Killer Storms

Killer Storms

Uncle Bubba cut off his cable subscription this past year as a conscious decision to depart from the propaganda. He wasn't sure that Sweet Pea would be pleased but he was as much concerned for her well-being as his. As it turns out, she is fine with it and has come to realize the benefits of it in that she has focused her attention on other things that she enjoys much more like crafting and listening to music. So Bubbie was unaware that they're now naming winter storms as they do with hurricanes. No sir, he had no idea that this was going on until he drove his son, Bubbie Jr. to the airport the day after Christmas. They were sitting in an airport restaurant eating lunch and a TV behind the bar was projecting the weather channel. Of course, when one is traveling the weather is a concern so it seemed appropriate to be airing the weather channel. But that's when Bubbie Jr. mentioned that he was glad that he missed Euclid. "Huh?" Bubbie thought, "What is that, some Jewish holiday celebration?"

"Yeah." Bubbie agreed, "Hey, it looks like another storm is coming across the state of Washington. The north could get another round of winter weather later this week."

"Yeah, it's Freyr." Bubbie Jr. replied.

"What?"

"They're naming winter storms now Daddy. And they're using some pretty strange names."

Uncle Bubba recognized that this is yet another ploy of the crappy 24 hour TV media that needs something to talk about. They invent things to worry about to try and bait people into staying tuned into them, which by the way, gives Bubbie another reason to be glad that he canceled my cable subscription. Once you know the weather report for the day do you really need to watch all day long? He's noticed that every storm is now a killer, that they can find at least one person that died. OK, remember when we were kids? It snowed, we shoveled, we played in it, no big deal. Then it would melt a little and then another snow storm would come for a day and repeat of above... Was anyone panicked? Did anyone die? Hell yes, someone always dies! We're freakin human and that's part of the deal!!! Some dumb ass kid will crash his car, or an old fart will have a heart attack while shoveling. Duh! But in Bubbie's view, we all bitch about how the news only reports the bad stuff; well how much news worthy bad stuff is there really because they repeat the same stories over and over for weeks. And they have to make up names of killer storms to scare people into staying tuned in.

Tis The Day After Christmas

Tis the day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse; well except for Uncle Bubba of course. Actually, Sweet Pea was up and early this morning to go in to work so Bubbie is sitting in the quiet at is kitchen table alone, sipping coffee and gazing out the window. The energy of the day before still lingers in the air and as he looks around the place the Christmas tree looks dark and tired after doing such an admirable job. Bubbie smiles because he can still see it lit up and glowing brightly the day before with all of the shiny, colorful presents encircling it's base and spilling out into the room. It was so pretty before the kids arrived and tore thru the gifts like a school of piranhas. There was a whirlwind of colored shards of ribbons and papers and little arms and fingers spinning around in the air over a high pitched sound of excited little voices and within minutes they had laid waste to the hours of preparing and wrapping. As the storm settled they looked around, still on the high of their frenzied avariciousness until their big smiles and wide eyes returned as they were reminded that they still had to empty their stockings on the mantel that Santa had filled. They all leapt to their feet and dashed off to find the last of the unopened gifts yelling, "Which one is mine?"

Uncle Bubba looked over at the kitchen sink and thought to himself, "I need to finish washing all of the pots and pans and get them put away for Sweet Pea today. That sure was some good food that Sweet Pea spread out yesterday. Man, did I ever eat too much!" There was a prime rib, a stuffed turkey breast, candied yams, mashed potatoes, green beans, and dinner rolls. She set out a pumpkin and pecan pie for dessert. Bubbie ate himself miserable!

Bubbie draws another sip of his hot, black coffee and feels a sense of relief that it's all over and life will go back to it's more mundane routine. He thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and received his only wish of being home with the family and especially Sweet Pea, but there's something about the endless celebration and anticipation leading up to Christmas that wears a body out. In Bubbie's view, he likes a nice break between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As he turns his gaze back out the window he appreciates the idea of the 12 days of Christmas; yeah, who ever came up with that knew what they were doing.

