CORONA MYOPIA #34: 9/26/2021, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WASTED MY TIME ON THIS!

Photograph by M. Fearghail of the empty bag of chips that he should not have eaten!

Introduction

I will blame this waste of time article on the “Wise Golden Original Potato Chips” that I found, while working at the “Hadean Realm” two days ago. Yesterday, after hauling off trash, I decided to eat the stale potato chips that were in that little bag. That was not smart! Last week, while working from home, I had a rare craving for potato chips. It's the Irish in me.

Side note: since 2/1/2021, I have been doing the same job, working from home Monday through Wednesday but at the “Hadean Realm” office on Thursdays and Fridays. The “thermostat gods” at the office can't figure out how not to make the setting either too hot or too cold. I endure. I control the thermostat at my home office.

The bag of chips was from the TCRS (Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System). TCRS tries a few cheap and superficial ways to market itself to state employees. The chips were in a TCRS plastic bowl of junk food that had been on the kitchen area table for a few weeks. All the junk food was gone, except the bag of chips. I brought the bag home. My mistake was to eat those stale potato chips. I won't do that again!

So, instead of getting my first hike of the season on House Mountain this afternoon, I stayed near the porcelain throne and wrote this article.

The Numbers (If Credible)

(1) The CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7014e1.htm). My emphases and/or comments are in green. The other details are from the CDC website.

The CDC Director is Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. Her face and voice are in the various news media.

TABLE. Provisional* number and rate of total deaths and COVID-19–related deaths, by demographic characteristics — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2020

No. (rate)^†

Total deaths: 3,358,814

COVID-19 deaths^§ 377,883 (11.25%)

* National Vital Statistics System provisional data are incomplete. Data from December are less complete due to reporting lags. These data exclude deaths that occurred in the United States among residents of U.S. territories and foreign countries.

† Deaths per 100,000 standard population. Age-adjusted death rates are provided by sex and race/ethnicity.

§ Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19 as an underlying or contributing cause of death, with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code U07.1.

FIGURE 2. Provisional* number of leading underlying causes of death† — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2020

* National Vital Statistics System provisional data are incomplete. Data from December are less complete due to reporting lags. Deaths that occurred in the United States among residents of U.S. territories and foreign countries were excluded.

† Deaths for which COVID-19 was a contributing, but not the underlying, cause of death are not included in this figure. (The yellow is from the CDC website.)

Citation: Ahmad FB, Cisewski JA, Miniño A, Anderson RN. Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:519–522. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7014e1external icon Page last reviewed June 17, 2021.

(2) JAMA Network Viewpoint

(https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2778234).

March 31, 2021

The Leading Causes of Death in the US for 2020

Farida B. Ahmad, MPH1; Robert N. Anderson, PhD2

Table. Number of Deaths for Leading Causes of Death, US, 2015-2020^a

USSA total deaths: 3,358,814 (same as the CDC)

20.569% USSA deaths by heart disease: 690,882 (CDC doesn't include)

17.831% USSA deaths by cancer: 598,932 (CDC doesn't include)

10.281% USSA deaths by COVID-19: 345,323 (lower than 377,883 CDC states)

Conclusion

Do you see what eating a stale bag of potato chips did to this Irish American? I would have rather been hiking this afternoon!

The various media sources are rife with “breaking news” about the various mask-on-or-off wars (especially in Knox County recently) and about the vaccine-or-not wars. Other news includes the lack of USSA southern border security, the spending of Monopoly money, the inflated (and shrinking) value of Monopoly money, and so forth.

At least my Georgia Bulldogs won an easy game against a junior college SEC team yesterday! I regret that Tennessee “Vowels” readers had to endure an almost “double stomp” by the Florida Gators. To my friend, JC, I close with this comment: JC, please explain to my readers what a “stomp” and a “double stomp” are! My readers would like to know, well, maybe.

I see a clear blue sky as I conclude. Be wise; don't ever eat stale Wise Potato Chips! Also, be wise by standing as free people in a once-free and great nation! I will continue to do so. I hope that my next article will be about my 179th hike on House Mountain, which will be my 43rd “bionic” hike there.

Corony Myopia Psychosis Update: Saturday, 9/25/2021 (published 9/25/2021)

Introduction

I started this article after 6 PM two days ago. Today, I am finishing it while listening to the Georgia Bulldogs whip the daylights out of the Vanderbilt “Commode Doors!” It's great! To Tennessee “Vowels” readers, I regret your forthcoming sorrow once the Florida Gators embarrass the “Vowels” this evening.

Topic sections, on the lower right side of the page, lists several articles under Corona Myopia. I have written fourteen main articles on the topic: ten in 2020 (4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/14, 5/15, 5/17, 5/20, 5/24, 8/16, 9/6) and four, not including this one, in 2021 (1/17, 1/18, 2/23, 8/22).

Searching online for “corona myopia psychosis photographs,” I didn't find any pretty images to enhance this brief and sarcastic article. I chose the following:

Diagram of eye with myopia. Image, National Eye Institute. From “Myopia: A close look at efforts to turn back a growing problem,” National Institutes of Health (NIH): National Eye Institute, 10/3/2017. Public domain information.

