America is Calling...Someone Please Answer

In a previous post I referred to presidential debates as beauty contests. I was wrong, at least about the first debate last night. It was an 'ugly' contest. Trump was his typically brash, loose cannon dogmatic self only more so, and Biden showcased his milquetoast self though trying hard to appear assertive. The moderator, Chris Wallace was notable for nothing, least of all the ability to moderate; to take control of the run-away circus. That he was intimidated by Trump, as was Biden was apparent. There were no stands on issues clarified nor was anything of substance said, unless one defines personal attacks on family members as being substantive. Viewers looking for clarity regarding plans to deal with the important issues facing us today had to come away empty. 

One veteran commentator said immediately following the debate that this was the worst debate he had ever witnessed. Another said that any foreign viewers watching the debate had to have been confused and embarrassed for the United States. I can relate to that. It angered and embarrassed me. Are these two people representative of the best that America has to offer to a country and a world that is struggling and looking for direction? I don't see how we could do any worse by electing Curly, Moe or Larry. 

But, American politics being what it is, Republicans are elated with Trump's performance and are claiming victory, while Democrats are delighted that Trump's boorishness further tarnished his image and, as they see it that Biden emerged as the people's hope. Regarding personal beliefs and preferences, we always see what we want to see.

It's going to be a long four years.

The Word is Phatic

The two things Maribel and me miss most during this Covid thing is travel, both day trips and overnighters, and being with our friends. Most of our friends, those we feel most comfortable with are taking the same precautions we are, so we have not been face to face for months. I commented to Maribel that I even missed the usual "chit-chat". But I really don't. 

Just like I can't explain why I enjoy being in a forest, or watching a colorful sunset, I can't explain the pleasure I get from substantive conversation. I don't mind so-called small talk, though I'm not very good at it. Incidentally, I knew that there is a more formal word for chit-chat and small talk but could not think of it so I did a Google search. The word is phatic, as in phatic conversation. The Wikipedia definition is, "In linguistics phatic expression is communication which serves a social function, such as social pleasantries that don't seek or offer information of intrinsic value but can signal willingness to observe conventional local expectations for politeness." Just thought I'd throw that in. 

My conversation preference is communication that entails the exchange of opinions and beliefs, as well as the exploration and development of a single topic. This can't be done in a social setting because of time constraints and usually a lack of interest. In my lifetime I have met maybe a dozen people who took pleasure in prolonged, focused conversation. Five of them were my former hunting partners. It was not unusual for us to discuss and come up with new thoughts on a single subject for two or three days. I'm talking about subjects such as 'does anyone ever act beyond their own self interest?' or 'do animals act totally out of extinct?' We never tired of it, and we learned. We learned about the subject we were talking about, and learned more about each other.

During my working days I once proposed to a group of fellow employees that we form a discussion group to meet during the lunch hour. There were no takers. My son once said to me that most men don't enjoy talking. I'd expand on that by saying that in my experience most people don't enjoy substantive conversation. My own theory on that, based on nothing more than impressions is that serious conversation can entail risk...the exposing of one's beliefs, values, fears and personal thoughts. Most of us are uncomfortable doing that. I just remembered a book titled "Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?" I never read it.

I read an article this morning regarding Trump's probable nominee for the Supreme Court. If true, she belongs to a religious group that teaches that "men have authority over their wives." There is a ton of conversation fodder in that belief. No matter her experience and qualifications, could she objectively judge in a domestic abuse case filed by a wife? As a Catholic and a member of a sub-group, how would she define husband and wife in a gay or lesbian marriage?  In her belief what are women's rights and what is a woman's role in the household? And on and on. So many topics begging to be discussed and explored. 

I mentioned earlier a failed attempt to start a discussion group at work. I've had other failures while trying to start a conversation. If you ever want to see a real show stopper and you're in a group of older people, try this. If the topic of birthdays or age comes up, casually mention that you're all older, that most of your life is behind you, that you've passed most of lives major benchmarks and that the future doesn't hold a lot of promise. Then again in a casual tone ask, "Was it worth it...was living life worth it?" I've done that a couple of times with the same results. First silence followed by fidgeting and nervous glances, then someone breaking the tension with a comic comment before quickly going on to another subject. 

I'd like to know how my friends would answer that question. I'd like to know if our experiences, perceptions and the value placed on life's journey paralleled each other or if they're vastly different. It's not a yes or no question. I believe that for everyone the answer would be that parts of their lives were great while other parts sucked. The hard part would be, if they had the courage, explaining what parts were good or bad and why. But I won't ask it because I'm almost positive they wouldn't answer it. So if this Covid thing ever lets us get together again, I'll just go with the flow...how's the grandkids, how about this weather, etc. The word is phatic.

