Just another crappy day in the neighborhood!

12/30/2019

Not much to say about today. It's not particularly cold outside, but it's raining and there is some fog. Unfortunately, I have two doctor appointments today, and this will definitely bite into my reading time! I have ordered several books from Amazon, so I will have to wait a few days until they arrive. At the moment, I'm rummaging around in my various baskets, looking for something I want to actually read. Problem is, once I've got my nose in a book, I don't wish to be bothered! And, this book concentration started when I was a teenager. I drove my Mother crazy, when I would respond to doing a chore, that I just needed one more minute. This, obviously didn't win me any favors.

Another shooting? This time at a Rabbi's home, where five people were injured. Are we safe anywhere these days? Doesn't seem like it. Just checking the facts: 41 mass shootings and 210 people died. Are you safe in a store? Church? School? Paranoia is beginning to set in. As Dorothy said, in "Wizard of Oz", Toto we're not in Kansas anymore". 

And, are some of the shooters living with some kind of mental disease? Could be. But, I'm mental, and have absolutely no desire to kill anyone. Years ago, Jeff owned a rifle, (I think owned by his grandfather?) and when our home was burglarized, one of the things that was taken was that rifle, which we never replaced. Jeff isn't a hunter, so about the only thing the rifle was used for, was shooting down cans. 

Some of you, will remember the Bay of Pig missile crisis in 1961 (had to look up the year). We students, were told, that if necessary, we were to get under our desks. Many years later, I know and you do as well, that going beneath our desks, wouldn't help one bit.

During this turmoils time,my Father was stationed at Vandenberg AFB. You could drive by and see the missiles out of their silos. I don't believe those missiles were ever used, except for trial launches.

I remember my Father telling my Mother, that if an air raid went out, Mother was to get us children, and as much stuff as she could put in the trunk, and then leave the base. I, do think, that for several months, the trunk of the car had some necessities inside.

Some statistics: the base was only 5,777 miles from Korea; from China 7,268 miles. Scary, when you think about it. But, with all the shootings here at home, nobody, or at least most of us, even think about a missile attack. 

P