SeanSumner.blog

As I was sitting on the porch this morning drinking my coffee I realized it was time for a hair cut. During the last few years I had made major changes in what my hair looks like.  While I was working, for most my career, I got what was called a business cut.  During my years as an undercover narcotics detective I had long curly hair.  I was told I looked like the TV character Mr. Carter and the show Welcome Back Carter.  Continue reading “Dinosaur hair”

As I was sitting on my porch this morning I looked towards the driveway at my 2012 pickup truck.  Even though it is still 2013 my Truck is two years old.  If I watch the television I can see dealerships taking thousands of dollars off the price of a 2013 model.  The 2014 models have been out for several months.

It seems to me, as I have gotten older, that the next year models come out earlier each year.  So my question is how can you call it a 2014 model when it comes out a 2013.  Shouldn’t it be a 2013 1/2 model?  Continue reading “what year is the model?”

As I was sitting on my porch this morning drinking my coffee and looking at the color of the leaves as they were changing.  I though of the a news broadcast I had just watched on the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.  Like most people I can remember exactly where I was on the day the president was assassinated.  Continue reading “I can’t believe I’m that old”

As I was sitting on my porch last night I could hear, in the distance, the sound of motorcycles driving on the nearby highway.  The throaty roar of the exhaust pipes made me think that the bikes were Harley Davidson.  It made me think of my Harley Davidson and the many Harleys that I owned my life.  With all the different Brands and styles of motorcycles I had to ask why Harley Davidson. Continue reading “Why Harley Davidson”

As I was standing on my porch today with both hands around a cup of coffee trying to stay warm I thought about a news story I saw earlier on the television talking about the dangerous job in places like Water world  and how the courts could rule to shut those companies down because of the danger to its employees. 

 

If the courts can rule to stop people from working in dangerous jobs there a lot of jobs stake.  For example, police work or fire fighters who are working dangerous jobs, Many people choosethis jobs as their professions. Will the courts shut them down?  Continue reading “Dangerous jobs”

As I was sitting on the porch this morning I can feel the cold front coming in from the north.  For me I prefer the warm or hot weather.  For my wife she prefers the cooler, cold weather.  It seems to me that many couples have opposite temperatures that they enjoy.  For example, how many of you used blankets even in the summertime while your significant other is always too hot and uses just a sheet.  Are there the occasional arguments or discussions about the thermostat?  It seems almost natural that couples are divided on the temperature, some like it hot some not.

 

I am also interested and the choice of where we live, as to the temperature there, and where we vacation.  I was born in the north and as a rule most families went south for vacation.  Most retirees moved to the south, in my neighborhood it was Florida.  And now living in the south I find many people moving to a cooler area, like Colorado.  Many seem excited to take vacations to Alaska.  I prefer going to the Caribbean islands and enjoying the warm breezes and Clearwater.  My wife would love to go to Alaska to see the snow covered mountains and the glaciers hoping to catch a glimpse of a well on the way.

 

This brings me to the changing of the season which is occurring now.  I already miss the warm weather even if it does mean I sweat a lot.  My wife is thrilled at the drop in temperatures and is hoping for a glimpse of snow this year.  Each season of the year has its own joys.  The fall brings cooler temperatures, thanksgiving and the color falling leaves; to me it means it’s time to break out the jackets.  Winter brings cold temperatures with a holiday spirit of Christmas and New Year’s.  This spring brings new green to the forest, the birth of new creatures and to me the opportunity to fish for largemouth bass.  This summer brings a warm temperatures and for many no school and vacations.  To me it rings travel to relatives are vacation and the ability to ride on my tractor all day along.

 

So enjoy the competition other controls the thermostat in the house.  Enjoying the changing of the color of the leaves, and break out the big jackets.  I’ll be on my porch looking at life and enjoying my freedom of speech.

 

Pops

As I was sitting on my porch last night resting from cutting down three dead pine trees who have been killed by pine beetles.  I found them by listening to him that trees being devoured by redheaded woodpeckers. I thought about all the certifications I’ve had my life.  The latest certification came yesterday from the state of Texas.  My property now is a certified tree farm.

 

Why is it that many of us work so hard to become certified.  In the workplace many different professions have some sort of certification.  Weather you’re a doctor who certified in a specialty or a certified administrative assistant, it is important that you have that certification.  There are many levels of certification including Federal, state, local, profession or occupational.  I get to my meat from a certified butcher (a union certification ) and my wife get your hair done by certified beautician.  It seems to me that I had been working most my life to obtain some sort of certification whether through education or experience.

 

There is another type of certification that I have achieved if you talk to him my family or some of my old workmates.  Certifiable crazy, is that bad or is it good.  In my younger years it was sort of a back handed compliment.  Later in life in the workplace it seemed to become an insult.  Now has a senior citizen it seems to be both a compliment and an insult.  I, like many veterans, have been diagnosed with PTSD.  I have wondered, does that make me certifiable crazy.

 

It is just a thought.  For those of you who read this blog you may have noticed some spelling errors.  I had been writing these blog by using voice recognition on my computer.  In doing so I have missed a lot of grammar and spelling errors.  I am working on it but I am more excited about using new technology ( newer than a color TV) in effort to keep up with my grandchildren.  Who knows maybe a tweet is next.

Pops

People at Wal=Mart

As I was sitting on my porch this morning, drinking my coffee, I felt the cold air and realized it is time for new winter jacket.  In the past I would go into town or the city and browse the many stores and search for the jacket.  Now that I live in the country, a rural area, my choices are very small.  So usually I will go to Wal-Mart.