Thoughts on the Trump/Biden Debate

The Biden and Trump debate is fast approaching. I'll probably watch it, though in my opinion it's nothing more than a beauty contest. The 'winner' will be determined by style points...least amount of mispronounced words, snappiest retorts, most gotchas, least number of pauses and stumbles - everything cosmetic but nothing of substance - everything but detailed information on their plans to deal with what are considered to be the important issues of our time. But that's what we have come to allow and expect. We're more interested in the endless reality shows, celebrity figures, the latest smart phone and apps than political issues. But that's always been the case. When I was a kid elections boiled down to Democrats were "for the working man" and Republicans were "for the rich." That's all there was to it. You didn't need or care to know a candidates position on issues. I think that's still true today. The only effect the debates will have is that those who are undecided will vote for whoever their favorite news source says won the debates. As for those who are party affiliated, no matter how their candidate did in the debates Republicans will vote Trump and Democrats will vote Biden.

I think it's likely that Trump will crush Biden in the upcoming debate. Biden to me comes across as shallow and plastic, his words sounding mechanical in origin rather than coming from a confident person with conviction. Trump has a strong presence, a force of personality that can and has overcome mistakes and the nonsense he regularly spouts. If he can force himself to respond to the moderator's questions with concise, coherent answers and avoid going off on his typical non sequitur comments I can see him having Biden off balance and on the defensive all night.

A Harris/Pence debate would be the exact opposite. I have the impression that Harris is a firebrand who can get mean and overly dramatic, characteristics which in my view could hinder her effectiveness in office but would destroy Pence in a debate. Pence is an enigma to me. I don't remember any other political figure so lacking in personal attributes. A department store mannequin has more charisma, color, presence and personality than Pence. Trump seems not to appreciate people who might upstage him, which may be the reason why he selected Pence.

I consider myself to be a reasonably intelligent, reasonably informed independent conservative, and as such I shudder to think of another four years of Trump and even more so of Pence as a possible future president, nor am I thrilled with Biden or Harris, but whatever happens we'll survive, thanks to the checks and balances in the Constitution that help us to persevere. In the mean time I sincerely hope that somewhere an intelligent, educated, tactful, mature and visionary conservative will arise to take the 2024 election by a landslide.

Leaking Faucets - the Final Chapter

In a previous post I wrote about some leaking faucets and the quotes received from a plumbing company to resolve the problems. The specific problem was that in one bathroom both the sink and shower faucets were leaking. The plumbing company quotes listed costs of a $69 service call charge and $274 each to replace the faucets for a total of $617. An option was to rebuild the faucets for $225 each. The technician explained that rebuilding meant to replace the cartridge (whatever that is) plus the washer and spring. But there was no guarantee. That cost would be $519. No way am I going to pay $519 to fix leaking faucets. I'd sooner close the bathroom off and build a new one than to submit to highway robbery. 

So I Googled "leaking bathroom faucets" and found lots of articles and videos on repairing faucets. It looked simple enough so I turned off the water under the sink and took apart the faucet that was leaking. It is a two-handle faucet and the leaking water was warm so I guessed it was the hot water handle. It took maybe 5 minutes to do it. 

The 'cartridge' is second from the right; the washer and spring far right. With Maribel's help we cleaned up and inspected the parts. The cartridge looked good but the washer was deeply grooved. Another Google for "faucet parts" showed that Home Depot had what I needed. A package of two washers with springs cost $4.97. The cartridge is $14.85. I decided that I'd try a new washer and spring first and if I still had a leak come back for a cartridge. I put in the new washer and spring, assembled the rest of the faucet, turned on the water and opened the faucet. No leak. I kept turning it off and on while looking at my grinning face in the mirror.

Feeling exuberant with success I turned to the shower leak next. A bathroom shower does not have its own water shut-off, so I searched for the main shut-off. Previous to this house I have always lived in houses with basements, where the water main was usually somewhere close to the furnace or water heater. I searched the entire interior of this house including the attic. There was no water shut-off to be found. Another Google asking "how do I find my water shut-off?" suggested that I look in the crawl space. We have 3 different crawl spaces, which in 3 years I had never even peeked into let alone entered, and suffice it to say I hope never to have to enter again. There was no water shut-off to be found. By this time 2 hours had elapsed. My next step was to pop open a beer, sit in a chair in the backyard and contemplate the bitterness of defeat. 

