Sunday, July 08, 2012

AMERICAN COMPOSER LEROY ANDERSON


“I love music all day through although it makes me do the things I never should do.” 

You may not have heard that verse but it was sung by Ginger Rogers and comes from one of my favorite films, Flying Down to Rio (1933) which starred Ginger and Fred Astaire in one of their early Depression era musicals.

Leroy Anderson 
That film inspired one of the hottest dance crazes of the day:  “The Carioca”.  I wonder how many people actually knew the dance came from the movie when they were dancing the night away in the USA and singing “Have you seen the Carioca; it’s not a fox trot or a polka……”

That brings me to the subject of American songwriter Leroy Anderson.  If you are scratching your head wondering, “Who is Leroy Anderson?”  I don’t blame you.  He was a prolific songwriter from the era of the 1930s through the 1950s who, in spite of writing numerous popular songs that are still used today as themes, in commercials, or as background, never achieved the status of others like Gershwin or Irving Berlin.  Maybe it is because his tunes were more of the pop style but I think Anderson has been shortchanged in the popularity department.

For example, What would the Christmas holidays and winter be like without “Sleigh Ride”?  Composed in 1948, we have heard this song thousands of times though the years in different circumstances.  When I hear it, I am a kid again in Cincinnati ready to get up on Christmas morning.  With the horse hoofs and the bells, it’s easy to picture a Christmas winter scene.

Who remembers “I’ve Got a Secret”?  It was a popular quiz show that ran on TV from 1952 to 1967 with Garry Moore as the host.  The theme song was “Plink, Plank, Plunk”, another Anderson song which I’m sure you have heard many times over the years.

“The Syncopated Clock” was written in 1945 and was performed by the Boston Pops with Anderson as a guest conductor.  It was such a humorous encore to the night’s program that CBS started using it as a theme for their late movie presentation.  After one week, they were swamped with phone calls as to how the song could be acquired.   We have all heard it many times since then.

In 1952, Anderson’s “Blue Tango” became the first instrumental piece to ever make the epitome of popular music, the Hit Parade.  It made the top ten on March 29, 1952 and stayed there for twenty-five of the next twenty-six weeks.  That included reaching number one twice.

Perhaps the most heard song that Anderson wrote is “TheTypewriter.”  It only runs about two minutes but I have seen and heard this song in more movies, TV shows, and commercials than about any other vintage tune.  The link is a cute version of it with a bit of comedy added.  It runs about four minutes and you’ll enjoy it.

So, who was this guy Leroy Anderson?  His biography shows he was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1908.  His mother was a church organist who got him interested in music.  He went to Harvard where he received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.  In the mid 1930s he became an arranger for the Boston Pops under the tutelage of Arthur Fiedler.

After serving in World War II and Korea as a linguistics expert, Anderson finally got back into music in 1952 at age 43 doing composing and arranging.

The five tunes I have linked you to above are the tip of the iceberg for Leroy Anderson.  He wrote and performed many more which you can Google and enjoy.

In 1975, Leroy Anderson died at age 66.  As one writer said, “His cheerful light tunes did more than express the optimistic and good humored Forties and Fifties. Their mixture of nostalgia and wit remains fresh and entertaining to people of all ages.”

96 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Jim!.....Do you remember Stan Matlock's "Magazine of the air" on WKRC-am radio in Cincinnati?.....Syncopated Clock was his opening theme song....Sonny

Jim McAllister said...

Sonny,

That's right! I used to enjoy Stan's show and he was on for a lot of years. In those days, WKRC was located in the basement of the Alms Hotel at Victory Parkway and William Howard Taft Road in Walnut Hills down the street from Phillip's Swimming Pool.

So many established things in Cincy never go away and that is the way I felt about Stan but, eventually he was replaced. I remember that he lived up around Ault Park in Mt. Lookout.

I was nosing around and found this. Great Cincy stuff:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/cincinnati/621932-cincinnati-memories.html

CJinPhoenix said...

Funny: Some of Anderson's music involved equipment & sounds that was soon to be antiquated. I wonder if that had anything to do with his lack of longevity. I mean, there are whole generations of people nowadays that have literally never heard the tick-tock of a mechanical clock or the rhythmic tap of the keys of a typewriter & the carriage return. His music sounds kinda classic to me though. It sure has the power to transport a person to a different place & time ... even if the person being transported has no idea where they are.

I also like when music imitates the sound of a train. That would be classic CW &, as far as symbols go, the sound of the train usually represents the sound of time passing you by ... Unless you jump on before it is gone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYzHeuhZfuM

Here is a link to the Carioca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0BVV-auHN0

Allen said...

Hi Jim,

Oh the times we lived in, and without a single doubt, Leroy Anderson marked our days with his music.

In my humble opinion, though others may not share it, he was to the music of the times what the short story was to the literature of the same.

Is there a great difference between then and now? Well let me put it this way: people like us preserve his musical moments in our memories, but memories can't played for today's generation.

Besides, they won't be be able to hear over the noise they pass for music now.

Allen

Jim McAllister said...

CJ,

I always liked Boxcar Willie; his songs echoed the openness and free wheeling travel of another time.

He was doing quite well in, I believe Branson, at the time of his death.

A great country artist for sure who sounded a bit like Hank Snow to me.

Nice YouTube on the Carioca. "Flying Down to Rio" is the film that shot Astaire and Rogers to stardom during the Depression.

Good points on the sound effects; makes sense. I've talked to kids who don't know who the hell Elvis is!

Jim McAllister said...

Allen,

I really identified with Leroy Anderson. I only link 5 of his songs but he had so many more like Serenata, Belle of the Ball, The Penny Whistle song, The Waltzing Cat, A Trumpeter's Lullaby, etc. All great tunes that I had on 33 1/3 in the 50s.

Luckily, we can hear them all online these days through YouTube.

It was a time of growing up for us in the 50s and those songs fit perfectly. Anderson was an American gem.

I agree with you on today's generation. They don't seem to appreciate things that happened before them. To us, those things are great memories and a history lesson of what once was.

Maybe they are too busy wasting money on tattoos that they will eventually regret. LOL

midnightsstaff said...

You thugs from Cincy always have something to remember, try that if you happened to grow up in Channing Texas..

Music is an art form, and if everyone thinks all the serious music has already been written they are wrong.
this guy sounds like one of those guys that affected the business without ever getting proper recognition, lots of that going around..

