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Italian Cream Cheese Cake

I could have entitled this article some Betty Sugg stories.

Working for the Government

I worked for the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) for around six and half years stationed at the local health unit – most folks simply called it the County Health Department – in Crawford County, Arkansas. Crawford County is just across the Arkansas River from Ft. Smith and part of the county shares a border with Oklahoma. I was County Sanitarian, aka Health Inspector, the whole time I was there. Yeah, I inspected restaurants, but the duties of a County Sanitarian are much broader than that.

With the retirement of the other sanitarian, about a year and a half into my stint, I became Administrator of the local health unit. The ADH used a matrix system of management, one supervisor for your professional duties, and a different supervisor for your administrative responsibilities.  Essentially I was the office manager supervising administratively the nursing, clerical, sanitarian staff and other folks who traveled around to the various local health units.

A Co-worker

In an earlier article I made a passing reference to Italian cream cheese cake. This started my musings on a former co-worker, Continue reading “Italian Cream Cheese Cake”

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Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5784.045

“Matrimony… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Casamiento Segundo, its until-death-do-us-part mission… to explore a strange new relationship… to seek out a new life and new adventures… to boldly go where no sane couple has gone before.”

I, more than likely, over did it a wee bit yesterday.  Besides being tired, my back was barking at me excessively.  Before Señora had left the house for her choir practice at around 1815 hours, I had taken a muscle relaxer. An hour or so later my back was still being less than polite, so I took another Flexeral.

I am chalking it up to a combination of being tried and the medications, but I went to bed earlier than usual, somewhere between 2000 and 2100 hours.  I was asleep when my prodigal wife made her way back to the hacienda.  When she found me asleep in the bed, she awaken me, gently to be sure, but still she woke me up. Indubitably, you will understand why I found this a wee bit irritating. I don’t remember how I responded, but in my best Clark Kent manner, I am sure.  I then rolled over and went back to sleep.

As this was not the first time, she has waken me in these circumstances, this morning I started ruminating as to why.  Generally, when I find her asleep, I simply back out of the room so as to not disturb her.  Or if it is late, slip into the bed as lightly as I can.

Then it dawned on me her reason, so I went searching for her, finding her on the couch,  I explained to her that I did not quite understand why she woke me up.  I then asked if she had some trepidation that I might be dead in the bed. She confessed that it was.  I suppose it would be minorly horrible to go to bed, only to find a cold, dead corpse headed toward rigor mortis laying next to you the following morning.  But sometimes a gal just needs her beauty sleep.

And that is how it goes sometimes in La casa de los viejos.

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Quote of the Day – Michael Haley

Quote of the Day… not actually daily, but whenever I encounter one I think worth sharing and there are not too many in sequence.  I like quotes as they frequently distill a piece of wisdom into a brief passage, or make other points very succinctly – such as the witticisms of Oscar Wilde.

“The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack.” ~~Michael Haley

He was responding on X (formerly Twitter) with a photo of a wolf and this quote to denigrating remarks about his wife, Nikki Haley, and him made by tRump on that platform.

To see more Quotes for Day, visit this link: Quotes for the Day

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Quote of the Day – Immanuel Kant

“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.” ~~Immanuel Kant

Obviously a high brow way of stating the Golden Rule, a concept that seems to permeate philosophical and religious thought.  To see a listing of how this idea has been stated in many of the world religions follow this link: The Universality of the Golden Rule in the World Religions

To see more Quotes for Day, visit this link: Quotes for the Day

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #1,255

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

I wonder if I am the only one to whom the Terminator movies are looking more and more prescient?

I always have just thought of them a sub-genre of science-fiction that loves dystopian stories.  But it is increasing looking like we have the proverbial striped feline by the tail. IMHO, Science and Technology need to be asking should I rather than can I,  but that is an ages old question.  Just ask Dr. Frankenstein.

Random aside:  Our home Wi-Fi network is named SkyeNet.  There two reasons for this.  The first is obvious.  A reference back to the nefarious SkyNet of the Terminator movies. Since neighbors can see the name of Wi-Fi connections close to them, I wonder if it has any of them stuffing  a doomsday pack.