Fortunately for me Maribel had taken it upon herself to text our next door neighbor, asking where the water shut off was in his house. He arrived 10 minutes later and explained that, "...houses here don't have water shut-offs in or on the houses. The water main is installed on the property line and is owned and maintained by the city." And that a special two-handed long stem wrench is necessary to operate the valve. My neighbor had the wrench and loaned it to me. I turned off the water, returned to the bathroom shower and repeated the same process I had done with the sink. After turning on the water I turned on the shower faucet and felt immense relief when there was no leak. Victory.....was mine!

So instead of paying $519 to the plumbing company, I had done it myself for $4.97. The difference is to me mind boggling. I understand that the company has overhead costs, but personally I couldn't look a customer in the eye after presenting him with a bill for $519 for a job that should take an experienced plumber at most 30 minutes and cost $5 for parts.

The obvious question here is why, at age 80 did I not know how to repair a leaking faucet? The answer is that I don't ever remember having a leaking faucet, so my only interest in faucets was turning them on and off. I can repair things like guns and fishing reels. I just don't do well with leakers.

In Pursuit of Leadership

With the elections just around the corner the word 'leadership' is being used more and more often. But what is leadership? What does it look like and what is its purpose? Probably in simple terms it could be said that leadership is directing or guiding a group of people. Typically the method of a leader, at least in a democratic setting is to provide guidance, direction and inspiration. And it's easier to do that if the governed have confidence in their leader. 

To me, in order to provide direction and inspiration there must first be a foundation of unity...solidarity among the governed. It may be that I'm taking a slanted, pessimistic view but I look at our country right now and I don't see unity. As examples, roughly half of the population want Trump elected, the other half want Biden. Maybe half of Americans take the Covid crisis seriously while the other half virtually ignore or deny it. Recent polls show that if a Covid vaccine were available, over a third of the population would not take it. A significant number of people are vocally if not actively supporting the 'racial justice cause' while others are waiting for it to pass. Here in the south gun ownership is almost a religion while in other parts of the country abolishing guns is a battle cry. Climate change is either real or it's a hoax, depending on what camp you're in. Where is the unity?

I don't see unity now, and looking at our history there never really has been. The Revolutionary War saw many Americans remain loyal to the British crown. The Civil War and Vietnam polarized the country, as did women's suffrage and prohibition. Racism in varying degrees directed against blacks, Asians, Irish, Poles, Italians, Jews and Hispanics has always been with us, though it seems to be less prevalent now than years ago.

So what is the purpose of leadership? Is it to try to eliminate divisive beliefs and values, or is it to somehow accommodate the divergent viewpoints? Washington couldn't do it. Neither could Jefferson or Lincoln. Trump certainly hasn't done it nor would Biden if elected. And yet somehow we survive and carry on, which means to me that there is a unifying something that holds us together, but damned if I know what it is.

A Penny Pincher By Any Other Name.....

It has been pointed out to me that I frequently mention the price of something on my posts. I've been told that it's not cool to do that. I don't know why. In most cases I'm not bragging or complaining, just including a piece of information. When I wrote in an earlier post that we bought two end table for $2.50 each and an oak framed mirror for $3 I wasn't bragging, simply including information about what I'll call the financial aspect of antique buying and selling. 

Last week we bought a Queen Anne dining set. It is not what we wanted...we were looking for something like Shaker Oak to blend in with the vintage, semi-rustic theme in our kitchen. The set is virtually flawless; comes with a 20" leaf extending the table to 8 1/2 feet, and a hinged 1/2 inch thick protector covering the entire table top. Our neighbors guessed that we paid $1300 - $1500. Anyway, the Queen Anne upset the decor we had and forced us to re-do two rooms. It now sits where our kitchen set, wall board art and wall lamp used to be.

The kitchen set, wall board art and wall lamp now occupy a room that except for a stationary bike was empty last week. We're going for sort of a bistro look, but who knows how long that will last. It is a warm, relaxing room day and night with a great view of the back yard. 

Back to my talking about prices. I'll admit that I do consider price when making purchases, and also that I take pride in scoring two end tables for $5. What's wrong with that? Back in my college days, probably in a sociology class I remember reading a study about the general traits of children of parents who had grown up during the Great Depression. One of those traits was that they tended to be very frugal. I can understand that. I remember my parents trying to stretch every nickel. And I guess that maybe I haven't forgotten that lesson.