My uncle Joe was one of those, a professional musician for Warner Bros for decades and actually performed with well known groups including Pink Floyd... my all time
favorite group, my cousins are also professional musicians.

The art of music is in better shape than ever before since access to music is at a historical high water mark...

Take a listen to the album "Amused to Death" by Roger Waters for example of meaningful art being created today by musical genius's everywhere.
Music has never been better.

was there really a real radio station WKRP in Cincinnatti? or not?

Jim McAllister said...

From: Joe Finnerty

Your blog brought to mind the fabulous composer/arranger from the same era, Gordon Jenkins. One of his most important works, “Manhattan Tower,” resulted in his being awarded the keys to the city. I used to play that album repeatedly, and especially loved his song, “I’m Learning My Latin.”

He held many positions in the recording industry, and arranged for the likes of Sinatra, Nat Cole, Louis Armstrong and other great singers. You may read all about him on Wikipedia.

Like Leroy, Gordon was singular and his contribution to the American music scene should not be overlooked.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jim.....Guess my memory is fading....lol....Syncopated Clock was actually the opening theme to the "Clockwatcher" on WLW.....I used to listen to Stan everyday....don't know how I could get them confused.....sorry.....God Bless!....Sonny

Anonymous said...

RE:was there really a real radio station WKRP in Cincinnatti? or not?

The TV show was based on a REAL radio and TV station in Cincinnati....WKRC-550am....The TV station was channel 12

Jim McAllister said...

Joe,


Joe,

When I think of the great arrangers at Capitol Records and others in the 50s era, I always come up with Jenkins, Billy May, Axel Stordahl, and Nelson Riddle. They always backed the best singers of the time. No question about Jenkins, he was one of the best.

Jim McAllister said...

Middy,

Sonny answered your question correctly: WKRP was a takeoff on WKRC, the real station in Cincy.

I have a long list of things that are particular to Cincy. We Cincy guys grew up in a very unique town.

You committed a sin in your comment that would get you hanged in Cincy: you spelled it "Cincinnatti". Oh the horror, drop one of those "t's" right now and I will give you a pardon this time. BUT! Don't let it happen again or I will make you spend next weekend with Barney Frank and his new "wife." Old Barney robbed the cradle; his boyfriend is 30 years younger than he is. What a stud!

I can't disagree on Pink Floyd. For many years it was always the number one selling record in the world. People kept wearing it out and re-buying it. Not bad for only running 43 minutes.

One PF album that I loved and still have never seemed to get that big. It was "Animals" from the late 70s.

Jim McAllister said...

Middy,

I forgot to mention the 43 minute album in the previous post. It is, of course "Dark Side of the Moon."

midnightsstaff said...

Yeah not to get off on the Pf topic but there are definitely two categories of their work, the commercial stuff like DSotM and then there is "careful with that axe Eugene"- which is completely different stuff, and "Sysyphus" or "The Narrow Way"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsBUWD5r2o
this is a rare cut off a 1970's concert of "Careful"- probably just noise to some but when I first heard them I realized they were a different animal and had a lot of creative talent.

- I love both genres but prefer the more obscure.

yeah I have 302 songs on the computer by Pf and then a couple of hundred others by Gilmour and Waters solo... someday I hope to get it complete- then comes the videos...

It's humid today, when I was in Cincy that is what I remember the most... wet blanket humidity...

The record companies had talent as indentured servants for decades, that has changed now with the advent of digital music and file transfer, sometimes it's just better to accept change and admire the past- in fact it appears the most of the artists are back to touring live for their bread and butter over sales of their music.
who would have figured that?

I actually live in the past myself, it's just that I have learned to fight the urge to stay there permanently.

Because a guy once told me the only difference between a groove and a grave besides the spelling is the length and depth.. was that two or only one t? - youse guyz needs to learn howz ta spell rite...as DG would put it.
haha...
wonder where he is these days?

Rick Kepple said...

I seldom listen to music anymore.

midnightsstaff said...

I guess society has a lot of filler when it's healthy and society was much healthier in the forties and fifties..
Tunes he and guys like him wrote became part of the background we all barely notice but sort of remember, that is if you are around 70 years old or something.
That could be a problem if you expect some forty year olds to have much memory of a guy like this- especially we who did not grow up on the east coast but in a cultural backwater located between two ranches.

These monsoon sunrises and sunsets have been a pretty nice break from the same old blue skies and high temps eh?

Jim McAllister said...

Middy,

You certainly know your Pink Floyd history. I would think you would be more of a C&W fan.

Cincy is unbelievably humid all the time. In the winter it chills you to the bone; in the summer it soaks you. 90 degrees there is like 110 here only we have the famous "dry heat" which means that if I can make 9 holes at my course here where it is 7 degrees cooler than Phoenix, I am doing good. I guess hot is hot no matter what.

With music theft on the internet being what it is, the "record" industry is shot. No more do we head to Tower Records or Sam Goody's to see the latest 45s and 33 1/3 or even CDs or cassettes. Those stores are long gone.

We never said "youse guyz" in Cincy; that's an East coast thing or Philly as DG says.

We did have our own stuff though. If you talk to someone from Cincy and they didn't hear you correctly they will never say, "Huh?' or 'What?' They will say 'Please'

Rick Kepple said...

Don Petersen seems to think that the amount of sunlight that shines on the earth affects my moods. Some scientists say that I can sense electrical impulses too. Highly focused thinker. OCD. All that stuff.

Come about October, I'll be playing the guitar, watching music videos, hunting 30 feet out back of the house in the brushy backyard.

Thanks to Obamacare and when it kicks in, my Medicare supplement will be my full time insurance and we've already discussed my future. And today, I found a computer tech who can fix my computer problems as needed. Bought a laser printer. The sale of land is definitely going to be declared on the taxes and Social Security and the VA monitor those, so I have to tell them. National healthcare will change absolutely everything about my life. Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler will help.

And yesterday, I talked to this really hot sizzling chick who liked me. So I told her about my political theories, Dora's "Idea Day" for OCD, SN, and much more. I always talk about SN when I'm nervous. When I don't play guitar, I just get worse.

Oh, and on firearm applications now, the federal government is now inquiring specifically if you are "Mexican or Latino" or "NonMexican or NonLatino" and then it asks in the next block what ethnicity you are. That's gonna piss off the Latino voters.

Rick Kepple said...

BTW, no the hot chick and I did not go out. I told her everything in a summary and that worked to get rid of her. Middy likes to flip switches.

