My usual hiking ball cap, which a
sister-in-law gave me as a Christmas or birthday gift several years
ago, has a sewn-in stick-figure image of a hiker being struck by
lightning. The caption beneath the unfortunate hiker reads, “Life
is Crap.”
Photographs of that ball cap are found
in numerous previous articles. It is often seen hanging on a tree
branch just above my canteen on the west bluff of House Mountain. I
have photographed that ball cap and canteen many times. Sometimes, my
top outer layer is in the image.
The first article today was titled
“Sunday,
8/16/2020, Corona Myopia Sidetrack.” Read it if you
want to take the time. Yes, this new cold virus is serious enough,
especially for those who are at risk. I predict as of this entry that
the once-great USA will never be great again. The decades of ongoing
decline (since the 1930s) had seen improvements (e.g., after World
War II, President Ronald Reagan's two terms, and so forth). The
decline has sped up significantly due to this new cold virus and
recent riots. As my father would say, “This country is about
gone, boys!” “Corona Myopia” is a gnat in my rearview
mirror. I wish that it were for this once-great nation.
Now, let us return to “life is crap,
then you die.”
What I Started to Write
on 8/9/2020
The following is what I had written as
a draft on Sunday, 8/9/2020. Y’all can read it now.
Howdy, y’all! My most recent article
from 7/26/2020
was two weeks ago. I hope that you have been getting along well
enough amidst the new cold virus insanity and other goings-on. We
endure.
7/27-31/2020 and 8/3-7/2020: The
week of 7/27-31/2020 was my normal work-at-office rotation, as usual
lately. The next week (8/3-7/2020), however, I had to endure a second
week of work at the office. That was not normal. The set pattern had
been: work from home one week, work at the office the next week, and
switch back and forth. Well, a colleague who had been doing the same
pattern was exposed to someone who tested positive for the new cold
virus without symptoms. That colleague was tested. She had a positive
result, also without symptoms. Her mistake was having to inform the
office manager, whose hands were tied by the state (insanity)
guidelines. So, the colleague was in quarantine. That meant that I
had to work at the office two weeks in a row. I can’t make this
stuff up! It really happened.
7/27-29/2020: Our “mansion”
received a much-needed “bath.” The three-day pressure-washing job
on the exterior was done! All the mold is now off.
Saturday, 8/1/2020: Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman must have been feeling her oats! She not only
used our shop vacuum to clean out the basement, but she also, with my
help, cleaned the master bedroom windows inside and out!
On the same day, I filed an online
complaint on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website against Bill
Hagerty. On three days (7/24/2020, 7/28/2020, and 8/1/2020), my cell
phone received spam texts from various invalid phone numbers. The
texts wanted me to vote for Bill Hagerty for Senate. (I tried to call
each number. Each one was invalid.) I have never given my cell phone
number to Bill Hagerty or to his minions. I grew tired of the
harassment. Bill Hagerty, the Republican Senate candidate, has an FTC
complaint filed against him. I doubt anything will happen. Still yet,
I stood my ground!
Sunday, 8/2/2020: I had good
phone conversations with my three younger brothers. It was within the
context of my nieces' untimely passing (mentioned in the 7/26/2020
article). I also sent postal letters to the husband of my niece and
to their youngest daughter, who turned 14 on 7/31/2020.
Life is Crap
The following is a “life is crap”
story by theme. Enjoy!
Deck: Mrs. Appalachian Irishman
and I hired a contractor (with his subcontractor and the
sub-subcontractors) to do fix-up work on our “mansion.” On
8/4/2020, the correct deck wood arrived (after the incorrect deck
wood had arrived on 7/31/2020 due to 84 Lumber’s mistake). From 8/5
to 8/14/2020, our deck was much improved! Our old deck lasted from
2003 to early 2020, about 17 years. Our new deck is composite wood,
which is guaranteed to last 25 years, without the annual touch-up
that I had been doing. Of course, the infamous Tuesday, 3/29/2016,
stopped my annual touch-ups. I will be 80 years young in 25 years, if
I have not gone to my heavenly home before then.
Letters: On 8/8/2020, I placed
four letters, flagged up, in our mailbox. Three were negative. One
was positive.
