I don’t remember where it was that I read or heard that the events of 9/11 were “a wakeup call.”

I do remember, however, hearing and reading a lot about Islam being a peaceful religion.

I also remember, and still hear today the many calls by politicians, supposedly our country’s leadership, and the leaders of other supposedly enlightened countries, for us to sit down and discuss, to find common ground, to understand one another, and to do all those wonderful politically correct things.

As Col. Sherman T. Potter said, HORSE HOCKEY!

Geographically that is, not electronically.  You know, the hard way — boxes, heavy appliances, rental truck, leaving all the hard work we’ve put in to the place, address changes, new doctors, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Our vehicle insurance rates have almost doubled in the past 2 years and our home owner’s insurance doubled plus $100 two years ago.

Now THIS in today’s Orlando Sentinel newspaper.  Our Senators Nelson and Martinez want to make the state, and the country for that matter, a welfare state for illegals, and the state legislature will undoubtedly allow even more price gouging by insurance companies who are having a field day of it all.  Seems regular citizens are ripe for the picking.

So, what’s worth putting 2,179 one-way miles on a rental car and then flying home?

Well, meet my grandson, Elijah, here and here.

‘Nuff said?     

Subtitled: What I learned while transporting 15 pounds of boudin from New Orleans, Louisiana to Iowa City, Iowa, with sightseeing stops along the way

(But all that won’t fit on a book cover.)

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Call it hot ice, dry ice, CO2 ice, whatever, it’s the stuff that lasts a lot longer than “regular” ice but may cause serious tissue damage if you handle it incorrectly.  If you’re going to transport refrigerated or frozen food for a long distance with a cooler, it is clearly the stuff to use.  This was my first time using it for anything other than short term, so it was definitely a learning experience. 

Where to begin…  how about the initial conditions.

So I went to my favorite search engine and typed in “China recall.”  The results were not unexpected, given the recent publicity of what we get when we “save money” by buying Chinese-made goods.  Here are some snips of the hits I found: 

• Another Chinese product in the United States is under scrutiny. Federal officials ordered a recall of 450,000 Chinese-made tires.
• FDA has found a poisonous chemical, diethylene glycol (DEG), in certain toothpastes imported from China. The agency increased its scrutiny and testing of imported toothpaste and dental products after receiving reports in late May 2007 of contaminated Chinese dental products found in several countries, including Panama.

THIS part I understand.  It’s a basic product, recommended by my doctor, and it works.  So much for endorsement.

THIS part I also understand, well, the WARNING, anyway - the first one, the one in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.  It certainly seems logical.

However, the next part I DO NOT understand. What’s that second inactive ingredient?

Yes, I could call the 1-800 number, but do I really want to ask that question of a company that labels their product that way?

Nah.

After wanting to do so for a couple of years, now I’ve finally done it. 

I dug the hole, and what a hole it was, laid in the gravel, and then the sand, and then the pole sleeve, and then the concrete.  The flag pole, 20 feet with 16.5 feet above ground, went up in the last week of June.

The flag first flew on it on July 1st and I was happy.  It flies 24/7 and yes, it is illuminated during the hours of darkness.

And now, shortly thereafter, comes the first “situation.”