Fall City Horses

Well, I was shocked by this: Yesterday, several horse riders passed my house, coming down from the trails that begin at the end of my street. As usual, my two dogs ran to the gate, barking and jumping against the fence. It happens that they do that almost every time anyone passes by, either on foot, bicycle, horse or even in cars and trucks. The shocking part was that one of the horse riders called in to my friend and me, "Can't you control your dogs?!" My dogs were fenced in and on my own property. The horse riders were outside on a public street. My dogs WERE under control! If people want to ride on a street with no possibility of being disturbed by dogs, they can just ride somewhere else and leave me alone. It's not that I like listening to my dogs barking but I don't like navigating my car around the piles of horse shit all along the road either. I also don't like listening to the VERY LOUD conversations of bicycle and horse riders coming and going all day. It seems they all feel it's necessary to shout to each other all the time. Anyway, as I mentioned, if people don't want to hear my dogs...they can just go somewhere else. I live here!

Social Security Benefit Cuts???

I live in a little house in Fall City and collect some Social Security,
while I still have a job that provides almost no income. Every month, I
have to take more money from my meager savings to pay my bills as it
is.

Now! Now I hear they're considering a decrease in my Social
Security benefits. I've been paying into Social Security for more than
forty-five years and now it seems they won't be able to live up to
their side of the bargain. It's just too expensive to conduct THREE
WARS, bail out Wall Street, bail ou the insurance companies, bail out
the Auto Industry and countless other corporate entities all while
cutting taxes for the rich. It's such a great burden to hand over
billions of our dollars to so many other nations every year. It's no
wonder there's nothing left for me (and millions of others in my
situation).

Probably in every city, the largest, most
expensive buildings are owned by banks and insurance companies. Where
do we suppose all the money for such filthy extravagances comes from?
The same can be said for the most lavish homes and lifestyles all
around the country. It all comes from the little people...us. We pay
and they collect. Our government and business leaders are draining us
dry.

What is this all about? What happened to the Democrat we elected
as our President? What happened to the Democratic-controlled congress?
Why do we keep spending our money for everyone but our own people? Why
have we allowed our jobs to be shipped overseas?

When John
McCain comes out in support of Obama's war in Libya, doesn't that tell
us something? Doesn't that tell us there's very little difference in
the performance of our so-called leaders, regardless of their political
parties? Of course I'd expect the Republicans to conduct as many wars
as they can get their hands in but the Democrats!? Why are we still
giving all those billions away? Why are we still fighting in Iraq and
Afghanistan...and now Libya?

Enough! That's enough!

It's time to focus on the United States...on our own citizens...on our
own needs . I can't speak for anyone but myself. However, I'm
relatively confident that most Americans would prefer to have decent
health care and a dependable retirement income. We have nothing! Our
"Leaders" are squandering away all that we've all worked so hard to
achieve.

I suppose our "Leaders" don't really care.
After all, their own pensions are not in danger and their health care
is far superior to that of the masses. Even the "Snake-in-the Grass"
losers like Weiner can cheat and lie, then resign, and still collect
our tax dollars afterwards.

It's all wrong!

We
need accountability in government, a FLAT TAX system, universal health
care, term limits (ONE TERM) for all political office holders.
Corporations should not be viewed under the law as people. There should
be no corporate influence over our government employees (elected or
otherwise). NO CORPORATE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. NO PACS. Government
employees should have no benefits beyond what the average citizen
receives. NO CAREER POLITICIANS AND NO CAREER MILITARY. It should be an
unpaid (almost) civic duty to serve the country in any capacity.

I've just plain had it! A cut in my Social Security will end up costing
me my home while the Rich Just Get Richer, the politicians keep raking
it off the top and my hard-earned money is thrown to Nation-building
efforts, wars, corporations...

Anybody have any solutions?

TWO NEW HIPS!

