought? Don?t mean shit, but it sure sounded fancy, didn?t it!

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day! We got another opportunity to get ?er right! We got another chance to get ?er all sorted out! Make sure ya take advantage of it, will ya!

[wrbones]

Jeezus, sixteen different kinds a interruptions. It?s a wonder I ever get a damned thing done around here! Oh, ooops.

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin? anyway? Coffee?s on and it?s hot and it?s good! Ya best grab a cup and get some. Paper?ll be along after a bit, I reckon.

What? Oh, well, I had all kinds a interruptions the last two or three hours. Like I say, I go to bed awful early just so I can get up when most folks is headed fer bed. That a way I can get some work done around here. Thing is about the time I started doin? that, everyone inna house changed their schedule. They all started stayin? up real late! Then I changed my schedule back again, and they did, too. So?I got smart and discussed it with everyone, the cat included. ?Oh, yeah, I understand? they all said?the cat, included. The only one listened to me is the cat?and she don?t pay no attention half the time. Then about the time I got everyone out of my hair, and I sat down to start in this mornin?, one my little brothers IM?d me. I don?t know how he did that, as I was supposed to be signed out. Not to mention it was about one thirty inna mornin? his time?

A person?s sometimes better off weedin? the garden. Folks generally leave ya alone when they see ya sweatin? and gettin? dirty. I don?t know why that is. (Weedin? the garden at midnight don?t make no sense, as I ain?t got no lights over the garden to speak of.) Work?s work, ya know. Same thing happens, too! They get to talkin? or interruptin?, but they don?t wanta help ya none fer some reason. Don?t wanta pick up a hoe or put nuthin? inna file cabinet for ya. Don?t matter if yer inna garden or inna office. I never have figgered alla that out. No, no, no. I quit what I?m a doin? and start listenin??and then they quit talkin? and go back to what they was a doin?. So, I go back to what I was a doin?, and they start in again?the cat included. This can go on fer hours, no matter what I do or say! The cat don?t wanta file nuthin? either, let alone do any weedin? inna garden. (She don?t do other things inna garden. She knows better.) Next thing ya know, five and six hours after it all starts, they?re all a wonderin? what I?m mad about! ?the cat included? Well, it?s either alla that or it?s the ?puter games on the other ?puter a goin? ?Blip, bing, bam, boom, bing,? or the home theatre system gettin? turned up to sixty-five or seventy. Ya ever hear a cat meowin? a tryin? to get yer attention over a 100 decibels blastin? out of a home theatre system? ?when yer tryin? to work inna den? Kind of annoyin?, really.

Well, I throw ?em all off once in awhile, ya know. ?What?re you doin? up?? they?ll say. They all lookit me funny when I do that?the cat included. Gives me about an hour before they get saddled up and after me real good, ya know?the cat included. Then when I step outside fer a ?breath of fresh air? instead of havin? to kill everyone inna house (the cat included) and call 911on myself, they all get upset at me?the cat included?

Ya see. Some things I can?t get figgered out, no matter how hard I try. I?m just about smart enough to know it, too! ?sometimes, anyway?but some things, no matter how much sense they make to me, don?t make any sense to the next feller, no matter how I lay my reasons out there for him to look at and think over. Even the folks in my own house, in my own family, in my own home town?the cat included. One of the things in this life I have trouble with, don?t ya now. I know why I do things just the way I do ?em, and I can explain each of ?em to ya as long as yer willin? to listen some. If ya ain?t willin? to listen, well more power to ya. Don?t ask me if?n ya don?t wanta know. I ain?t figgered that one out, either. Folks ask me what I really think about somethin? and when I tell ?em the truth, they get all upset. If something?s botherin? me, don?t ask me if yer gonna get all upset over it, either, ?cause I?m gonna tell ya! Dang straight I tell the cat when she asks me! What? Ya think she?s special or somethin??

It all comes down to one sentence: ?No prophet is accepted in his own country.? Who is it in your life that you automatically dismiss what they say and do? Well I done told ya I take things, turn ?em on their ear and lookit ?em different, didn?t I?