Now would be a good time for the movie, "White Christmas." Maybe field strip some guns to keep in practice. I bought new ones.

midnightsstaff said...

..glad to see my mere reputation is still getting the job done..

My Grandma from Oklahoma always said "directly" when she meant some vague reference to the future- like she would tell me "She'll be home directly"
which meant "quit asking me the same dumb question"..

only more politely so.

You ought to be good for another couple of weeks, that full moon last week took a lot out of you.
Now that it's safely into the waning stage your blood pressure should drop quite a bit.
made another batch of killer chocolate chip oatmeal cookies a while ago.. gives you a good excuse to clean the dishes...
Guido makes a great apple pie..

yeah.. another barnburner of an evening over here in the seis dos tres.

Rick Kepple said...

I just got in from night patrol. Reporting nothing unusual. I'll set the alarm and patrol again before dawn. There are lots of enemies in America. Lots. Oh, there's one! Right behind you! Look out! Arrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!

CJ Phoenix said...

Hey, since this one is kinda stalling, I have a question to ask. Can somebody please explain to me how this "job creators" thing works? I mean, really, I want to know. I keep hearing that people making at least $250k per year are "job creators" & that rolling back those Bush tax breaks they got is going to somehow retard their ability to create jobs. So please explain how that works exactly. And, while you're at it, please explain when all those jobs that were created while taxes were low are going to materialize ...

midnightsstaff said...

I haven't got a clue.. you better field this one Jimmy...

the search for the perfect cookie took a major step forward this afternoon..

Looks like it's time for a little Slim Whitman...Una paloma blanca
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd4Zy77fDpo

"I'm just a bird in the sky
Una paloma blanca
Over the mountains I fly
No one can take my freedom away"

don't write em like that anymore- and I haven't heard a decent yodeler for I don't know how long.
yep.. Slim Whitman and Angus Young doing Jailbreak..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFNZY8tU2gw&feature=related

.... that's a show I'd like to see..

Jim McAllister said...

From: Doug Stewart

Thanks for including me on your blog. I couldn't agree with you more. Keep up the good work.

Jim McAllister said...

Rick,

Good old Don; ever the diplomat.

Jim McAllister said...

Ah, yes; "White Christmas". A real memory maker for sure starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Dean Jagger, Rosemary Clooney (George's aunt) and Vera-Ellen.

It was Paramount's first film in their wide screen Vista Vision.

Another trivia: Vera-Ellen was from Norwood, Ohio next to Cincinnati and was anorexic. If you watch that film, her legs are very thin and every costume she wore had a high neckline to hide her scrawny neck.

Sad story: she eventually died from it at 60 in 1981. She was an excellent dancer who also appeared in "On the Town" (1949) with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly.

Jim McAllister said...

I remember "directly" being said a lot in rural Missouri as in: "C'mon Leroy, we're going to town to get drunk!" to which Leroy would reply "I'll be with yuh directly."

One learns a lot in the military. For example, when you buy a $5 gallon of wine to pull off on the way to town, always drop an envelope of grape Kool-Aid" in it because if a cop stops you, the grape obliterates the alcohol smell.

I'll tell ya.... those damn GI's know everything!

Jim McAllister said...

Middy,

Slim is probably one of the few guys to make a fortune off infomercials emphasizing his many Octaves, especially the high ones.

I loved those ads.

Jim McAllister said...

CJ,

It doesn't mean that everyone making $250,000 plus is a job creator. When Barb was teaching and I was a salesman, we made that much combined but it certainly didn't create jobs as we weren't a small business. I made it as a commission paid salesman.

They are referring to those who own small businesses who would have difficulty expanding either through increased physical plant or hiring more people if they are forced into more taxation.

Obama doesn't understand this even though people like Pelosi and Schumer do hence, they are calling for extended cuts up to $1MM income. Bill Clinton doesn't think there should be any new taxes.

So, those who know better are refuting Obama. They know as we do that Obama is just using this as another form of his goal of class warfare. It's his only hope for re-election.

Local businesses need all the breaks they can get. I'm sure the guys who own Subway franchises or McDonald's are also holding back on investments in their stores waiting for the next wave of government intrusion from Obama too. The same goes for large businesses; they are sitting on millions.

Meanwhile, because of the economy, their business is down.

Free markets are what makes an economy work. Businesses have to perform for their customers and if they don't, the market will take care of itself via those businesses losing customers and deservedly folding.

Liberals like Obama love the strong federal government approach with its constant waste and overblown departments. They don't have to worry about going out of business. They simply raise our taxes and keep throwing money at the problem.

while you're at it, please explain when all those jobs that were created while taxes were low are going to materialize ...

To answer that, I don't have specific information but since small business have been fearing Obamacare since 2009, don't look for much especially since it has been passed. It's going to knock small business for a loop.

"Small business owners have no idea what the true impact will be. Therefore, the uncertainty will cause them to retrench rather than invest. This in turn will impair any economic recovery." Bayou Buzz

I also read today that 83% of doctors are talking about quitting over Obamacare.

It's going to be interesting.

midnightsstaff said...

So what should be the reasoning for a tax no matter what for, if you can answer that it would explain a lot about the actual situation..

For instance should a tax be just to fund those enumerated responsibilities of the federal government with the bulk of the operational responsibilities remaining the individual states problem to solve using local control with no federal oversight and unfunded mandates as I and a lot of people believe?

Or should it be to hire thousands of new IRS agents just to fuel at the maximum even though it is unbearable just to fund a metastasizing, parasitic, liberty stealing bureaucracy that meddles in issues they have no business involving themselves in but also doing every damn thing they touch badly and at an inflated cost no free market society can support..

For the life of me though I can't understand how people actually can ignore the two prime examples in my lifetime of what lowering taxes accomplishes and the boom that follows- it happened in Reagan's inherited recession and GWB did the same thing and it created another boom that lasted until Nancy Pelosi began her magic act.

Don't need to get all esoteric about it.. just take a look at recent history.

midnightsstaff said...

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2012-07-10/obama%E2%80%99s-middle-class-tax-scam

here ya go Cj.. the author correctly identifies this for what it is.. a campaign tactic that has little chance of getting passed.

quote:
"The President’s tax plan was just a show pony to get some votes. It does not have a snow ball’s chance in hell of passing. But it is a window into the real debate that will happen after November. Some form of compromise on the fiscal cliff will have to be reached. Some taxes will go up, others will stay where they are. The net effect will be that there is no real improvement in the deficit, nor will there be any meaningful stimulus to the economy from the fiscal side"

Sadly this is just another attempt to obfuscate the actual problem- but it does serve to confuse the non critical thinkers as to it's actual intention and the free shit army is always tuned in for some reason to engage in class envy.
clearly Obama has given up on attracting new voters, he has to try to whip up some artificial rage and get the fools that voted for him in the first place to act on ignorant emotion one more time- because pitting one American against the other is the only game he knows.

