Tag Archives: Florida

06

Aug. ’23

More On Climate Change

When I first started talking about CLIMATE CHANGE many years ago, and especially on my other blog www.faithingodministries.net, no one gave me a second read. It was as if I was writing about a fictional act from a sci-fi article that should be read just for fun. There were many people that would not believe (and they told me so) and most of these people still say it is a hoax that people should not believe in and should shut up. This is national and international.

               Whether you believe in climate change or not you should look at what is happening and say something is happening with the weather and the earth. God told Noah that next time He would not destroy the earth with water, but He did not say what it would be. He just said that the people that got right would be saved. I have written extensively about getting right with God in my other blog and those that read my other blog know what I am talking about.

               Since I last wrote about climate change, the climate has gotten worse, but I will only mention a few things. I will start off with the warm waters around Florida. When ocean waters are warmer than the basic hot tub water, something is wrong. We normally get into the ocean water to cool off, not to take a bath. Fish have a hard time surviving in water that is not normal for it. They usually go further out to sea in search of cooler water. This also means fishing boats must go further out and fish much deeper than usual. This also means polar ice melts faster causing sea rise and those popular (expensive) beach homes to slide into the sea.

               Then there is the heat wave all over. I can not only point to the west and mid-west but point all over. It’s everywhere. The first thing that comes to mind is agriculture. A lot of these places grows most of our foods. Years ago, many people grew food in their backyard for themselves with some left over for the neighbors that did not have a garden. Not today. These farms today are gigantic and the food the corporation grow go straight to the grocery store.  I will combine the next paragraph with this.

               Rivers are drying up. I heard that one (there may be more) is completely dried up. Our cities and food growing fields need this water. Now what? People, like nomads of years ago, can move further north to a cooler climate and a little more water to survive. I doubt that it will ever happen, but it is a thought. The heat is cooking everything, making normally hot places hotter. Why hike in this hot weather when under its normal conditions it’s hard? Everyday, they are rescuing people because they passed out while hiking in the desert.

               This is only a very short few words on climate change, it goes much further. People need to take heed and believe because it is real. If you think things will get better, think again. Since the earth was formed, it has changed many times and will continue to change. Read my other blog to find out why.

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20

Dec. ’20

Got To Find A Home

As of January twentieth, twenty twenty-one, where will ex-President Trump live? Is he welcomed in Florida at his club? The governor of New York and the mayor of New York City told him he is not welcomed there. Where will he live? Will there be a Trump Library like other ex-Presidents? As the old folks say, I guess I am a part of them now, ‘you made your bed so lie in it’. He has ostracized so many governors and mayors that they do not want him.

               The people that control the property at Mar-A-Lago have filed papers to not allow Trump to reside there. In 1998 Trump signed papers making staying at the club more than a week illegal because he wanted a tax write-off by making the residence a club. In the signed papers it is written that a person can not stay longer than a week and no more than three times a year. He has stayed there more than that.

               He told New York that he did not want to stay there because they were after him for his tax paperwork and more. This includes his kids and their families. There are still numerous lawsuits in play and is waiting for him to be out of office. Well, Florida and New York are out. California is out also because he told them they were not doing things right to control the fires. He wanted them to rake and sweep the forests to prevent the fires. California disagreed therefore he withheld funds to help them in their time of need (that was one reason but there is more).

               Maybe his supporters will let him live with one of them. They love him and will do anything he say, up to and including anything that is violent. Maybe by him living with them they will not worry about losing their job because of the pandemic and will be able to keep a roof over their heads. Maybe he can give them a little money to keep on keeping on. Nope, I must be delusional to think he would give someone money. He would want money from them.

               I guess going overseas is out also because he has alienated all our allies. I can not expect any country taking him in and that includes Russia. Why not Russia? He has outlived his usefulness to Putin and the Russian people. And, thinking about allies, Moscow Mitch, oops, Mitch McConnell may want to take Trump and his family in, but Mitch just accepted President-elect Biden. Personally, I would not trust nor believe McConnell for any reason. And, thinking about calling people names other than their own, it is ironic that Republicans are raising hell that a Democratic aide used a bad word toward them. That is something I have heard from the Republicans, especially the President, for over four years and the Republicans are silent about it.

