CORONA MYOPIA #34: 9/26/2021, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WASTED MY TIME ON THIS!

Introduction

I will blame this waste of time article on the “Wise Golden Original Potato Chips” that I acquired, while working at the “Hadean Realm” on 9/24/2021. Yesterday, after hauling trash, I decided to eat that little bag of stale potato chips. That was not smart! Last week, while working at home, I had a rare craving for potato chips. (It's the Irish in me.)

Side note: since 2/1/2021, I have been doing the same job, working at home Monday through Wednesday but at the “Hadean Realm” office on Thursdays and Fridays. The “thermostat gods” at the office can't figure out how to not make the setting either too hot or too cold. I endure. I control the thermostat at my home office.

The bag of chips was from the TCRS (Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System). TCRS tries a few cheap and superficial ways to market itself to state employees. The chips were in a TCRS plastic bowl of junk food that had been on the kitchen area table for a few weeks. All the junk food was gone, except the bag of chips. I brought the bag home. My mistake was to eat those stale potato chips. I won't do that again!

So, instead of getting my first hike of the season on House Mountain this afternoon, I stayed near the porcelain throne, to write this article.

The Numbers (If Credible)

(1) The CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7014e1.htm). My emphases and/or comments are in green. The other details are from the CDC website.

The CDC Director is Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH. Her face and voice are in the various news media.

TABLE. Provisional* number and rate of total deaths and COVID-19–related deaths, by demographic characteristics — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2020

No. (rate)^†

Total deaths 3,358,814

COVID-19 deaths^§ 377,883 (11.25%)

* National Vital Statistics System provisional data are incomplete. Data from December are less complete due to reporting lags. These data exclude deaths that occurred in the United States among residents of U.S. territories and foreign countries.

† Deaths per 100,000 standard population. Age-adjusted death rates are provided by sex and race/ethnicity.

§ Deaths with confirmed or presumed COVID-19 as an underlying or contributing cause of death, with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code U07.1.

FIGURE 2. Provisional* number of leading underlying causes of death† — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2020

* National Vital Statistics System provisional data are incomplete. Data from December are less complete due to reporting lags. Deaths that occurred in the United States among residents of U.S. territories and foreign countries were excluded.

† Deaths for which COVID-19 was a contributing, but not the underlying, cause of death are not included in this figure. (The yellow is from the CDC website.)

Citation: Ahmad FB, Cisewski JA, Miniño A, Anderson RN. Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:519–522. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7014e1external icon Page last reviewed June 17, 2021.

(2) JAMA Network Viewpoint

(https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2778234).

March 31, 2021

The Leading Causes of Death in the US for 2020

Farida B. Ahmad, MPH1; Robert N. Anderson, PhD2

Table. Number of Deaths for Leading Causes of Death, US, 2015-2020^a

USSA total deaths: 3,358,814 (same as the CDC)

20.569% USSA deaths by heart disease: 690,882 (CDC doesn't include)

17.831% USSA deaths by cancer: 598,932 (CDC doesn't include)

10.281% USSA deaths by COVID-19: 345,323 (lower than 377,883 CDC states)

Conclusion

Do you see what eating a stale bag of potato chips did to this Irish American? I would have rather been hiking this afternoon!

The various media sources are rife with “breaking news” about the various mask-on-or-off wars (especially in Knox County recently) and about the vaccine-or-not wars. Other news includes the lack of USSA southern border security, the spending of Monopoly money, the inflated (and shrinking) value of Monopoly money, and so forth.

At least my Georgia Bulldogs won an easy game against a junior college SEC team yesterday! I regret that my TN “Vowels” readers had to endure an almost “double stomp” by the Florida Gators. To my friend, JC, I close with this comment: JC, please explain to my readers what a “stomp” and a “double stomp” are! My readers would like to know – well, maybe.

I can see the clear blue sky, as I conclude. Be wise; don't eat stale Wise Potato Chips – ever! Also, be wise – by standing as free people in a once-free and great nation! I will continue to do so. I hope that my next article will be about my House Mountain hike #179 (#43 bionic).

CORONY MYOPIA PSYCHOSIS UPDATE: 9/25/2021, SATURDAY (published 9/25/2021)

 Introduction

I had started this article after 6 PM, on 9/23/2021. I am updating this article for publication, while listening to my Georgia Bulldogs whip the daylights out of the Vanderbilt “Commode Doors!” It's great! To my Tennessee “Vowels” readers, I regret your forthcoming sorrow, once the Florida Gators abash the “Vowels” this evening.

My “Topic Sections” (lower right side of page) indicates that 32 articles include “Corona Myopia” as a topic (or sub-topic). I have written 14 primary articles on Corona Myopia – ten in 2020 (4/19, 4/26, 5/3, 5/14, 5/15, 5/17, 5/20, 5/24, 8/16, 9/6) and four, not including this one, in 2021 (1/17, 1/18, 2/23, 8/22).

I did a Norton Safe Search by “Corona Myopia Psychosis Photographs.” I regret that I found no pretty images to enhance this brief and sarcastic article. I chose the following.

(via https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/myopia-close-look-efforts-turn-back-growing-problem)

Myopia is an English transliteration from Greek, μυωπία (μύειν "to shut" + ὤψ "eye"). Literally, we all have myopia, when we sleep or shut our eyes. I remember having learned this when I studied Koine Greek, starting in 1983. The now deceased Dr. Roy Deaver well-taught Koine Greek to us “preacher boys.” I was age 23. He was then about my age now.