Myopia is an English transliteration from Greek, μυωπία (μύειν "to shut" + ὤψ "eye"). Literally, we all have myopia when we sleep or shut our eyes. I remember learning this when I studied Koine Greek back in 1983. The now-deceased Dr. Roy Deaver well-taught Koine Greek to us “preacher boys.” I was 23. Then, brother Deaver, as he preferred to be addressed, was about my age now.

Today, an online search showed as a top result the following: “Influence of coronavirus disease 2019 on myopic progression in children treated with low-concentration atropine,” PLOS, by Hae Ri Yum, Shin Hae Park, and Sun Young Shin, 9/14/2021.” Apparently, COVID-19 influences myopia in children.

I have often said that I would not waste my time by writing another article on corona (or corony, as I prefer) myopia psychosis. I am eating those words by writing now.

Tennessee Corony Statistics: As of Saturday, 9/25/2021, 2:45 PM

On Thursday, 9/23/2021, while awaiting supper, I checked https://www.indexmundi.com/clocks/indicator/deaths/united-states. I don't know why I checked. I just did.

That day, exactly at 6 PM, the total number of 2021 Tennessee deaths was 49,493. The number kept increasing. It will be different if you check. For example, on 9/24/2021 at 6:07 PM, the total 2021 TN deaths was 49,679. Today, 9/25/2021 at 11:24 AM, the total 2021 TN deaths was 49,814. On 9/25/2021, at 2:45 PM, the total 2021 TN deaths was 49,840.

Today, 9/25/2021, I updated my original 9/23/2021 check on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Unified Command Tennessee State Government. The data, as of today, is from Wednesday, 9/22/2021. That's the latest data on the website. I checked the data as it was on 1/1/2021 (“Select a Date” function). On 1/1/2021, the cumulative total of TN deaths by COVID-19 was 6,947 as the main or contributing cause. On 9/22/2021, the cumulative total of TN deaths by COVID-19 as the main or contributing cause was 14,740. 14,740 minus 6,947 means that there were 7,793 total 2021 TN COVID-19 deaths from 1/1/2021 to 9/22/2021 as the main or contributing cause.

7,793 total 2021 TN COVID-19 deaths as the main or contributing cause as of 9/22/2021 divided by 49,840 total 2021 TN deaths by any cause as of 9/25/2021, 2:45 PM, means that approximately 15.63603% of all TN 2021 deaths are by the new cold virus as the main or contributing cause. The approximation, as of this publication, is based on the unknown number of TN COVID-19 deaths from 9/23/2021 to 9/25/2021 at 2:45 PM.

Conclusion

The Georgia Bulldogs have 62 points. The Vanderbilt “Commode Doors” have none. The game is winding down as I typed this sentence.

I wonder what the percentage of 2021 Tennessee deaths (so far) are by cancer, heart disease, stroke, automobile accidents, and so forth. Numbers are not available for those statistics. That is the myopia of the Tennessee government. That is the myopia of the federal government. I suspect that the approximate 15% of all 2021 Tennessee deaths (so far) by COVID-19 (so far) is an inflated percentage. I will not go into the detailed proof to establish the commonly known truth that COVID-19 deaths are inflated. Facts are available that indicate that deaths by vehicle accident, gunshots, and so on are being counted as COVID-19 deaths across the nation.

Well, I still feel sorry for Tennessee “Vowel” fans out there. It's much easier to enjoy a Saturday as a Georgia Bulldog fan!

Did I waste my time on another corona myopia psychosis article? Yes, sadly, I did. I am tired of the mask-or-no-mask war in schools and elsewhere. I am tired of the get the vaccine or don't get the vaccine war. I am tired of being a free man in a once free and great nation. Aren't you?

Go Dawgs! Great win over the “Commode Doors!” The final score was 62 to nothing! I regret that Tennessee “Vowel” fans may have to pour out their orange Kool-Aid this evening. They may as well come on over to the Dawg Nation side!

This article has placed corona myopia psychosis in the context of college football. I feel good about that at least.

By the way, who enjoyed watching the Georgia Bulldogs (#5 in the preseason coaches poll) whip Clemson (#2 in the same poll) on 9/4/2021? I did! Well, I was either happy or “cussin' and fussin'” depending on how the Dawgs were doing! Star Trek came on at 10 PM. The game was winding down. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman was asleep. Molly, our old “puppy,” was asleep in her basement condominium. I tried to keep my verbal expressions to a whisper. I stood in our living room, watching Star Trek when the football game was on commercial and watching the football game when it was live action. I got a lot of exercise!

Live action, with common sense, is what this once-great nation needs. I doubt it will happen in my lifetime. We will see.

RATE THE PLATES IS ON! (published 9-21-2021)

Image from “Rate the Plates: Gov. Lee Invites Tennesseans to Pick New License Plate Design: Voting open now through September 27,” 9/20/2021, 12:53 PM.

 Introduction

Who cares that this once great nation is going to the Hadean Realm in a hand basket? Who cares about Corona Myopia Psychosis? Who cares about illegal aliens invading the USSA southern border? Who cares that the USSA is (see USA Debt Clock) $28 trillion in worthless Monopoly money in debt? Who cares if all the other Socialist Utopian lies are progressing faster than we can comprehend?

