From the East Wing with Delta Force and Sophia Visits ACORN

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing.

One thing for sure, expressions from the East Wing have consequences. I’m so amazed at the amount of advise I’ve received on how to deal with the Hornet Nation I just gotta share some of it with ya.

It seems that when I indicated the drum beat of war may have started in the East Wing, things escalated to a fever pitch in short order. The battle plans have taken on the appearance of a global alliance. Now it’s US or THEM!

FROM INDIA: “Mr. BobbyRay, So sorry to hear about hornet attack at East Wing. Hornet cannot fly at night. Here we do this to hornet. Night 1 put fire wood under hornet. Night 2 light fire wood.”

FROM ALABAMA: “Stand back and shoot ‘em with a 12 gauge shot gun a couple time. Don’t shoot toward that East Wing. Them buck shots will break your glass house.”

ENGLAND SAID: “Here we just spray the little chaps from a distance and all’s well. I really don’t know what the spray is made of as I’ve never been involved with that sort a thing. I have seen the nest of hornets ”

FROM TEXAS: “take Your tank from the gas grill and set it under the hornet nest at night, open the tank just a little to let out some gas and the hornets will all leave in the morning if the wind is not blowing too strong. Make sure you have a full tank of gas to start with or they might not all leave.”

FROM JAPAN: “ Hornets are weapons of mass destruction. Late at night put hornet nest in home of enemy. You will win war.”

Now this thing below, well, I’m still trying to figure this out.

“BobbyRay I am a group commander, Delta Force. A recon satellite has been repositioned to allow full time, real time surveillance of that Hornet Nation at your position. Night vision capability allows eyes on the Hornet Nation 24/7. Heat sensing technology looks through the leaves of the East Maple Tree. The small West Maple Tree is Hornet free. Your longitude and latitude have been inputted into the Halo-3 System to provide instant close quarter ground support data. Both material and personnel are now in position to achieve the objective of neutralizing the Hornet Nation within ten (10) seconds upon issuance of orders. Sir, your battle with the Hornet Nation is joined.”

Is that cool or what ?? I’m still thinking someone is jerking me around on this Delta Force thing. But then again……….. It did come in the email just like the others. But I was unable to backtrack the email, as I can all others. Makes ya wonder,,,,. I don’t think I ever said I have two Maple Trees in my south yard, one large, one small. How’d they know that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,? Did anybody ever hear of Delta Force?

The guy from Japan hit on something that’s been going on for a long time, hornets as weapons. The bible has its share of hornets as weapons as illustrated below:

Exodus 23:28 "I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you.

Joshua 24:12 Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.

Now hornets are tough, but these little S.O.Bs. (sons of bees) have never battled BobbyRay and the Delta Force. I’m telling ya hillbillies get even, even get even with hornets, and you know that God’s on my side just as he was with Joshua, when Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. I know people who think Joshua must have been a hillbilly, the way he hung in there at Jericho and all. ‘Course everybody knows that Joshua was like the number 2 guy with Moses, so maybe Moses was a hillbilly too. I went to school at TipTop with a little boy named Moses. I wonder if they were related.

Sooner or later it had to happen. Sure enough I not much more than sit down to write and who walks up with a piece of paper in her paw and a smile on her face, yep, Sophia the Republican Cat. Now the cat has been unusually quiet for some time and that’s been bothering me ‘cause when the cat’s not talking, the cat’s scheming and the Lord knows she does enough of both.

I asked about the paper. Sophia was happy to share with me as she said “ a list is from A to V, or more precise Acorn to Van Jones”. Cats scratch quick and deep when the attack.

Turns out Sophia knew all about the ACORN Operations. Some time back when Sophia lived in Chicago, she sought ACORN’S help on establishing a Cat House on the South Side of Chicago. She was welcomed with open arms and got all the assistance she needed to open the Cat House. ACORN told Sophia they had an ANNUAL CAT HOUSE QUOTA to meet for HUD so she was helping them as much as they were helping her.
Sophia, having a real good memory, says she remembers talking to a fellow at ACORN, who assisted her, setting up the Cat House and all, there in Chicago, that reminds her so much of the current President, except this fellow was just a community organizer and his name was Berry and he never done anything except talk a lot and hang out with weird people. Sophia said she thought maybe Berry came to the Cat House several times, but not sure ‘cause they all look alike, those community organizers.

Sophia says she stepped back from criticizing the President when she realized he’s shooting himself in the foot every day. She just wanted out of the line of fire so the President would have a clear shot.