Norton Safe Search presented, as top result, a 9/14/2021 research article abstract, in PLOS ONE, titled, “Influence of coronavirus disease 2019 on myopic progression in children treated with low-concentration atropine.” Apparently, COVID-19 “influences“ myopia in children.

I have often stated that I would not waste my time, by writing another article on Corona (or Corony as I prefer) Myopia Psychosis. I am eating my words by writing now.

Tennessee Corony Statistics, Effective 9/25/2021, Saturday, 2:45 PM

On 9/23/2021, Thursday, while awaiting supper, I checked https://www.indexmundi.com/clocks/indicator/deaths/united-states. I don't know why I checked. I just did.

Exactly at 6 PM, the total number of 2021 Tennessee deaths was 49,493. The number keeps increasing. It will be different when you check. For example, 9/24/2021, 6:07 PM, total 2021 TN deaths was 49,679. On 9/25/2021, 11:24 AM, total 2021 TN deaths was 49,814. On 9/25/2021, 2:45 PM, total 2021 TN deaths was 49,840.

On 9/25/2021, I updated my original 9/23/2021 check, on Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Unified Command Tennessee State Government. The data, as of 9/25/2021, was from 9/22/2021 (Wednesday). That's the latest data on the website. I checked the data as it was on 1/1/2021 (“Select a Date” function). On 1/1/2021, the cumulative total of TN deaths by COVID-19 was 6,947 (as main or contributing cause). On 9/22/2021, the cumulative total of TN deaths by COVID-19 (main/contributing cause) was 14,740. 14,740 minus 6,947 means: 7,793 total 2021 TN COVID-19 deaths (1/1/21 - 9/22/21 as main or contributing cause).

7,793 total 2021 TN COVID-19 deaths (main or contributing cause, as of 9/22/2021) divided by 49,840 total 2021 TN deaths (by any cause, as of 9/25/2021, 2:45 PM) means that approximately 15.63603% of all TN 2021 deaths are by the new cold virus (as main or contributing cause). The approximation is based on the unknown, as of this publication, number of TN COVID-19 deaths from 9/23/2021 to 9/25/21 at 2:45 PM.

Conclusion

The Georgia Bulldogs have 62 points. The Vanderbilt “Commode Doors” have zero points. The game was winding down, as I typed this sentence.

I wonder what the percentage of 2021 Tennessee deaths (so far) are by cancer, heart disease, stroke, automobile accidents, etc. No numbers are available for those statistics. That is the myopia of the Tennessee government. That is the myopia of the USSA government. I suspect that the approximate 15% of all 2021 Tennessee deaths (so far) by COVID-19 (so far) is an inflated percentage. I will not go into the detailed proof to establish the commonly known truth that COVID-19 deaths are inflated. (Facts are available that indicate that deaths by vehicle wreck, gun shots, etc., are being counted as COVID-19 deaths – across the nation.)

Well, I still feel sorry for the Tennessee “Vowel” fans out there. It's much easier to enjoy a Saturday as a Georgia Bulldog fan!

Did I waste my time on another Corona Myopia Psychosis article? Yes, sadly, I did. I am tired of the mask-or-no-mask war, in schools, etc. I am tired of the get-the-vaccine or don't-get-the vaccine war. I am tired of being a free man – in a ONCE FREE and GREAT NATION. Aren't you?

GO DAWGS! Great win, over the “Commode Doors!” The final score was 62 to zero! I regret that the Tennessee “Vowel” fans may have to pour out their orange Kool-Aid this evening. They may as well come on over to the DAWD NATION SIDE!

I have placed Corona Myopia Psychosis in the context of college football. I fell good about that, at least.

By the way, did y'all enjoy watching the Georgia Bulldogs (#5 pre-season coaches poll) whip Clemson (#2 pre-season coaches poll), on 9/4/2021? I did! Well, I was either happy or “cussin' and fussin'” – depending on how my DAWDs were doing! Star Trek had come on at 10 PM. The football game was winding down. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman was asleep. Molly “doggy” was asleep (in her basement condominium). I tried to keep my vocal expressions to a whisper. I did, well enough – as I stood in our living room, watching Star Trek when the football game was on commercial and watching the football game when it was live action. My “bionic” joints got a lot of exercise!

Live action, with common sense, is what this once great nation needs. I doubt it will happen in my lifetime. We will see.

RATE THE PLATES IS ON! (published 9-21-2021)

Image from “Rate the Plates: Gov. Lee Invites Tennesseans to Pick New License Plate Design: Voting open now through September 27,” 9/20/2021, 12:53 PM.

 Introduction

Who cares that this once great nation is going to the Hadean Realm in a hand basket? Who cares about Corona Myopia Psychosis? Who cares about illegal aliens invading the USSA southern border? Who cares that the USSA is (see USA Debt Clock) $28 trillion in worthless Monopoly money in debt? Who cares if all the other Socialist Utopian lies are progressing faster than we can comprehend?

Rate the Plates

Apparently, the once great State of Tennessee wants anyone (legal or illegal), with an e-mail address (valid or invalid) to VOTE! Anyone (in Tennessee or any nation) can vote to pick one of four options for the new vehicle plates!

