My usual hiking ball cap, which a sister-in-law gave me as a Christmas or birthday gift several years ago, has a sewn-in stick-figure image of a hiker being struck by lightning. The caption beneath the unfortunate hiker reads, “Life is Crap.”
Photographs of that ball cap are found in numerous previous articles. It is often seen hanging on a tree branch just above my canteen on the west bluff of House Mountain. I have photographed that ball cap and canteen many times. Sometimes, my top outer layer is in the image.
The first article today was titled “Sunday, 8/16/2020, Corona Myopia Sidetrack.” Read it if you want to take the time. Yes, this new cold virus is serious enough, especially for those who are at risk. I predict as of this entry that the once-great USA will never be great again. The decades of ongoing decline (since the 1930s) had seen improvements (e.g., after World War II, President Ronald Reagan's two terms, and so forth). The decline has sped up significantly due to this new cold virus and recent riots. As my father would say, “This country is about gone, boys!” “Corona Myopia” is a gnat in my rearview mirror. I wish that it were for this once-great nation.
Now, let us return to “life is crap, then you die.”
What I Started to Write on 8/9/2020
The following is what I had written as a draft on Sunday, 8/9/2020. Y’all can read it now.
Howdy, y’all! My most recent article from 7/26/2020 was two weeks ago. I hope that you have been getting along well enough amidst the new cold virus insanity and other goings-on. We endure.
7/27-31/2020 and 8/3-7/2020: The week of 7/27-31/2020 was my normal work-at-office rotation, as usual lately. The next week (8/3-7/2020), however, I had to endure a second week of work at the office. That was not normal. The set pattern had been: work from home one week, work at the office the next week, and switch back and forth. Well, a colleague who had been doing the same pattern was exposed to someone who tested positive for the new cold virus without symptoms. That colleague was tested. She had a positive result, also without symptoms. Her mistake was having to inform the office manager, whose hands were tied by the state (insanity) guidelines. So, the colleague was in quarantine. That meant that I had to work at the office two weeks in a row. I can’t make this stuff up! It really happened.
7/27-29/2020: Our “mansion” received a much-needed “bath.” The three-day pressure-washing job on the exterior was done! All the mold is now off.
Saturday, 8/1/2020: Mrs. Appalachian Irishman must have been feeling her oats! She not only used our shop vacuum to clean out the basement, but she also, with my help, cleaned the master bedroom windows inside and out!
On the same day, I filed an online complaint on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website against Bill Hagerty. On three days (7/24/2020, 7/28/2020, and 8/1/2020), my cell phone received spam texts from various invalid phone numbers. The texts wanted me to vote for Bill Hagerty for Senate. (I tried to call each number. Each one was invalid.) I have never given my cell phone number to Bill Hagerty or to his minions. I grew tired of the harassment. Bill Hagerty, the Republican Senate candidate, has an FTC complaint filed against him. I doubt anything will happen. Still yet, I stood my ground!
Sunday, 8/2/2020: I had good phone conversations with my three younger brothers. It was within the context of my nieces' untimely passing (mentioned in the 7/26/2020 article). I also sent postal letters to the husband of my niece and to their youngest daughter, who turned 14 on 7/31/2020.
Life is Crap
The following is a “life is crap”
story by theme. Enjoy!
Deck: Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I hired a contractor (with his subcontractor and the sub-subcontractors) to do fix-up work on our “mansion.” On 8/4/2020, the correct deck wood arrived (after the incorrect deck wood had arrived on 7/31/2020 due to 84 Lumber’s mistake). From 8/5 to 8/14/2020, our deck was much improved! Our old deck lasted from 2003 to early 2020, about 17 years. Our new deck is composite wood, which is guaranteed to last 25 years, without the annual touch-up that I had been doing. Of course, the infamous Tuesday, 3/29/2016, stopped my annual touch-ups. I will be 80 years young in 25 years, if I have not gone to my heavenly home before then.
Letters: On 8/8/2020, I placed four letters, flagged up, in our mailbox. Three were negative. One was positive.