Jus today Sophia finished a letter she’s emailing to the Blue Cat Democrats this week. She somehow found out the Blue Cat Democrats are abandoning their party in droves and she intends to make political hay from their predicament. Sophia’s letter is rather simple, but still complex for a cat, The letter says:
My Dear Blue Cat Democrats,

Are you liking that “Change” he was talking ‘bout? Join me and let’s fix what wasn’t broken before he tries to break something else that’s not broken.
Oh, by the way, ya know all that big deal how the government wanting to assist Fiat in buying Chrysler. That’s crap. Ya know who owns 65% of Chrysler Stock? U.S. Government. Ya know who owns 20% of Chrysler Stock? Fiat. Is there anything wrong with that picture?
So get on board little children and join the RCR.
Your Friend at RCR
Sophia,

When asked what was RCR, she said that she has started a new effort at recruiting to her cause. RCR stands for Red Cat Republicans. She expects to recruit a million before spring. Two million by Christmas in the event Chicago does not get the 2016 Olympics next Friday. She still has it in for that mayor of Chicago. Still has that bounty on his head in the region. Sophia pulls strings in the Steel City. A city where not too many strings are left unpulled. In typical fashion, cats are the last to end the fight. When the cats stop the fight, the fat lady has already sung.

Damn Republican Cat.

Don’t know if I told ya that Mama Cass, the white mother cat that survived the wild dog attack a few months ago is with child, more precise, with children. Mama Cass is SO PREGNANT !

Looks like she will explode if touched. Mama Cass had a hard life before she came to the East Wing, so this pregnancy has been special. Her life is easy living at the East Wing, extra food ( six times a day) milk & cream (½ & ½)twice a day. It appears that she is setting a table for four, maybe five. Hard to tell on the count, four for sure, maybe an extra. I’m hoping for a calico baby. Ya don’t get them too often, but there’s always a chance. The republican cat also has her paws crossed for a calico baby. She has already picked out a name for a new calico baby, SOPHIA II. (don’t know if I can take two republicans cats in the East Wing at the same time).

The Angel is excited at the prospect of brothers and sister. I’m excited about the prospect of gandcats in the East Wing, while Mamma Cass is just wanting to get it over with. And the 2girl dogs are wondering what’s the big deal.

Last week it was marked on my schedule 11:09AM 9-22-09-Start of Fall. I stopped work at 11:05 that day just to see if I could hear the Fall, and I did. But it turned out to be a beer delivery truck ‘cross the street from my office making a delivery to the North Judson Bottle Shoppe. That’s kinda neat word, Shoppe, ‘bout the only time ya see that word is in store names just to make a quaint old fashioned image, which is kinda hard to do when all ya sell is Booze and cigarettes and those little pencil shaped sticks of spicy meat. I’m not even sure its meat, I might be what’s left over after they make meat for regular sale.

Got an email last week from a lady in Oklahoma who took exception to me saying God created the term Uh Oh. Said she had read the bible seven times and had never seen the word used in (her term) “the Good Book” and that me trying to put words in Gods mouth was nothing short of blasphemy, and blasphemy had sent many sinners like me to hell. And I should get down on my knees and ask God’s forgiveness.

Now I read that email twice, then read it once again. Several thoughts came to mind. I would have liked to ask the writer which “good book” did she read? Does she know there are at least 13 recognized bibles, all dealing with the same basic set of information? Does she think God has a since of humor? Does she know God is on the mailing list from the East Wing? When I answered the email, my first thoughts was to enlighten this poor wayward soul to the richness of the Gospel according to BobbyRay, but I didn’t . I decided to keep my response rather short, direct and to the point, so I just replied “Uh Oh”

The next day I received another email from the same lady in Oklahoma, telling me the rest of the story. Both she and her neighbor receive the ramblings from the East Wing every Sunday evening. Over coffee Monday mornings sometimes they discuss the East Wing Emails. She made a bet with the neighbor as to how I would respond if she accused me of blasphemy. The bet wasn’t large, just a Dunkin Donut, she bet my response would be “Uh Oh”, the friend didn’t think I would answer at all. Just another example of the power of Uh Oh. And yes God did say Uh Oh, think about it, if you saw Adam and Eve with the fig leaves, what you say?

A couple weeks ago I told ya I’d mention when to see the October Harvest Moon, so I better tell ya now or else it may be missed. Next Saturday the moon is 100% and next Sunday is the full moon. There is some technical stuff and reasons to have 100% and full moon. For average people like us it’s hard to tell the difference, so look at either next Saturday, Oct 3rd or next Sunday, Oct 4th . If there’re no clouds it’ll blow ya away.