Well, I reckon that?s enough uproar fer one day! Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day! We got another chance to get ?er right! We got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out! We got another chance to get ?er right! Make sure ya take advantage of it

[wrbones]

'Mornin' folks! How the hell are ya this mornin', anyway? Coffee's on and it's good and it's hot! Ya best get some and get yer eyes open before ya head out! Paper'll be along directly, I reckon. No, the funny pages are mine, dammit. I get 'em first! No, the kids can wait 'til I get done with 'em! No, I ain't kiddin'! Can't kid if'n ya got no kin a kippin' in yer kiosk (home) and quaffin' yer coffee, can ya? Yeah, that was real bad. ...that's why I thought it was so funny!

So what're we a visitin' over, anyway? I had one thing, myself, but it ain't really inna form of bitchin' or complainin'...much... Feller came across the other day sayin' he wasn't gonna read my Morning Coffee anymore, 'cause it was too cutesy the way I was writin' it, and it wasn't adult. Well, first things first. Screw him if he can't take a joke. Second, I was a bit more civilized when I R.S.V.P.'d him. Folks're gonna have their own opinions, and some folks just ain't gonna get it no matter how big a stick ya hit 'em up side the head with. 'Sides, he admitted I hadda message, so I figger I cut him a little too close to the bone somewhere or other. No sense cuttin' any deeper, ya know. 'Least he's thinkin' some. Feller gets kinda uncomfortable when yer talkin' to him, yer either borin' hell out of him, or yer gettin' him to think some, mebbe. Kinda hard to tell sometimes, ain?t it?

Ya see, some of ya know I can use alla them big words and such, but that ain't visitin' over mornin' coffee and relaxin' any. Like one little thing said to me the other day, usin' them big words and not droppin' my g's...that's kinda like puttin' a suit and tie on and goin' to work. Mornin' Coffee is sittin' around in yer scruffies and pj's relaxin' before ya get ready-to get ready-to go to work, don't ya know. I look good inna suit and tie, but that ain't really me, ya know. I'm more inta boots or tennis shoes, jeans and a button down shirt. If I dress up, I add a tie to alla that. 'Course, I gave my last tie to my nephew. He needed one, and it was only fittin'. The tie was almost broke in, and so is he. They're about the same age, don't ya know. No, it wasn?t one of them wide ties, either. Ya give the boy one of those, you?d lose him behind it.

Feller who makes those kinds a comments about the visitin' we do around here has missed some of the more important minutes of our old meetin's. That's one of the reasons Becky made me put it all inna book. So folks can catch up some, mebbe.

There can be great wisdom in silliness...some sorts of silliness anyway. First, be yerself. Be true to yerself. Second, when we ferget about enjoyin' life and it's day to day livin', we've fergotten somethin' real important. In the Book, the Boss says we're to come to Him as if we were little children. Without that simple joy for life and livin' it that is the hallmark of childhood, how can this be? We?re lost in life before we get started if we don?t learn this?let alone spiritually?no matter yer religion, even if ya don?t have one. Not that we ever give up the wisdom that we've gained at so much cost, but that we never ever forget the joy that is life.

I haven't told ya any of my elephant jokes lately, have I? Ahh, well. Bad alliteration'll have to do fer now, I reckon. It's time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around the day! It's a new day, folks. We got another opportunity to get ;'er all sorted out! We got another chance to get 'er right! Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin? anyway? Coffee?s on! It?s good and it?s hot, too! Yeah, so I?m late. Sue me. Even I gotta sleep sometimes. Paper?ll be along directly, I reckon, and keep yer grubby little paws offa the funny pages ?til I get done with ?em!

Well, in the little ?outwit, outlast, outplay,? bit goin? on around here with my household and my work, their alliance (the cat included) has got me buffaloed fer the time bein?, but I got an idea or two. (When I get an idea, be afraid. Be very afraid.) I just gotta regroup and I?ll be back at ?er again. I work at home, ya know. Seems I can?t get ten minute?s peace to get anything done most days.