Keep in mind, this is his first campaign he has to defend his inept governing abilities.

Rick Kepple said...

"Vera-Ellen was from Norwood, Ohio next to Cincinnati and was anorexic. If you watch that film, her legs are very thin and every costume she wore had a high neckline to hide her scrawny neck."

She did look like she had anorexia, but Vera-Ellen began dancing when she was very young for health problems that were never revealed to the public. She was absolutely gorgeous though.

Rick Kepple said...

CJ, I can answer that question for you. There is this myth that if corporations/people making over $250,000 a year, aren't taxed that they will create more jobs and that's NOT historically accurate. In fact, there were more economic problems prior to corporate taxation than after Teddy Roosevelt created it.

So by employing tax deductions, employers actually have an incentive to hire people. Without taxation and tax deductions, corporations wouldn't hire Americans at all. They'd just hire illegal immigrants, outsource jobs to China, India and Russia. There are even special permits to do business in North Korea and Iran, but probably in exchange to hire more Americans at home.

So if there were no taxes on the rich, they would have absolutely no reason to give to charity or hire Americans. They'd just turn traitors and bring North Koreans to America. The rich don't have much in the way of a conscience, so they have to be taxed into doing moral and ethical behavior.

midnightsstaff said...

While you're at it Rick why don't you give us a quick rundown on performing bypass surgery.

Because it's obvious to some of us that you probably know as much about heart surgery as you do about macro or politically motivated economics.

Rick Kepple said...

And Jim, Justice Roberts proves my theory to be correct that the Republicans need Obamacare just as much as the Democrats as a prerequisite to join the G-20's plan for global governance by 2025.

Cue Middy's bitching. The Republicans will pretend to object, but they have to maintain the political appearance.

Hey, but the good news is that gun and ammo sales are up. I'm buying a few nice weapons. They're good investments. They will keep their value when gold prices have plummeted and gold prices will indeed drop like a ... rock at some point. Why? Because our nation's enemies are switching their economies over to a gold standard, so if the system is destroyed, so are our enemies. But not all of my theory might be correct, but so far I've been right. I should be getting paid as a consultant, but it's cheaper for the rich if they just tell me how delusional that I am, but still use my ideas.

For that reason, I don't help the wealthy completely, but actually just set them up to fail. If they paid me, that would be different.

Rick Kepple said...

BTW, Middy's bitching and harassing me merely inspired the SN stalkers in my area. They hate her, so they hate me.

C'mon Middy. Keep it up dude. I need those people to progress, so please, keep harassing me. Go on. Tell me again how I was never in the military. Lay it on thick. Heroin addicts love your words and I really do need them to get violent.

CJ Phoenix said...

Hey, you all, I am not talking about Obama now at all. I am simply asking for how this job creation thing works. Step-by-step. How does one *create* jobs? I got the idea straight from Mitt Romney's campaign yesterday &, yes, I asked his people too but I am still waiting for a reply on Facebook.

CJ Phoenix said...

You know, it really sucks that Rick came closer to answering my real question than Jim & Middy. How is that for incentive? Do you think that you both can look outside of all the political rhetoric for a few moments & tell me how it is done?

Jim McAllister said...

CJ,

I guess the easiest way to say it is the following:

If small businesses have less capital because of paying high taxes to the federal government, they have less ability to expand via newer, better, larger, and more locations.

They also have less capital to pay more employees (job creation) to work at their businesses. Hence, businesses become stagnant under the oppressive thumb of an ever tax loving administration like Obama's.

Small businesses don't need government looking over their shoulders dreaming of new ways to tax them. Either does large business. As I mentioned before, the free market can take care of itself. If large or small businesses fail because of ineptitude or being out of date, they will go under and rightly so.

Governments never fail; they just keep raising taxes to keep feeding the monster that they are while stunting the growth of the free market. In other words; no JOB CREATION.

midnightsstaff said...

Why don't you ask Barry what he is planning to do about jobs creation?

I don't see any curiosity whatsoever over any of his failures you have been watching for three years now, so it looks to me like you are just looking for some reason to dismiss a Republican idea- at least that's what I see.

Here let me do you and Rick a failure... I give you my blessings to go ahead and vote for a free scoop of ice cream.. it doesn't matter you have a locked mind anyway , it's how monkeys are so easily caught..
..this is a simple black or white issue and if you can't decide between black and white no information will ever do anything about a lazy, uninformed voter..
go ahead and pull that lever... we don't need you.
just let me give you a little advice, even tho the liar in chief will promise you to forgive your school loan it's impossible, it's just another load of shit.

Altho Guido has finished his doctorate surprisingly early and is now free to get back to work now I hear that Louie is actually getting a serious look not at left defensive tackle but for special teams on the bounty squad... that means he will probably be cut somewhere in late August or early September if they don't keep him...

..looks like you caught a break there Rick because Guido says he won't work alone-
..try to get some sleep.

Rick Kepple said...

Yeah, it's ironic that a 'goat farmer' knows more than people in Scottsdale. Sorry Jim, no offense.

CJ, jobs are simply created because employers have to be given incentives to do so. It's like training horses, only horses are smarter. It's why taxes and tax deductions exist.

Answer me this: What does deregulating accomplish? And WHY do they deregulate? For the same reason they offer tax incentives. To train the happy rich folks to hire people.

It's how the U.S. government got weak minded, greedy rich folks to voluntarily redistribute their wealth to countries where the U.S. government wants to control. The Council on Foreign Relations will tell you that. Don't you get their newsletter? I do.

Psychologically, the rich folks are the bitches of the politiciansn, not the other way around. Look how much money Romney and Obama are getting in influence peddling. Yeah, if all that money was used to hire people, there wouldn't be a bad economy, but the pussies don't give a shit about people. They only care about corporate bonuses and bailouts.

The banksters are the biggest campaign contributors, using bailout money to give back to the government. Makes me want to sit in on a board meeting and use a seven iron on them occasionally to correct their decision making.

CJ Phoenix said...