Rate the Plates

Apparently, the once great State of Tennessee wants anyone (legal or illegal), with an e-mail address (valid or invalid) to VOTE! Anyone (in Tennessee or any nation) can vote to pick one of four options for the new vehicle plates!

“Rate the Plates: Gov. Lee Invites Tennesseans to Pick New License Plate Design: Voting open now through September 27,” 9/20/2021, 12:53 PM –  is the website! Don't be afraid! Vote early and often! I picked option #4. I voted about three times – using false e-mail addresses. Either of the two plate-of-no-color (white) options is fine. I do not want one of the two “blue plate specials.” I have a silver truck. My wife has a red car. The “blue plate specials” would not match the colors well.

Conclusion

Mrs. Appalachian Irishman speculated that I would write this article. I had replied that I would not. I had said, “It's chump change and not relevant.” Well, I changed my mind, as she is fixing supper!

Anyone who verifies a vote for the plate option #4 will get a crisp, new $5 bill (Monopoly USSA money, of course, as that's all that I have). I will pay up to 20 folks that crisp, new $5 USSA Monopoly money bill – if they can verify that they voted for plate option #4. I can spend $100 USSA Monopoly money. I have it in my billfold.

Sarcastic humor is the best medicine – to endure this temporal world. I know. Y'all keep turnin' right and goin' straight out there! I figure that the Good Lord enjoyed a laugh, while being aware that I was writing this article. He is omniscient, of course. Do you want me to prove it? I can! He is also omnipresent and omnipotent. The Lord can't force bad people of free will to do good. God's omnipotence – by having creating people in his image, who have free will – cannot force us to do good. Omnipotence can't do the logically impossible. (This is getting into a “problem of evil” topic, into which I have delved before.) Sadly, far too many people are turning left and heading down. I wish that were not, but they are.

Sunday, 9/19/2021, Meanderings: Turkey, Dad's Birthday, and “Poly-tics” (published 9/20/2021)

Introduction

At 2:27 PM on Sunday, September 19, 2021, I started to fill this blank canvas. Looking out my home office windows, I saw clouds. A little rain came later. Rain also fell the day before. The weekend weather was not good for my first fall hike on House Mountain. Instead, yesterday and today, here I “sot,” as my father would say, to fill this canvas with words.

Buckle up! This is a five-page article. If you have a short-term attention span due to too much time on social media, then please stop reading now. Otherwise, to those who still enjoy reading long articles, I hope that you like this one.

I will meander for a while. “Meander” is of Greek origin (Μαιανδρος). Maiandros (or Maeander) was a river god of Karia (or Caria), in Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Menderes River (Büyük Menderes Nehri, in Turkish) is in southwestern Turkey. It leads to the Mediterranean Sea at Antalya. Anyone can do the same research.

Turkey

In 1998, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I enjoyed a two-week summer vacation at a nice resort near Antalya. We were part of a three-family Christian missionary team in Moscow and Klin, Russia (10/1/1994 to 9/30/1999). The Covington family had already moved back to the United States. The Bryant family and we were still in Russia. We, the two families, needed that vacation! Summer is dacha season in Russia. Our mission work always slowed down some in the summer, since folks were often gone to their dachas. Moscow slowed down. We slowed down. We had a great, relaxing, and refreshing vacation that we needed. We have film photographs and memories. I may get around to writing another article about the trip, with additional photographs, if I decide to do so.

The above is one photograph from our vacation. For about twenty years, it has been in a frame and sitting on a living room end table. I was 38. Mrs. Appalachian was my age minus three years. At sunset, the photographer asked me to jump over her. I did. I still wish that I had jumped straighter. I did as well as I could, given the lighting and waves from the Mediterranean Sea. (Some folks call it an ocean. I call it a sea.) I think that my “bionic” body could still jump over her as high. Aside from the 25 surgically implanted metal items in my left shoulder, right knee, and right foot, I'm still in the same shape, aside from the gray hair and a few more wrinkles. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman looks exactly the same now. She forced me to write that!

Dad's Birthday on Constitution Day

On 9/17/1787, the United States Constitution, which is often ignored nowadays, was signed by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention. Source: Constitution Day.

On 9/17/1921, my father, Earl H. Ferrell, was born. He was the youngest of eight children. His parents were Marion (no middle name) Ferrell and Molly Gertrude (Archer) Ferrell. Dad was born on the 133rd anniversary of the signing of the US Constitution.

You may search this website by “Dad” or by family or heritage topic sections. I have written several articles about my father. The above photograph is from 1947. Dad was 20. He is the closest man, standing and wearing a white safety hat. Papaw Marion Ferrell was 67. He is the man standing behind my father. They were using a cable drill to drill a water well for someone. That was years before my father bought his larger well machine.

On Friday, 9/17/2021, while I was “hitting a lick” (working) at the “Hadean Realm” (office), I remembered. My youngest brother did too. I wonder if our other two brothers remembered.

Early yesterday afternoon, my youngest brother called. He said that on Friday, our father's birthday, the pump at his in-laws' house stopped working. His wife's parents have both passed on, but the house is still standing and being maintained. Probably in the 1960s, our father drilled a well for my youngest brother's future in-laws. In 1981, as my brother recalled, our father, at age 54, had replaced their pump. On May 6, 2000, my youngest brother and the youngest daughter of her now-deceased parents. I was honored to perform their wedding ceremony. Mom, age 67, attended in a wheelchair. Dad, age 72, was still alive and able-bodied enough, despite his ticker trouble.

