Happy Autumn

Cobwebs that sparkle with morning sun dew drops.

Yellow, red, gold leaves are falling on roof tops.

Locust that spin upside down, round and round.

Grasshoppers hopping all over the ground.

Acorns are falling and gathered by squirrels.

Combines in fields, corn leaves ride high on wind swirls.

Sweatshirts in the morning, shorts after midday,

Bright orange pumpkins and bales of hay.

The sun bids Earth farewell, the shadows grow longer.

The mercury dips and the winds become stronger.

Festivals, football, bonfires at night.

Hill sides of trees that glow with morning's light.

Bounty and harvest, fresh apple cider,

Crickets that chirp a welcome to the spiders.

Blue jeans and boots that have gathered some dust, 

Hot bowls of chili and fresh baked pie crust.

Summer blows kisses to her lover, in hot pursuit.

Even though she knows that his chase is but moot.

Purple, red, golden sunsets that color the sky,

All of these things prove that Autumn is nigh.

 For those who remember, the words can be put to the tune of "My Favorite Things".  You're welcome and Happy Autumn!

Why We Like Them

What makes us fall for them?  Is it because we are bored and looking for some excitement?  Do they take our minds off of other day to day worries and the grind?  Maybe we think, if only they are true, there is surely light at the end of the tunnel.  Conspiracy Theories, from here on referred to as CT.

Let's take a look at some past CT's that turned out to be true.  Did you know the CIA had a heart attack gun?  The CT had been circulating, but allegations had been denied.  Then in 1975, the truth came out.  The CIA did indeed have such a weapon.  The gun fired a small dart at the intended victim.  It could go through multiple layers of clothing and left nothing but a small red dot behind.  It felt like a mosquito bite.  The dart disintegrated on impact but not before injecting the drug, that would in turn, cause a fatal heart attack.  The drug dissipated, leaving no trace to be found during an autopsy.  

Another CT was that vaccines caused cancer.  Back in the 1950's and 60's, a virus was found in a monkey.  The virus ended up in a vaccine that was given to 98 million people before it was discovered and eliminated from the vaccine.  The virus was later found in many cancers.  Did the virus cause the cancer?  As far as the information goes, no one can, or will, say for sure.  But, the CDC, Center for Disease Control, admitted that this actually did happen.  Then, mysteriously in 2013, the CDC removed the fact sheet on this subject from there public information.  Something smells of population control on this one, but that is fodder for another day.


Another newer CT is the one about Q or Qanon.  The story behind Q is that Q is either a person or a group of people who work closely with our President.   Q posts cryptic messages on a site called 8Chan.  8Chan is an online message board that allows anyone to post just about anything they want, good or bad.  It's kind of like free speech without the politically correct correctiveness.  Q's message to all patriots is one of a fight between good and evil.  That there is a shadow government, that has been in place for many years and they are involved with child trafficking, drugs, and a plan to keep the masses as dumbed down as possible.  Q tells its followers to stay the plan, for in the end, the good guys are going to win and it will be a great awakening for all the people of Earth.  Q has hundreds of thousands of followers, worldwide.  Sounds crazy, huh?  Well, it gets even weirder.  Recently there was a shooter in a Texas Wal Mart.  This guy has some serious mental issues and they did not just occur during this present White House administration.  His mother had, weeks before the tragic event, contacted police because she was afraid of his behavior and the fact that he had purchased the gun online from China.     He wrote a rambling manifesto that even stated that if the media blamed Trump for his actions, they were lying.  Then he posted the manifesto on 8Chan.

Except he didn't.  He posted it on Instagram, someone else posted it to 8Chan.  8Chan was shut down because of this, stating it was a place to incite hate, violence, racism, etc.  The owner of 8Chan recently testified, behind closed doors.....so much for transparency, to members of our government that the shooter did not post the manifesto on this message board.  And Instagram?  Oh yeah, it's still up and running.  The end results of this one are going to be epic.

So, why do we like these crazy Conspiracy Theories?  Because some times, truth really is stranger than fiction and seriously, you just can't make this stuff up.

A Path In Time

Having recently crossed the point in time that I started my journey around the sun, I have been reflecting over the past decades.  A lot has changed.  To try to list all the technical advances that have taken place would take most of today and maybe part of tomorrow.  To sum it up, I can attest, with great truthfulness, that I was once the remote control for the folks' TV, even if I was in another room minding my own business.

I've watched the automobile go from being a block long, heavy sled to a compact unit that will fit in the most smallest of parking spaces.  The age of muscle cars and hot rods came and went, then suddenly some have been re-born, the Camaro, Challenger and Mustang.  Proving that no matter how much they try to spin the idea of everyone owning and electric vehicle, the human hot rod spirit cannot be crushed.  I envision, one day in the future, an underground society of muscle car militia.  They will need to be careful though, it will be hard to hide with all those loud pipes rattling.  

Hem lines have gone up, down, completely disappeared and back again during my time.  Probably the most favorite of all apparel, for me anyway, was the bell bottom blue jeans.  I was fortunate enough to live through the era of the bell starting at the knee and being just long enough, and wide enough to cover, but not completely hide, a pair of platform sole shoes.  Just the other day I saw a picture of a tiny little girl in bell bottom jeans. I said to myself, oh, be still my heart.

I remember when my best friend's phone number was 8 and I had to tell an operator that number in order to talk to her.  Those talks started out at a small little table with an attached seat.  Back then, the phone cords were only a few inches long, just long enough to get the receiver to the ear.  Then, someone, with a stroke of genius, made the cord longer.  Long enough that one could lay on the floor, go nearly from one room to the other and depending on the original placement of the phone, it could be possible to grab a snack out of the refrigerator.  Next, the cordless phone hit the market place and even though they were big, bulky and had an antennae, it sure was cool to sit outside and yap.  Now, I can stand on one side of the country, type in a message, hit send and reach a friend in another country, in less than five seconds. 

All in all, it has been a pretty interesting ride so far.  There have been times of bounty and times of deep despair.  But, no matter ones' placement in time or society, I believe all people experience these things.  I'm hoping there are many more adventures waiting in the isles of my future, but there is one thing I have discovered on my path.  I tried to impart this particular piece of wisdom to my oldest grandson, during a heart to heart conversation, which, again in all truthfulness, was me talking and him listening.  He nodded, but I knew he did not fully understand, but some day he will, after all, he's only 17.  Just the other day, I shared it with a young woman who had just turned 40.  Her eyes lit up and I could tell she was just beginning to stumble upon the truth.  What I shared is this, no matter how old a person gets, the way they "feel" when they are about 18 years of age, will be the way they "feel" for the rest of their life.  Yes, we will change our minds, beliefs, likes and dislikes over the years but, what makes us, "US", will never change.  We are a soul, taking a ride in a body.  A body that will sometimes let us down and will eventually run out of battery life,  but the soul is the spark.  The spark, that started eons ago and has been waiting to experience this thing we call life on Earth.  Enjoy your path, and when necessary, just avoid mirrors.