Jim, If, as you say, "If small businesses have less capital because of paying high taxes to the federal government, they have less ability to expand via newer, better, larger, and more locations. They also have less capital to pay more employees (job creation) to work at their businesses. Hence, businesses become stagnant under the oppressive thumb of an ever tax loving administration like Obama's..." then why did I get laid off from 2 jobs under the Bush "Let 'Em Eat Tax Breaks" Administration?

Nope, I am not talking politics right now. All I am saying is that handing out tax breaks like they were free cake for the wealthy does not create jobs & I know that for a fact. I know that from experience. Neither does a tax rebate for the masses which is another thing that Bush tried.

Know what? I still think that Rick is getting it better than you, Jim. I am not even going to address Middy's bull baiting shit right now because I never said that Obama has done any better at that job creation thing than Bush & I am actually trying to find a way to vote against Obama right now. So what Rick said was, "Jobs are simply created because employers have to be given incentives to do so ..." And that part alone makes a whole bunch of sense.

Now, what are we going to do about the simple fact that businesses -- both large & small -- are NOT incentivized by the joy of allowing people to work? Businesses are motivated by profit & that in a nutshell is the problem. Technology & the cost of benefits has put people out of work in this country en mass. And all the increased profits in the world is never going to change that because ... businesses are not motivated by an honest day's work, they are motivated by money. They use money to attract investment, not to hire people, then all the profit goes into somebody's pocket. So I guess the real question is now: Where is that incentive? What incentive?

We need a plan. Please help me come up with a plan.

BTW, Jim, you are not really talking about businesses here: "If large or small businesses fail because of ineptitude or being out of date, they will go under and rightly so." You are talking about opportunities to work & real people. Yes, businesses can & do fail & that is no big deal. But there is nothing to replace those lost opportunities for people to work these days. So is it "rightly so" that the workers -- people who have worked hard to earn their way in this world for years & years -- no longer have the ability to work for a living anymore? Why? Because they were born just a little too late?

midnightsstaff said...

So what Rick said was, "Jobs are simply created because employers have to be given incentives to do so ..." And that part alone makes a whole bunch of sense.

It stands by using that reasoning you would agree that government by regulation and offering small business no stability in future tax and extended overhead costs is what is taking the incentive out and will give you pretty much what we have today- you must like it.

can't have it both ways tho... so it's just like the mom said when her little boy blurted out.... "when I grow up I want to be a rock star"- she said, " sorry honey, one or the other."

So quit boring us with your predictable confusion, just vote for the guy promising ice cream again and quit complaining.

CJ Phoenix said...

You expect me to believe that somebody who cannot even remember that I never have voted for Obama, not even once, after all the arguing I did for your side of the ticket in the last presidential race can even begin to understand let alone use my reasoning now?

I sure can understand your reasoning though, buddy. Here let me use a little of it on you now: You are, hands down, the biggest asshole that I know right know & you think that everybody that doesn't listen to what you are saying, then parrot it word for word is out to get you & your stuff. Bet you cannot even remember the last time you cared for anything -- any issue, any person, any candidate -- other than the issue of what's in it for you. And, before you say it, I did not start the *name calling* here. You continue to insist that I voted for Obama because I want free stuff when you really should know better than that. I mean, all you have to do is pull your head out of your ass for a few minutes & read what I have actually been saying.

Jim McAllister said...

Rick,

Answer me this: What does deregulating accomplish? And WHY do they deregulate? For the same reason they offer tax incentives. To train the happy rich folks to hire people.

You have to get over this rich man's jealousy. Some people work hard, are intelligent,and happen to get rich for it. case closed; get over it!

And, for those tax incentives, you don't think the government expects anything in return in the form of regulations? Wake up; nothing comes without strings attached especially from the government.

Jim McAllister said...

CJ,

I've said all I can say; I'm out of gas.

I'm going to try to set up a day next week for lunch and we can talk some more about it.

Are you pretty wide open?

CJ Phoenix said...

Sure. I am not exactly "wide open" all week, Jim, because I am actively looking for a job & that includes scheduling interviews, etc. But I can probably do lunch next week. The earlier you set a day & time, the easier it is for me to know if I am free that day. And *I will pay you* not to get this crap started over lunch ... IF you accept a handful of quarters as payment that is. I mean. I know that I can maintain my cool in public, but now I am not so sure about you guys. Should I bring my dog?

Jim McAllister said...

Bring the quarters, all of them. LOL

Rick Kepple said...

Okay Jim, I'm over my wealth jealousy and wealth envy. I paid $92 for a meal today. I'd hate to be rich and do that all the time!

Rick Kepple said...

Oh, why did I pay $92? I went to Bass Pro Shop. They don't sell bullets for my rifle where I live. I got three different selections for deer hunting. I needed company for safety, so I took neighbors and I paid for their meals. The calimari and fried alligator was my idea. I couldn't eat like that all the time!

A guy in the local area just wrote something on Facebook about why I didn't get along with "Bill" on the forums.

Jim McAllister said...

Was that $92 before or after tip? If it was before I hope you left the standard 20% for your server.

Make me proud!

Rick Kepple said...

$92 before the tip. I left a hundred, other people left tips.

And now some rich dude that suddenly moved to Tucson is jumping me about stuff I said, when he lived in Missouri. Then he suggested that I said that he might be in the heroin trade. I don't think I said that, but it's interesting that he brought it up. His leaving always seemed a little curious to many.

Rick Kepple said...

I'm being attacked on Facebook by Republicans, one in the entertainment industry and another from Tucson, and re: SN and citing everything "Bill" wrote.

Told ya that one day some journalist would start digging. They're trying to put it in the mainstream media.

The guy in Tucson is a publisher. He's a Romney supporter and he hates SN.

Rick Kepple said...

Uh oh. I figured out maybe what's going on. Remember when I told you about the indictments and federal investigations in my area? Well, I think some of those people may have read my azcentral blogs and they hate SN, side with Bill and might believe that I investigated them. That's ridiculous. Ask Jim or Middy. I'm a goat farmer. I know nothing of organized crime or espionage. I know nothing!

Well, if some of the indicted think that I investigated them, cause I used to be a trouble making journalist, I might wind up as a suicide or a random burglary victim. Happens a lot. I might even disappear. It's gonna get interesting.

midnightsstaff said...

Oddly enough, that sounded about as reasonable as anything else the Oracle of Missouri has come up with lately..

San Bernardino Co. has just filed for Bankruptcy protection.. what's that 3 cities in what can only be the eventual collapse by the entire state.

well it could be worse, I could still be married.

