Dylan Turns 70

Bob Dylan, the premier folk troubadour of the 60s and beyond, celebrates his 70th birthday today.

Kinda feels like I'm getting old...


About Blowin' In The Wind, "In 1962, Dylan said of the song's background: "I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and they know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many wars...You people over 21 should know better." All that he prefers to add by way of commentary now is: "The first way to answer these questions in the song is by asking them. But lots of people have to first find the wind."

Give a listen here. We still haven't found the wind, have we.

Blowin' In The Wind

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, ’n’ how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, ’n’ how many times must the cannonballs fly

Before they’re forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind

The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it’s washed to the sea?

Yes, ’n’ how many years can some people exist

Before they’re allowed to be free?

Yes, ’n’ how many times can a man turn his head

Pretending he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind

The answer is blowin’ in the wind

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, ’n’ how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, ’n’ how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind

The answer is blowin’ in the wind

Copyright © 1962 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1990 by Special Rider Music

The Way We Were

I received this via email from my sister, Nancy, this morning. No idea who authored it, but it does speak the truth about how we folks in the Over Fifty Crowd used to do things many years ago. Some interesting points are made and it makes me wonder how many of the current tree-hugging, Save the Earth, "Green" crowd would care to go back to doing things this way.

The "New" Green Thing vs 

Them "Olden Days"

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

That's right, they didn't have the green thing in her day.... Back then....

They returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn't have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she's right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts—wind and solar power really did dry the clothes! Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters or cousins, not always brand-new, expensive name-brand clothing from the mall!!!

But that old lady is right; they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the housenot a TV in every room. And the TV had a screen the size of a small pizza, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by going to WORK so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bike to a friend's house or the bus to school, instead of turning their parents into a 24-hour taxi service!!!  They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

That older lady is right. They didn't have the green thing back in her day.

U.S. Debt Limit History

The following chart shows the growth of statutory limits on our federal debt (the Debt Ceiling), from 1940 - 2010. That's one whale of a mountain climb over the past 20 years.

Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals/
by way of The Big Picture blog

You may have a home mortgage, maybe an auto loan, perhaps a student loan balance, and—God forbid—credit card debt, but an increase in personal household debt like that shown above would bankrupt average Joe Q. Public. Is it going to be any different for our own U.S. of A. down the road?

No matter the amount of finger-pointing and jockeying going on in Washington, that limit will have to be raised again this summer. The real question needing an answer is when will they put ridiculous political rhetoric aside and begin to take the necessary, difficult steps to start turning this ship around? Just like a 1,000-foot ore carrier, a change of course is a very slow, deliberate process. Without tough decisions very soon, decisions that will affect each and every one of us, that change will never happen in time to avoid the iceberg.

The Pack Family

Back in the early 1990s, while researching my family history, my searches connected me with some interesting and unknown (until then) relatives. Carol Pack Urban is one fellow genealogist that helped me immensely in tracing my maternal grandmother's Pack family all the way back to the sixteenth century in England; tons of fantastic information that I treasure. Ms Urban also shared a few old family photos taken in both Kentucky and West Virginia. Shame on me for poor filing and labeling practices, but you'll get the "flavor" I'm trying to share.

Pack family home---down in a hollow. 

A few long, lost relatives taking a break on the front porch. 

I apologize for not being able to better identify either photo. Perhaps during my upcoming planned retirement years I'll be able to become better organized and find out more about these folks. The images do convey the stereotypical "hill folk" we often think of, don't you agree?

Get Up Off Yer Tush!

Just sayin'...

From Medical Billing and Coding by way of Barry Ritholtz at The Big Picture. A very special THANK YOU to Peter for resizing the images above, making them readable.

Derby Time

With my heritage set firmly in the hills of Kentucky, it's little wonder the Kentucky Derby holds a very special place in my heart. My Mom loved the derby, all the excitement, the ladies dressed in their fancy outfits crowned with those festive hats, and especially the singing of My Old Kentucky Home.

For the past 10 years or so, we've held our own Derby Party at the house, inviting friends and family to get together and enjoy all that makes the Derby so special. Yesterday, we got together for the 137th running and had a terrific time. The weather cooperated, giving us sunshine and 70 degrees.

Before the race, it was time to rekindle old friendships. 

The high school prom also took place yesterday, so my stepson, Keegan, and his friends stopped by for some pre-prom photos.

Keegan and his good friend, Brianda, on the right were a very handsome couple. 

Last year, we encouraged the ladies to wear special Derby hats and found it was great fun to see how inventive some of them were. Some, of course, were downright special, like Judy's choice for this year:

Yup...it's a duck. 

The gals got together for the judging for the coveted "Derby Hat of the Year" award.

Pretty festive, eh?
l-r, Tami, Laura, Dar, Mary, Brenda, Kris and Judy

Our revered Judge Emeritus, R.J., chose his favorite hat and the lucky winner, Kris, received a number of valued parting gifts. Now, Kris happens to be R.J.'s mother, but I'm sure he didn't let that influence his decision!

R.J. knows where his bread is buttered!

A great time was had by all, especially yours truly since Animal Kingdom won the race and I managed to garner one-quarter of our betting pool payoff!

Tempered Euphoria

It has been almost eight hours since I learned of the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of 40 of the best-trained individuals our military has to offer. My sincere congratulations and humble thanks go out to those Navy SEALs for ridding the world of that murdering swine. The world is a much better place without the likes of him.

Nonetheless, let's face it...he won. We've cut the tail off the rattlesnake, but now what remains will strike back somewhere, somehow, and perhaps we won't have the benefit of the "rattle" to warn us.

Their previous acts of terrorism have already done the job, though. Consider:

• Flying commercial used to be a joy, an adventure we could appreciate.
• Remember when checking in for a flight did not include having your checked luggage pass through a million-dollar x-ray machine?
• Would you ever have imagined a time when you, your spouse, your grandmother or your child could be groped by a stranger on the way to your gate in Concourse B?
• Can you believe an expression of disgust with security procedures here in the USA could place you in a TSA shift supervisor's office for interrogation?

We've given up so much freedom as a result of terror attacks and to what end? How many times has the TSA actually done more than confiscate your nail clippers, Bic lighter, little pocket knife or Grandma's knitting needle? We've spent billions of dollars to protect the flying public and what have we gained?

He's won. 

We've killed the "king hornet" and rightfully so, but in doing so we've swatted the hornet's nest. Those angry hornets may unfortunately be the cause of you and I losing even more of our freedoms. If that happens, they've won yet again.