Now along those lines, I have noticed somethin? goin? on with folks fer quite a spell. I mean aside from the crabs inna bucket thing. Seems very few folks I know face to face like to hear or acknowledge the truth. They?d sooner believe a lie. Now, I know a couple of folks who?ll lie to ya soon?s look at ya. Seems most of the folks they deal with don?t mind that at all! Hell, they?d sooner deal with the liars than hear me tell the truth, don?t ya know. No, no, no. I?m talkin? about the kinda folks known fer lyin? and cheatin? and stealin? and writin? bad checks. The kinda thing I?d end up in jail for, ya know? They can say whatever they want to folks and get plumb away with it?.includin? the judge! Me, I tell a little bit of the truth and I got folks all mad at me or not listenin? at all. Don?t even have anything to do with people I deal with online. Now this is somethin? I been noticin? fer years and years anyway, online or face to face, it don?t matter. A buncha fellers on TV who say ?Submit to authority?, and then turn right around and screw ya. Ya either end up drinkin? funny tastin? kool-aid, or ya gotta give up all yer money to ?em. They got alla the fancy clothes, cars and houses, too, ya know. Next thing ya know, ya hear about these folks a bein? busted fer accountin? practices even you wouldn?t dare pull on yer checkbook or taxes, and ya still hear these same folks on TV a goin? on about ?Submission to authority? and gimme yer money. Other folks with the same kinda jobs?ll point their fingers and go on about ?proper submission to authority? next thing ya know, they?re gettin? caught doin? stuff that?d make a Marine on liberty cringe. They?re a lyin? to ya , ya see? Ain?t changed their ways, they?re a lyin? to ya.

Others?ll say somethin? online and then don?t do what they say they will. Still others online miss the lie that was told entirely, or get all mad cause someone else called the other guy a liar and proved it to ?em. (Feller won?t stop lyin? after ya proved he was lyin? [with multiple facts and resources] is a liar, he ain?t just wrong no more.)

Fer me, I don?t have too many folks a listenin? to me in my own personal life. I kinda like the truth, ya know. ?Sides, because of my ?Southern accent? they all figger I?m just a big dumb hillbilly and don?t know nuthin?. All this, this mornin?, comes up ?cause I gotta go see a doc tomorrow about gettin? my head cut open. Ayup. Last appointment before brain surgery. They want my wife to be there so she can tell ?em ?what?s really goin? on.? In other words, they ain?t interested in what I got to say about matters. Can someone say, ?Whoa Nelly!? Whose head is bein? cut open here? I ain?t that out of it yet that I need someone makin? decisions for me, and that?s a fact! Gotta have doctors and lawyers and judges involved before that happens! Now, thing is, I been tellin? them docs at the VA the same things fer better than ten years and they?re just now gettin? around to finally doin? somethin? about it?without changin? their original diagnoses much?.which was a wrong diagnoses to begin with. Means I?m supposed to be takin? pills right now fer somethin? that ain?t wrong with me. Now, them same docs are the ones been yellin? and screamin? at one another fer a year over what?s supposed to be really wrong with me and they seldom have my records to hand, and then blame someone else, includin? other hospitals inna system, fer the records bein? lost or misplaced. Now here?s the thing: They won?t listen to me tell the truth, and fer more than ten years they?ve mis-diagnosed me?they?re incompetent about keepin? track of my records, they only wanta hear about me from someone who ain?t got the disease?and now that they finally figgered what was wrong with me, they wanta cut my head open. Now what in hell?s wrong with this picture, do ya reckon? Ayup. I?m still supposed to be takin? those pills from the original mis-diagnoses?

Mebbe if I started tellin? lies instead?Naw. Never happen.

I had somethin? happen with one of them dentists at the VA a few years ago. The first thing I told him was, ?You need to hear two words before you start. Difficult extractions.? He ignored me. Ya see, they go after the teeth in my mouth, they needa have an oral surgeon handy, or I?m gonna be in that chair fer three, four, five hours. Well, I spent four hours inna chair that time ?cause the dentist didn?t believe me. Hell he didn?t even pay no attention to the x-rays. When he was done, he was bitchin? about his back hurtin?. I told him next time he?d better ?listen to a big dumb hillbilly bastard when he told him somethin?.? Well, I mumbled it, really, havin? a mouth full of gauze at the time.

