Milestones

What a week so far. It's Linda's birthday today and last night her mother died. Plus, our sewer is clogged.

Corinne Johnson Wise, nee Krona, was 95. For her final 15 days she ingested neither food nor liquids. One tough old bird. She was married to Russell Johnson (no, not the Professor from Gilligan's Island) for around 60 years, and after he died married Fred Wise. Fred passed away about seven years ago.

Happy Birthday, Ma

My mother turned 90 today. I'm happy to report she's doing very well and living on her own in a seniors' apartment complex.

If I would credit anything to her longevity it's housework. She has always been phobic about keeping the home tidy and spotless. I remember visiting her about ten years ago and staying in the guest room. I got up one morning to go to the can and when I got out a few minutes later the bed was made.

She is also deathly afraid of rodents.

Playing Catchup

     I was having trouble with my blog during January, it wouldn't allow me to browse for photos. Today I tried again and it worked. I love capricious computers.

     So let me mention a few items that went unheralded since I stopped blogging.

Jan 16--my father's birthday. Alas, he died in 1977, age 59, of emphysema. Thanks, Chesterfields.
Jan 17--I got out of the Army.
Feb 1--Molly, my German shepherd, turned two. That's her in the photo with her frisbee.


     I spent about a week in the middle of January with a cold. I still have a cough but feel fine.

     I really didn't expect this blog to work properly so I have nothing else prepared.

     The Superbowl ended a few hours ago and while I wasn't surprised by the outcome I have to say it wasn't what I'd hoped for. There weren't too many boneheaded calls by the officials but a couple of them hurt the Niners and may have affected the outcome of the game.


     And so it goes.

Happy Birthday, Toby and Tiny

The Chihuahua brothers are ten years old today. No photos since Blogger once again decided to make a shambles of the system.

A MAD and Merry Christmas

A day early, but I don't mind. We're opening presents later today because Kristine has to work tomorrow.

In Everlasting Memory

On this day in 1980 John Lennon was murdered by a piece of scum whose name is unworthy of mention.

Remember Pearl Harbor

On this day in 1941, a Sunday, the Japanese launched a sneak attack on our sleeping fleet and airfield at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Lousy, stinking, dirty, rotten cruds!

Happy Birthday, Kristine

My baby is 22 today. Where does the time go? I can say this: Every day has been a joy and delight.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Georgie

George Armstrong Custer was born on this day in 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio. In this picture he's leading a charge against superior Confederate forces at Gettysburg. Had the rebs succeeded in this flanking maneuver the battle would have been lost and Lee would have been free to invade Washington, D.C.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby

My lovely granddaughter, Sofia, is two today. What a ball of energy this kid is.  She's with her mother, Stephanie, in these pix.

Thoughts For The Day

 

Look Who's 65 Today

Still rocking after all these years.

Kit of the Day, Bill Crider Edition

    

     Who wouldn't want a model kit of The Six-Million-Dollar Man fighting a gator? Here's your chance, it's on eBay right now and I believe the price is reasonable. The only thing that has me scratching my head about this model is the briefcase at Lee Major's feet. Is this a tool box so he can tighten up a loose screw, or a secret formula the gator, an agent of a foreign power no doubt, is trying to steal?

     The maker of this oddity is Fun Dimensions, not a well-known name in modeling circles these days. Since it's a snap-together kit (no glue needed) the main challenge would be painting it to look realistic. And I have a feeling not many kids were up to that challenge.

     Bill, here you go.

Kit of the Day

Tired of building tanks, planes, cars, and ships? How about a nice crustacean? So went the thinking of Superior Plastics of Chicago, Illinois, back in 1962. No, not really. This is from a line called Superior Science Series Projects. I suppose the idea was to introduce educational projects for the kids, or at least hope their parents would buy them a lobster instead of a Big Daddy Roth weirdmobile. The finished lobster was 15 inches long and cast in red, just like the real thing. No bib. I have to wonder what prompted Superior to take on such an enterprise since creating a mold is a very expensive proposition and the potential buyers of such a kit were almost non-existent. Still, I found two of these rarities on eBay this past week. One was selling for $17.01 and the other for $9.95. And you know, the more I think about it the more attractive this kit becomes. Should I?

Happy Veteran's Day

Thanks to all my brother and sister vets for your service. Have a great day.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

On this day in 1989 my first daughter, Stephanie, entered the world. A wonderful day, and the wonders never cease. Love you, kid.

Events

Friday: Mother-in-law turned 95. Today: Kid sister's birthday. Today: My 23rd wedding anniversary.

Wolf Creek: Bloody Trail

This is the first in a series of ebooks from the Western Fictioneers and if I understand its rather sinuous structure properly, each viewpoint character will be written by a different author. Also, this first edition is written by six scribes, each taking two consecutive chapters. Wolf Creek is a small town struggling to survive in post-Civil War Kansas. There are the understandable resentments among the residents who fought on opposite sides during the Recent Unpleasantness, but mostly folks get along. When a gang of former Confederate raiders invade the town to rob the bank, leaving dead people and animals in their wake, the townies assemble a posse to track them down. Some simmering resentments come to the fore during the manhunt, but by the time it's over the survivors see things in a brighter light. Because this is the first installment in a series there is a lot of exposition and backstory offered. I think it was a good two-and-a-half chapters before there was any action, but when it came it was well handled. I trust future books won't feel the need to recross the expositionary ground because even though the backgrounds of many of the charatcers are interesting, swallowing it in large doses may turn some readers off. My advice is to stick with it because there are a ton of talented people working on the books and I expect the ensuing ones to be humdingers. I know I'll be reading them. One nitpick: The Lamatt pistol, which had a shotgun barrel beneath a revolver barrel, was a 16-gauge, not 18-gauge.

No Moon Tonight

Let the dancing begin. "Reverend" Sun Myung Moon is dead. The Moonie leader is famous for arranging mass marriages among his adherents to people who often were total strangers to each other. Also for love bombing newbies and having his zombielike followers sell peanut brittle and jewelry door-to-door. The world is better off without people like him.

That Day Again

As every schoolboy worth his salt knows, today (June 25) is the anniversary of Custer's Last Stand, which occurred in 1876. Surrounded in mystery, controversy, and emotion, this is perhaps the most discussed and written-about battle in American history. Certainly the most famous in the Plains Wars of the 19th century. I also have my semi-annual dental checkup today.