 

I always find interesting sights when going to Wal-Mart.  First of all, it does not matter how you dress.  I am always amazed at the variety or the stages of dress of the many shoppers and of the employees.  Living in the south if you go on a Sunday at about noon, you’re bound to see what I call church people shopping  in their Sunday finest.  Men in business suits or starched jeans and shirts and women in long dresses wearing heels and the children dressed in well coordinated colorful clothing, they are so cute.  And pushing a cart next to them is bubba semi dressed in camo attire sometimes in a sleeveless shirt, tattoos a blazing looking like a duck dynasty character.  Next to him as a woman missing two front teeth, her hair tied up in stages of multiple color, wearing a tank top and wearing what looks to be like pajama bottoms and some or well worn slippers.  Also in the aisle and has a very large woman sitting in one of the motorized shopping carts, her cane sticking out of one side the rest of her sticking out on both sides. She is with a very skinny old man who she calls ‘hun’as she directs him to the different items on the shelf to be put into the small basket of the cart.  There always seems to being a young family with their three kids pushing a shopping cart in which two of the children want to ride inside while the other keeps grabbing things off the shelf and mom or dad keeps putting them back on the shelf. All of these people shopping side by side without incident.

 

These shoppers seem to float in and out of the aisles in what seems to be practiced dance with a background of music from Wal-Mart.  Most the time the shoppers pushing a cart follow the rules of the road, driving to the right side, and are very polite when two cart reach the same location one of the shoppers gladly gives away to the other.  Due to the wide selection of various items in Wal-Mart I am always amazed at what some shoppers have in their cart.  Many senior shoppers who only shop once a month for food, like I do, use two carts while shopping.  Both will be filled up but without any dangerous overhang or obvious crashing of the bread.  It is always interesting to see the look on the face of the shopper who starts to get in line behind my two carts, usually they make a quick uturn to another cashier.

 

Shopping at Wal-Mart is to experience the freedom in America and the acceptance of all people.  It does not matter how you are dressed her how well you look.  There seems to be no prejudice against any race or religion.  The wealthy shop next to the poor. All in the interest of saving money and the experience of one stop shopping. Weather you are looking for a bag of deer feed, a pillow, a set of tires or a TV, you’ll find shoppers floating through the aisles putting the items in their carts and checking out in a peaceful manner.

 

The other adventure at Wal-Mart is in the parking lot.  Usually all the handicapped parking spots are full.  Not all the people parking there are handicapped and so you’re observing handicapped people walking ( very slowly) up and down the parking aisles.  Many drivers, no matter what size of vehicle they drive, will wait in line for a close parking spot.  Sometimes you wonder how they got out of the vehicle without banging into the car next to them.  Shopping carts are staggered all over the lot and if there is a wind it seems like an unorganized shopping cart race to see how many cars can be hit.

 

Shopping should be a peaceful relaxing experience.  However when shopping in a department store or a mall setting it always seems uncomfortable.  Some stores will not recognize you if you are not dressed properly.  Others will profile you and make a decision whether to approach you are just let you walk around. But if you go to the Wal-Mart in the same area you’ll find the same style of shopping as the country.

 

My thought was not to be an endorsement for Wal-Mart.  But rather for that style of shopping.  I would hope that the experience of shopping would be focused more on serving the shopper rather than profiling.

  Just a thought.

 

POPS

And I was sitting on my porch this morning, watching the rain fall on a new day.  I looked in my driveway at my truck which my wife drove down to relatives wedding.  I was glad to see her back at home and asked about the wedding.  She went on to tell me the story of how chaotic it was in the beginning and How beautiful it was in the end.

 

Weddings are one of those events that can either take a lot of planning or can be very simple.  It always seems to me that if it’s going to be a big wedding you need to hire a wedding planner.  Such things as the music like the band or the DJ, needed be coordinated.  Items like the flowers, or where the tents are placed, when will the food be served and how long the event should last become a confused mess without a planner. It seems to me that one side of the aisle are the other, believes that someone else is in charge.  If it is left to one side of the isle it is guaranteed the other side’s family get irritated  or insulted if as the event the proceeds.  The groom and bride are depending upon someone to guide them through the ceremony.  Usually a relative other than the groom or bride’s mother or father will:reluctantly take charge and direct people to their seats;  tell the caterer when they are going eat, make sure the band or DJ has a right song get the official marrying the couple to get ready and do their best to get the show on the road.  This is in any wedding weather there are two grooms or two brides or a single groom and bride or multiple couple. If there is no wedding planner then someone will eventually get so irritated at the lack of direction they take charge. some wedding go very well especially if they are small. but many times what starts of with a small wedding plan ends up as a large wedding.

 

I’ve been blessed with sons. All of them are married now.  Each one had a different ceremony from very expensive to beautifully simple.  The llast son to get married did it on a beach in South America.  It was a simple ceremony without family or friends present.  Later with a lot of preparation a second ceremony was held in Texas with many family and friends present.  One son had a very elaborate wedding in a California mountain vineyard, it had a planner which involve the event and transportation to the site.  Three of my sons were married at my home (three different houses) each had different levels of complication.  All five events had it set ups and downs, But in the end all were remembered as great events.

 

My thought this morning is that if you want a wedding that will add little to no additional stress to the bride and groom. Either have a  waiting planner or have someone from both family’s recognized as in charge. So that all those involved in a ceremony and watching the ceremony can go to that person for guidance. 

Congratulations to those of you are getting married even if this is not the first time.

Just a thought

Pops