               I know where Trump will get free living quarters…when the civil lawsuits are finalized and the courts have their say he will have his own private cell, members of his family as well as other people in his administration. Trump will make history again. He will be the first President that will be homeless and the first President that is taken from homelessness straight to jail. There are many crimes he has committed, and they are both federal and civil. He can, technically, escape the federal crimes but he can be and will be held accountable for the civil crimes.

               As the old song about the bole weevil stated ‘ got to find a home’. This President, soon to be ex-President, need a home before he is given a home behind bars that is paid for by the people he has scammed daily. It will be interesting to watch what happens as it occurs. It is reported he has said he will not vacate the White House. This way he will have a home sooner than he think. JAIL!

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13

Oct. ’18

Reactions

Sitting here on my balcony, not many yards from the Chesapeake Bay shore (being written on Thursday evening), with not a thing to do but wait on the remnants of hurricane Michael. This area will receive a little rain this afternoon and overnight, very high winds tomorrow. It is strange to not see boats on the bay because the boaters have disregarded advisories many times before. They are cautious today, uhm, strange. The naval fleet is still tied tight to their docks. I didn’t hear they are leaving to ride it out at sea like they did for the last hurricane. This also make me think of the air force base that is positioned in the Florida panhandle. The base took almost a direct hit from hurricane Michael. I remember a base that was wiped out, during a hurricane in Florida a few years ago, and it was never rebuilt. Storms are getting worst, but politicians say there is no climate warming although scientists are saying there is. Which is it?

Thinking about climate warming, the ice that is in the north and south poles, is getting thinner and huge icebergs are starting to break off from the main mass. Polar bears and seals are having a hard time finding refuge and hunting grounds. That is why they are coming inland to populated areas. Survival is the word and main factor. The action and reaction.

It is said, I learned in school, ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. That has a meaning in everything that is done (can also be applied to ‘said’). Most people never realize or think about the reaction from what they do or say. It is very prevalent for the last two years or so and for years to come, until we get control of this very crass banter. I call it banter because things have been said to get a reaction. However, the reaction may not be what is hoped for or, normally, will be.

There are many things that will soon cause reactions, that is causing strong reactions that will hurt both sides of the political world. I am talking about West and Swift. Both individuals have followers in the millions, but the question is, how many will follow them? Willie Nelson can be counted as another and there are more big names in the mix. Who will win? What will the reactions be? I know what I will do but I wonder about the country’s reactions and the outcome.

The dictionary definition of reaction is (1 movement in the direction of political conservatism or extreme rightism. (2 action in response to some influence, event, etc.. And this goes on even further. However, there is one form of reaction that I want everyone to heed. Go to the polls and vote. Laying back, hoping others will carry the ball, will not exert pressure onto either side and will accomplish nothing but apathy, no reaction. That is one of the things that went wrong during the last election. A lot of real blood, sweat and tears was shed for all citizens to vote. Use that right. Vote. React!

 

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22

Jul. ’18

Reunion 2018

This month have been an exciting month, to to say the least, I will make this short by hitting the highlights. For those that read my blog, which is written every other week, I did not write one the week before last. My wife and I was in Orlando, Florida for the family reunion that is every two years at a different location with a different theme each time. This was the fifth family reunion and it was a lot of fun, games and food.

There is a lot to see and do in Orlando with not enough time to do either. It is great to see and talk to members of the family that haven’t been seen nor talked to in the past two years. To acquaint oneself with the going on and happenings with the other, out of state, members of the family and to just have fun to boot was great. After seeing helicopter tours all over the place I decided to take a couple of the younger male members on their first flight in a helicopter, they loved it. We flew over Disney World, the surrounding areas and back. Well worth my money to see the area from the air and the smiles on their faces.

The welcoming event, picnic and costume banquet was great, as always. I believe we outdid the last one which was in Lancaster, Pa. For the welcoming event, the first day, we all wore the last reunion tee shirts and, of course, for the picnic we wore this year’s tee shirt with the extended family names on the back. For the banquet each branch of the family wore a Disney character costume with prizes given for whoever was considered the best. My wife wore Tinker Bell and I wore Peter Pan but we didn’t win.