October is called the Harvest Moon for good reason. Time to harvest. Anyway way the moon will rise ‘soon as it’s dark. It’s worth the look. On that Sunday the moon will be 388,887 miles from us. During the course of October the moon will vary as much as 40,000 miles distance from earth. You’d think that far back and forth we’d be able to notice the difference, especially the way some people keep track of the goings and comings of their neighbor. I guess we view galactic neighbors different than those next door. For some people it’s just easier to spy on your neighbor than spy on the moon. And maybe a lot more fun.

The first Sunday of the Fall Season and it’s a good day in the East Wing, your company has made the First Fall Sunday a pleasure as always, we’re glad ya came.

Stay Safe in Baghdad and South Iraq and Afghanistan, be careful out there.

From the East Wing, With the Delta Force, Sophia Visits ACORN, Oklahoma wagering on the East Wing
I wish you well,
BobbyRay

From the East Wing, Moving to TipTop and Owning Half a Dog

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing

One of the things for sure ya don’t get when ya live in a family of girls, is that early indoctrination into the manly arts of hunting and fishing, the slayer of eatable meats, being the provider of food for tribe. No, I didn’t get involved with that stuff at all. Then we moved to TipTop.

Today, near the end of a section of an Interstate Highway System in Southeastern Kentucky, just before ya get to a little town called Salyersville, a town it seems everyone in the whole world has heard of, at the very least everybody in Indiana. Ya take the last exit off the Mountain Parkway before ya get to Salyersville when ya want to go to TipTop.

In the mountains it’s such an experience to see the immediate result of exiting an Interstate Highway,, and the road to TipTop is no different. You’re on Tobacco Road in a heartbeat. As ya wander in a southwesterly direction the road gradually go up hill and gets progressively less traveled and smaller. Ya reach Royalton KY and turn right over the railroad tracks. After an underpass of a railroad, past a country store, ya come to the fork in the road, ya go left. All along this journey ya see little shack houses, log house, old trailers, new trailers, modular housing, and mansions all mixed together.

No place in our country can ya find extreme poverty and prosperity more close side by side. This is Appalachia. When ya drive from the Mountain Parkway to TipTop you’ll know what I mean.

After the fork in the road ya can’t get lost even if ya wanted to, ‘cause the road don’t go anywhere else, ya first come to Carver KY. Now Carver is almost as well known as TipTop mainly ‘cause ya can’t get to TipTop without going through Carver.

I have a grandfather , Floyd King, buried at the Bailey Cemetery nearby . I never knew Floyd King, my mother’s father, he died before I was born. I knew my mother’s mother. That was Lou, Lou and I played in the waters of Southfork.

Carver KY is such a big place, if there were signs, entering and leaving Carver would be on the same post. It’s real easy to go past Carver and not know it, especially if ya miss the sign.

From Carver to TipTop the road turns into one way, both ways. Not that there are two separate lanes, there’s only one lane it’s just wide enough for one car, no matter what direction ya go.

Unlike Carver, it’s easy to know when ya get to TipTop. The road ends. It just does. The road ends. Right there in front of you, the road just ends. TipTop is the location where three mountains come together at the base. Ya sit here at the end of the road and in front of you is a mountain, to the left and the right the same thing. The only place to go at TipTop is up. Ya have three hills, take your choice, they’re all steep.

Today should you drive to the end of that road, you’ll see how nature reclaims her own. There are minimum signs of people ever having ever been there, at TipTop. In another fifty years there will be no sign of people ever having been there, and that’s the way it should be.

If you think you’re so important in this world, just stand at the foot of the mountains at TipTop, you’ll have a different point of view. The world can get along without ya, very well, thank ya very much. Turns out you’re not even a bump on the radar scope of life, and ya thought you’re so important. You’re not, so don’t ever go there, and if ya don’t take my word on that one, go stand by the mountains at TipTop.

But when I came to TipTop, TipTop was alive. There were lots and lots of people and they all worked for a single employer. TipTop was a Company Town. A coal Company Town. There was just enough flat land to build a post office, a company store, a coal tipple (kinda like a loading dock for railroad car to be filled with coal) and that took all the flat land.

Everything else was built on the hills. The TipTop Church is built on the side of the mountain. The cemetery is on top of one of the mountains. To get to the cemetery most vehicles are unable to drive there, so ya climb the hill on foot. It is a trip to remember. All houses were on the hills. All the way to the top of the mountains were houses. The School house is on the mountain directly facing the end of the road.

My family and I moved into the second house up the hill to the left of the Company Store, on the same side of the road as the Coal Tipple. The first house up this hill was my Aunt Mag and Uncle Silas Cole. Aunt Mag was a sister to my mother, they looked much the same, Aunt Mag and my Mother, so much in fact, they tell me that as a little baby I had trouble telling them apart. I really didn’t care as long as one of them had liquid supper available for me.