I had a hip replaced on April 11th and the second one on June 1st. This is the third day after surgery but they sent me home the day after. That turned out to be an extremely challenging and painful day. I wasn't able to put any weight at all on the new hip that day. However, I can walk without even using a cane now (almost). There's some swelling and numbness on my thigh, apparently because the surgeons spent some extra effort making sure my leg was lengthened sufficiently. (After the first hip was replaced, that leg was 3/4" longer...so now they're the same.) Both operations involved two, minimally-invasive incisions of about 3" lengths. It's just amazing! There were no stitches...just Super Glue. 

Fall City Diner

Here in Fall City, there's a little, low-end restaurant that has been in business for as long as I've lived in the area (since the early eighties). I recall it was called "The Other Place", then "The Fall City Grill". The owner of the Fall City Grill abandoned the restaurant several months ago and now it's re-opened under the ownership of the same people who own the burger joint, "Small Fries". 

My point? 

First impressions in a restaurant are keys to success! My first impression, on trying the new Fall City Diner was woeful. There is no real menu, other than a typed list of burgers and Costco-bought meatloaf and such. While the place is certainly brighter and cleaner than ever before, that's the end of the positives! The food is not good (except for the fries), the portions are meager and the prices are unwarranted. It's not likely I'll be going there again any time soon. That's too bad because I live so close to the place. I would not recommend anyone should ever go there based on my own first impression. Aside from the fries, I can imagine the new owners might develop a good clientele if they allow customers to go to Small Fries and drive over to the new "Diner" so they can sit inside while eating their burgers. 

Alas! I was so hopeful there might be a decent and affordable alternative to the other places in town. But my first impression...is not good.

I should mention that during the period of time the business sat idle with a real estate sign outside, I tried contacting three real estate companies and even called the owner of the building with the hope that I might take over the business and serve some fine, healthy foods. However, not a single person even responded to my calls. The result...we have a sleazy, low-class new place to eat in town.

End of the World?

Today (May 21st, 2011) is reputed by some quack named Harold Camping to be the end of the world. Actually, it's my understanding that today is the "Rapture" day when all good souls are taken to heaven and those remaining will suffer for six months before the final end in October or November. In any case, I assume there's a good possibility that the quack (Harold Camping) who has raped the ignorant public of millions of dollars might just "off" himself so he never be aware of the folly of his prediction. He predicted the end would be in 1994 also but, when it didn't occur that time, he declared he had made a minor miscalculation and that today would be the day. How convenient for him to be able to steal so much more money from the sheep. People are just plain stupid, don't you think?

Boycott Arnold Schwarzenegger

Fathering a child with his housekeeper must, JUST MUST, be the tip of a very large iceberg. Imagine how many other illicit affairs this sleaze has had! If he goes back into the movie business or any other form of entertainment, all his efforts should be boycotted. No one should pay a single cent to ever see him again...that applies to all his old movies as well. Don't rent them! This is one more untrustworthy man who has betrayed his wife and family. There are so many like him! It's sad. It's very sad to think of the countless, ridiculously wealthy men in sports, politics and business who have sunken to this level. Where are the strong women? Why are there so few women in influential positions in the world? It's time for real change and we can all start by boycotting Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Then, we can get on to the total censuring of the rest of the immoral miscreants in the world.)

To the Democrats, etc...

Whatever happened to "REAL" Health Care? Where are the jobs? Why is Guantanamo still operating? Why are the wealthy still paying reduced taxes? Why is the government still taking it in the shorts from big business and Wall Street? Why can't individuals in financial trouble get assistance in mortgage restructuring? What happened to all those campaign promises? Why do we still have troops in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why are American jobs still going overseas while our own citizens are unemployed? I would like to see some REAL action to solve our problems...not just smooth talk anymore. 

Why is it okay for the Army Corps of Engineers to blow out Mississippi dikes, thereby flooding farmland? Why is it okay for that same group of so-called "engineers" to dredge the upper Snoqualmie valley, knowing full-well that the lower valley will experience far greater flooding in the future? (Fema has already adjusted floodplain maps, placing many neighborhoods in the flood-danger zone. These are neighborhoods that have NEVER flooded...but they will now.)

Is anyone steering all these buses as they careen downhill?