Only worked one place in my life where the boss really listened to me. His business grew by four hundred per cent in less than two years. Well, he made the mistake of lettin? me do what I wanted! Only thing was, he didn?t have much respect fer the law concernin? his industry. Even followin? the law, he?d a still had that kinda growth. That?s why I left that company, ya see. He was a lyin? to the government and to his customers. He was a respected elder in his church, too.

What I don?t understand is folks who?ll believe a lie long before they?ll believe the truth. It?s an issue that?s only gotten worse in our society with the years, as far as I can tell. ?and just like lies with a liar, it?s gotten to be a multi-layered problem with no real ?easy? solution.

It is, in it?s essence, a spiritual problem, and we won?t soon be rid of it ?til we stop listenin? to people who continue to rape, pillage and plunder the ?church?, the country, and each other and start speakin? the truth one to another. Only by hearin? the truth can we begin to recognize it. Only by speakin? the truth can we begin to know lies for what they are. Only when we come to know the truth for what it is, will we be able to allow the other folks in our lives?some peace in theirs.

I got every reason inna world to stop believin? in spiritual matters. I got every reason inna world not to trust anyone about anything. I got every reason inna world to be bitter and mean and mad alla time. I choose to be who I am. A man who believes in reason . A man who believes in God. A man who is willin? to trust. A man who loves truth. ?even when I don?t like it any?and hopefully, now and then, I bring a little bit of peace into others lives here and there. ?even if they do get headaches from thinkin?. Well, I like bad puns, too, but I think that?s genetic.

Warm up yer coffee. Yeah, I know I went on and on and on, but I was mad. That?s one of the reasons I was so late this mornin?. Tryin? to clam down some so I could visit over it a bit.

It?s a new day, folks. We got another opportunity to get ?er right. Take

[wrbones]

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyway? Coffee?s on! It?s hot and it?s good, so ya best get a cup and get some. Feller?s gotta get his eyes open some before he heads out, ya know! Ain?t nuthin? like runnin? over yer own mailbox and spillin? hot coffee all over yerself, is there? ?not that I ever did that?well, not more?n once, anyway. Paper?ll be along directly, I reckon. I got dibs onna funny pages!

Well, I went and worked inna flower garden fer a bit yesterday. I fertilized alla my flowers. I was so stove in, I near didn?t make it back to the front door! I didn?t want alla the drama of the Ol? Lady callin? 911, so I made the effort. Well, I dig up the dirt, several inches deep and close to the roots, and bury the fertilizer, then I water it hard the first time. Means ya don?t wanta walk in it fer a few days. It?s kinda sloppy. Alla that diggin? got to me, though. Plumb wore me out. It?s worth it, though.

The roses are doin? good, though. I had my doubts about ?em fer a bit there, I didn?t think they were gonna make it! It?ll be a spell before they put on any flowers, but inna meantime they?ll add some texture and a different color green to the garden that was needed. I don?t even know what color they?re gonna be! Gonna be a couple years before I find out, too! Well, I got ?em from the neighbor?s yard. She didn?t want ?em over there, and I hadn?t seen ?em grow and flower over there before, either,. They just came up one day late last summer and she said she didn?t want ?em over there, so I offered to move ?em for her. From her sidewalk to my flower garden. Like a lot of things in life it?s gonna be an experience, don?t ya know! Fer example, I didn?t know what color the lilies and irises were gonna be when I first put ?em in there. I knew I had lilies and irises is all. I?m tellin? ya, if the roses turn out anything like the lilies and irises, I won?t have a thing to holler about.