The first negative letter was to our
monopoly water provider. By online mistake on 7/6/2020, I paid our
monopoly electric provider instead of the water utility company. That
company sent the next bill. I realized my error. I paid the full
payment correctly online, including the past due. The water shut-off
date is later this month. I had made full payment for the past due
and the current due well before the upcoming shut-off date.
Still yet, the water utility company
shut off our water on 8/5/2020 before the shut-off date with no
notice or warning! I had the full payment set to issue on
8/7/2020, two days later. Unknown to me at the time, Mrs. Appalachian
Irishman, who was at home on 8/5/2020, also paid the full payment to
get our water back on. We have a credit balance now.
My letter to the water utility folks
indicated the following: our excellent payment record (since initial
connection in 2003), my profound displeasure, and my option to fire
them! We could have a water well drilled! Of course, I
referenced Ferrell’s Well Drilling, which Papaw Ferrell started in
1901. My father continued the business. I don’t have a reply yet.
If I don’t get one, I plan to drop by to give them a face-to-face
visit to educate them.
The next negative letter was to Melania
Trump. It seems that her husband and she did not have enough money to
spend on his re-election campaign. She begged me for a donation. I
had to have a little fun!
In July, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had
one of her annual checkups. Her doctor's office never did send an
initial bill. She never received an Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
from her health insurance. Her doctor's office sent their first
letter demanding $10.16 now, or my wife would be turned over to a
collection agency.
My pithy and third negative letter
included a $20 bill with the stipulation that her doctor's office
send my wife $9.84. Otherwise, I would turn them over to a collection
agency! The saga ended well, however. On 8/11/2020, a fine man, 15
years younger than me, called. He had never seen a letter like mine
in all his years of doing his job. We talked for 45 minutes. He
understood the point in my letter. He might be able to have those
automated letters corrected eventually. The main point was that he is
a fine Christian man and a hiker. Who knows? We might hike House
Mountain together!
The one positive letter was to our
automobile and homeowners’ insurance company, which we've used for
almost two decades. The company owner always sends handwritten
birthday cards every year. I wrote him to express my appreciation for
his fine, as folks call it nowadays, “business model.” It follows
the old-school way of doing business correctly!
Tooth: On 8/10/2020, during my
work-from-home lunch, I chipped the upper left molar, which is next
to the upper left wisdom tooth. Don’t bite into the peach seed and
then chew! On 8/13/2020, our dentist patched the tooth. Next month, I
should have a nice new crown on that tooth.
The only other crown that I have is on
the upper right molar, next to the upper right wisdom tooth. Over 20
years ago, I bit into a fast food hamburger that had a chunk of bone
in it. That chipped the first molar. Well, two crowns in over 20
years ain’t too bad!
By the way, 8/10-12/2020 was supposed
to be my days to work from home, followed by working at the office on
8/13-14/2020. I work a split work location week for some strange
reason. My chipped tooth granted me the right to work from home on
8/13/2020!
School’s not out: Mrs.
Appalachian Irishman’s last workday at the school where she teaches
was on Friday, 3/13/2020. From 3/16/2020 to 6/1/2020, she taught
online from home as well as she could. She worked a couple of hours
or so each day. Her summer break started on 6/2/2020. On 8/11/2020,
she had to start “hitting a lick” by driving to work, with no
online teaching. Of course, she endures all the new cold virus
regulations and stipulations, which are insane.
Then You Die
Wednesday, 8/12/2020, marked the
passing of Lula Frank Amos Wood (6/16/1901-8/12/1991). She was my
maternal grandmother. I was honored to have performed Granny Wood’s
funeral service and graveside.
Granny Wood passed heavenward
twenty-nine years ago. She enjoyed living, and she endured the “crap”
in life. (I’m sorry, Granny, for my choice of words!)
We each have joy and “crap” in
life. Life has quite a bit of “crap” in it now. If, however, we
each have taken up the Good Lord’s free gift, when we die, we go to
our heavenly home!
That, folks, is “life is crap, then
you die” from an everlasting mindset. Death leads to everlasting
joy if we're ready.
Granny, I’ll see you in heaven! I
love and miss you! I am still your “little Indian chief”! I
remember the story behind that!