Aunt Mag was such a special aunt to me. As was all my mothers’ sisters, I have only one precious aunt still living, my Aunt Gladys. I have a picture of Aunt Gladys and Uncle Hagins on facebook. Also a picture of Lou.

Aunt Mag and Uncle Silas had 17 babies, some were twins, most were not. When I moved to TipTop there were 12 cousins living the first house down the hill. More boy cousins than I ever knew I had. More girl cousins too. More boys cousins than I could count on one hand, I had to use some of my other fingers on the other hand just count my boy cousins. I was never more happy in my life. Finally after all these years, (6) I had somebody to play with besides girls.

Cousins, more cousins than I knew what to do with. I set about learning their names. Some were older, some were younger and I loved em all. Cousins are kinda like puppies, they make ya happy when ya have ‘em.

Now my Aunt Mag’s house was the same size as our house, 4 large rooms and a big porch. The only difference was the number of people in the house, Aunt Mag had 14 at her house we had 6. In no time our numbers went up.

With more boy cousins than ya could count on one hand it didn’t take long at all for those guys to figure out we had more food, and the cousins came to help eat, and were welcomed by my family with open arms. The same as I was welcomed to the house of Aunt Mag. Hurlas, Burl, Garland, Silas, Paul, Pilipino. Silas was called Junior and Pilipino was called Pino. It turned out that four cousins were older than me, I’m the same age as Paul, and Pino is the little cousin of the group.

The first night at TipTop I slept with my cousins, on the floor, in Aunt Mag’s front room. There was never enough beds for everybody so somebody always slept on the floor. Everybody took turns sleeping on the floor. I joined in and took my turn.

My sisters didn’t sleep on the floor, they had their own bed at our house. But the idea of getting a bunch of new cousins didn’t excite them nearly as much as it did me, after all they had each other to play with, and all I had was girls, and then I got a house full of boy cousins. Now cousins are kinda like brothers, but not quite, but when you’re six a lot better than sisters.

The second day at TipTop we went to the Company Store, my cousins and me. We didn’t have any money, just went in to look and smell, ‘cause that store smelled good, it just smelled really good. Country store smells were kinda a mixture of leather from new shoes, candy, kerosene, dairy feed, homemade lye soap, ground corn meal and apples. Cinnamon sticks, not ground cinnamon, cinnamon bark rolled into a stick. The same cinnamon sticks as in the country store on Southfork. Lou had the same cinnamon sticks in her store. Cinnamon sticks added to the aroma of the country store, both TipTop and Southfork.

They never had bananas at the TipTop Store when I lived there, maybe one time they had some bananas but everybody thought the cob was too big and they didn’t like the taste of ‘em, so they didn’t get anymore, but I’m not sure ‘bout that.

One of the things about being in a family of 12 brothers and sisters, ya don’t have much left of your pets. Imagine if you well, twelve brothers and sisters having to share one dog. Yes one dog for 12 boys and girls. The I come to TipTop and, you got that right, I have a dog of my own. One cousin, one dog.

Now the dog I bring to TipTop is the Golden Cocker Spaniel the Milk Man gave me for killing Bucky Boy with that little milk truck that looked like the UPS truck, ‘cept it was white and little. That damn milkman killed my rabbit, Bucky Boy. Gentile rabbit, that Bucky Boy.

Now it didn’t take long for the Cole Boys to figure out I got a lot more dog per cousin than they do. Less than two weeks of living at TipTop, when at the supper table at my house, Pino says “Aunt Ruth (my mother) can I have some of BobbyRay’s dog?” My mama says “Why sure, Pino, ya can have half of BobbyRay’s dog”

Whata ya gona do! Ya can’t say no when your mama just gave half of your dog away, so I said “I get the front half”.

And with that me and Pino went into the dog partnership business. But Pino was younger and dumber than me so we would get along, me and Pino, and we did. It ended up later that Pino got the best of the whole deal, ‘cause when I moved to Indiana I had to give my front half of the dog to Pino so he got the whole dog. Boy, was Pino ever happy to see me go.

Such a beautiful last September Summer Sunday in the East Wing. It almost rained today, but did not. The clouds came by and blotted out the heat of the sun, the wind blew and ya could almost hear the whisper “It’s almost fall”.

Come Tuesday a few minutes past 11 AM (11:09) the Autumnal Equinox happens and autumn arrives, not with a great deal of fanfare, but maybe some much needed rain. That’s one the things about the change of the seasons, the event itself very seldom has any special weather attached that single day, but the change is there never the less. The color has already started in some of the East Wing Trees. I’m looking forward.

Without your company the East Wing would be a lonely place. The East Wing was built to share with friends. I’m so glad that you’re one.