The second is an inside reference.  When Señora divorced she wanted her last name changed back to her maiden name and for various reasons her middle name changed to Skye. Her lawyer was less than competent, and besides costing her a dump truck load of money to her ex, he failed to change her middle name.  He did remember to get her last name changed. She is using Skye anyway except when legality necessitates otherwise.

And so it goes.

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Word of the Day – Puerile

  • Adjective: Puerile
    1. behaving in a silly way, not like an adult
  • Synonyms:
    1. childish
    2. immature
    3. juvenile
    4. infantile
    5. childlike
    6. unsophisticated
    7. simplistic
    8. naïve
  • Usage:
    1. “The driver of the other car was behaving in a very puerile manner with that particular gesture.”  Okay, not an exact quote, but close.
  • Encountered:
    1.  While watching a Wondrium (Great Courses) offering: Think like a Stoic: Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World
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Matrimonial Log – Star Date 5784.038

“Matrimony… the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Casamiento Segundo, its until-death-do-us-part mission… to explore a strange new relationship… to seek out a new life and new adventures… to boldly go where no sane couple has gone before.”

I am looking at Señora with great affection and tenderness in my heart, and I say to her, “You are so beautiful.”

To which she replies, “You need to put your glasses on.”

“I have them on.”

“Then you need to clean them, Caballero.”

“You know I clean my glasses several times a day.”

She won’t let it go and asks me, “when was the last time you saw the ophthalmologist?”

“My prescription is recent,” I reminded her.

“Well it is dark in here,” she went on.

“No, it is not, it is mid morning and sunny outside.”

“Obviously,” she remarked, still not letting it go, “you’ve been drinking.”

“Whenever have you known me to drink in the morning.”

“Well something is off kilter.”

Then I uttered the words, “You are right! Here is a paper bag, I think you know what to do with it.”

Pray for me, the doctors tell me I will not be in here too long…

And so it goes.

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I Am So Proud To Live In Missouri – Not

The following article from the alternative newspaper, Riverfront Times, popped up in my Google news feed: Missouri Ranks Dead Last in National Survey of LGBTQ+ Equality

I Misunderstood Missouri

I moved to St. Louis after living and working in Mississippi for over three years. While I left some good friends behind I was more than glad to get away from the religious conservatism that dominates politics down there.  My first impression of Missouri was of St. Louis which left me with a hopeful feeling. Then I discovered the rest of Missouri.   While St. Louis is more of a purple with bluish hues, the politics of the rest of the state is a Trumpian dystopia concerned with protecting so called guns rights and waging cultural battles against basic individual rights and freedoms, especially against women and folks with alternate lifestyles. It is deeply red, and, for me, very discouraging to the point of being depressing. Of course, I am an Okie by birth and with Oklahoma’s super hard turn to the far right, I find my native state even more depressing.

Why Would You Care

I really do not care what consenting Continue reading “I Am So Proud To Live In Missouri – Not”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #8,301

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

Geriatrics: That branch of medical science whose conceit is that they can manage the ongoing train wreck that is old age, knowing all along the inevitable conclusion.

What was it the first caveman achieving elder status said, “This getting old ain’t for sissies.”

Just saying.

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #432

yeah I know you did not ask!

You should so be blessed – well cursed at times actually – with a mind such as mine, making all these weird connections between my rumored neurons. Just be thankful that I do not share all of my random thoughts.

I know how someone can make a fortune.

The Wee Dog has a semi-truck load full of dog toys.  Well, I should not exaggerate, they would only fill up a bobtail truck.  And Señora keeps buying more for her.

Thing is that after Princess Lily has had the toy for 10 minutes the squeaker stops working. There is a mountain of now squeak-less canine playthings in the corner of our family room.

I betcha… that if you could come up with a squeaker to put inside these pet baubles that would work for more than a few minutes you could corner the market.  That or a nation of pet owners would be at your door asking WTF have you done.

Just saying.

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