“Rate the Plates: Gov. Lee Invites Tennesseans to Pick New License Plate Design: Voting open now through September 27,” 9/20/2021, 12:53 PM –  is the website! Don't be afraid! Vote early and often! I picked option #4. I voted about three times – using false e-mail addresses. Either of the two plate-of-no-color (white) options is fine. I do not want one of the two “blue plate specials.” I have a silver truck. My wife has a red car. The “blue plate specials” would not match the colors well.

Conclusion

Mrs. Appalachian Irishman speculated that I would write this article. I had replied that I would not. I had said, “It's chump change and not relevant.” Well, I changed my mind, as she is fixing supper!

Anyone who verifies a vote for the plate option #4 will get a crisp, new $5 bill (Monopoly USSA money, of course, as that's all that I have). I will pay up to 20 folks that crisp, new $5 USSA Monopoly money bill – if they can verify that they voted for plate option #4. I can spend $100 USSA Monopoly money. I have it in my billfold.

Sarcastic humor is the best medicine – to endure this temporal world. I know. Y'all keep turnin' right and goin' straight out there! I figure that the Good Lord enjoyed a laugh, while being aware that I was writing this article. He is omniscient, of course. Do you want me to prove it? I can! He is also omnipresent and omnipotent. The Lord can't force bad people of free will to do good. God's omnipotence – by having creating people in his image, who have free will – cannot force us to do good. Omnipotence can't do the logically impossible. (This is getting into a “problem of evil” topic, into which I have delved before.) Sadly, far too many people are turning left and heading down. I wish that were not, but they are.

9/19/2021, Sunday Meanderings: Turkey, Dad's Birthday, and “Poly-tics” (published 9/20/2021)

Introduction

At 2:27 PM on Sunday, September 19, 2021, I had begun to fill this blank canvas. I saw clouds, as I looked out my home office window. We had a little rain later. We had a little rain the day before. The weekend weather was not good, for my first fall hike on House Mountain. So, instead, here I had “sot,” as Dad would say, to fill this canvas with words. Buckle up! It's a five-page article. If you have a short-term attention span, due to too much time on social media, then please stop reading now. Otherwise, to those who still enjoy reading long articles, I hope that you like this one.

I will meander for a while. “Meander” is of Greek origin (Μαιανδρος). Maiandros (or Maeander) was a river-god of Karia (or Caria), in Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Menderes River (Büyük Menderes Nehri, in Turkish) is in southwestern Turkey. It leads to the Mediterranean Sea at Antalya. (Anyone can do the same research, as I did.)

Turkey

Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I enjoyed a two-week summer vacation at a nice resort near Antalya – in 1998. We were part of a three-family mission team to Moscow and Klin, Russia (10/1/1994 to 9/30/1999). The Covington family had already moved back to the USA. The Bryant family and we were still in Russia. We, the two families, had needed that vacation! Summer is dacha season in Russia. Our mission work always slowed down some in the summer, as folks were often gone to their dachas. Moscow slowed down. We slowed down. We had a great, relaxing, and refreshing vacation that we needed. I have the film photographs and memories. I may get around to writing more, with photographs, if I decide to take the time to do so.

The above is one photograph of our vacation. For about twenty years, it has been in a frame and on our living room end table. I was 38. Mrs. Appalachian was my age, minus three years. At sunset, the photographer asked me to jump over her. I did. I still wish that I had jumped straighter. I did as well as I could, given the lighting and waves from the Mediterranean Sea. (Some folks call it an ocean. I call it a sea.) I think that my “bionic” body could still jump over her as high. Aside from the 25 surgically implanted metal items in my left shoulder, right knee, and right foot, I'm still in the same shape, aside from the gray hair and a few more wrinkles. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman looks exactly the same now. (She forced me to write that!)

Dad's Birthday on Constitution Day

On 9/17/1787, the Constitution (which is ignored mostly nowadays) of the once great USA was signed by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention. Y'all are welcome to research and read the details.

On 9/17/1921, my Dad, Earl H. Ferrell, was born. He was the youngest of eight children. His parents were Marion (no middle name) Ferrell and Molly Gertrude (Archer) Ferrell.

You are welcome to search this website, by “Dad,” family, or heritage topics. I have written several articles about Dad. The above photograph is from 1947. Dad was 20. He is the man standing, wearing the white safety hat. Papaw Marion Ferrell was 67. He is the taller man, standing behind Dad. They are working the cable drill, drilling a water well for someone. That was years before Dad got his well machine. (I know the details.)

On 9/17/2021, while I “hitting a lick” (working) at the “Hadean Realm” (the office), I remembered. My youngest brother did too. I wonder if the other two brothers remembered.

My youngest brother called me yesterday, early in the afternoon. He stated that, on 9/17/2021 (Friday), the pump at his in-laws' house stopped working. (His in-laws have both passed on, but the house is still standing and being maintained.) Dad had drilled a well for my youngest brother's future in-laws, decades ago (probably in the 1960s). In 1981, as my brother recalled, Dad (at age 54) had replaced the pump. My brother and the youngest daughter of his now deceased in-laws were married, on 5/6/2000. I had the honor of performing the wedding ceremony. Mom (age 67) attended in her wheelchair. Dad (age 72) was still alive and able-bodied well enough, despite his ticker trouble.