Many families rented houses (two or three families to a house) to stay in for the reunion, with members of the family coming together to cook, eat and party well into the wee-hours of the morning just to start the day over again. Life is beautiful and filled with fun. As always, all good things must come to an end. We were with children, grand children, great grand children, cousins and very close friends. It was really great to see all of them and make plans for year 2020.

Upon returning to Richmond, we stayed overnight with my wife’s sister before returning to Virginia Beach. It was nice to be back in the Capitol City again and I made a last doctor’s appointment while there. Coming back to Virginia Beach, I finally made the transfer to the Veteran’s Hospital in Hampton. Now I can concentrate on making plans for the Hahn AB, Germany reunion that will be held in California next year. My wife have never been to California but I was stationed at a base in the state in the 60’s. It will be great to see old friends that I used to supervise and those that have supervised me. We also have two or three more trips for the remainder of this year, I can hardly wait. A lot to look forward to.

Who say senior’s are too old to travel and have fun? All it take is a willingness to want to do it and go out and do it. Life is too short to let time and things pass by. Like the commercial say “Just Do It”.

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24

Dec. ’17

Merry Christmas

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas with a prosperous, safe and event free New Year. Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas and forever keep that in mind. Today, this era in time, the focus is on economics, money making and the giving/receiving gifts. It also come to mind how people will not give a gift if it is known that a gift will not be received from whom the gift is given.

Instead of celebrating the birth of Christ (thus the name Christmas) it is another reason to sell as many goods as possible. Tis the season to buy and give to those that you have a hard time buying for because the person probably have everything that they need or want. Most people have enough spare money to fill the coffers for the legitimate needy and then some. There should not be a truly needy person (child) anywhere. Think of the number of millionaires/billionaires we have in the USA, yet there are needy people. Remember why we celebrate the season.

The trip is over and it’s resting time before the next adventure. Twelve days cruising and having fun. That is what retirement is all about. Retirement is not for worrying about others, that have been done for many, many years and then some. My wife and I went to Puerto Rico, Barbados, St. Thomas, Martinique, St. Kitt and Antigua. Off and on light rain showers, warm and beautiful was the norm. Hated to return. It was cool when we left New Jersey but returning was a different weather condition. We returned on December fourteen. The twelfth we wore shorts, everyone was either sunning on the deck or in one of the on board pools. The thirteenth was chilly and the twelfth was windy, twenty degrees and snowing. What a welcome home.

Aboard ship was a continuous sea of activity around the clock with plenty of food, drink and entertainment. If anyone said there wasn’t anything to do, see, eat or drink, they were lying. There were times we ordered food and drink and stayed on our private patio, enjoying the sun and salt air. It was a trip worth taking and, of course, I took a thousand pictures or more.

Our next trip is already planned for the beginning of next spring. However, I made a deal with my wife. To go on this trip mean scheduling a trip to Europe. No Europe, no spring cruise. 🙂 It would be great if all the guys I was stationed with could all meet in Europe and party together again. That would be a retirement party to remember. Bucket list???

There is another trip in the planning stage. I forgot about the family reunion that will be in Florida. Have to keep that one in mind and save some energy for that. Retirement can be tiresome at times but it sure is fun. Leave the kids and grand kids at home and we’ll all PARTY!!!! We owe it to ourselves to do it. Lets do it!!!!

 

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14

Dec. ’15

Merry Christmas

It’s been a while, however, I’ve been busy and sort of lazy in the off times. But the Holidays will do that to you although that should not be an excuse. When I think of the season, I feel sort of guilty every time I look at the national and international weather. Here we are basking in the sun, warmth, mild winds and just plain unseasonable weather. Reminds me of when I was stationed at MacDill, AFB, in Florida. I remember sitting under a window air conditioner on Christmas Day. It was a nice day although on the hot side but very nice all the same.

