Stochastic Contemplations.

[worth1]

Yeah many people want to (concentrate) them some place.
I guess they could call them homeless concentration camps.
Maybe put them to work too.
We all know how that turned out several years ago now don't we.

In all reality that's what they used to do to vagrants in many places.
The only crime was no money and no place to live.
Sorry for the sad discussion but the holidays always makes me think of Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol.
I can't count how many times I read that story.

[worth1]

Last night I watched A Christmas Carol.
The one with George C Scott.
Best one ever.
I loved the part where the ghost of Christmas present took him to the homeless camp with the poor family.
And Best of all the two wretched children under his robe.
Ignorance and want.
Upon their forhead spells Doom.
Or some such thing.
It was true then and it is true today.

The man was a master on the subject of human misery.
As a child he worked to pay his parents out of depters prison or something like that.
In his stories he simply told the truth no matter the public reception.
Oliver Twist comes to mind.
Nothing like the silly musical they made years ago.

[worth1]

Someone gave the nice store clerk lady where I get stuff in the morning an $80 gift card to a BBQ place in town.

[worth1]

So I get this text from the head vampire yesterday.
Reads like something out of a James Bond story.
What the devil?

"Howdy, gonna need you at Aspen Monday. There are some extenuating circumstances that I feel you are perfect for. Details to follow."

[rxkeith]

they took my father

the title of the book caught my attention.
we were at a friends house. she was getting rid of books, and she gave us first dibs.
it is a story about a finnish family, parents immigrants, children were american citizens.
back in the 1930s, russia was recruiting people to settle, and develop karelia a region on the
border with finland. several thousand american finns went to russia to create a workers paradise.
karelian fever it was called. it turned in to hell on earth. josef stalin (uncle joe) distrusted the finns,
loyal communists that they were, and started having the men taken away, never to return. the lucky ones
were just shot. the unlucky ones were tortured before being shot. surviving family members went to work
camps, and suffered all kinds of deprivation. many died.

so why the interest in reading such a book.
my wife had a relative that went to live in russia with his family. this could have been his story or something similar.
as i was reading the book, i wondered if the woman might have know cousin ernest. he lived in the same city petrozavodsk.
there at the very end of the book, i saw his name. the woman did know him. now, i just had to track down the author of the
book, and see if she was still around. she is. after confirming she was the author, i asked if she might have known cousin ernest,
and his wife ruth. not only did she know them, she had been very good friends with them. they had stayed at her house when they
were able to come to the states for finn fest. ernest was able to visit home for the first time in 60 years. i got to meet him at
a family reunion. the author graciously e-mailed us pictures of ernest and ruth along with ernests' memoirs.

most people unless you are finnish don't know this part of history, the tragedy, and hardship that people endured, and were able to survive.
finns are stoic people. they are tough, they endure. the word they call it is sisu.
ernest, and ruth are gone now, but his story lives on.


keith

[AlittleSalt]

So I get this text from the head vampire yesterday.
Reads like something out of a James Bond story.
What the devil?

"Howdy, gonna need you at Aspen Monday. There are some extenuating circumstances that I feel you are perfect for. Details to follow."

You're still with us. It's good to see that. I've got that idiot thought of growing tomatoes again. Guess where? In the diseased ground.

[karstopography]

[mention]rxkeith[/mention] wow, what a story! I don’t think people often fully realize what absolute power looks like in practical terms, your story of the Finns and Stalin is a good reminder. I had heard of the Finns incredible resistance, the Winter War of 1939-1940 to the Soviet invasion once upon a time, but not this worker’s paradise in karelia story and Stalin’s treatment of the Finns in that episode.

Good to have reminders of the awful tyranny that is always lurking about when there’s too much power invested in too few. And to hear how you are personally connected to this story, good share!

[worth1]

A group of us were told we can't talk about a new project going on in Austin on social media.
If we did they would be watching us and have us removed from the job.
Obviously this new project is related to the high tech industry.
It is under a different name and the real company that is going to set up there has no signs up.
I looked on line and back in 2018 there was a company that advertised the building of this property and who the real people were.
We can't even mention their name but we all know who they are.

Very disturbing to say the least how powerful and secretive these people are.
Had to take a background check and a drug test on the spot.
Knew the results on the spot.

Well enough of that.
Now to figure out what I'm going to do with the two large apples I have left over from Christmas.
I also have two gallons of apple cider I haven't opened.

[mikestuff49]

[mention]worth1[/mention] This may or may not be the Tesla plant. I watch the YouTube update every day. It looks like this will be a huge job creator for your area. You don't need to reply.

[worth1]

Lots of high tech companies moving to the Austin area.
Been that way for many years.
Some of it has to do with removing to off shore tax break.
Which may come back who knows.
The Tesla plant is out my way.
The project I was at is in Austin.
We all know what it is.

[worth1]

The Mason county courthouse in Texas burned to the ground last night
It was over a hundred years old.

[worth1]

According to news reports some very disturbed person lit the fire.
If you look on Google earth the antique store on the north east corner used to be an old hardware store.
I still have the sharpening stone I bought there back in 1979.
And still use it.
Mason Texas was a way point on my travels to and from the West Texas oilfields.
Sad to see the old courthouse go.
It truly was a part of my life.

[Amateurinawe]

Will take a looky, sad when those things happen.

Lovely building. The antiques shop is such a tiny shop tho'

[worth1]

Some of my woodwork is in the Denton county courthouse.

[rxkeith]

when it rains, it pours it seems.
almost done clearing the driveway, and the tractor starts spewing blue exhaust, pretty bad.
i got it back to the house as quick as i could, and checked the oil which appeared fine. i consulted
with a mechanical friend, and checked a thing or two, but don't know whats wrong. the tractor will
idle ok, but if you increase the rpms, it starts spewing smoke again, and runs heavy. it will get checked
out.
the back up snow removal is my plow truck. somehow the rear support for the exhaust broke dropping
the exhaust pipe to the ground, and i flattened the end with the rear tire. earlier in the week the service
engine light went on. so both vehicles have to go in. i am bummed.

the tractor puzzles me because everything seemed to be working ok until suddenly it wasn't.
we have neighbors that can help out with snow removal. i hate to ask because they have snow
to deal with too, but they are good neighbors. we help each other out.
i was hoping to get through one winter without something breaking down. it hasn't happened yet.
otherwise, life is good.


keith

[Sue_CT]

I hope it isn't anything too serious with the tractor, Keith.

[worth1]

Blue smoke is oil.
It could be from a turbo charger seal valve guide or hopefully nothing wrong with the rings.
It really sounds like something going on with the turbo if it has one.

On the other hand I showed the guys how to use common 14 gauge wire to charge up a battery from another vehicle to start another one.
No real load on the wire just charging the battery.
They were flabbergasted it worked.

[worth1]

I hear that.

[worth1]

There is texting and driving and there is texting and driving.
Saw one of the worst ever yesterday on the way home from work.
Speed limit 70..
Guy in a brand new BMW pulls out in front of me and is running slow at 40.
Never speeds up and I can't get around.
Car all over the road.
Finally get beside him and it is some egg head in a suit messing with his phone.
Then he gets over in the left lane and continues.
Car swerving and blocking traffic.
This went on for 20 miles .
Never thought to get his tags i wish I would have though.
Total jerk.
Makes me wish I had a forklift attachment on my truck so I could pick people up like this and dump them in the nearest creek.

[Amateurinawe]

Considerate Drivers and parkers, we seem to have some workmen who have decided it is okay to park in our private drive because there is no space in the public roads. I think i'll be penning a note for their car soon "Any chance you can inconsiderately park outside someone else private drive from time to time and give me a break".