On 9/17/2021, my youngest brother and a pump repairman that he had called replaced the pump that Dad had installed, in 1981. That's not a bad track record for a 40-year-old pump! Let's see. 40 years from now, I will be 101, if I'm still around.

I wonder if my youngest brother and his pump repair man set as good a pump, as Dad did, in 1981 (when I was 21). The next generation will know. I hope that one of the two daughters of my youngest brother and his wife will keep this website going, after I have gone Home. Hey, nieces, are you reading? I hope so!

“Poly-tics”

At about 4:30 PM, on Sunday, 9/19/2021, the rain was coming straight down. It's a fine Irish rain. I could have gone outside, to walk in the rain. I like a good walk in the rain every now and then. Sixteen minutes later, it stopped raining. I heard thunder.

I had planned to write a detailed article, about “poly-tics,” that I had planned to title “Poly-Tics Smorgasbord.” I don't want to write it now. That temporal “poly-tics” stuff doesn't matter, as I sit here writing, at this moment in time.

I have a few notes in a working document that I will delete. You can follow the links if you wish to do so. I had planned to write more about:

The Russian “election,” which is similar to the USSA 2020 presidential election. Feel free to check out: 9/18/2021, Vladimir Putin's Opponents Are Bowed but Not Broken as Russia Votes (newsweek.com) and 9/19/2021, Russia Election: Opposition Complaints on Final Day of Voting - BBC News. The USSA is catching up to the former USSR quickly!

Various “Supreme Court” opinions and decisions, as if the USSA “Supreme Court” is God's Supreme Court. Of course, with a rare exception, taking the life of the unborn child, in the womb, is murder, according to God's Supreme Court. God's Supreme Court still rules that a person has either an innie (female) or an outie (male). There are too many mundane and temporal details, about which I could write. I will move on. The USSA needs to return to God, of course. In time, God's Supreme Court will have the final rule.

The new cold virus still won't go away. Aren't y'all tired of it? I am. I heard that the Knoxville Zoo tigers had their “corony” virus shots a few days ago! That made the news? Tigers were given “corony” immunizations? Really? Wake up, America! I wasted too much of my writing time and ability last year, and maybe early this year, on Corona Myopia Psychosis topics. I'm tired of the “corony” socialist agenda! Hey, government powers, come here and attempt to force me to take a “corony” shot! I'll show you, verbally, what a real man is like! Apparently, Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs wrote a letter to President Biden, along that same line. I doubt that the mayor's words were as poignant as mine.

The revolt that didn't happen. Apparently, on 9/18/2021, some type of gathering at the White House (or colorless house) took place. The socialist media feared that a constitutionally conservative revolt would include some type of riot. Something fizzled yesterday. I read and heard a few details. I don't care. The USSA started on 1/6/2021. The first president of the USSA was inaugurated on 1/20/2021. The downhill slide on the ice to USSA oblivion is progressing nicely, for the socialists -- who wish that constitutional conservatives would either die or get out of their way.

USSA southern border: what border? Do I need to write more? It's the USSA Socialist Utopian dream coming true. Just wait! The next vote early and often election will include the mass of illegal (yes, illegal) aliens (yes, aliens) that the USSA Socialist Utopians will continue to use, as “useful idiots” (to borrow Lenin's words), to maintain and continue the USSA Socialist Utopia. Don't worry, as long as you have plenty of land for a good garden and hunting skills for meat. Don't forget to have plenty of weapons and ammunition to defend yourself.

9/19/2021, Sunday, Initial Conclusion

Well, about 6 PM, I think that I will go outside, to see if the rain has stopped or not. Did I meander enough? At least I have this article published.

Y'all keep meandering in the right direction, to go Home, eventually! Send me one of them “thar” e-mails, if you would like to talk.

9/20/2021, Monday, Final Conclusion

I have a dear friend, whose birthday was yesterday. She referenced Psalm 139. Psalm 139:23-24 reads, in English, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Yesterday, I wrote to my friend, “I wish that all folks wanted the Lord to lead them into everlasting.”

It's about time for supper, so I'll publish this article. I wish that all folks wanted the Lord to lead them into everlasting. It would be a much better world. The temporal is endured. Everlasting will be bliss.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021 (published 9-12-2021)

Introduction

The often-repeated phrase is “9/11.” The year 2001 is assumed. The historical details of 9/11/2001 are remembered.

Yesterday was 9/11/2021. It was “life, such as it is,” in the context of memory, honor, and the usual.

Memory: Tuesday, September 11, 2001

The above photograph is from “AP PHOTOS: 20 images that documented the enormity of 9/11,” The Associated Press (AP), by Jennifer Peltz, 9/8/2021. You can find many photographs online. The Statue of Liberty was and is still standing.

Dad was still in this temporal world. Mom had gone to her everlasting home on 12/27/2000. (Dad joined Mom on 1/25/2008.) Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I were still living in our apartment on the ridge above where the Knox Center Mall used to be. My wife was and still is teaching for a living in Sevierville, Tennessee. I was working as a second shift operator and help desk agent at DeRoyal Industries in Powell, Tennessee. Almost two years had passed, since our return from Russia, where we served as Christian missionaries for five years.

On 9/11/2001, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had already gone to work. I was alone. Just after 9:03 AM, but before 9:37 AM, Dad called our landline. I was awake but still in bed. He told me about the planes that had hit the two towers. We talked a while. I remember. Dad, at the time, was doing well enough. I worked my second shift job. Life was surreal. Folks were going through a Tuesday workday with blank expressions and little comments. The timeline of 9/11/2001 is found on several websites. One is National September 11 Memorial & Museum: 9/11 Interactive Timelines.