Stay Safe in Baghdad and Afghanistan
I wish you well
BobbyRay

From the East Wing, Hornets Round Two, End of Dog Days, Touring the East Wing

Greetings to all and welcome new friends to The East Wing,

No, there’s no danger of one the residents of the Hornet Nation embedding themselves in my letters. I don’t even know it they use email. I do know they have brave warriors, but unlike the US Army and the news media, there’s no embedding with BobbyRay & the Hornets. Those little s.o.b.’s (sons of bees)

My encounter with the Hornet Nation just keeps playing out. Starting last Wednesday and getting progressively worse, to the point of seeing a doctor on Friday. 10 full days after the attack, an allergic reaction from the hornet venom turned most of my body into a scratching post looking for a cat. A systemic reaction of epic proportions.

As the welts got bigger, redder, and wider, I struggled to figure out what I had encountered that would produce such a strong allergic reaction. Nothing came to mind, I’m thinking something the day before, not 10 days back. When I woke up Friday morning with a distinct change in my voice, it was time to see the A Team.

Now the guy who provides my medical service, I’ve known for some time. I do work for this company at the professional level and he provides for my medical needes. We’re buds, me and the Doc. Ya really gotta know this guy to appreciate his since of humor. He takes one look at me and says “Ya ever had this before?” “No” Then as if pulling all his medical skills and resources together for a major decision on my condition, he says “ya got it now” And there it was, it had finally been diagnosed, it was what I had feared most of all, it was “I had it now” I felt such a since of relief, just knowing the diagnoses was half the battle. I asked the doctor, “can ye fix it?” “Yep, but I wanta find out what caused it first” Then he started a series of questions dealing with my world and what had changed to trigger such an allergic reaction.

We talked about any chemicals I had put in or on my body. Toothpaste. Deodorant, soap, shampoos, then looked at my head and said “never mind about the shampoo.” Then her hit upon the magic button when he asked. “have ya been stung by a bee in the last week or two” I said, “no bee, just hornets”

At this point the good doctor looked me straight in the eye and in his most professional voice said “this you will recognize direct from the East Wing BobbyRay”. “ There Ya Go”

I didn’t know hornet venom hangs around in your body for such a long time, it does. I didn’t know it can make so miserable, it can. I may rethink my animosity toward those hornets. After all they have now attacked me more than I attacked them, and ever body knows that hillbillies get even, even get even with hornets. The Hornet Nation will be revisited again from the East Wing. The drumbeat of war may be in the late summer air as September stumbles into fall.

Wow! Are the 2girldogs glad to see the Dog Days of Summer pass by this year. The Gray Lady is in her glory back in her personal bird sanctuary across the road south of the East Wing. It is such a pleasure to watch an emerging forest develop on that land which has not seen a plow for over twenty years now.

With that field being both to the south and west of the house, back when it was being farmed, the only thing ya could say for sure was sand will blow into your house. The best decision we ever made, me and the she, was to place the land into a government wild life type program. Now I get paid a little money. The 2girldogs have a place to play, and we all get to enjoy watching Mother Nature at work.

Sophia the Republican Cat, of course has a different point of view about the end of Dog Days. In fact, Sophia seems to have a different point of view on most everything around here. She now goes outside to potty just because I got outside cats. She goes across the road into the 2girldog playground. She has asked that a fence be put in the middle of the 40 acre field to separate it so the 2girldogs can’t get into her half.

I didn’t even know she had a half. Said she and the 2girldogs negotiated it out and she got the half closest to the house ‘cause her legs are shorter than the 2girldogs, so she’d have to walk a lot farther to get to the other half of the field.
When I discussed this with the 2girldogs they both agreed her legs were shorter and she would have to walk a lot farther to get to the other end of the field than they would. DUH!

Nobody ever said I had Einstein Dogs, I guess the closest they would ever come to Einstein would be that Gray Lady James is German Short Hair Pointer, and everybody knows about Mustina being half bird dog and half good for nothing but be your dog, dog. ‘Course another way to look at it is they are stuck with me, so maybe we’re ‘bout even. But I don’t get my own couch in the East Wing like they do.

I often receive email asking about my background, where I come from, are all these stories I write real, what is the East Wing, are the 2girldogs and 1cat and 1wife real or contrived figments of my imagination.