Last Friday, 9/17/2021, at the home of his wife's deceased parents, my youngest brother and a pump repairman that he called replaced the pump that Dad had installed in 1981. That was not a bad track record for a 40-year-old pump! Let's see. Forty years from now, I will be 101 if I'm still around.

I wonder if my youngest brother and the pump repairman set as good a pump as Dad did in 1981 (when I was 21). The next generation will know. I hope that one of the two daughters of my youngest brother and his wife will keep this website going, after I have gone to my heavenly home. Hey, nieces, are you reading? I hope so!

“Poly-ticks”

At about 4:30 PM yesterday, rain was coming straight down. It was a fine Irish rain. I could have gone outside and walked in the rain. I like a good walk in the rain now and then. After about sixteen minutes, the rain stopped, and I heard thunder.

I had planned to write a detailed article about “poly-ticks,” titled “Poly-Ticks Smorgasbord.” I changed my mind. Temporal discussions on “poly-ticks” matter very little, as I sit here writing.

I plan to delete the working document that includes several thoughts. I had planned to write more about the following:

The so-called Russian election: It was similar to the Ununited Socialist States of America (USSA) 2020 presidential election. Feel free to check out: 9/18/2021, Vladimir Putin's Opponents Are Bowed but Not Broken as Russia Votes (newsweek.com) and 9/19/2021, Russia Election: Opposition Complaints on Final Day of Voting - BBC News. The USSA is quickly catching up to the former Soviet Union!

Recent “Supreme Court” opinions and decisions: The USSA “Supreme Court” is not God's Supreme Court. Of course, with rare exception, taking the life of an unborn child in the womb is murder, according to God's Supreme Court. Further, God's Supreme Court still rules that a person has either an innie (female) or an outie (male). There are several other mundane and temporal topics, about which I could write. Instead, I will move on. The USSA needs to return to God, of course. In time, God's Supreme Court will have the final rule.

The new cold virus: The hype will still not go away. Aren't you tired of it? I am. I heard that the Knoxville Zoo tigers had their “corony” vaccinations a few days ago! Why did that make the news? Why were tigers given “corony” immunizations? Really? Wake up, America! I wasted too much time last year and this year, writing about “Corona Myopia Psychosis,” as I call it. I am tired of how the socialists promote their agenda by using the new cold virus! Hey, government powers, come here and attempt to force me to take a “corony” shot! I'll show you verbally what a real man is like! Apparently, Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs wrote a letter to President Biden along that same line. I doubt that the mayor's words were as poignant as mine.

The revolt that didn't happen: Apparently, on 9/18/2021, some type of gathering at the White House (or colorless house) took place. The socialist media feared that a constitutionally conservative revolt would include some type of riot. Something fizzled yesterday. I read and heard about a few details. I didn't care. The USSA started on 1/6/2021. The first president of the USSA was inaugurated on 1/20/2021. The downhill slide on the ice toward socialist oblivion is progressing nicely for the socialists. They wish that constitutional conservatives would either die or get out of their way.

The USSA southern border: What border? Do I need to write more? It is the USSA socialist utopian dream coming true. Just wait! The next vote early and often election will include the mass of illegal (yes, illegal) aliens (yes, aliens) that the USSA socialist utopians will use, as “useful idiots” (to borrow Lenin's words), to maintain and advance the USSA socialist utopian pipe dream. Don't worry, as long as you have enough land for a garden, and you know how to hunt for meat. Don't forget to have enough weapons and ammunition to defend yourself.

Initial Conclusion on Sunday, 9/19/2021

Well, at about 6 PM, I think that I will go outside to see if the rain has stopped. Did I meander enough? At least this article is published.

Please keep meandering in the right direction toward our heavenly home. You are welcome to use the Contact Form on this website to email me, if you would like to talk privately.

Final Conclusion on Monday, 9/20/2021

I have a dear friend whose birthday was yesterday. On her social media platform, she referenced Psalm 139. Psalm 139:23-24 states, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Yesterday, I wrote to my friend, “I wish that all folks wanted the Lord to lead them into everlasting.”

It's almost time for supper, so I'll finally publish this article. I wish that all folks wanted the Lord to lead them into the everlasting. It would be a much better world. The temporal is endured. Everlasting will be bliss.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 (published 9-12-2021)

Introduction

The often-repeated phrase is “9/11.” The year 2001 is assumed. The historical details of 9/11/2001 are remembered.

Yesterday was 9/11/2021. It was “life, such as it is,” in the context of memory, honor, and the usual.

Memory: Tuesday, September 11, 2001

The above photograph is from “AP PHOTOS: 20 images that documented the enormity of 9/11,” The Associated Press (AP), by Jennifer Peltz, 9/8/2021. You can find many photographs online. The Statue of Liberty was and is still standing.

Dad was still in this temporal world. Mom had gone to her everlasting home on 12/27/2000. (Dad joined Mom on 1/25/2008.) Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I were still living in our apartment on the ridge above where the Knox Center Mall used to be. My wife was and still is teaching for a living in Sevierville, Tennessee. I was working as a second shift operator and help desk agent at DeRoyal Industries in Powell, Tennessee. Almost two years had passed, since our return from Russia, where we served as Christian missionaries for five years.