In early 2003, I worked many mornings to early afternoons on our under-construction house, before going to my second shift job. We had broken ground in early December 2002, before Dad had his heart trouble later that month. We moved into our new house on 6/7/2003, the day, in 2000, that Health South let Mom fall. I know the details. I had done most of the interior sanding, puttying, and painting. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and family had helped some.

I still have the portable radio, to which I listened while sanding, puttying, and painting. My youngest brother had given it to me as a Christmas gift. The radio often played The Charlie Daniels Band's song “In America” (1980). Today, I listened to “Charlie Daniels Band's 'In America',” CBS (YouTube), 11/2/2009. Take a moment to listen to the song. Charlie Daniels went home on 7/6/2020. The song “In America” remains. I wish that this “new America” had the same unified conviction, as that America did back in 1980 (Iranian hostage situation, 11/4/1979 to 1/21/1981) and on 9/11/2001. That America had taken a couple of hard licks. That America was still standing.

Honor: Saturday, September 11, 2021

September 11, 2001, was 20 years ago. I still do not understand why the United States of America (USA) could not win the “war on terror” in a year or two. The USA and other Allies (British Empire, USSR, and other nations) beat the Axis powers (German Nazis, Italian Socialists, and Imperial Japanese) in less than four years. World War II was the last total war that the USA fought. After WWII, this nation started fighting “politically correct” wars. The USA tied in Korea, lost in Vietnam, won the Gulf War, and has lost the “war on terror.”

This once great nation lost the 20-year “war on terror,” during which an almost countless number of soldiers died or were injured permanently. All soldiers who served in that tragic “war on terror” are honored. This article honors all who served! The defeat was not the fault of soldiers. The fault rests on the shoulders of many politicians (Republicans and Democrats alike), who used poor judgment, by which the war was lost.

I have seen the memorial for Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss. It is at the Corryton Weigels (where my 2006 Frontier gets 100% gas), 2.5 miles from our house.

The source for the image below is from “How to honor Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss,” WVLT, by Ashley Bohle, 9/3/2021, which embeds Ashley Bohle's 9/3/2021 Twitter post that includes four photographs. The following is the fourth photograph:

Corryton is a small community in east Knox County, Tennessee. I don't know anyone by the last name of Knauss. I may have walked near and spoken briefly with someone named Knauss, while on mundane errands, but we didn't exchange names.

In May 2016, Ryan Knauss graduated from Gibbs High School, three miles from our house. He enlisted in the Army after graduation. He married. At age 23, Ryan Knauss was one of the 13 soldiers who died on 8/26/2021 in the terrorist bomb attack at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan. (Granny and Papaw Wood married on 8/26/1931.) His online obituary is available at “Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss,” Knox News, 9/8/2021, and at “Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss: April 7, 1998 - August 26, 2021,” Mynatt Funeral Home, Inc.

Yesterday, Saturday, September 11, 2021, a memorial service was held for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss at 5 PM at the Gibbs High School Football Stadium. “Family and friends speak at public memorial for Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss,” WATE, by Kristen Gallant, 9/11/2021, updated 9/12/2021, includes a video and written record. My wife and I decided not to join the large gathering of people. Instead, I plan to print out this article and place the copy in the memorial box, which is behind the memorial wall at the Weigels. I hope that the memorial to Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss remains permanently at the Weigels.

The Usual: Saturday, September 11, 2021

Yesterday, Saturday, 9/11/2021, my youngest brother called at 8:11 AM. We talked for 44 minutes. His wife had managed to sprain her right foot severely. Later, my 2006 Frontier and I hauled trash. I got a haircut. My truck had a good handwashing and oil change. My truck and I went to the Tractor Supply. We came home just after Mrs. Appalachian Irishman had returned from Dollar General Store and IGA shopping, and before she went to visit her folks, 3.5 miles away. It was a usual Saturday.

September 11, 2021, was a routine day. The deeper memories and thoughts of 9/11/2001 and 8/26/2021 linger. Temporal life goes on, such as it is.

Conclusion

While my truck was getting his oil changed yesterday, I conversed with an older man. He is a veteran, who had tours of duty in Korea and elsewhere. He taught me a lesson. We stood. We looked eye to eye. We talked. We shook hands. I thanked him for his service.

I have weapons and ammunition and know how to stop a life threat if I need to do so. I may have too much ammunition. The veteran at the oil change location educated me. He said that I do not need more than one clip (about 15 rounds). He said that I could stop 15 attackers. An attacker that I hadn't stopped would get me. Then, the remaining attackers would take my weapons and the rest of my ammunition. I hadn't thought about it that deeply until yesterday. I will still keep the ammunition that I have.

Tony is my friend, brother in Christ, and barber. Yesterday, while he was giving me another great haircut, he and I conversed on several topics. We ended on a spiritual note. Tony and I are ready for the Good Lord to return. Yesterday, I spoke the following to the Good Lord in Tony's presence: “Dear Lord, please call everyone 'out of the pool' now!” He didn't. I was disappointed. I thanked the Good Lord for listening to my request again. I have made that request many times, asking for Christ's second coming.