Rick Kepple said...

Isn't Facebook just so dramatic? Who needs TV? Nobody's gonna publish anything. People are just angry because I'm not doing the music publicist thing anymore. I lost a few thousand in the deal and they couldn't afford a $30 printer. It was time for a divorce.

People are throwing a fit in my area because the feds ruined their party and they're blaming me. BMI kicked them too.

Jim McAllister said...

Middy,

Some liberal guy on Megan Kelly's show seriously said we need another stimulus for things like San Bernardino! Typical liberal reaction.

Melissa Francis had a great comeback: "A stimulus is nothing but a sugar high!"

midnightsstaff said...

Yeah arguing is pointless, best thing to do is just wait until the whole thing is done..

Never waste time arguing logic with an illogical person..
I should follow my own advice eh?

..all those who laughed at me when I mentioned Meridith Whitney and her predictions of municipal bond failures and what to expect a couple of years ago are not laughing now.

It will be interesting watching the first state in history file for bankruptcy and seeing how the liberals deal with that... that is you will enjoy watching it- me not so much.

It will affect everyone in America, and people had better wake up to the fact that California is merely America in the second term of Obama.

midnightsstaff said...

This is a comment I made on zerohedge in May on the plight of California...

"You have a point but despite the rosy picture you paint the State of Confusion has some negatives as well, such as it's gang infestation, utter corruption at every state level, a third world central valley, roads that haven't been repaired since Gray Davis was in office, inner cities have been converted to disease incubators, hospitals closing due to illegal aliens overload and a state congress that might be confused for a mental ward in saner times.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs might be better run than the typical state agency.

I guess in the interests of fairness one could say the legislature is actually just a hybridization of the gang infestation I mentioned before so we will just split that point"

And since that posting I made it's only gotten worse.

CJ Phoenix said...

Speaking of Facebook, my new status:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
-Theodore Roosevelt, 1910

Now do not go interpreting it to suit yourself unless you also want to hear what those words mean to me. Otherwise, just read. And just think about it.

midnightsstaff said...

Sounds good to me, I don't think much of TR and his big government tactics, but nothing wrong with that quote if it is used for anything other than jingoistic rhetoric, and that's one thing the man was famous for.

Problem to me is when the guy is saying that while holding your head under water...
...high minded rhetoric doesn't keep the lights on.
hey if that quote is good enough for Miley Cyrus to get tattooed on her arm it's probably good enough for you.

I doubt she is any noted Constitutional student and probably judges every decision on the preamble as well- you know "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

..oddly enough it was the favorite quote of Nelson Mandela a noted commie and your second favorite president Richard Hussein Nixon.

great minds think alike.

Rick Kepple said...

Great minds do indeed think alike. I changed my Facebook privacy settings to allow only friends to view my posts, and I'm gonna dump some friends.

I always liked Teddy Roosevelt. He had guts enough to be his own man.

I bought a .22 caliber Beretta pistol today for target shooting and small game hunting. I got lots of food stocked up, but ya never know.

I also talked to a young soldier on Fort Leonard Wood today and I asked him about those Sig Sauer M16's and he said the Sig's are the most amazing weapons! http://youtu.be/jLKV1-43R8w Check that video out. Damn! That's a serious rifle!

Sick today. Drank a swallow of sour milk yesterday. Gross. They sell a brand in glass bottles and it stays fresh forever in glass! No more milk on road trips!

Mitt Romney gun laws that I can expect after he's elected. http://youtu.be/6rvn4YTxn1Y

Sorry, not in a music mood, Jim. I just love you guys! I want to move in with Middy. I'm not gay.

Rick Kepple said...

It's sad. On Election Day, I'll probably vote for Romney, but Obama's gonna win.

I'd room with CJ, but I'm very picky in reality. I'll bet you would have never guessed.

Yes, I'm struggling to be more like Jim. I even shaved my mustache off.

CJ Phoenix said...

Now you guys are just getting creepy. Crap, where's ms? I need a beer right about now.

Jim McAllister said...

I had a mustache from 1974 to 1980. One morning I woke up and there was a gray hair in it. I immediately shaved it off.

We have to draw the line somewhere.

midnightsstaff said...

I want to apologize to Cj for that deprecatory remark I made before- I don't know what comes over me lately..
anyway I apologize and publicly say I was wrong..

I still have that 70's porn fill in-s'tach myself.. now you have me thinking...

actually I wish the whole mess would just kinda go away - I get tired of shaving every other day.. no job, why shave?

sittin' on the balcony watching the lightning show on the horizon.. man it's a sultry evening but another Arizona blessing, that's for sure.
I just might get rid of dish.

CJ Phoenix said...

Which one? Never mind, I have lost count myself & I am not really keeping track. So thanks. One beer, and I will call it even up to that point.

Rick Kepple said...

I'm getting a little gray in my hair and I'm looking a bit like Jim. I'm looking to date a woman like Barb, but younger.

Hey, those two people jumping on me about my unethical journalism and how I wrote false accusations? I researched it and the guy said it about HIMSELF and ordered me to remove it as it was harming his reputation in Tucson. So I unfriended both of them from Facebook.

Jim McAllister said...

The good news though was that with my mustache I was frequently mistaken by the ladies for Ron Jeremy, hence, the word "horny" never entered my vocabulary.

(Jeeez....This is only the 4th day of this blog and already it is deteriorating!)

midnightsstaff said...

it took about two hours for it to start Jim, these things are like a minor league hockey game, sometimes we don't even wait for the puck to drop before fighting.

Best lightning storm of the year last night, just talked to a bud driving from Blythe to Gangland after work and he is getting pounded with rain...

..yeah looks like the pool needs another cleaning..

Rick Kepple said...

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler just announced the crop damage from the drought. There's about a 40 percent loss so far. Cornfields are drying up and it's only July. Expect food prices to probably double or triple this winter. Farmers are selling off their excess livestock because there's no hay being produced. (It's one reason I parted with the horses).

The neighbor is here. We're making salsa today.

Jim McAllister said...

Love the minor league hockey game analogy.

I think we had some lightning too as we could hear a lot of thunder after we turned in. It's hard to tell if it rained as it evaporates within minutes after it hits the ground.

It's still cloudy up here so i may try to get in 9 about 4 today. If a guy can stand the heat summer golf is a bargain here: $20 for 18 holes in the summer. With he heat I usually have to stop at 9.

midnightsstaff said...