The Road Of Life

Uncle Bubba was riding down the road in his ol' black pickup truck. The sun was shining brightly through the trees and as the shadows of leaves dappled across his windshield he should have had a sunny disposition but he was wrasslin' around something in his mind. You see, Bubbie has always thought of himself of as a live and let live kinda feller. He's always treated folks the way that he's wanted to be treated, which is one of his tenets of life. He, himself, wants to be left alone. He reckons that most folks feel this way. That doesn't mean that he doesn't enjoy the company of his family, or friends. But he doesn't like the idea of being approached by solicitors, busybodies, or bigger yet, being under the insidious watchful eye of "big brother". So he goes about his business and in doing so he tries to be a good neighbor. He looks after his property with care. He tires to balance his time so that he has the time to keep his lawn mown and his bushes trimmed, his garden weeded and his house neatly clean and painted. He knows that his yard is not the best in his neighborhood, but it's better than others; after all he's a working man and only has so much time and energy to spend on it. But as he drives down so many roads he sees the property of others that is not so well maintained. These good folks seem to have the means to afford it, yet year in and year out they just don't get much accomplished and it causes him to wonder. Ya reckon they're just lazy? One never knows what is going on in another person's life - not really - so he reckons that the majority of them must be just plain lazy save a few with some real problems. That idea just sits like a burr under Bubbie's saddle and there in lies his dilemma! For if he acts upon his annoyance then he is not the live and let live kinda feller that he likes to think that he is. Yet we all know that some folks won't move unless they have a fire lit under them and for some even a 2 alarm inferno won't make a difference. But Uncle Bubba does what he always does; he moves on and remembers that it's often better to let sleeping dogs lie lest someone comes around complaining about him. As he drove a little further and thought about his thoughts, pondered his perceptions and deliberated his duality, a song entered the back of his mind and wiggled it's way through until he was humming the tune to himself. It was Torn Between Two Lovers by Mary MacGregor.
"Torn between two lovers, feelin' like a fool, Lovin' both of you is breakin' all the rules..."

"Oh Lord," Bubbie thought, "I've really lost it now!"

This whole split in his thinking must be wearing on him more than he thought! And what the heck was up with those '70s songs anyhow? That young lady sounded downright happy singing that song! She was telling her feller that she loved him and wanted him to stay but had another lover! That just ain't right! There were all kinds of weird songs like that back in the '70's. There was that Angie Baby by that Helen Reddy about a girl that weren't right and she stayed in her bedroom living in a world of make-believe. Then the sneaky peeper neighbor boy snuck over and she made him vanish with her loud music or hid him somewhere; we'll never know. Then there was Michael Jackson's song Ben, a doggone love song to a rat. True, it was for a movie, but it took off to be a hit record and still strangely enough it was essentially a boy singing sweetly to another boy. That ain't right! The list can go on and on but why sustain the torture. For Uncle Bubba, he has lived long enough to know that over time it's not easy to keep an open mind; it's an exercise and with exercise comes strength. He understands that his live and let live ideal gets him by and suits his nature but he eventually has to stand up for things as well; he just tries to choose his battles carefully. In Bubbie's view, the road ahead is smooth and clear and its best that he just stay looking forward out of the windshield; there's plenty of livin' to do.

Home For The Holidays!

Uncle Bubba made it home for the holidays. He was up every hour on the hour the night before in anticipation of getting the heck outta Dodge. When he got to the airport it was once again crowded. He waited in a long line with stressed out businessmen and fighting couples to check his bags and noticed an Army dude two people behind him in line. He asked the cammo'ed feller when his flight was and it was earlier than Bubbie's so he invited Joe Army to move up in front of him in line. Would you believe some people were giving snarky looks about that?! Sure, of course you would because that's the world we live in, the self centered America that we've all created. Bubbie was surprised when the couple that was spatting just in front of him eventually noticed the soldier and let him ahead as well. But the next man tried in vain to keep his head turned and not give notice and thus his precious place in line away. He succeeded in holding his place and proving that he is the jerk that he appeared to be.