My perpetually written prayer to the Good Lord is, “Dear Lord, please call everyone 'out of the pool' now! Come, dear Lord, soon!” He will eventually. His coming may not be in my lifetime. I hope it will be!

I place the temporal events of 9/11/2001, 8/26/2021, and 9/11/2021 into my everlasting perspective. This is how I endure the realities of this temporal life. Of course, temporal life is not all bad or evil. This world includes the good, bad, and ugly. I like the good. I endure, by evident faith, the bad and ugly. I hope in known and verified faith assurance. In the everlasting, I will think back on this article. I will smile.

I will keep turnin' right and goin' straight. I have accepted, and try to live in appreciation of, the Good Lord's free-gift offer of everlasting salvation. I'll get home eventually. I hope that you understand. If not, you are welcome to email me, using this website's Contact Form. I am one poor beggar who found the Bread of Life. I will be glad to share that Bread, if you wish to contact me.

9/7/2021 JOURNEY TO HOME (published 9/8/2021)

Introduction

Today is Wednesday, 9/7/2021. The day was mundane for most folks, including Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and me.

At a moment, in a blink of an eye, the mundane can change. I write this brief article today, to honor a good Christian lady, who went Home yesterday.

9/7/2021 Tuesday

I was in my mundane world of working for a living at home. (I did so today. I'll drive to and from the “Hadean Realm” office the next two days, to do the same work – unless something changes.)

I saw a text on my semi-intelligent cell phone. It was a sad text. My friend told me that her mother had passed, from the temporal to the everlasting, that day.

I remember this good Christian lady and her good family, from about 1981 to 1984. The fond memories are in the archives of my concussion-recovered mind. I will not share them here. Those who read and know will remember.

My sister in Christ was 81 years old when she went Home. She had endured temporal health trouble for a while. She is released from those troubles now! She is Home!

She has joined many others, who had already gone Home! I see, by my eyes of faith, the everlasting reunion that she is having now! It must be wonderful!

I wish that the Good Lord would now, while I write this article, call everyone “out of the pool!” I paused. Nope, the Good Lord didn't do so yet. Many others and I will keep waiting, in faith. Our faith rests on valid proof. It is not “blind faith.” I know. I can prove it.

I wish that I had been able, or had taken the time, to see my sister in Christ, before she went Home. She had been living not too far from us. I'll blame my failure on the mundane realities of this temporal realm, which include my “bionic” life.

Conclusion

I had to get this article off my mind and into print! Yesterday, I had called my friend and sister in Christ. I know the details about her mother, also my sister in Christ, who went Home yesterday. We had a good conversation. Our temporal sorrow was overcome by everlasting joy!

I have “poly-tics” and Georgia college football articles in my working documents. I will get around to publishing them eventually. Those articles are temporally “the good, bad, and ugly,” in the context of the realities of this speck of dust and temporal life.

Are you ready, dear reader, to join my sister in Christ, and so many others, at Home? I hope so. If you are not, and if you would like me to help you, please e-mail me! My e-mail address is in my profile.

9/6/2021 LABOR DAY UPDATE: FAMILY HERITAGE, THE ROGERSVILLE REVIEW, FAMILY, AND FRIENDS

Introduction

Howdy, y'all! Y'all ain't laborin' on Labor Day are you? I hope not! Get that cup of coffee ready! This is a seven-page article!

Thanks for stopping by, to read a while! In August 2021, I had 8,377 total views on my website. I mentioned it, in my 9/1/2021 article. I'll keep writing. I've been a writer, since grade school. Y'all keep reading. It's this modern way of communicating, apparently. Of course, you can e-mail me. Click the E-mail button. I will then share my phone number. (Sharing e-mail addresses and phone numbers is harder, due to all the dang spam e-mails and calls – unless we know how to block most of them!)

Yesterday: well, here I “sot,” as Dad would say, on a cloudy Sunday afternoon (when I had begun to write). House Mountain (My Mountain) hiking season is near. I chose not to start my hiking season yesterday. An afternoon hike would have been warm and muggy. I would have had to change from sweaty T-shirt into dry T-shirt, after a hike, if I had hit the trail.

I was tempted, however, to hike yesterday afternoon. My “bionic” body felt its oats well enough – despite the Weigels mini cheeseburger I ate for dinner (or lunch, as the Yankees call it) on Saturday. On Saturday, the hunger growl had started, as I was driving to get gas and haul trash. My '08 Nissan Frontier was hungry for more 100% gas. I was hungry. We both ate. My truck ate better than I did!

This article is a “life, such as it is,” update – divided into four sections. I hope that it helps your “life, such as it is!” It helped mine, to write it.

Family Heritage

September 3, 1959 was a Thursday. My Mom (Betty Lou Wood Ferrell, 11/24/1932 - 12/27/2000) and Dad (Earl H. Ferrell, 9/17/1927 - 1/25/2008) married. The wedding ceremony was at Calvary Baptist Church, in Morristown, Tennessee. I wasn't around yet. Mom and Dad, as they told me, enjoyed their honeymoon in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I have photographs that are in Mom's photo albums. I may publish them, in time.

I was born, just over ten months later, on 7/17/1960. As a small boy, I remember that Mom, Dad, and I lived with Mom's parents and relatives, in Morristown, Tennessee. Eventually, we moved to rural east Hawkins County – Dad's home county. I have many facts and stories packed away, in the archives of my mind and on paper. (Search my website, by topic section or “Mom” or “Dad,” and you can find other articles that I've written, over the years.)