On 9/11/2001, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had already gone to work. I was alone. Just after 9:03 AM, but before 9:37 AM, Dad called our landline. I was awake but still in bed. He told me about the planes that had hit the two towers. We talked a while. I remember. Dad, at the time, was doing well enough. I worked my second shift job. Life was surreal. Folks were going through a Tuesday workday with blank expressions and little comments. The timeline of 9/11/2001 is found on several websites. One is National September 11 Memorial & Museum: 9/11 Interactive Timelines.

In early 2003, I worked many mornings to early afternoons on our under-construction house, before going to my second shift job. We had broken ground in early December 2002, before Dad had his heart trouble later that month. We moved into our new house on 6/7/2003, the day, in 2000, that Health South let Mom fall. I know the details. I had done most of the interior sanding, puttying, and painting. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and family had helped some.

I still have the portable radio, to which I listened while sanding, puttying, and painting. My youngest brother had given it to me as a Christmas gift. The radio often played The Charlie Daniels Band's song “In America” (1980). Today, I listened to “Charlie Daniels Band's 'In America',” CBS (YouTube), 11/2/2009. Take a moment to listen to the song. Charlie Daniels went home on 7/6/2020. The song “In America” remains. I wish that this “new America” had the same unified conviction, as that America did back in 1980 (Iranian hostage situation, 11/4/1979 to 1/21/1981) and on 9/11/2001. That America had taken a couple of hard licks. That America was still standing.

Honor: Saturday, September 11, 2021

September 11, 2001, was 20 years ago. I still do not understand why the United States of America (USA) could not win the “war on terror” in a year or two. The USA and other Allies (British Empire, USSR, and other nations) beat the Axis powers (German Nazis, Italian Socialists, and Imperial Japanese) in less than four years. World War II was the last total war that the USA fought. After WWII, this nation started fighting “politically correct” wars. The USA tied in Korea, lost in Vietnam, won the Gulf War, and has lost the “war on terror.”

This once great nation lost the 20-year “war on terror,” during which an almost countless number of soldiers died or were injured permanently. All soldiers who served in that tragic “war on terror” are honored. This article honors all who served! The defeat was not the fault of soldiers. The fault rests on the shoulders of many politicians (Republicans and Democrats alike), who used poor judgment, by which the war was lost.

I have seen the memorial for Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. It is at the Corryton Weigels (where my 2006 Frontier gets 100% gas), 2.5 miles from our house.

The source for the image below is from “How to honor Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss,” WVLT, by Ashley Bohle, 9/3/2021, which embeds Ashley Bohle's 9/3/2021 Twitter post that includes four photographs. The following is the fourth photograph:

Corryton is a small community in east Knox County, Tennessee. I don't know anyone by the last name of Knauss. I may have walked near and spoken briefly with someone named Knauss, while on mundane errands, but we didn't exchange names.

In May 2016, Ryan Knauss graduated from Gibbs High School, three miles from our house. He enlisted in the Army after graduation. He married. At age 23, Ryan Knauss was one of the 13 soldiers who died on 8/26/2021 in the terrorist bomb attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. (Granny and Papaw Wood married on 8/26/1931.) His online obituary is available at “Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss,” Knox News, 9/8/2021, and at “Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss: April 7, 1998 - August 26, 2021,” Mynatt Funeral Home, Inc.

Yesterday, Saturday, September 11, 2021, a memorial service was held for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss at 5 PM at the Gibbs High School Football Stadium. “Family and friends speak at public memorial for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss,” WATE, by Kristen Gallant, 9/11/2021, updated 9/12/2021, includes a video and written record. My wife and I decided not to join the large gathering of people. Instead, I plan to print out this article and place the copy in the memorial box, which is behind the memorial wall at the Weigels. I hope that the memorial to Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss remains permanently at the Weigels.

The Usual: Saturday, September 11, 2021

Yesterday, Saturday, 9/11/2021, my youngest brother called at 8:11 AM. We talked for 44 minutes. His wife had managed to sprain her right foot severely. Later, my 2006 Frontier and I hauled trash. I got a haircut. My truck had a good handwashing and oil change. My truck and I went to the Tractor Supply. We came home just after Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had returned from Dollar General Store and IGA shopping, and before she went to visit her folks, 3.5 miles away. It was a usual Saturday.

September 11, 2021, was a routine day. The deeper memories and thoughts of 9/11/2001 and 8/26/2021 linger. Temporal life goes on, such as it is.

Conclusion

While my truck was getting his oil changed yesterday, I conversed with an older man. He is a veteran, who had tours of duty in Korea and elsewhere. He taught me a lesson. We stood. We looked eye to eye. We talked. We shook hands. I thanked him for his service.

I have weapons and ammunition and know how to stop a life threat if I need to do so. I may have too much ammunition. The veteran at the oil change location educated me. He said that I do not need more than one clip (about 15 rounds). He said that I could stop 15 attackers. An attacker that I hadn't stopped would get me. Then, the remaining attackers would take my weapons and the rest of my ammunition. I hadn't thought about it that deeply until yesterday. I will still keep the ammunition that I have.