I phoned a plumbing company yesterday because the faucets in two bathrooms recently started to leak. A plumber came this morning. The service charge was $69. The quote to install two customer purchased faucets was $274 each. I nearly regurgitated my breakfast. If I agreed to that deal the cost would be $548 for labor plus another $69 service call plus the price of the faucets. So including two faucets @ $60 each I'm talking $737...to fix two leaking faucets.

I received a customer satisfaction survey from the plumbing company. I replied that we were satisfied with the technician, that he was personable, seemed knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. I added that we were not prepared for the "jaw dropping price quotes", that I had picked out faucets we like at Home Depot, had watched a video on how to replace a leaking faucet, and that I was going to attempt the work my self. I concluded by saying that if I am successful it will be at 1/6 of their quoted cost, but if I run into trouble to standby for a call.

We paid $279 for the  Queen Anne dining set. Sorry, I couldn't resist. 

What Will It Look Like.....Afterwards?

The National Football League season starts tonight. I watched my first pro football game, Packers versus Lions in 1956 and have been a football fan ever since. Maribel says I'm a fanatic and sometimes tells me to settle down when I get worked up during a game. I haven't been to a live game in 17 years and don't expect to ever again. I won't be watching on television either. The major sports organizations including the NFL have become a political arm of the black lives matter movement. Tonight the TV cameras and commentators will not be focused on football. It will be all about how the owners, teams and individual players choose to display their solidarity against racial injustice. The letters BLM will be plastered all over everything...shoes, jerseys, helmets, headbands, armbands, on the field itself, in the stands, and on the popcorn boxes at the vendor kiosks. At the end of the season there will be a trophy presented. Yes, there will be the Lombardi trophy, but the biggest and most prominent will be the BLM trophy presented to the team who showed the most imagination, creativity and piety in support of the black lives matter movement. It's hard not to sympathize with those black athletes who will return in their Mercedes to their million dollar homes after the game. Anyway, I won't be watching football tonight. 

The movement, including the ugly protests will at some point lose their momentum and things will settle down but there will be a residual effect. A possibility is something like half of all employees for any business or agency, private and public must be black. And if they are not qualified, the employer must provide training. Applications for employment will be forbidden to request information about prior, present or future criminal activity, present address, gender or marital status. Don't laugh. I've seen lots of changes in my lifetime. 

The virus, when it's finally over will also have changed the landscape. Stand-alone fast food joints like Chick-fil-A and Del Taco may never again have indoor seating. Their drive around systems are working so well there is no need to bother about in-door customers. It seem to me that as I drive past them that they have more business now that they've ever had. I have to admit that driving the double circle thingy at Chick-fil-A is kinda fun. In contrast, places like IHOP without a drive thru system have nearly empty parking lots. Many of these types of restaurants are resorting to home delivery. I wonder if they deliver just one burger and an order of fries. And what that would cost.

Since the Covid thing began we have eaten only a few times in restaurants, and felt a bit apprehensive each time. One time was in Golden Corral. The disturbing part for us was that there were no servers at the buffet lines, so each customer used the same serving utensil to fill their plate. I can't think of a faster way to spread the virus. This last Tuesday we ate at Logan's Roadhouse to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. It felt more secure to us but different. Normally Logan's is rocking every night but this night there were few customers, and they were deliberately seated very far apart. The music was jacked up but it didn't help to dispel the almost somber atmosphere. The waitress said that's the way it has been since February. The good part was that our fillets were done perfectly as were the rest of the meals, and I had a margarita on the rocks that tasted like heaven after not having one since my heart surgery.

I like to shop in stores for things I want. Like books. To my knowledge Barnes & Nobel is the last of the big book stores. I would hate for there not to be book stores. To me books, like trees have souls. I want to read from a book in my hands, not from a computer screen or worse listen to a disc. I know that internet shopping will maybe eliminate brick and mortar stores. Even Barnes & Nobel is promoting no-contact book shipping which to me is digging their own grave. But now that I think about it, remote buying is not new. When I was a kid our family used to look forward to the arrival of the Sears catalog, which had its beginnings in the late 1800s. When it came, I think it was twice each year we'd sit at the kitchen table and the whole family would look at it page by page. I don't remember that we ever ordered anything, the country was still recovering from the Great Depression and there wasn't a lot of money to go around but it was fun to make a wish list of what we liked. 

But Sears and its catalog are gone, and the social and business climates are changing so fast that I don't think anyone can predict what our country and the rest of the world will look like when the BLM and Covid dust has settled. I am pretty sure that whatever emerges, Maribel and me will be happy in our little corner of Georgia.