I’ve talked about this stuff before, but new friends visit the East Wing and ask much the same questions. So I’ll take a shot at answering some of those questions again and if I get sidetracked, the rest some other time. As far as my background:

I was born in Starke County Indiana, then lived my first 10 years in the Mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. Returning to Starke County in the mid 1950’s made for an interesting childhood. Yes, I did grow up in Downtown Toto.
I’ve splashed in the headwaters of Southfork with my Grandmother Lou, and walked the back roads of the mountains. I know Quicksand. Have traded knives on Saturday Morning in Salyersville.
I’ve seen Morning fog so thick ya had pull it apart with your bare hands just to go to school at Tip Top. There were no fog delays in the mountains, ya just dealt with it.
Experienced both segregation and discrimination early on in life, one in the mountains, the other in Starke County. Didn’t like either. Glad both are going away, the sooner the better.
An Accountant / Business Consultant by trade, a Story Teller by choice. When I can paint a picture in your mind with words from my brain to fingers to keyboard to your monitor, to your brain, I’ve just told the story, you’re the illustrator.

Are my stories real? Wanta come over and ask the 2girldogs, 1cat, 1wife, I’m sure they will vouch for me. Although the 1cat may have different opinion. I do truly delight in embellishing detail in stories. It’s kinda like adding shadows to pictures to make ‘em more vivid. ( an example of detail Is, don’t think of black and yellow butterflies,,,,,,,, there ya go thinking of those black and yellow butterflies)

What is the East Wing? The East Wing is named such ‘cause it was built after the original house, built on the east end of the original house. The west wall of the East Wing is the original siding of the house. The North and South walls of the East Wing each have 12’ of floor to ceiling glass with a 4’ center glass sliding door. The East wall has a total of 18’ of floor to ceiling glass, with a 4’ center glass sliding door. The East Wing Floor is Red Oak laid in a design of my own creation while the ceiling is tongue and groove knotty pine.

There’s a 14’ vaulted ceiling with the 12’ additional window space above the glass doors on the east end of the East Wing. Two ceiling fans can move the air in the East Wing, they hang not from the apex rather from the angle portions of the vaulted ceiling.

The East Wing is illuminated by three lights each from the ceiling fans as well as two wall mounted lights on the East Wall. The wall lights are dimmer switch controlled. The West Wall of the East Wing has a gas fire place and two oil lamps.
That’s a physical description of the East Wing, but it’s more than that, much, much more than that. It’s where I keep all my stuff. All my toys are within arm’s reach of each other. Computers and stargazing telescopes sit huddled together in the East Wing. There’s no television, no radio in the East Wing. It is unlikely there ever will be television or radio in the East Wing.

This is the quite space, the place to read, to think, to look outside and not get wet, cold, or hot. This is the place to visit with the little brown eyed friend of mine, the hummingbird on the other side of the glass. The place to watch the change of seasons, the snow storms, the lighting storms, the sunshine, hear the thunder and see the rain and not get wet. The place to smell the outdoors. The place to talk to the animals. A place to pray.

My East Wing is filled with such diverse stuff on the walls and shelves as Pink Flamingos and Singing Nuns to Ceramic Chickens, a 12” R2D2 Pez Dispenser, a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, along with antique pop bottles, both valuable and junk, a slinky, a yoyo without a string, a pooping moose. And a 4 pack of Sarsaparilla. Angels, both large and small, antique bottles, both Jack Daniels and Avon. Oil Lamps and candles, and books, lots of books. Computers and telescopes, telescopes so powerful I can see yesterday. Not only yesterday but a thousand light years past yesterday. Talk about looking over your shoulder! But I can’t see tomorrow, wish I could. But maybe better off not.

Mixed in on my computer table is the expected computer stuff along with a laser pin light which I use to play the 1cat like an old violin out of tune and out of time, and my digital Casio which I use to photograph the 2girldogs, 1cat and the little brown eyed friend of mine. The 1wife does not take kindly to the Casio photo sessions. Photos of the 2girlsdogs and Sophia the Republican Cat are on the Facebook Page.

Most of my home time is spent in the East Wing. Regina starts her day, every day, with a quite reading session in the East Wing. One of the most spectacular photos I’ve ever taken happened just by chance one very early morning in September several years ago when I snapped a picture of Mustina just outside the East Wing with the background yard filled with Sunbeams. I will have to hunt that picture up and post on Facebook someday.

For those who may well have heard me describe the East Wing before I again apologize for boring you this evening. I know I have described the East Wing before, but it keeps coming up in the Email so I thought I would give a quick description one more time. Now one good thing did come out of reviewing the description of the East Wing, I don’t think I ever told anybody ‘bout the Pooping Moose before. A Moose and it does. We’ll talk ‘bout that Pooping Moose again.

Another beautiful late September Summer Sunday has come and gone. The days do get short come September. I don’t expect to see the little brown eyed girl too much longer, if at all. I did not see her today, she may be already gone. But she’ll be back when its springtime’s in the valley. I’ll feed her again, and she’ll remember me.

