Sunday Morning Bicycling

Sparkles My Son's Cat...

 A cool cat. Just a very cool cat. He was born deaf. A very bad thing for cats. Extremely aggressive. Very skittish. My son saved his life. They are best friends. Do NOT mess with this cat!!! 

 Here's to Sparkles a very cool cat!!!

Great Thought...

 

Difficulty. Wouldn’t it be great if I could write something that took more than 15 minutes of my attention. 

I never have. I never will. 

Such is the true meaning of life for a man with the attention span of a gnat. 

Of course I’ve never read anything of any consequence from any gnats. Maybe their works are out there. I can’t say I know anything of them. 

Fin

Custom Domain

I just purchased my own custom domain grandpaps-blog.com No more Blogster.com on my site. There are several steps to be done i order to make this work. I'm waiting to see.

Dear Diary

 Going out for Mexican food with our grandkids tonight. Can’t wait!!

School Daze

Every day I ride around my neighborhood on my bicycle. The school kids all shuffle towards the bus stops. They all look like they are headed toward execution. They don't want to go. I'd guess the majority hate school. And I wonder. What was school like say 100 years ago? So I broke my own rule. I asked AI Here's what it said:

My question: 

"What was it like to be a school aged child in the US at the beginning of the 20th century"

Responses follow. AI is good at this stuff:

Life as a school-aged child in the US at the beginning of the 20th century was quite different from today's experience, heavily shaped by geographic location and socioeconomic factors. Here's a glimpse into the key aspects of that time:

1. Schooling was not universal

Attendance was lower: In 1900, only about half of children between the ages of 5 and 19 were attending school.

Child Labor: Many children, particularly in rural areas and working-class families, had to work on family farms or in industries to contribute to the family income, limiting their schooling opportunities.

Rural Schools: The majority of schools were in rural areas and were often one-room schoolhouses with one teacher instructing students across a wide age range (5 to 20 years old).

Shorter School Year: Rural school years were often shorter than in urban areas, acknowledging the need for children to help with farm work, according to The Library of Congress.

Urban Schools: Urban schools were typically larger, with students grouped by age into separate classrooms, notes Encyclopedia.com. 

2. Classroom environment

One-room Schoolhouses: In rural areas, one teacher taught students of all ages in a single room. The teacher might spend most of the time with older students who would then help the younger ones.

Simple Resources: Classrooms were sparse, with few books and limited supplies like slates and chalk instead of notebooks and pencils.

Rote Learning: Learning methods primarily focused on memorization and repetition.

Strict Discipline: Discipline was strict, sometimes involving physical punishment like spanking or paddling. Disrespect towards teachers was severely punished.

No School Lunches: Children brought their lunches from home, often in metal pails or woven baskets. 

3. Curriculum

Focus on Basic Skills: Elementary schools focused on basic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic.

High School Emphasis: High schools, for the small percentage of students who attended, emphasized subjects important for industry and the economy, like woodworking, drafting, and sciences, notes Quizlet.

Segregation: Educational opportunities were limited and segregated, particularly for African American students, notes Reader's Digest. 

4. Life outside of school

Chores: Many children had chores to do before and after school, such as helping on the family farm, performing domestic duties, or assisting with family businesses.

Simple Entertainment: Playtime was often spent outdoors, playing games like checkers, board games, or baseball. Girls were often expected to learn domestic skills like sewing.

New Organizations: Organizations like the YMCA and Boy Scouts emerged, aiming to provide physical activity and character building experiences for youth, according to The Library of Congress.

Child Labor Epidemic: Child labor was rampant, with many young children working long hours in mines, factories, or selling goods on the streets. 

5. Educational reform

Growing Concerns: Despite the traditional approach, there was a growing awareness among citizens that schools needed to better prepare students for the changing demands of the rapidly industrializing society.

Reform Movements: The early 20th century saw the beginnings of education reform movements that aimed to introduce concepts like equality, child-centered learning, and broader educational opportunities for all. 

It's important to remember that these are general observations. The specific experiences of individual children would have varied greatly depending on their family's circumstances, location (rural vs. urban), and ethnic background. 

Basically , it wasn't much fun. If you could get it at all.

The kids of today need to read this before they continue hating what they have. Not going to hapen I'm sure. But they should.

A Quick History of Bloggers

Diaries, journals, humans have been keeping records forever. The scratched paintings of animals and crude languages found on cave walls, that is where the first Bloggers came from. It’s part of our nature. Write it down (or carve it on a cave wall) , it’s in our collective DNA. 

So I’m simply continuing the process. My Blog or my electronic Dear Diary is my story. My thoughts. My experiences lived over what is now a lifetime. I don’t do it for recognition. Like so many millions before me, I’m simply keeping an unofficial record of my existence on this planet. I’m not looking for followers or large numbers of “hits”. It’s what makes me happy it, helps pass the time. 

So Blog on everyone! Our ancestors would love it. . 

Fin

"Free" Food at Mickee Dees

 

Life Without Meaning

 "So you decide to take a holiday
  You got your tape deck
   and your brand new Chevrolet

 Ah, but there's no place to go anyway
 and what for..."
       