Sounds like you should ask for a refund on those unused holes...

or just come back and play them another day... wouldn't that be fair?
maybe we need some legislation to protect the consumer from these predatory, evil private golf courses..
how are you supposed to know it will get over a hundred degrees? these guys are taking advantage of you Jim.

do they have hydration stations and an on site medical team for any heat stress crisis that might occur?
are there any safety courses offered that might advise you not to stand in front of someone teeing off or picking up stray balls you might find laying around? are you required to wear safety equipment or make sure you are strapped in safely in that golf cart?
maybe a police element should be there to make sure you are not speeding between holes or have an open container.
Are these golf carts inspected frequently to make sure safety equipment working properly?... do they have airbags? are the safety lights which should be left on in daytime for safety reasons in proper working order, is there an audible signal for backing up?

I thought not..

We simply can't allow this wild west type of situation to continue without asking ourselves- "are we doing enough to insure the safety and satisfaction of our local and visiting golfers?"

Even if there hasn't been any complaints we simply can't let mere economics stand in the way of progress in the area of safety- if not for ourselves let's do it for the children.

This might be a winning campaign for Scottsdale's Redheaded Menace.. that would be a big upgrade over the failed no signs/no way platform she has cruised to crushing defeat against a pregnant, clueless nitwit.

Good news is Mitt pretty much gave the finger to the NAACP or the united negro parasites yesterday and told them to kiss my ass with that message he is going to reverse Obamacare...

atta boy Mitt..

I just listened to Paul Ryan on Levin's excellent show yesterday, it sounds like they really have a plan to get this done no matter what... it just hinges on electing non communists..

but that might be an order too tall to fill.

Jim McAllister said...

"Maybe we could get something done around here if we didn't have to put up with all this safety shit."........My buddy and fellow A1C Jerry Gainsforth of Jamestown, North Dakota speaking to me in c. 1964 at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.

We have all regulations in place here. If someone shoots a score of 70 and their partner shoots 100, regulations state that the lower score has to take half the difference so both golfers shoot 85. That way no feelings are hurt and the person who actually achieved over the non-achiever has satisfaction of knowing that he gave his fair share while also avoiding hurt feelings by the loser.

The same goes for anyone finding lost balls in the rough. All balls are shared equally regardless of who worked the hardest to find them. It makes us all feel better because we know it is the right thing to do.

Jim McAllister said...

I read that about Mitt and the NAACP yesterday. It took some nerve to face that group and he handled it well. It doesn't matter what he said to them; they are 100% for the man with the free shit, Mr. O.

I see where Wasserman-Schulz, the DNC chair, has a few Swiss accounts of her own. Makes her look like her usual dumb self after chastising Mitt for the same thing. Allen West took good care of her a while back.

steve buzzardo said...

the lib media failed to mention that Mitt got a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

But Jim, the frizz-head Wasserman-Schultz is a lib leftist and she cannot be questioned.

Rick Kepple said...

Michael Garrett, a music agent/publicist/artist/owner of Xtream Entertainment is Bill Gamelson's new voice on Facebook. He lives only about 30 miles from me and we are bound to run into one another some day.

"Ive worked in the music industry for many years already. You are delusion lonely old man and you need to get over yourself and get some professional help. Once again you "did some research" and fail to provide ANY backing information or evidence. You sir are a joke." - Michael Garrett, Dixon Missouri, but he lists his address as Waynesville.

I sincerely believe that Mike will make it in the mainstream music industry. He's got that arrogant tone about him all ready. I'm sure he will be the next Justin Bieber.

Rick Kepple said...

I thought about playing golf out on the course, but I'm just a 'delusion lonely old man' so I just stayed home and made 10 quarts of salsa.

Hey, I'm gonna hire Middy to do my thinking for me. Middy, I need to go to Walmart. Make it happen. I'm a delusion lonely old man. I don't know any better. A music professional said so and he is a Mitt Romney supporter. Middy's brother.

I'm undecided of who to vote for at this point. But I'm a delusion old man. Middy says that I should vote for Mitt. Isn't that a baseball glove? Why on earth would I want to vote for a baseball glove? But I'm just a delusion old man. I guess I'll vote for a catchers mitt if they say so. Whatever.

Jim McAllister said...

Buzz,

Wasserman is a typical lib. Blurting out idiotic statements about items she knows nothing about. I loved it a while back when Allen West set her down good.

It took guts for Mitt to attend that convention as he knew he would receive some boos. Obama didn't show; a tremendous breach of manners to a strong black organization which has them pretty pissed off.

Now this member of Obama's staff is accusing Romney of a felony which had been fact checked and she is totally wrong. Mitt is demanding an apology. I hope this develops into something. BO has a lot of clowns going around with a hair trigger shouting stuff that is incorrect and they will have it come back to further embarrass his campaign.

Check Drudge for more on the Cutter incident.

midnightsstaff said...

well that should be easy enough of a job, haven't seen much in the way of critical thought from you anyway- you aren't helping me turn over the new leaf of compassion and understanding I am trying to.
No I want you to vote for Obama.. just do it.. in fact I command you to vote your heart this time..

Don't listen to these people with their Constitution this and Constitution that.. give me a break... we all know that thing is irrelevant in today's society- those guys who used to pour over volumes of English law, the works of Kant, Aquinas and John Locke, men who spent years discussing the merits and the least damaging approach to allowing the most dangerous thing to man's liberty and freedom- government are out of touch and inferior as to the general intellect of today's Democrat/Socialist politician.

It was because they saw the need for government and they knew the natural instincts of government is to grow and wrest power they intentionally set about to write the most perfect document ever created by man to preserve his God given liberty and freedom to do what he wants in life- but it seems for way too many people until someone actually loses something, they treat it with contempt.
Once freedom is lost it is very hard to ever regain, we have lost a lot of freedom we once took for granted since Obama and Bush were presidents- nothing like a little fear to keep the military and the civilian police force occupied with less and less the need for lawful pretense, a police state needs a mission, and if there aren't any available, one can be provided..

Go ahead Rick, do the right thing and while your at it.. give a big shout out for that polished turd Claire Mccaskill while your there.
you got my blessings.

Rick Kepple said...

I have no idea who Wasserman is. I'm not sure if I care. Being a liberal, he probably doesn't hunt or fish. Save the whales and all that.