Tony is my friend, brother in Christ, and barber. Yesterday, while he was giving me another great haircut, he and I conversed on several topics. We ended on a spiritual note. Tony and I are ready for the Good Lord to return. Yesterday, I spoke the following to the Good Lord in Tony's presence: “Dear Lord, please call everyone 'out of the pool' now!” He didn't. I was disappointed. I thanked the Good Lord for listening to my request again. I have made that request many times, asking for Christ's second coming.

My perpetually written prayer to the Good Lord is, “Dear Lord, please call everyone 'out of the pool' now! Come, dear Lord, soon!” He will eventually. His coming may not be in my lifetime. I hope it will be!

I place the temporal events of 9/11/2001, 8/26/2021, and 9/11/2021 into my everlasting perspective. This is how I endure the realities of this temporal life. Of course, temporal life is not all bad or evil. This world includes the good, bad, and ugly. I like the good. I endure, by evident faith, the bad and ugly. I hope in known and verified faith assurance. In the everlasting, I will think back on this article. I will smile.

I will keep turnin' right and goin' straight. I have accepted, and try to live in appreciation of, the Good Lord's free-gift offer of everlasting salvation. I'll get home eventually. I hope that you understand. If not, you are welcome to email me, using this website's Contact Form. I am one poor beggar who found the Bread of Life. I will be glad to share that Bread, if you wish to contact me.

9/7/2021 JOURNEY TO HOME (published 9/8/2021)

Introduction

Yesterday was Tuesday, 9/7/2021. The day was mundane for most folks, including Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and me.

In a moment, in the blink of an eye, the mundane can change. I write this brief article today to honor a good Christian lady, who journeyed to her everlasting home yesterday.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 9/7/2021

Yesterday, I was in my mundane world of working for a living from home. I did likewise today. I must drive to and from the “Hadean Realm” office for the next two days to do the same work, unless something changes.

Yesterday, I saw a text on my semi-intelligent cell phone. It was a sad text. A dear friend told me that her mother had passed on from the temporal to the everlasting that day.

I remember this good Christian lady and her fine family from about 1981 to 1984. The fond memories are in the archives of my concussion-recovered mind. I will not share them here. Those who read this article and understand it will remember.

My sister in Christ was 81 years old when she journeyed to her everlasting home. She had endured temporal health trouble for a while. She is now released from those troubles! Furthermore, she is at everlasting peace, rest, and joy!

This dear lady has joined many others who have already gone to that heavenly realm! By my eyes of faith, I see the everlasting reunion that she is having now! It must be wonderful!

I wish that the Good Lord would, even now, as I am writing, call everyone “out of the pool!” I pause. Nope. The Good Lord didn't do so yet. Many other believers and I will keep waiting in faith. Our faith rests on valid proof. It is not a blind faith. I know. I can prove it.

I wish that I had been able, or had taken the time, to see my sister in Christ before she passed away. She was living not too far from us. I'll blame my failure on the mundane realities of this temporal realm, which include my “bionic” life.

Conclusion

Today, I had to get this article off my mind and into print. Yesterday, I called my friend and sister in Christ. I know more about the final days of her mother, who journeyed home that day. We had a good conversation. Everlasting joy overcame our temporal sorrow!

Finishing draft articles about “poly-ticks” and Georgia college football had been on my mind. I plan to finish and publish them eventually. Those articles are temporally “the good, bad, and ugly” in the context of the realities on this speck of dust (Earth) and temporal life.

Are you ready, dear reader, to join my sister in Christ and so many others on the heavenly journey home? I hope so. If you are not, and if you would like my help, please email me! My email address is in my profile.

Labor Day Update: Family Heritage, The Rogersville Review, Family, and Friends (published 9-6-2021)

Introduction

Howdy, y'all! I hope that you are not laboring on Labor Day. Please get a cup of coffee ready! This is a seven-page article. Thanks for stopping by to read for a while.

Last month, this website garnered 8,377 total views, as mentioned in my 9/1/2021 article. I have enjoyed writing since grade school. Lord willing, I'll keep sharing my public journal and commentary. It's a modern way of communicating. If you wish, you may email me, using the Contact Form on the right side of the web page. Also, you are welcome to include your phone number and ask me to call. Further, I will share my phone number if you request it.

As an aside about yesterday, well, there I “sot,” as my father would say, on a cloudy Sunday afternoon when I started to write this article. It is about time to start my House Mountain hiking season. Yesterday, however, I chose not to hike for the first time this season. An afternoon hike would have been warm and muggy. I would have had to change from a sweaty tee-shirt into a dry one if I had hiked.

I was tempted! My “bionic” body felt its oats, despite the Weigel's mini cheeseburger I had for dinner (or lunch, as Yankees call it) two days ago. On Saturday, the hunger growl started as I was driving to get gas and haul off trash. My 2006 Nissan Frontier was hungry for more 100% gas. I was hungry. We both ate. My truck ate better than I did!

Focusing back on the purpose of this entry, it is a “life, such as it is,” update, divided into four sections. I hope that it helps your “life, such as it is!” It helped mine to write it.

