Well some are reading my blogs.  LOL  I really don't care; but I was concerned that people could access them if they so chose.

Waiting for National Home Warranty to call to set an appointment to come fix my toilet.  It is normally something I could fix; but with my eyesight the way it is I find it hard to do things requiring detail work and in a dim light.  So it is easier to pay the co-pay and have it done by a professional. I must say that having National Home Warranty has more than paid for itself over the years.

I was so glad that my cousin Jenne (Tootsie) and her husband were safe following the 8.0 Kodiak earthquake.  Kirt and I visited them this past summer.  She drove us to Homer, which isn't that far from Kodiak Island.  I heard Homer was affected somewhat.  Homer was a very nice little village.  If I were to live in that area I think I would choose Homer.  Tootsie also said that they evacuated Seward briefly when there was a threat of a tsunami. We took our tour boat excursion out of Seward.

I had some pre-cancerous spots frozen on my face the other day.  They also took a sample from one to run a biopsy.  Should get results in a couple of weeks.  Hopefully it will be benign.

Does anybody read my blogs?  Yes or No

In addition to Ike: Countdown to D-Day, I have been watching: State of Play.  A 2009 political thriller movie.  It has a top cast and has a message that resonates even today.  I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it.

A few random thoughts about why our country is so screwed up today:

We seem to have lost our civility.  We see things only in black or white.  We seem to be unwilling to compromise on anything.  Whose fault is this?  Some blame the social media.  However I don't think the social media is to blame all by itself.  Some blame the news channels on TV.  I don't blame them entirely.  Some blame our schools.  I don't blame them.  What about our parents?  I do think they have to burden much of the responsibility.  Our children are not being brought up properly.  Having said that however, I look deeper and see that individually, most people know right from wrong; but when in a crowd they tend to revert to mob mentality. Why is that?

I look at my own upbringing.  I was raised in a very conservative atmosphere:  One of the reddest states in the country (Kansas).  I was a strong Republican.  Voted for Goldwater.  But somehow I "saw the light"!  Was it from my exposure to others while in the Air Force?  I don't know.  I know that one of my heroes in the Republican Party was Mayor John Lindsey of New York City.  When he switched from being a Republican to a Democrat, I switched also.  Now I am a very liberal person.  I went to a conservative baptist college, so that didn't change me although some of the professors there might have had an influence on me.

So I ask:  How did I change when others from a similar background and upbringing not change? I can't explain it.  I just know it hurts me to see family and friends who are "stuck" in their ways and seem to be blinded to the possibility of change.  I try to look at both sides of an argument before drawing any conclusion.  Of course I am biased but I do try to keep an open mind.  Others, I fear, don't even try.

It has been a while since I posted anything.  Going to doctor today to have some pre-cancerous spots removed from my face.  I try to use sun screen but I guess not enough.

I've been watching Ike: Countdown to D-Day recently.  I can't seem to get enough of it.  No violence at all in the movie; yet it is about one of the most violent times in our history.  It was made in 2010 and starred Tom Selleck as Eisenhower.  I think it aired on A&E originally.  Anyway, I am struck by how humane Eisenhower was compared to the other generals.  I know it was about him so he is portrayed in the best possible light, none-the-less it is a superb movie.

I try to think about how today's generals and President would behave in the same circumstance.  Not sure there is any comparison except for General  de Gaulle.  While I don't think he was a great President, he did build our Interstate Highway System......no small feat.  He also warned us about the growing Military Industrial Complex.  Too bad we didn't listen to him. 

One thing that does stand out is he hated war!

I'm at a loss for words trying to explain how I feel about the remarks yesterday about Haitians, El Salvadoreans and others from Africa!  We have known for a long time that he was a racist -- going all the way back to the 70's when he and his father refused to let blacks live in housing they owned.  But yesterday's remarks are just too much to take, especially from the President of the United States.  This person knows nothing about our history, what America is all about and how to behave like  a decent person.

When will FOX, the Republicans in power and the American people in general do something about this before he, single-handedly, destroys the United States and all it stands for.  Forget the Russians; he will do it all by himself.  Of course the Russians did enable him by ensuring that he got elected to the office of President of the United States.

I am ready to move out of the United States and live in a civilized country!

It has been a couple of weeks since I blogged.  Kirt came out on Christmas Day (evening, since he missed his scheduled flight).  But he arrived in time for our Christmas Dinner atop the Stratosphere.  It was really nice, but expensive.

We stayed around the house the entire time of his visit.  I didn't feel all that well.  We had toyed with going to Palm Springs over New Year's Eve but didn't.  I was going to have people over on New Year's Day for my traditional black-eyed peas and corned beef and cabbage but cancelled at the last minute as I came down with a cold.

We did do a lot of shopping while he was here.  He was scheduled to return to New York on January 3rd but left a day early to get home before the snow storm hit.

Last week I finally got my sun visor replaced.  Tried on three different occasion but Honda didn't have the new one in stock.  I go back next week to get two new rims for my car.

Now for the rest of the month it seems to be one doctor's appointment after another!  So far results have been mixed so we shall see what else goes wrong with my health.