I think someone must have hired that music guy to harass me. That's funny. I'm not doing a damned thing about it, cause I don't live in Arizona and things work a wee bit differently where I live.

midnightsstaff said...

http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/NEWS.html?article=10265286

Well Jimmy this looks like the end of the line for the San Onofre nuclear power plant... the whole leper colony is going to be going through another hot summer with rolling blackouts once the heat really kicks in over there behind the fruit curtain..
.. at least they have the forest fire season to look forward to..

It sure looks like with San Bernardino filing for bankruptcy protection, the jig is finally up and I doubt Jesus H. Christ himself could do much with absolutely nothing to work with and no one cooperating anyway, that bunch of criminals would steal his shoes.

Glad that I moved from that little slice of heaven in San Bernardino co. when I did..

Is it a bird?- is it a plane?- no- it's a Homeland Security drone- for the children....

Jim McAllister said...

Rick,

Wasserman is Deborah Wasserman-Schulz and is another hyphenated self important liberal and head of the DNC.

We need all we can get of people like her and Stephanie Cutter on Obama's side. It will make the job a lot easier in November.

Jim McAllister said...

Middy,

I used to like to go to California for a few days in August for the races at Del Mar.

It's a beautiful area there and it is near Torrey Pines and La Jolla. Unfortuantely, I will no longer be going there. I give up on that state; I'd rather stay here and roast than drive on their pot holes.

midnightsstaff said...

Third friday the 13th of 2012.. maybe the Mayans were right.

Typical of the idiocy to the left of us is the comments section on the San Onofre situation...."time to go solar".

The good news is this Sunday is tax relief day for all of us that work for a living.. me not included, starting Monday the money they earn will be theirs to keep- until Jan.1 again- so the workers of America have to wait until mid July to finally get to keep some of their earnings- and we wonder if government has grown too much..

Californian workers, both of them... of course have to work longer.

I really don't like Rice for VP- but then I don't like Romney either so I guess it's just another case of me taking what they are serving.

Being a Republican for the last thirty years is like walking in a cafe, not getting a menu expecting no service, taking whatever they serve and then paying whatever they ask and then told how lucky we were not to have to eat the same thing next door...

...and then told to get out there and convince others to eat at that cafe..
So let me get this right, I am the cynic?
Anyway it looks like Obama needs to dust off his resume, he is finished and now the real work of cleaning up after that bastard begins.

Rick Kepple said...

"the whole leper colony is going to be going through another hot summer with rolling blackouts once the heat really kicks in over there behind the fruit curtain.."

Middy, didn't Enron try that to justify rate increases long ago and they got caught faking power problems?

Jim, Middy, I unfriended that "journalist," his wife, all his friends, because he's fishing for evidence. It's possible he's doing a story for the Enquirer about SN.

midnightsstaff said...

No, this is because California has not built a meaningful electrical power plant in twenty years... too much pollution so they get their juice from other states and lose twenty five percent to transmission leakage shipping it hundreds of miles.

The most destructive gang in California is the environmental lobby.

San Onofre was built thirty years ago- evidently the fools forgot illegals use electricity and roads too...

I say let them stew in 100 deg weather and believe me it gets over a hundred in most parts of So. Cal. every summer about the end of July...

One black swan is all it will take..

..and there are hundreds of them circling... just waiting their turn.

Jim McAllister said...

Anyway it looks like Obama needs to dust off his resume, he is finished and now the real work of cleaning up after that bastard begins.

We can only hope!

midnightsstaff said...

Na, the tribal warrior in chief has got that dead man's eyes look now, he is setting the table for declaring martial law before the election.
I certainly hope you aren't losing sleep over this election cycle, because there are much worse things to lose sleep over than this shoe in.

Rick Kepple said...

So let me get this straight, J.P. Morgan made a profit while reporting a huge multi-billion dollar loss? Hey Jim, I think I'm having one of those delusions again!

"When I hear it, I am a kid again in Cincinnati ready to get up on Christmas morning." - Jim McAllister. I'm thinking it's gonna start raining in August, be snowing in late September, iced roads by New Years Eve. Somewhere.

Rick Kepple said...

A guitarist friend told me today that I shouldn't talk about those people like I mentioned. It just gives them encouragement.

I looked for a video on Youtube of Romney shooting anything that resembled a gun and there were none. He should make a video of himself in a gun shop looking at firearms to buy, trying them out and the media could talk about gun control at the same time. Feeding frenzy for the media. Romney might even win.

Jim McAllister said...

I hear he shoots some beaver now and then. Oh, no! Did I really say that?

midnightsstaff said...

that was all time low bad joke...
who the hell are you.. Joe Biden??

I got to tell you this was a Houston type of day if I ever saw one, this is the type of monsoon I was expecting when I got here and tho the last few years seem to be meh- this one is making up for them...
..so maybe the skinny, mean, hot windy years may be changing for the better...
gotta have something to look forward to with great expectations..

In my house in California when it would get this sultry all the doors would start sticking.. haha. a little beeswax helps but it's amazing how much a door and jamb can absorb.

We had those old fashioned wood frame windows in Texas.. guess we were lucky to even have windows... much less air conditioning or anything resembling a decent heater..

That place was about as well built as a chicken coop, it would have done Detroit proud... it was the school district property they inherited through surplus from the war effort.. indoor plumbing was a later add-on..

Free rent was part of the hiring incentive that gave us both sides of a two bedroom duplex..

Christ we have it good now, there are plenty of people that have never even slept in a store bought bed and never will.
It's a sobering thought how well we have had it for all my lifetime..

God help anyone under forty..

Rick Kepple said...

It's actually illegal to shoot beaver. Both kinds.

Old trappers will both tell you that eating beaver is really good! I've tasted beaver tail and it's very fatty and rich. One doesn't eat beaver very often, but once you start, you don't want to stop! It's an acquired taste since not everyone likes eating beaver. Most women find eating beaver tail to be disgusting. I don't know why. It's fattening, I suppose.

Rick Kepple said...

Going to Dell Mack's yesterday and hanging out with musicians really helped to get back in the groove, man.

So I figure to watch White Christmas, Holiday Inn today, while canning peaches and I bought a half-bushel of Missouri peaches yesterday for $25. The grower told me how to trim my trees to get better fruit! Also, canning peppers and more tomatoes.

Then sometime, I got to sight in the hunting weapons; the AR-15 and the Beretta .22 caliber pistol.

I canned meat a couple of years ago as an experiment and it still looks as fresh as the day that I did it! I hear that canned venison is actually very good, but it's because you have to put melted beef fat over the meat.

Jim McAllister said...

The nice part is you get to eat all you shoot. Er......moving on.......