Family Heritage

September 3, 1959, fell on a Thursday. My mother (Betty Lou Wood Ferrell, 11/24/1932-12/27/2000) and father (Earl H. Ferrell, 9/17/1927-1/25/2008) were married. Their wedding ceremony was held at the Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. My parents enjoyed their honeymoon in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I have photographs that were in my mother's photograph albums. I may publish some of them eventually.

I was born just over ten months later on Sunday, 7/17/1960. As a small boy, I remember that my parents and I lived with my mother's parents and relatives in Morristown, Tennessee. Eventually, we moved to rural east Hawkins County, my father's home county. I have many memories of those early years stored away in the archives of my mind and written down. Looking through the Family topic section or searching for “Mom” and “Dad” finds previous articles that I have written over the years.

Well, on September 3rd this year, I endured another workday at the office, but I remembered my parents' anniversary. I wonder if any of my three younger brothers remembered.

September 4, 1901, was a Wednesday. My maternal grandfather, Aby William Wood, was born. He was the second son of Gideon Mark Wood and his wife, Gertrude Roleva Bair. Papaw Wood left this world on 3/14/1983.

Papaw Wood turned 58 the day after he gave his daughter in marriage to my father! In my childhood, I wondered what Papaw Wood thought back then. As a young man, Papaw told me that he was about as happy as a man could be!

I scanned the above image yesterday. The original is in one of my mother's photograph albums, which I am keeping safely here at our house. I placed the original back into the album where Mom kept it decades ago.

Granny and Papaw Wood celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary on Sunday, 8/26/1979. It was a surprise that my mother had planned to coincide with the Inman-Amos (my maternal grandmother's line) family reunion. At age 19, I was there, and I remember. Mom kept many other photographs in her albums. I may scan and publish more of them.

The above article was published in the Citizen Tribune (Morristown, Tennessee) newspaper. I remember that Granny and Papaw didn't think that one or both of them would live until their 50th wedding anniversary. Thankfully, both of them did.

As stated previously, Papaw Wood (born 9/4/1901) went to his heavenly home on 3/14/1983. I remember the sadness. At the time, I was attending East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and living in a small apartment. I drove home every weekend and sat with Papaw in his hospital room on those weekends. Granny Wood (6/16/1901-8/12/1991) lived longer. I was honored to perform her funeral and graveside services. Then, my wife and I were living in Charleston, Missouri. We drove back to Rogersville. Granny lived at the homeplace with family after Papaw passed. I wonder, in 1979, if Granny and Papaw knew that Papaw was having health problems. I wonder if they told my mother. As far as I know, only the Good Lord knew that Papaw Wood would live just over three more years. I still wonder if Papaw Wood knew what he didn't share with anyone else, even his wife. In 1979, Papaw Wood seemed to be doing well for his age.

Well, two days ago, on Saturday, 9/4/2021, I remembered Papaw Wood's birthday in 1901. I wonder if any of my three younger brothers remembered.

The Rogersville Review

This section is about my hometown newspaper, The Rogersville Review. It mentions my part-time employment and two excerpts.

Fall 1977 to Spring 1978

It was my senior year at Rogersville High School. After school on Wednesdays, my part-time job was to insert the second section of The Rogersville Review into the first section, as the second section came off the old Linotype press. I have many memories on file in my mind. I remember them well, despite my “multi-trauma” on 3/29/2016, which included a concussion, from which I recovered fully.

I well remember Eleanor Sheets (publisher and editor), Mildred Shortt (columnist, among other “hats” that she wore), and others. Eleanor Sheets upheld exact grammar and style in the editions. She would not have allowed the grammatical errors, over which I try to gloss, in the modern The Rogersville Review.

March or April 1995

I can't yet find the following The Rogersville Review article online. The article was included in a March or April 1995 issue of the newspaper. The article's title is “Ferrells Live Dream of Adventure as Missionaries in the New Russia.” (I corrected the improper lack of capitalization.) The image below is a photocopy. I have saved the original print edition for over 20 years.

I recommend that you enlarge the image to read the details. The details are mostly correct. By the way, in 1995, I learned that the Russian word is “марихуана.” It is a transliterated word. In late 1994 or early 1995, before we took our six-month furlough, I had no clue what “mарихуана” meant in Russian. It's marijuana!

Our first mission trip (two weeks only) was in Jamaica in 1987. There, a man offered me ganja. He called me “John Wayne,” since I was wearing a large “sky,” or hat, which I still have. I have never smoked or inhaled the stuff, unless the secondhand smoke at a Kiss concert in Asheville, North Carolina, got me. The Jamaican man said, “Come, take a look in my shop” (a large tent in the straw market). I replied, “You pay me $5 to look; no guarantee that I buy!” Surprisingly, he agreed! I kept walking away, with a bit of a smile!

8/9/2021

The 8/11/2021 edition includes Jeff Bobo's 8/9/2021 sermon of introduction as the new editor of The Rogersville Review. He wrote a fine sermon. (I should know, since I have outlined or written many sermons in English, mostly, with several in Russian.) He seems like a good northerner that became a good southerner (as my mother did). Sidetrack, with apology: what is the difference between northerners and Yankees who move south? A northerner blends in by respecting and admiring the southern culture. A Yankee tries to change us. Yankees can go home! Northerners are welcome!