Some things ya can tell the end from the beginning, and some things ya can?t. Sometimes as confusin? as it can be, ya get both all to once. I know I got roses, I just don?t know what color they?re a gonna be from what I know or can see. Kids and people are like that, too ya know. Ya might have an idea about ?em right from the start, but until ya get to visitin? with ?em some, ya can?t be fer sure what kinda beauty ya got right in front of ya. There?s some beauty even in the worst of ?em if ya know what yer lookin? for. I just wouldn?t invite some of those folks to dinner with yer Mother is all. They?ll be bored and yer Mom?ll be scared. That makes fer some interestin? interactions alla way ?round, if ya know what to look for! There?s beauty in that, too, but I wouldn?t recommend it without some trainin? on yer part first. Make sure yer up on yer self defense and first aid, too?just in case, ya know?

Well, I reckon that?s enough ramblin? fer today. Just as well warm up yer cups and get head?s wrapped around yer day before ya head out! What? Well, the message is there! It?s just not all spelled out for ya is all. Sometimes ya gotta do yer own figgerin? around here!

It?s a new day, folks! New possibilities, don?t ya know. We got another chance to get ?er right! We got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

?Mornin? folks! How the hell ya doin? today, anyway? Coffee?s on and does it taste good this mornin?! Ya best grab a cup and get some, then find yerself a place to park it fer a minute before ya head out. Paper?ll be along directly, I imagine.

It?s 42 degrees and rainin? here inna Black Hills. Some places even got some snow! Signs of spring are evident, though. The trees are greenin? up some and the buffalo grass is gettin? that ?spring green? to it ya won?t see anywhere else, I don?t figger. I was just figgerin? on visitin? some this mornin?. I ain?t got any ?message? today, I don?t reckon. Yeah, we?ll see how that goes, won?t we! Anyway, I?m gonna talk about me some, and what?s a goin? on here and there.

I saw the brain doc at the VA today. Main thing he hadda say was to tell folks to quit smokin?. Seein?s how he drinks some coffee his ownself, he wasn?t gonna tell folks not to have some, but he didn?t reckon it was a good idea to drink too much. (I told him I?d tell ya that.) ?Course, me bein? me, I told him I wasn?t givin? up my coffee and smokes. When he asked why not, I told him it was a conscious decision. He was smart enough to let ?er go at that. They get that funny look on their face when ya tell ?em it?s fer the safety and welfare of the general public. ?well, the last time I said somethin? in jest to one of them docs, he got a deer inna headlights look in his eyes, don?t ya know. I hadda let him in onna joke. Some of them fellers are awful slow fer as smart as they?re supposed to be, ain?t they? It just ain?t near as funny when ya gotta explain the punch line to folks, I?m a tellin? ya! We weren?t really gettin? anywhere to speak of, and seein?s he seems to be a nice enough guy, (he didn?t actually order me to quit smokin?) I got to visitin? with him just before I headed out, so I let him know I wasn?t just sittin? onna couch veggin? out . I told him about how alla you folks?re visitin? with me over coffee inna mornin?. He didn?t seem to wanta believe me when I told him how many of ya there is! I gave him the web addys fer a couple places, so I reckon he?ll check up on us?or not.

Well, the thing I got in my head is what they call an arachnoid cyst. Ayup. One of them bastard children of modern medical science. Seems, when ya do yer own research into the matter, a lot of different things can come out of havin? one, and they get diagnosed almost by accident. Usually, they?re misdiagnosed for years by even the best docs. (Danged VA knew about mine in ?93, and are only now gettin? ready to get ready to mebbe do somethin?) Lots of times, havin? accidents and bumpin? yer head is the only way they find out about ?em even bein? there. Difficult to diagnose, and difficult to treat. Sometimes even dangerous to treat. Catherine Clay has a pretty good website on ?em. http://arachnoidcyst.org/ They?re hard to research on yer own, I know, and I ain?t half bad at findin? stuff onna net when I?m lookin? for it.