Well, on 9/3/2021, while I “enjoyed” my work-a-day at the “Hadean Realm” office, I remembered. I wonder if any of my three younger brothers remembered.

September 4, 1901 was a Wednesday. My Mom's Dad, Aby William Wood, was born. He was the second son of Gideon Mark Wood and wife Gertrude Roleva Bair. Papaw Wood left this world on 3/14/1983.

Papaw Wood turned 58 the day after he gave away Mom to marry Dad! I had wondered, as a boy, what he thought back then. Papaw told me, when I had grown into a young adult, that he was about as happy as a man could be!

I scanned the above image yesterday. The original is from one of Mom's photograph albums that I have been keeping safely here at our house. (I placed the original back into the album where Mom had placed it decades ago.)

Granny and Papaw Wood celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary, on 8/26/1979. I was age 19. I was there, so I remember. Mom has many other photographs in her album that I may scan and publish, in time.

The above image was published in a Citizen Tribune (Morristown, Tennessee) newspaper article. I remember that Granny and Papaw did not wait to their 50th wedding anniversary, as they thought that one or both of them would not live another two years.

Papaw Wood (born 9/4/1901) went Home, on 3/14/1983. I remember, sadly. I was attending East Tennessee State University (ETSU) and living in a small apartment. I drove home every weekend. I sat with Papaw, in his hospital room, on weekends. Granny Wood (6/16/1901 - 8/12/1991) lived longer. I was honored to have performed her funeral and graveside services. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I were living in Charleston, Missouri. We drove back to Rogersville. Granny had been living at the homeplace, with family, after Papaw passed. I wonder, in 1979, if Granny and Papaw knew that Papaw was having health problems. I wonder if they told Mom. As far as I know, only the Good Lord knew that Papaw Wood would live just over three more years. I still wonder if Papaw Wood knew what he didn't share with anyone else – even his wife. In 1979, Papaw Wood seemed to be doing well, for his age.

Well, on 9/4/2021, Saturday, I remembered that Papaw Wood was born, on 9/4/1901. I wonder if any of my three younger brothers remembered.

The Rogersville Review

Fall 1977 to Spring 1978

I was a senior at Rogersville High School. After school, on Wednesdays, my part-time job was to insert the second section of The Rogersville Review into the first section, as the second section came off the old Linotype press. I have many memories on file in my mind. I remember them well – despite my “multi-trauma,” of 3/29/2016, that included a concussion, from which I recovered fully.

I very well remember Eleanor Sheets (publisher and editor) and Mildred Shortt (columnist, among other “hats” that she wore), as well as others. Eleanor Sheets upheld an exact grammar and style in the editions. She would not have allowed the grammatical errors, over which I try to gloss, in the modern The Rogersville Review.

March or April 1995

I can't yet find the following The Rogersville Review article on the “Interweb.” (I'm still working on it!) The article was included in a March or April 1995 issue of The Rogersville Review – my hometown newspaper. The article title is “Ferrells Live Dream of Adventure as Missionaries in the New Russia.” (I corrected the improper lack of capitalization.) The image, below, is a photocopy. I have been saving the print edition over 20 years.

I recommend that you enlarge the image, to read the details. I did. The details are correct, mostly. By the way, in 1995, I had learned that the Russian word is “mарихуана.“ It is a transliterated word. In late 1994 or early 1995, before we took our six-month furlough, I had no clue what “mарихуана“ meant, in Russian. It's weed, man!

Our first mission work (two weeks only) was in Jamaica, in 1987. There, a man offered me ganja. He called me “John Wayne,” since I was wearing a large “sky,” or hat, which I still have. I have never smoked or inhaled the stuff – unless the second hand smoke, at a Kiss concert, in Johnson City, Tennessee, got me. The man said, “come take a look in my shop” (a large tent in the straw market). I replied, “you pay me $5 to look; no guarantee that I buy!” He agreed! I kept walking – with a bit of a smile!

8/9/2021

The 8/11/2021 edition includes Jeff Bobo's 8/9/2021 sermon of introduction, as the new editor of The Rogersville Review. He wrote a fine sermon. (I should know, since I've outlined and/or written many sermons, in English mostly, with some in Russian.) He seems like a good northerner that became a good southerner (as Mom did). (Sidetrack, with apology: what is the difference between northerners and Yankees, who move south? A northerner blends in, by respecting and admiring the southern culture. A Yankee tries to change us. Yankees can go home! Northerners are welcome!)

Hey, Jeff, you referenced the late Illinois State Senator GeoKaris (or Geokaris). The proper spelling is Geo-Karis, according to that Yankee 2/12/2008 Chicago Tribune article. (That's my minor editorial correction, with apology.)

The quarter (25 cent piece) that the late Senator Geo-Karis gave you was a turning point in your life! I enjoyed getting to know you, by reading your comments! I have had several turning points in life. I am inspired to contemplate a future article, titled “Turning Points in My Life.” I encourage you to write a similarly titled article!

By the way, the late Senator Geo-Karis' name, from Greek, is γεω (“earth,” from which geography, geothermal, etc. come) + Χάρις (“grace”). It seems that she lived up to her last name, by having given you that quarter. I hope that she had accepted the Good Lord's free-gift offer. If so, I will enjoy conversing with her at Home.