The first negative letter was to our monopoly water provider. By online mistake on 7/6/2020, I paid our monopoly electric provider instead of the water utility company. That company sent the next bill. I realized my error. I paid the full payment correctly online, including the past due. The water shut-off date is later this month. I had made full payment for the past due and the current due well before the upcoming shut-off date.
Still yet, the water utility company shut off our water on 8/5/2020 before the shut-off date with no notice or warning! I had the full payment set to issue on 8/7/2020, two days later. Unknown to me at the time, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman, who was at home on 8/5/2020, also paid the full payment to get our water back on. We have a credit balance now.
My letter to the water utility folks indicated the following: our excellent payment record (since initial connection in 2003), my profound displeasure, and my option to fire them! We could have a water well drilled! Of course, I referenced Ferrell’s Well Drilling, which Papaw Ferrell started in 1901. My father continued the business. I don’t have a reply yet. If I don’t get one, I plan to drop by to give them a face-to-face visit to educate them.
The next negative letter was to Melania Trump. It seems that her husband and she did not have enough money to spend on his re-election campaign. She begged me for a donation. I had to have a little fun!
In July, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had one of her annual checkups. Her doctor's office never did send an initial bill. She never received an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from her health insurance. Her doctor's office sent their first letter demanding $10.16 now, or my wife would be turned over to a collection agency.
My pithy and third negative letter included a $20 bill with the stipulation that her doctor's office send my wife $9.84. Otherwise, I would turn them over to a collection agency! The saga ended well, however. On 8/11/2020, a fine man, 15 years younger than me, called. He had never seen a letter like mine in all his years of doing his job. We talked for 45 minutes. He understood the point in my letter. He might be able to have those automated letters corrected eventually. The main point was that he is a fine Christian man and a hiker. Who knows? We might hike House Mountain together!
The one positive letter was to our automobile and homeowners’ insurance company, which we've used for almost two decades. The company owner always sends handwritten birthday cards every year. I wrote him to express my appreciation for his fine, as folks call it nowadays, “business model.” It follows the old-school way of doing business correctly!
Tooth: On 8/10/2020, during my work-from-home lunch, I chipped the upper left molar, which is next to the upper left wisdom tooth. Don’t bite into the peach seed and then chew! On 8/13/2020, our dentist patched the tooth. Next month, I should have a nice new crown on that tooth.
The only other crown that I have is on the upper right molar, next to the upper right wisdom tooth. Over 20 years ago, I bit into a fast food hamburger that had a chunk of bone in it. That chipped the first molar. Well, two crowns in over 20 years ain’t too bad!
By the way, 8/10-12/2020 was supposed to be my days to work from home, followed by working at the office on 8/13-14/2020. I work a split work location week for some strange reason. My chipped tooth granted me the right to work from home on 8/13/2020!
School’s not out: Mrs. Appalachian Irishman’s last workday at the school where she teaches was on Friday, 3/13/2020. From 3/16/2020 to 6/1/2020, she taught online from home as well as she could. She worked a couple of hours or so each day. Her summer break started on 6/2/2020. On 8/11/2020, she had to start “hitting a lick” by driving to work, with no online teaching. Of course, she endures all the new cold virus regulations and stipulations, which are insane.
Then You Die
Wednesday, 8/12/2020, marked the passing of Lula Frank Amos Wood (6/16/1901-8/12/1991). She was my maternal grandmother. I was honored to have performed Granny Wood’s funeral service and graveside.
Granny Wood passed heavenward twenty-nine years ago. She enjoyed living, and she endured the “crap” in life. (I’m sorry, Granny, for my choice of words!)
We each have joy and “crap” in life. Life has quite a bit of “crap” in it now. If, however, we each have taken up the Good Lord’s free gift, when we die, we go to our heavenly home!
That, folks, is “life is crap, then you die” from an everlasting mindset. Death leads to everlasting joy if we're ready.
Granny, I’ll see you in heaven! I love and miss you! I am still your “little Indian chief”! I remember the story behind that!
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