As I walk around, here at Imperial Plaza, I often hear people complaining about how warm or cold it is. I hear people complaining about the rain or no rain at all. People just have to complain about everything that does not need complaining about. We could be in the Mid-West and have the feet of snow along with the cold. We could be on the west coast and be in the drought stricken areas.

There is a saying: “Be careful what you wish (ask) for, you just may get it.” There are areas, on the west coast that were wishing for rain, now there are floods. There were areas on the west coast that wished for snow in the mountains that will give them water down below. Now the complaint is the snow came too early and it’s too much. We have people here wishing for cold weather. Are they going to get it? Will it be too much or not enough or just right? Be careful what you wish for.

There is another complaint at the Plaza. There is one group of people, in Dogwood, that say the new lobby furniture is too high. There is another group that say it is too low. Then there are those that complain it is too dark colored. I say, be grateful and happy new materials are showing up all over the place. It cost us exactly zero and it is new. There is a saying for this also: “You can please some of the people some of the time but you can’t please all the people all the time.” I personally love the new furniture and carpet. The place look beautiful. At least to me it does.

There is another saying: “The difference between men and boys is the size of their toys (or the cost of their toys.)” I just bought my Christmas toys and I already have them out. I just love getting toys and acting like a kid, even if it is not Christmas Day. However, I don’t go overboard and have it carry me into bankruptcy. I like to pay as I go. Try it. This time next month will feel good knowing everyone else is knee deep in debt and I have no bills. Oh, what a feeling it is. Puts a permanent smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart. There is another way to be without debt at Christmas. Start saving a nice amount, monthly, for next year. Start now and keep doing it.

I’ll shut down, for now, and do some other writings. I have three writings that I want to finish, at least by the end of next year, and some smaller writings that I hope to sell sooner. This really take a lot of time, especially concentration and rewrites, rewrites, rewrites. This article, that you are reading (I hope), can be done in one sitting with only a little editing. There is a gold mine of things to write about, here at Imperial Plaza, but being careful about what is written takes time and a lot of thought. Thinking before it is sent to the internet will save a lot of heartaches later. Plus having finger crossing luck.

Have a very Merry Christmas and the best Happy New Year ever!!!!

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01

Feb. ’15

The Condo

I have noticed the new viewers that I have acquired on the site and I say “Welcome” and I hope you like what I write about and continue viewing. Spread the word and have others follow also.

I have a part-time job and it is at a high rise condo building that is home to quite a few of the “old money” people of Richmond. An example of one is a woman that live in the building and have another condo in Florida. She own quite a bit of commercial and rental property in Florida, therefore she spend a lot of time there. She also own quite a bit in Petersburg, Richmond and the surrounding areas of both cities. People that live in the building I part-time for are not poor or middle class. There is a top Virginia Delegate and a recording producer/writer, just to give you another example.

These people, looking at them, seem like, talk like and act like ordinary people and they seem to know most of what is happening all over. Many times I am asked about Imperial Plaza and what is going on (this was before some of them started to read my blog) and they seem very interested. I try to answer their questions truthfully but not to the point of stomping on Imperial Plaza’s good name. There is no point in beating a horse that has stumbled. I believe Imperial Plaza will right itself and walk tall again.

In talking with these people, I am mindful of their power in the area and elsewhere. It is said that money know money and nothing gets done or gets past the people that have money. It is fascinating how similar the people at the condo sit around in a group and gossip like it’s done at Imperial Plaza. I’ve observed them talking about everyone and everything and if they really don’t like something, changes are miraculously made.

I’ll take a stab at how this is done. The majority of the people are elderly (I’ll get to the young ones shortly) and the adult kids, power players, will do anything for mom, dad, aunt, etc. because they hold the money and/or got them to wherever they are now. They are dedicated to these people. Sometimes they will talk to whomever at the synagogue or one of the other super large Richmond church.

There are a handful of young adults and most don’t even have a job. Their parents will do anything for them, no matter what it is. One guy, I know of, don’t have a job but have the expensive condo, expensive car and all he does is go out every night and party, including in the condo.

I said all of that to say this. Imperial Plaza is being talked about and I hope it’s name remain in the good graces of the people at my part-time job. They wield a lot of power.

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