Tarheel Writer - Bricks and Musings 2010

Bricks & Musings 2010
General Writer Spouting off

There is always something to comment about and nothing is off the table. Sometimes, I just gotta get up on my little soapbox and pour my heart out. It is always interesting to look back at what I've written in the past. Feel free to comment. jevic@tarheelwriter.com
Thanks!

The Tarheel Writer - On the Web since 24 February 2003. Celebrating 21 Years on the Internet!
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Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 4:42AM, cloudy with a tornado watch and 74 degrees
I took a little trip up the the NC mountains a few weeks ago at the peak of the fall leaves. I spent two nights at the top of Sugar Mountain then traveled down to Linville Gorge on my way home. Linville Gorge is my favorite place to camp and hike. It is scenic and rugged with drops from the east and west rims of over 2000 feet to the river below. Here are just a few of the shots I took.

Sunday, 4 July 2010, 10:13AM, clear and 65 degrees

The comments below are by Englishman Tim Trent, who is an independent freelance marketing consultant. Thank you Tim.

    Obviously as an Englishman I was the victim of this document! The second sentence states:
    "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
So I ask the people of this proud nation:
    * What of your native populations?
    * What of your black populations?
    * What of your poor populations?
    * What of your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered populations?
    Have you put any of the first three right properly? You've done a bit, haven't you, but not enough.
    And the fourth, what of that one? Why do you take so long to realise that the self-evident truths are not just words but require your action? Why is it so hard to accept that anyone different from you, the majority, and thus the powerful, has those things that are stated to be self-evident?
    As you watch your fireworks tonight, as you have your celebration food, as you clap, sing, dance and celebrate, just turn your thoughts for a moment to that second sentence of your own founding document.
    And ask yourself and your friends and relations "What can we do, today, to make that second sentence mean what it says?"
    And then make a pledge to do it.

Wednesday, 23 June 2010, 12:54AM, clear and 76 degrees
    The neighbor's cat is sitting on top of my house! The little fukker is sitting at the peak over the eve where the bats live. He's watching them come and go as they eat every mosquito within a 5 mile range. That's the only thing I can figure out he's doing. There is a lot of bat activity, so I guess he just sitting there watching them. At first I thought it was an owl. After quickly grabbing my flashlight, I found out it was the neighbor's cat. He must be having a fantastic time. Either that or he is really frustrated because he can't get at those little fast flying fukkers.

Saturday, 06 March 2010, 12:59AM, 32 degrees
    This has been on my fridge for ... well, forever. I thought I'd share.

Sunday, 31 January 2010, 12:57AM, 22 degrees
    It's always awesome to hook up with someone from your past and I did that tonight. I've known Charles since 1974 or 1975 ... anyway, a long time ago and it's been ages since we've talked. I sent him an email on the off chance that it was still good and got a response with a phone number. We talked for a least an hour and a half catching up. It was a wonderful conversation. If you've been thinking about someone you haven't heard from in a long time, reach out. You will be glad you did. I certainly am!

Sunday, 24 January 2010, 10:48AM, rain and 57 degrees
    When I remodeled the basement here at the writer's (should be writing) house, one of the first things I did was have it waterproofed. The company that did the job came in and busted up a trench in the concrete floor all along the front of the house. They explained that the water was coming in under the foundation. After they busted up the concrete floor, they installed a plastic pipe with holes in it from one end to the other. At the far end, they installed a 50 gallon plastic drum that the pipe emptied in to. In the drum, they installed two sump pumps (the second as backup). Then they covered the whole thing back up with concrete (well, except the top of the drum). That was nearly five years ago and I had forgot about it until tonight.
    As I was watching TV this evening, with it raining cats and dogs* outside, I heard a strange humming coming from the corner of the house. It took a few minutes for my brain to finally engage and realize that it was the sump pump down in the barrel. I went outside (with an unbrella and a flashlight) in search of the white plastic pipe from the pump. I found it in short order and watched and it spewed water out for a few seconds and then quit. Awesome! So I sit here writing this with no water sloshing between my toes as it had done back before the remodeling.
    * raining cats and dogs ... what does that mean? It means it's raining like hell! The saying comes from olden times when roofs were made of thatch. You've heard of thatch roofs, well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets; dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs." So there's the lesson for today. I expect an essay on the subject tomorrow. Cheers!