Finally, after shuffling along in the long serpentined line, it was Uncle Bubba's turn at the baggage check counter. He set his first little suitcase on the scale and handed the lady his ID. She scans it and puts a tag on the bag. She pulls the suitcase off the scale and slings it onto the conveyor. Then Bubbie set his big suitcase on the scale and she's like, "Uh-Oh, it's one pound over. Take something out." He's looking at her like "seriously?" And she's looking at him like, "yes!" So he unzips it and of course all of his dirty, smelly clothes, socks and skivvies are on top because he chucked them in last, never expecting to open the suitcase until he arrived home. So Bubbie angrily reaches around in it trying to pull out something not so embarrassing and when he does she's says that it's OK now. She pulls it from the scale and abruptly flops it onto the conveyor. She yells over his head, "I can help the next person down here!"

Bubbie is left there a little stunned and quite annoyed, standing with a couple wadded up shirts and a goddarn beard trimmer. Great. Now he has to carry these on the plane with him. Lesson learned; put the big suitcase on first. Then you can stash any leftovers in the smaller one. By the way, how much UNDER weight was that small one? They couldn't average it out? What a bunch of dumb-asses! And what about the fat dude that sat next to Bubbie on the plane, the one that spilled over into Bubbie's personal space?!!! He's more than one pound overweight! Did they charge him more? There's not much worse than flying for travel. Yes, it's fast and that's awesome, but...

Bubbie collected himself and looked around for an escape route of which there was none so he had to excuse himself back across through the line of future, anxious, baggage checkers to the even more anxious security line. He took a moment to try and stuff his extra shirts and beard trimmer into his computer carry-on and while doing so, several rude people cut in front of him in line. He reckoned that he should have stayed right on the bumper of the dude in front of him but oh well, too late now. He considered making a comment but it was barely six in the morning and he just wasn't up for it. When they approached a point in the line where it split in two directions, the couple that jumped ahead of Bubbie where perplexed on which way to go. They were discussing the options and leaned towards the right line that appeared to be moving faster at the moment but zigzagged towards the front. Bubbie stepped up along the left side of the rude couple to assist them in their decision and they went for it; Bubbie was glad to be rid of them. He smiled as they kept looking in his direction to gauge if they had made the right move or not. Bubbie thought, "Some people are so stupid. What does it matter? We're all getting through the line when we get through the line." Eventually Uncle Bubba made it to the front of the security a line. The poor feller in front of him was as nervous as a canary in a cage full of cats. Bubbie gave him some space and told him to take his time, there was no pressure. While Bubbie was waiting his turn the dude behind him was trying to reach around him and grab a plastic bin! Bubbie said, "Excuse me, but you'll have to wait your turn. I need about 4 of those bins, and you aren't going anywhere until I do."

Uncle Bubba made it through the security line and quickly gathered his belongings. He found a bench to the side of the crowd and got himself redressed and his belongings back in his carry-on bag. He headed for the gate and noticed the rude people from earlier standing at the TSA counter with their arms out being scanned and patted down. Ha ha! That's karma!

On the other end of his flight he peaked around the chubby fellers sitting around him saw the familiar surroundings out the plane windows as the jet touched down. He was home! He knew that Sweet Pea was waiting for him in the airport and he couldn't make it there fast enough. He exited the tram and saw her standing across the room, her radiant beauty as stunning as any shining star. He hurried towards her and she turned to see him approaching and broke into a beautiful smile. He grabbed her in his arms and gave her a long and proper kiss. She smelled like a piece of heaven. In Bubbie's view nothing else matters for a time; Uncle Bubba is home for the holidays! Merry Christmas!