It seem the darkness comes almost before ya know this time of the year, but the days will get longer come December, colder but longer.
As usual you company is so much appreciated in the East Wing.
Stay safe in Iraq and Afghanistan
From the East Wing The Hornet Nation Round Two, End of Dog Days, Touring the East Wing.
I wish you well,
BobbyRay

From the East Wing sending "Uh Oh" into Space, Come Septemer, and Robin Hood's Party

Greeting to all and welcome home my desert friends, back home to Illinois.
Prayers have been answered for mamas and papas and BobbyRay too.
Did ya ever wish ya were around when they named things? Not the technical names and scientific names but just everyday stuff. Anything and everything that had to be named, who named all this stuff? Now don’t go getting crazy on me and telling me God named all this stuff, ‘cause he didn’t, he just didn’t. ‘Cause God got more important things to do than naming little stuff.
God named the big stuff like the Earth and the Moon and the Stars and Adam and Eve. Then he left the little stuff to other people to name. Just think how much fun it would have been if ya were there when it came time to name “dirt”. Now wouldn’t ya like to know who choose that name for dirt. Now it can mean soil, grime, gossip, filth, lowdown, smut.
Well it seems that a simple word like dirt has lots of meaning. What would ya have named it. It’s fun to think such thoughts, but I think most everything has been named and about the only thing left for average people like me and you to name are babies.
That may be why babies don’t come already named, it gives ya something to name. Maybe that’s why some people have so many babies, they just like naming things. They could be liking other reasons too.
Many of the words we both speak and write have different meanings, some recognized throughout society and others tend to be local , regional, or ethnic in recognition. My best experience with ethnic recognition of the language had to do with me meeting a Cajun family some 100 miles south of New Orleans a long time ago. I was introduced to this family as “this is my coon ass from Indiana BobbyRay Howard” It turned out that the term “coon ass” is truly a term of endearment for the Cajuns. In Cajun Country there is no better honor than being referred to as coon ass of a Cajun.
That was not the case when I lived in Downtown Toto, coon ass would’ve been fighting words for sure. As a matter of fact I’ve seen many a fight over something much less important than being called a coon ass. I once saw two little hillbilly boys fight over who could put the most marshmallows in their mouth at one time. Actually, the fight was over who would do the counting, not the count itself. The count never took place ‘cause by the time they got done fighting over who was going to count, they were too tired to stuff their faces with marshmallows. So we just built a fire and roasted ‘em . The marshmallows, not the little boys.
Now with everything already named and many of the names having several different meanings depending where ya happen to be, it’s a wonder we can even understand each other to the extent we do. A big part of why we can communicate so well is the single most recognized word of all
Uh Oh !
“Uh Oh” isn’t something somebody named . “Uh Oh” has no meaning except in the ears of the hearer, and guess what, it’s understood every time ya hear it. Just stop and think for a second, did ya ever hear someone say “Uh Oh” and ya didn’t know exactly what they’re talking ‘bout? Of course ya knew, you always understand the meaning of “Uh Oh”. That’s the power of “Uh Oh”. Now “Uh Oh” isn’t even in the dictionary, it don’t have to be. Total understanding throughout the known universe.
After much research and study trying to track down the origin and the true meaning o f ”Uh Oh”, I’ve finally concluded that “Uh Oh” came directly from God Himself.
Now I’m not gona bore ya with all the details about the creation and how Adam and Eve got here and how God told ‘em that they pretty much had the run of the place except for that one apple tree, ‘cause if ya mess with the stuff on that tree it’ll do ya dirty. Now God went on about his business and so did Adam and Eve. Well ya all know the rest of the story ‘bout the apple, the snake and the bite and all that stuff.
Now ya gotta remember that not every word that was spoken back then was recorded like it is today. Nobody texted or twittered, there was no facebook, or internet, nothing, just God, Adam and Eve. After talking to these two ‘bout the law, when God comes back to the garden a little while later, far off on the other side of the garden is Adam and Eve. So God starts walking over and as he gets about half way ‘cross the garden, he sees those fig leaves and says “Uh Oh”.
Years ago when the space program was young and we had, for the first time, the ability to propel an object into space and escape the gravitational pull of the Earth. One of the plans was to send a message into space in the hope the message would sometime in the distant future encounter intelligent life forms. A difficult part of the mission, for a rocket called Pioneer 10, was how to phrase the message. Astronomer, Carl Sagan headed the team which came up with the final product. We ended up with a complex set of lines, circles, letters, mathematics equations and nude human forms on a golden plate. The drawing kinda reminded ya that we’re the third rock from the sun.
We’d have been just as well off if someone had taken a magic marker on that same little gold plate and wrote “Uh Oh”. ‘Cause there is no doubt that if this thing is ever found by intelligent life forms, they will take one look at our little frail attempt to communicate to them, at their level of understanding, and say “Uh Oh” Cause if they’re there, then
God made ‘em too, and if God made ‘em too, they’ll understand “Uh Oh” then just like you and I understand today.
WOW ! September already. I love September. Did y know that September was the seventh month in the old Roman calendar. Then Julius Caesar messed around with the calendar and started the year in January instead of March. Well when that happened September got to keep its name but went from 7th to 9th in the order of things. Now don’t know ‘bout you but I like September right where it’s at .
I sure hope President Obama don’t jerk around with the calendar, like he jerked around with everything else. Come to think of it, that ole “change” he was talking ‘bout this time last year, is that working out for ya ok?
The above paragraph was whispered into my ear by Sophia the Republican Cat, who sets forever on the back of my chair and reads every word spoken from the keyboard. (Damn Republican Cat)
I love the way in which one of my favorite authors describes this time of the year, as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote:
The morrow was a bright September morn; The earth was beautiful as if new-born;
There was that nameless splendor everywhere That wild exhilaration in the air.

