Existing In BFE

Many things have changed in the TV landscape since we three boys would anxiously wait for the day's shows to start on our old TV set.  The three of us would line up and stare at the image and await the day's programs that were on two channels, both in the Quad Cities.  Clara Bell was tooting its horn after school and John Ravenscroft was the news anchor.  Bonanza and the burning map was must-watch on Sunday nights even though none of us really like westerns.  Combat! was more our style. We'd watch the opening flames in color then trundle maybe downstairs and work on our Mummy and Wolfman plastic models.  Bro Phil would retire to his room and play a homemade baseball game.  The sound of his pen making a circular sound to roulette a hit, or strike out or home run still runs through my head.  I wonder if he still has that wooden board.  I'd love to see it again.   Those two channels expanded to three at some point and opened up a cornucopia of choice, or so we t

This is my public persona.    A bird on a bench. Getting the mail the other day I noticed these beach balls in the pond.  They said Keep 6' Away.  Hmmm.  Who put them there? 

If you build it, Mr. Stage, they will come. ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++

If I have to be stuck in here, I might as well see other things stuck in their environment, too.  I went last week to a pond nearby and put pond water, detritus, and pond dirt into a couple of containers. So far a lot of what I'll call water fleas and while I haven't seen them, the kids have noticed some worms as well.  Such is life in quarantine.

My Last Trump Essay "Eureka! Eureka!"  Legend has it Archimedes, while at a public bathhouse in Greece back in the day, yelled those words when he discovered the mathematical formula that buoyancy of an object in water is equal to the water it displaces.   Actor Spencer Tracy, one of my fave's, also back in the day echoed old Archimedes in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner .  When he discovered he has been a narrow minded liberal hypocrite because his daughter wants to marry an black guy, he mulls, ponders, then mumbles, "Well, I'll be a son-of-a-bitch." Kind of the same thing happened to me this week.  No Eureka, no son-of-a-bitch exclamation, but, because I'm almost by myself here, it was more a silent evolution of thought.  The clouds cleared, the sunlight came out and I was wiser than before.  It also helped that i chatted with an old friend, too.  The eureka moment dawned on me like a kick in the nuts: you can have it.  This will be my la

Whizzbang Zoom after three weeks of quarantine. This is Whizzie worried about the pandemic. It was raining outside so whizzbang covered her head. The is Whizz beside herself with worry. Whizz cringing in fear

The reason you can't compare Coronavirus with the flu, car accidents, pool drownings (Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Rush Limbaugh, many other GOP righties) is that you can't catch a car accident.  Please, anti-science Republicans, let's leave this to the experts and scientists. ++++++++++ ++++++++++ +++++++++++ ++++++++++ I have faith in the American system.  I'm a little iffy on my faith in Americans. ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ Covid cases in my county of Pinellas as of yesterday: 604 Covid cases in Mercer County Illinois" 5 Covid cases in Knox County Illinois 9 ++++++++++ Wombie limbering up for when J.B. gives the all clear for golf. ++++++++++ If you are stuck at home, why not get some paint and give it a try. ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ Anne Frank lived

Trying to make Papa's Daycare fun before a two week break.   ' Making slime remains a crowd favorite.  My break may be over, however, as Monday Coca-Cola gets back p and running and my true quarantine ends.

Yesterday was the 108th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Like a lot of kids and adults, I've had a minor love affair with the story of the unsinkable ship sinking on its maiden voyage.  Little mentioned is the Carpathia and its valiant effort to reach the sinking ship.  Carpathia  received  Titanic ’s distress signal at 12:20am, April 15th, 1912. She was 58 miles away, a distance that absolutely  could not  be covered in less than four hours. ( Californian ’s exact position at the time is…controversial. She was close enough to have helped. By all accounts she was close enough to see Titanic’s distress rockets. It’s uncertain to this day why her crew did not respond, or how many might not have been lost if she had been there. This is not the place for what-ifs. This is about what was done.) Carpathia ’s Captain Rostron had, yes, rolled out of bed instantly when woken by his radio operator, ordered his ship to  Titanic ’s aid and confirmed the signal before h

Large honking painting hanging (three words in a row ending in ing, pretty cool, huh?) at the Quad City Airport.  Wouldn't it be great to have such a large canvas to paint your masterpiece?

++++++++++ Tucker and Sean, Trumpists on Trumpist Fox News are saying nightly how bad the economy is during the pandemic.  They are recommedning getting people and businesses back, now.  I agree:  you two, all of Fox and the GOP - you first.  ++++++++++ Saw this the other day.  Have you ever locked up your tree? ++++++++++ ++++++++++ This is real fake news. ++++++++++ ++++++++++ Quarantine Activities ++++++++++ As of yesterday those infected in Pinellas county in Florida: 455 Mercer County, Illinois: 2 Where do I need to be? ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ ++++++++++ Stay well.  Stay distanced.  Stay positive. And turn off the goddamn news.