Thing is, lots of docs don?t figger one of them cysts is anything to worry about, but I kinda figger, from knowin? some little bit about hydraulics, that when ya input pressure one place inna closed system, it?s gotta go somewhere. Now most hydraulic systems anymore are hooked up to all kinds a electronics and sensors and such, kinda like the nervous system in yer ol? bod. When the pressure inna system gets too high, or somethin? goes wrong and busts a seal or a component inna system, alla the warnin? lights go off, and sometimes sirens are gonna sound. That?s about the time the system stops workin? right, ya know. Imagine havin? somethin? like a water balloon in yer head the size of a golf ball?or an orange?The hydraulic system in yer bod I?m talkin? about is in yer cerebro-spinal system and fluid. Now stick an orange inside yer head with yer brain, and the pressure increases on everything; from everything in yer brain, yer ears, yer eyes, yer sinuses, pituitary, and what all?alla the way to the tip of yer spine in yer lower back. Ayup. Lower back pain might be a symptom. Symptoms are similar no matter where they?re located in yer head, but the location in yer head can make some symptoms worse. Numbness, tingling, pain, uncontrollable muscle twitches, eye-hand co-ordination?Well, it gets really involved real quick, and Cathy?s site has a lot of real good info on it, includin? papers by docs and links to a lot more info on ?em.

Now, at my stage of the game with this, I get confused easy if ya don?t keep ?er nice, reasonable, rational, and easy and simple on me. Fight or flight is an almost immediate response when things get the least bit tense. ( Pressure onna brain equals faster, and inappropriate, signals to the adrenals.) I can get pretty irritated pretty danged quick at times, too. Part of the symptoms. My balance is shot to hell. I couldn?t pass a field sobriety test fer nuthin? even stone cold sober! Ya know how ya sometimes go in the other room and ferget what ya went in there for? Happens to everone now and then. Time to time, I come near to fergettin? what house I?m in. Long as my old easy chair and coffee maker is handy, I?m good to go, though. I get some pretty nasty headaches now and then, too. Now to confuse hell out of the docs some more, I got PTSD, temporal lobe epilepsy and bad knees to boot!

Well, here we go?all of the things I used to take pride in bein? able to do are pretty much gone. I can still think, and think pretty well, but I ain?t up to what used to be ?me?. (Some folks think that?s a good thing fer some reason?) I ain?t the physical specimen of manhood I once was either, middle-age aside. I have next to no strength, ?least not what I was used to, and I have no physical endurance at all anymore. Used to be, fer me, high pressure situation, no time to do it? Bring it on! Now, I tend to avoid such situations. I know what to do about ?em yet, but I get real mad when folks don?t jump when I know what to do to fix the problem. Mental concentration? Lots of noise and hullabaloo? ?Give it to Bones! He?ll figger it out!? Not anymore. I need silence, and then I?m gonna have troubles anyway! All of those ?outside? things don?t matter much anymore except fer bein? a distraction to me. That kinda pride is gone, except fer the memories of what once was. I been workin? on what some might call, ?the inner man? fer some time now. Alla this just gives me that more time to ponder on those things. I kinda like that. I kinda like bein? able to study up on things I?m curious about, too?because I have the time, now, ya see. I have the time to visit with folks I normally wouldn?t a ever met anywhere, fer bein? too busy with the other things I was once good at.

I?ve learned how to work around the things that limit me, you see. It?s not at all the same life I once lived, but in it?s way, it is better. I?m still here, in my ?right-angled,? ?Type-A? self, but I apply those qualities to different, and perhaps better uses, now.

?and I?ve learned to see the humor in nearly every situation. Life Is, folks. No matter what?s goin? on with ya, Life Is?and it should be lived to the fullest?even if ya don?t like my bad jokes any! Hell, I still laugh at ?em! The joy in life is there?no matter what?s goin? on with ya, no matter how bad it gets. Have yer pity party if?n ya wanta, everyone does now and then. Just don?t get to likin? it too much is all. Ya get done whinin? and cryin?, get back up and have another go at ?er! Life is there, and we?ve got to live it! No matter what.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day! It?s a new opportunity to get ?er right! We got another chance to get things sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it, why don?t ya?

Remember. I?m always here for ya. Always. I?m on yer side in alla this!

?and just think! If it weren?t fer alla the crap I?ve gone through the last few years?what would ya be doin? fer coffee inna mornin?

Semper Fidelis,

Bones