Lincoln

Uncle Bubba darted through traffic on a cold Ohioan night, switching lanes and sashaying trough the traffic lights and intersections as he struggled to find the theater. He was running late and was tired from a long week's work yet he looked forward with anticipation to spending a few mystical hours in a dark movie theater, lost in shadows between the flickering lights; a reprieve from eternal verities, an escape from reality. He parked his truck and shuffled quickly across the busy parking lot, his hands buried deep in his coat pockets and his collar raised to guard against the creeping dampness. He was running late according to the start time of the movie listing but he knew that he had a buffer depending on the number of previews that they were showing. As he stood a dozen deep in line he hoped that the quality of the anticipated viewing matched his conjured expectations. Then it was his turn at the ticket booth and he stepped up to the plexiglas, "One for Lincoln please."

Uncle Bubba navigated his way through the dark theater halls and rounded the corner and entered the dimly light, cavernous room of stadium seats and flickering images. He quickly surmised that there were only seats available down in the front area since he had shown up a bit late. Following the footlights he found a comfortable seat of the few remaining, settled in and watched the last preview before the film started. The tone of the movie is blue, cold and damp but Lincoln prevails through it with a warm and wise character. The film is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and covers the final four months of Lincoln's life so it's ideal to remember that it is not a documentary, it is made to entertain, not educate but it manages both wonderfully. The film makers and actors did an exceptional job of showing the complexity of Abe's life as father, husband, politician, and President measured against just being a man; all within 150 minutes.

Uncle Bubba realizes that he is heavily influenced by my own current life and the forces upon it in that he is sacrificing his home life and comfort to make a living and take care of Sweet Pea, but he came away from the movie thinking that it may be the greatest movie he's ever seen but he doesn't know why. There are so many layers and levels to sift through. The film poignantly displays examples of courage and sacrifice, courage by soldiers and courage by some irascible politicians of that era. Uncle Bubba is a man that prides himself on his toughness but admitted that he literally cried three times while watching and he doesn't know if he's ever done that in a movie theater. In the end, he was pretty choked up at the end and had to gather himself as the credits rolled. He sat in the dark as others shuffled to the exits and wondered why he was so sorrowful. He reckoned that it reinforced the sadness he feels for his country in it's present state and mourning the loss of someone who may have contributed even more to the quality of our lives. He finally gathered himself and slid his arms through the sleeves of his coat while heading for the exit. He walked slowly down the sidewalk looking into the storefront windows while mulling his thoughts. The cold damp air seemed almost welcome now, like a slap in the face to bring one back to their senses. He walked to his truck considering how carefully Lincoln weighed individual circumstances of citizens and therefore how far removed our modern day Presidents are from us. Bubbie started the engine and sat silently waiting for the motor to warm up and the windows to clear. After several minutes he fiddled with the radio to find some music to bring him back from his thoughts. He recalled that though it wasn't mentioned in the movie, Bubbie knows that the U.S.-Dakota War was being fought in the state of Minnesota at the same time as the Civil War and Lincoln had to deal with that as well. He marveled at Lincoln's fortitude to handle all of the difficult things on his plate and still retain a sense of humor. It made him consider the courage that it takes to rise above one's personal interests and to compromise to achieve the most and with that, it reinforced his idea that having vision is a rare thing. Now here we are on the precipice of another financial crisis and in Bubbie's view, our Congress should be forced to spend 2 1/2 hours to watch this movie together. They may come away from it with a spirit to compromise on the immediate goals of avoiding the fiscal cliff and manage the immediate impact versus attempting to solve the entire debt crisis in one bill. There is no one thing that will fix our economy. But why not find common goals and compromise to achieve them knowing that everything is dynamic; great works are sculpted over time. We can have it all, just not all at once.

Finally, in speaking to Abraham Lincoln's vision, here is a quote that eerily predicted our future: “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war.”
–Abraham Lincoln in a letter written to William Elkin, 1860

Now, it's time for me to go. But I would rather stay.