Captain Jack - Billy Joel

There have been times I have felt this way.

ho hum

And Now... Something Completely Different

 Trusty Steed At Rest

Reflections On Life

Isn’t it pretty to think so? Indeed it is. When your plans or your life goes a certain way, you wish it had gone differently, and you’re sad and you think if it had just gone differently and “isn’t it pretty to think so” Kind of says what you’re thinking and wishing.

Hemingway. So many people inside

 

Hemingway… the life of …. Never ceases to fascinate me. He was so many things to so many people. His writing … it’s amazing. You dont even need to have the book cover. One page and you know who wrote it. Also I wish I could sit and drink with him. He was a pro at it.

As The World Turns

They say the earth is rotating faster. A very small amount. Who watches this stuff? What instruments show this? What’s the impact to me and to you day to day ? 

Inquiring minds wanna know!!!

"ATC Clears"

 After my Navy Daze I did a stint as an Air Traffic Controller at the New York Air Traffic Control Center in Ronkonkoma NY. 

Did some of my best work there:

Not many were that good. The 2 aircraft missed at the last second. And I did not even use AI

Dats All Folks

Friday Dear Diary

 Been a long week here. Nothing really bad happened but it was just the stress of waiting on a doctor consult for some tests I’ve had over the last month. They cannot pinpoint the “thing” they were looking for. So we will circle back around in 6 months and start over. For now though I’m off the hook. Again … old age sucks. But for now I’ll take the mulligan. 

Meanwhile, down in the glades;

Fin

Baby Shark?

 EPCOT Dive Quest. Quite a few years back.

No photo shop or AI. I'm on the wet side of the window. My Granddaughter in warm climate controlled safety.

Little did I realize how I was rocking the "Baby Shark" Hairdo.

*Note: The Magic Band (Blue) was Under the sea safe.

Fin

Truth

 

Difficulty. Wouldn’t it be great if I could write something that took more than 15 minutes of my attention. 

I never have. I never will. 

Such is the true meaning of life for a man with the attention span of a gnat. 

Of course I’ve never read anything of any consequence from any gnats. Maybe their works are out there. I can’t say I know anything of them. 

Fin

Bicycles Rock

 Still riding my trusty Treks every day. Good for heart, circulation, but mostly good as a  mental stress valve.

Old age medical crap

 

Big deal doctor visit Friday. My labs led to a few scans showing an irregularity with my parathyroid gland. This is a mini gland that hangs out next to the thyroid gland which is in the neck. For some reason it is behaving badly and putting out too much calcium into my system. Age is the main reason why this would happen but the doctor is going to tell me how he will deal with it. My Doctor son says it needs to be cut out,  too much calcium is no good,  so I foresee some surgery in my near future. So between now and Friday I will be stressed out and worried about it. Everyone tells me not to worry it’s no big deal. My response is that when they have a lump in THEIR necks then they can not worry about it. I can’t stand the fake well wishing.

          Disgusting medical sketch of the culprits

They look like aliens. 

I’ll know something Friday. Until then …. ??????

Fin

Last Years Musings

It's been so hot lately. I found this from last winter. Never happy. Too hot. Too cold. Whatever!

Thursday morning. Not quite mid February. Still too cold. I have had to ride my stationary bike indoors for far too many days in 2024. That creates a problem because I am all about riding my bicycles. And I am NOT riding with this continued windy cold weather here. So now I'm losing the urge to ride at all. And I have to fight that. That's in me. The heck with it gene. All my life I have stopped doing things I enjoy because conditions weren't just right. So anyhow nuff said there. I'm going out riding as soon as the temperature gets to my liking. Maybe an hour. But I have to get back on that horse again soon.

 
 This weekend, we are going to Charlotte NC. Big court hearing for a family member in a very messed up scenario. Not gonna give details but I dread going. And I have to go. Not as a participant, but to provide moral support. Our legal system is broken. And lawyers? Can't stand them. That all I'll say. What a mess. 

The world is a crazy place indeed. On a world news note, I do not see how this Tucker Carlson is helped anyone by going to Russia to interview Putin. Except for his own personal increase in stature. And for Putin. This is going to be the mother of all propaganda events. And it came to him. I'll bet he couldn't believe it when it was discussed. Not good. I don't trust Putin, Carlson either. And I am not talking politics here. I know Carlson is all about Trump and MAGA and all. That is fine. But this publicity stunt is not going to help. We are getting the world according to Putin story I'm old enough to know that the Russkies are not and never will be our friends, This will make things worse. Tucker Carlson should stay home and investigate the crap out of our politicians. Both sides. There is enough dirty laundry to keep him digging for the rest of his life. Again, I'm NOT being political here. The Russians are going to use this against us. And Tucker is their shill. Not good. 
 

On a lighter note, this weekend is the Super Bowl. As usual I have no idea who the 2 teams are. Nor do I care. Just quit talking about Taylor Swift...That's all I ask!!!! 

 Ok time to go get ready to ride my trusty steed. I think the Verve is up today. That is a Hybrid bike. My other is a Mountain Bike. Both made by Trek. Both really good.

Fin