9/2/2021

 

The above photograph is from a 9/2/2021 article, in The Rogersville Review. One of my cousins wrote it! The website link, for the article and the above photograph, is: New Choptack drive-in brings back memories of the old Jolly Roger, on The Rogersville Review, by By Becky Ferrell, 9/2/2021. Click it (if you have a subscription)! Did you, if you're a subscriber? I hope so, if you are. I'll wait here, until you read the article.

Now, y'all just hold your britches! See the next (Family) section, below. I want to do a little “Banty Rooster” crowing, as I'd done, in my 6/8/2021 article, for my cousin!

Family

My cousin and I went through grade school and Rogersville High School together. We graduated high school in 1978. Her great grandfather and my great grandfather were brothers. My cousin has lived in and visited several countries. (I wish that she would create her website, to include the details – instead of using “Farcebook.”) I haven't seen my cousin, since high school graduation. I know her well enough, by “Interweb” contact. The next time I get up to my hometown, I hope to see her – if we can arrange it.

My cousin is in print – as of 9/2/2021! I am crowing like a Banty Rooster for my cousin! She wrote The Rogersville Review article of 9/2/2021! The article is listed previously. (I'd correct The Rogersville Review's failure to capitalize the main words, if I were the editor.)

That's a good article, Becky! I enjoyed reading it! I remember when some of us boys hid on the bank, beside the Jolly Roger. We had walked there, in the dusk to dark, and back. We saw several movies for free! We could hear the car speakers, which were close enough to us, well enough. We saw a few of those almost naked girl shows also. (I'm sorry, Mom! I never did tell you!) Once, the Jolly Roger almost caught us, but we were able to run off in time! Those were great times!

Yes, I did pay to see a few movies there too – or Dad paid for us, when I was a boy. When I was old enough to drive, I paid my own way into the Jolly Roger. I think that I had a date with me a time or two. I don't recall much of the movies, when I had a date with me. We were doing other things. (Again, I'm sorry, Mom! I did behave as a gentleman – mostly!)

I am crowing like a Banty Rooster, for my cousin, Becky Ferrell! Keep up the great work, 'cuz! On that “thar” “Farcebook,” send me one of them “thar” “IMs,” with you phone number or e-mail address. I can let you know, much easier, the next time that Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I will be in our home town! We can plan a get together!

By the way, Becky, please tell Jeff Bobo: if he will pay me a quarter (25 cents), for my time, I'd be glad to write an article for The Rogersville Review. Also, please tell Jeff that he needs to have his folks update the “about” section on The Rogersville Review's website. It doesn't mention him yet.

Friends

God inspired King Solomon to write the Old Testament “book” of Proverbs. I know. I will meet anyone who disagrees, in an arranged and formal debate. Any challengers? I didn't think so. If I have a challenger, I'll let y'all know.

Proverbs 18:24 states, in part, by NIV translation from Hebrew, “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Well, that's true. I have several friends, who stick closer to me than at least one of my three brothers. (One brother is trying to live off government Monopoly soup, apparently. That's not how Mom and Dad raised us four boys!)

I have had a friend and brother in Christ, since the fall of 1984. He and I shared a dorm room, in Paul Gray, when we attended Freed-Hardeman University (or College, as it was called then). I could unpack the memories, in my concussion-recovered brain, but I won't – for now. My brother and friend lives in Arkansas. He is five years younger than me. (I had transferred to Freed-Hardeman College, as an “old” man of 24 years, in the fall of 1984.)

My friend and brother “Roy” and I communicate at times. He calls me “Merrill.” It's been our joke since 1984. “Roy” was a missionary in The Ukraine for ten years. He visited Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and me, when we were living in Moscow, Russia. “Roy” and I haven't communicated with each other in a while. Well, we spent an hour or two on the phone together over this last weekend. “Roy” is a friend and brother who supported me, by his calls and e-mails, in the early days of my “bionic” recovery (3/29/2016+) – better than other friends did, on an ongoing basis. Thanks, “Roy!” I had needed your frequent support and communication back then!

Well, I don't mean to slight other friends! I have a number of friends that I know will stick “closer than a brother.” They have done so many times. I have a couple of brothers that I know will stick close as brothers, if I need them to do so. Thanks, Lord, for the blessing of close brothers – biological or spiritual!

Hey, “Roy,” when are you coming to this area? You still owe me a hike on My Mountain with me! I wish that Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I could drive to meet you half way. That approximately four or six-hour drive would be too much. A drive of more than about two hours or so is enough for my “bionic” body – at this ongoing stage of my recovery.

Conclusion

Well, I'll wind this article down now. It's about 4:30 PM, on Labor Day (9/6/2021) Monday. At least I didn't work from home, for the “Hadean Realm,” today! I think I'll publish this article now. I have a “poly-tics” article to write – when I get around to it. First, however, I recon I may call my three younger brothers, to see how they are getting along.

Y'all keep turnin' right and goin' straight out there, ya hear! If you do, we'll see each other at Home, eventually! Until then, I hope that you enjoyed this article. I enjoyed writing it.

Today was almost my first hike of the 2021 - 2022 hiking season. I thought about it. I decided to get this article “under my belt” first. Watch out for articles on my future hikes. I see them in my mind now. I'll GERD (git 'er dun) – as the Good Lord wills. I have power and will in my “bionic” body!