Hey, Jeff, you referenced the late Illinois State Senator GeoKaris (or Geokaris). The proper spelling is Geo-Karis, according to a 2/12/2008 Chicago Tribune article. That's my minor editorial correction, with an apology.

The quarter (25-cent piece) that the late Senator Geo-Karis gave you was a turning point in your life! I enjoyed getting to know you by reading your comments! I have had several turning points in life. I am inspired to contemplate a future article titled “Turning Points in My Life.” I encourage you to write a similarly titled article!

By the way, the late Senator Geo-Karis' name, from Greek, is γεω (“earth,” from which geography, geothermal, etc. come) + Χάρις (“grace”). It seems that she lived up to her last name by having given you that quarter. I hope that she had accepted the Good Lord's free-gift offer. If so, I will enjoy conversing with her in heaven.

9/2/2021

 

The above photograph is from a 9/2/2021 article in The Rogersville Review. One of my cousins wrote it! The website source for the article and the above photograph is “New Choptack drive-in brings back memories of the old Jolly Roger.” The Rogersville Review, by Becky Ferrell, 9/2/2021. A subscription, however, may be required to read the article.

Now, hold on to your britches! In the next section below, I want to do a little “Banty Rooster” crowing, as I did in my 6/8/2021 article for my cousin!

Family

My cousin and I went through grade school and high school together. We graduated from high school in 1978. Her great-grandfather and my great-grandfather were brothers, so we are third cousins. My cousin has lived in and visited several countries. (I wish that she would create a website and write articles about her experiences.) I haven't seen my cousin since high school graduation. I know her well enough through online contact. The next time I get up to my hometown, I hope to see her, if we can arrange it.

From the above, my cousin was in print as of 9/2/2021! I am crowing like a Banty rooster for her!

That was a good article, Becky! I enjoyed reading it! I remember when some of us boys hid on the bank beside the Jolly Roger. We had walked there in the dusk-to-dark and back. From our hiding point, we saw several movies for free! We could hear car speakers that were close enough to us. Admittedly, we even saw a few of those almost naked girl shows. My parents never did find out. Once, an employee at the Jolly Roger almost caught us, but we were able to run off in time! Those were great memories!

My parents took us boys to a few movies there. When I was old enough to drive, I paid my own way into the Jolly Roger. I think that I took a date with me a time or two. I don't recall much about the movies when I had a young lady with me. We were talking. Yes, I did behave as a gentleman!

Once again, I am crowing like a Banty rooster for my cousin, Becky Ferrell! Keep up the great work, Cuz!

By the way, Becky, please tell Jeff Bobo that if he will pay me a quarter (25 cents) for my time, I would be glad to write an article for The Rogersville Review. Also, please tell him that the “about” section on The Rogersville Review's website doesn't mention him yet.

Friends

God inspired King Solomon to write Proverbs in the Old Testament. The Bible, Old and New Testaments, was inspired by God. I can prove it. Further, I will meet anyone who disagrees in an arranged, formal debate.

Proverbs 18:24b, New International Version, states, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Several friends stick closer to me than at least one of my three brothers. Apparently, he is trying to live off of “government soup.” That is not how our parents raised us four boys!

I have had a friend and brother in Christ since the fall of 1984. He and I shared a dorm room in Paul Gray when we attended Freed-Hardeman University (or College, as it was then). I could unpack the memories from my concussion-recovered brain, but I won't for now. My brother and friend lives in Arkansas. He is five years younger than me. (I transferred to Freed-Hardeman College as an “old” man of 24 years in the fall of 1984.)

My friend and brother “Roy” and I communicate at times. He calls me “Merrill.” It's been our joke since 1984. “Roy” was a missionary in Ukraine for ten years. He visited my wife and me when we were living in Moscow, Russia. “Roy” and I haven't communicated with each other in a while. Well, we spent an hour or two on the phone together over this last weekend. “Roy” is a friend and brother who supported me by his calls and emails in the early days of my “bionic” recovery that started on 3/29/2016. He did so better than other friends did on an ongoing basis. Thanks, “Roy!” I needed your frequent support and communication back then!

Well, I don't mean to slight other friends! I have a number of friends that I know will stick “closer than a brother.” They have done so many times. I have a couple of brothers that I know will stick close as brothers, if I need them to do so. Thanks, Lord, for the blessing of close brothers, biological and spiritual!

Hey, “Roy,” when are you coming to this area? You still owe me a hike on My Mountain with me! I wish that Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I could drive to meet you halfway. That approximately four-or-six-hour drive would be too much. A drive of more than about two hours or so is enough for my “bionic” body at this ongoing stage of my recovery.

Conclusion

Well, I'll wind this article down now. It's about 4:30 PM on Labor Day. At least I didn't work from home today! I'll publish this article now. I have a “poly-ticks” article in mind when I get around to it. First, however, I reckon I may call my three younger brothers to see how they are getting along.

Y'all keep turnin' right and goin' straight out there, ya hear! If you do, we'll see each other in heaven! Until then, I hope that you enjoyed this article. I enjoyed writing it.

Today was almost my first hike for the fall, winter, and spring hiking season. I thought about it. I decided to get this article in print first. Watch out for articles about my future hikes. I see them in my mind. I'll GERD (git 'er dun), as the Good Lord wills. I have power and will in my “bionic” body!