I Hate Graveyards....

John Prine, October 10, 1946- April 7, 2020.





John Prine in the Rolling Stone.

Covington Kids And An "Old Time Stage Driver In Taos"

It's a darn shame the way the students were treated by the drum-beater, the media, and entertainers who think they are important.  The kids did learn a lesson that many never do figure out.  Some people just are not worth fooling with.  Ernie Pyle could spot them, and he would be on thin ice for posting this today, but here it is!  Ernie and his traveling companion visited the Taos Pueblo during the 1930's and paid for a tour.  He wrote a couple pages about the very unsatisfactory visit.  You can see how it went in the last couple paragraphs.  From Home Country, by Ernie Pyle.

'And so we finished the one pueblo, and came to midway in our tour.  We had seen five curio shops and not one other thing.  We hadn't entered the pueblo proper; we hadn't see a room where anybody actually lived; we hadn't got an honest answer to a single question.

We started then to do the other pueblo.  I said to the guide, "What will we see in this pueblo?"

"Fine curio shops," he said.  "I show them you."

"No, you won't," I said.  And with that the entire party abandoned the guide, got in their cars, and drove away.  He stood there looking after us, in his pigtails and bed sheet, cut to the quick.  Or maybe not.  Of course the joke was on us.  We had paid to see something, and with a straight face we had been shown nothing.

"I guess it's all right," said my traveling partner at last.  "They're just getting even for what the white man did to the Indians in the first place."  And I guess that's right.

Some people out there get hepped, as they say, on Indian life and culture and philosophy.  But I am more inclined to throw my eggs in the basket of an old-time stage driver in Taos.  He had lived around there forty years, and knew the country like a book.

"Indians?" he said.  "Hell, no, I don't know any more about an Indian than you do.  And neither does any other white man.  Talking to an Indian is just like writing a note and putting it in a prairie-dog hole.  I don't pay any attention to them." ' That's a good one, Ernie.  I include just about all the so-called journalists of today with the old boy's assessment.

Oh, The Humanity! Taco Shortage Hits Fairfield!

Bring burritos with you if you visit!

It's All Over Now

You have to wonder how he thought it was going to end. WSIL News.

Are You Prepared?

The boss sent out an e-mail to the field people today because a desperado is loose in Southern Illinois.  This guy is a genuine bad man and he is evidently in deep Southern Illinois now.  He has been wounded, so he is probably as desperate as a desperado can be.  Click Here or on the wanted poster to see the news report about him.

Our boss sent us information about the man, and cautioned us to be careful in the field.  I wrote a response and replied to All.  Then I realized it was a pretty good post, so here it is.

"There are precautions that many of us neglect.  We spend most of our time at home, so our homes should be secured as well as possible.  When you come home from work assess your house to make sure it has not been invaded while you were gone.  If you have been broken into, don’t clear the house yourself.  Call 911 and have police clear your house.  Avoid confronting burglars if at all possible.  Use deadbolts on all entry doors.  Close your garage if you are not working there.  Lock the man-door between the garage and house if they are attached.  Have a visible 911 address sign at your driveway for emergency responders to see.  Keep your guns locked in a safe when you are not using or carrying them.  There was a recent burglary in Franklin County (Illinois) where the burglar stole a firearm and had a rolling shootout with police.  He was shot and killed by police, but that shootout would not have happened if firearms had been secured.  Get firearms/concealed carry training if you have not already done so.  You must stay within the law in your own home if you use deadly force to protect yourself and your family.  Know how quickly you can reach weapons from anywhere in your home. Discuss these things with your family in advance and know what everyone should do during a home invasion. 

Lock your work truck when you are away from it.  Be alert when you return to it.  Do not get in the truck with a carjacker.  You might survive if you resist/run/fight.  You will be killed if you go with a carjacker/kidnapper.  That’s what they do.  Always carry a walking stick or substantial Biltmore stick when you are away from your truck.  Don’t let an attacker get his hands on you unless you want to do hand-to-hand combat to save your own life.  Alertness is a huge advantage. Escaping/deflecting/avoiding an attacker is preferable to fighting for your life.  Your responsibility for your family changes the dynamics of an attack, so do your research, training, and preparation for those possibilities."

We are having big, bad T-storms tonight, so maybe this guy will feel like surrendering tomorrow.

OK, OK, But How Much Did He Steal?

This is a self-writing joke: Bazillion admitted he burglarized a building in Dahlgren.

Doing It Wrong; Let Us Count The Ways...

From WFIW News, (Scoll down to April 28) " he drew the gun out of his waistband and accidentally shot himself. The bullet entered his lower abdomen, passed through his..." Oh, No!  ...And he will be going to jail.

Pipeage

The Mrs., her Mother and I had the opportunity to take a tour of Mt. Vernon's new water park, which will open in May, 2014. It's much more than a swimming pool, and the kids in Mt. Vernon will probably never appreciate how lucky they are. More to come! I have put together a slide show, but uploads take time, and I need to get some sleep. Stay tuned. Pictures from Boonville are also uploading. And...Here You Go!...

It Looked A Lot Like This....

This photo is from the McLeansboro Times-Leader published on August 6. The wreck occurred on July 30, on Highway 14 west of McLeansboro, IL. I was following the car (at a safe distance) that caused this wreck, when the driver began a left turn in front of this truck, then stopped, blocking the lane. My brain was processing the scene very fast, first thinking, "Something is going to happen if that car doesn't move;" then, "It's beginning to happen;" when the Brinks truck's tires started smoking," then, "Call the State Police and tell them it is an accident with injuries." Both men in the truck were banged up badly, but I have spoken to the driver, and they will recover. The driver of the car was uninjured. I took photos at the scene, and gave my SD card to the driver because he wanted pictures. An EMT and a nurse (both off-duty) came on the scene within minutes, and they were a great comfort to the injured parties. The driver was very concerned about his cargo, which partially spilled out the side door, but no-one touched his truck until the law showed up and took charge. People are good. A couple days later I saw the following video, and it is a very good imitation of a Brinks truck rolling over as it comes at you.