I can write like Dr Seuss, I can only read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and so I do. Perhaps the only thing prettier than a September morn is the sight of the September Full Moon rising. Did ya see that last Friday Night? Pretty site to look at, pretty site indeed. Don’t think I’ll ever tire of seeing the full moon bathing the countryside in that golden light. The light that only comes when the moon is full and the sky is clear. Probably the most spectacular full moon is the January one. If it is clear on the January Full Moon, you will see moonlight like no other, cold, cold night air, so brittle it breaks when ya walk thru it, yet the most spectacular moon light of all. Come January I’m sure that I will go outside, break the brittle cold air, and look at that January Full Moon.
A good thing about living here in the East Wing is that when it gets dark, it’s really dark, no lights to interfere with the stargazing. I can control the amount of light in my nighttime world in the East Wing. In case ya missed the full moon of September, not to worry, the October full moon is equally pretty to look at, I’ll let ya know when.
One of my favorite holidays is Labor Day. Is also one of the few holidays not moved to a Monday so ya can have a three day weekend. Good thing its always been on the first Monday in September to start with or else somebody would get a bright idea and ZAP ! another three day holiday.
All the time I went to school, we started the new school year the day after Labor Day. That was not the reason I considered it one of my favorite holidays. The reason was on that day, my dad bought everyone ice cream of their choice, I always chose vanilla, always have, and will do so tomorrow. Now days it seems that kids start school in the middle summer and every other week are out of school for something. The one thing I hated in school was coloring. Just hated coloring, to this day I hate coloring.
One time in college I needed a fill in class just to occupy a time slot till my next class ‘cause I lived too far to go home and back for the next class, a consular suggested an art class. All I could think about was coloring, I said no, I don’t want to color, the guy laughed. I took comparative religion just so I would not run the risk of having to color and ended up taking a total of 4 semesters of comparative religion. At least in comparative religion not one time did anybody hand out a stupid black and white picture and say “color”
A long time ago, when Robin Hood ran amuck, one the biggest festivals in Sherwood Forest during September was Michaelmas. I think ya had to be there to really get into the party mode, but can ya imagine eating a fat Michaelmas Goose with both fresh oatcakes and barley cakes, while washing it all down with new made wine. Such party animals, those merry men, bet they didn’t even invite the sheriff. I think that party was always held somewhere around the 29th or 30th of September, don’t remember for sure, but I’m sure it was near the end of the month.
Don’t think I ever ate a fat goose, we’re hillbillies, and we eat chicken pretty much all the time. Let me put it this way, if it had feathers on it at one time and we’re eating it, it’s chicken. In fact, my mama has eaten so much chicken she is embarrassed to meet a hen in the road. My mama, and I love her so, is the only person I know that went to a Chinese Restaurant in Atlanta GA and ordered chicken. Yah, we don’t do fat goose in the East Wing. But Coon & Squirrel, now that’s a dish of a different flavor. I’m joking, we don’t do coon & Squirrel either, but I know some who do and they love it.
Labor Day is late the year 2009, in fact the latest if can be. But not to worry, we will recycle thru the days each year and, if I’m doing the math right in my head, Labor Day in 2014 will be on September 1st , the earliest it can be. That is of course assuming that the President is not going to jerk around with changing the calendar back to starting the new year March 1st.
Thank you so much for stopping by the delightful first Sunday of September. Sharing your company is such a pleasure. Know forever of your welcome presence to the East Wing.
From the East Wing sending Uh Oh into Space, Come September, & Robin Hoods Party
Stay Safe in Iraq and Afghanistan
I wish you well,
BobbyRay