Tough Crowd

Marilyn picks-up and delivers dogs door to door. She picks them up in the morning and delivers them back to the owners that evening. Most of her customers are in a larger town 25 miles away. This time of year I normally go with her. Her knee replacement operation has put a crimp on that. It would have been hard to use crutches and carry a dog to the car. Yes I have and will do about anything for Marilyn but picking up strange dogs isn't one of them. Dogs generally don't like strange men. They do like Marilyn, she has a way with animals of all kinds. So our daughter has taken over that duty. As a trade off she tucks her kids into bed here at our place most week nights, we get them up, Grandpa cooks breakfast, and then we put them on the bus for school.

Every morning I've been going to the upstairs doorway, take a deep breath, and start with my best Luciano Pavarotti impersonation. I love the big echo in that hallway. I've been singing things like Zippity Do Da... and Ohhhhh What a beautiful Moooorning, Ohhh what a beautiful day...

Yesterday I finished my song and in my best Las Vegas stage show voice said, "Thank You, my names Cliff Morrow and I'll be here all week." My 8 year old Grandson is stumbling all sleepy like down the stairs and as we come face to face he mumbles "You've been here your whole life Grandpa."

And Good Morning to you I thought. I fear I'm having some effect on these kids.

Tunnel Vision

By the time the morning of the test arrived, I was all pooped out. They used what most people call 'twilight sleep' on me. It's sort of hard to remember what went on after they inserted the needle in my arm. I might not have had full control of everything while I was out, and I sure could have been a little foggy, but I think I remember the Doctor reporting to me afterwards "I found three plops." I then looked at the floor around the table and didn't see anything down there so I assume they cleaned them up while I was sleeping. For some reason he wants to do this again in three years. They really have it in for old people who don't control themselves. I'm not looking forward to the rest home.

The name on the jug I got from the pharmacist said Golytely.
They should have named it GoQuickly.

Please Go Have a Look!

My son Dan has a good friend who stops at the body shop almost everyday. Jim is his name and has what we in the Morrow Clan call a 'big personality'. I think he initially began to get to know Dan because Jim was into restoring Indian Motorcycles and liked the way Dan painted them. Jim has gotten Dan into collecting and restoring Indian Motorcycles now. Jim once pointed at my two sons in the shop and said to me, "Those are the only two boys I would ever consider adopting besides the one I did adopt." I appreciated that.
If you go to Dan's you'll see their latest reason to celebrate.

I'm Back!

Ralph had a big wind in Colorado but it moderated to about 55 or 60 miles per hour by the time it got to extreme Eastern Nebraska. For those of you who have never lived in an open area with nothing to stop a north wind except for say, a grain bin or a tree that might be 3 miles away, you haven't experienced wind. It was enough to make the house vibrate and moan.
It was also enough to adjust my satellite dish to the 'You have limited or no connectivity,' state. No kidding.
That was Friday evening and so the service men left here this morning at 10:45 AM. Why do these kinds of things and sickness always strike on Friday nights? This forces us to use patience. Something we usually do not need to use in todays society.
I appreciate all of the concerns in my comment section as well as emails asking about Marilyn. She is doing poorly by her standards but her Dr on last fridays visit was very pleased. He has told her more than once that 'business owners are the worst patients because of their thinking that things can't operate without them. She stayed away for almost 3 weeks but has been back to grooming for 3 weeks now. Our daughter ran things quite well without her. That was really appreciated. Marilyn will eventually walk without a limp. (until she starts trying to kick me in the rear and then she'll probably start limping again.)

In My Perfect World

1. Desserts would all have a negative calorie effect. The more you eat the more weight you lose.
2. Or they would all smell like Clorox.
3. It would rain 1" every Monday night thru the summer. (golf league on Tuesday night)
4. Conferences for continuing education would have truthful brochures. It would look like this. 10:00 AM to 10:45-Ballroom I- Tom Thomas from the State Auditors office will discuss budgets. You have time for a little nap during this one. This guy has a lot of schooling and is very instinctive about numbers but zero communication skills. If you want to try the lounge we'll send someone in to get you when it's over assuming one of us is still awake.
5. Everyone would find out I don't know anything and quit asking me questions.
6. People who always complain to me about other people, would start coming up to me and say, "Hey Cliff, I just had a good idea. (talk about ideas not people)
7. Everyone who belongs to an organization would follow the proper steps to solve a problem instead of recruiting as many people as possible to make unhappy about the same problem.
8. The clock would stop during travel. Just step out the door at 6:59 and arrive 20 miles away at 7:00 for the meeting. "Very funny Scotty... now beam my clothes up!"
9. Foreigners would have to follow the same rules I do while in our country.

Now it's your turn. Finish this: In my perfect world...

Kearney Nebraska

This is the GREAT PLATTE RIVER ROAD ARCHWAY MONUMENT. It sprawls across Interstate 80 just east of Kearney Nebraska. It was one of the starring locations in Jack Nicholsons movie "About Schmidt." Good movie btw. It was filmed in Nebraska.

You can click here to start a brief tour of the facility.

The attraction takes you from the beginning of 'civilized' man (I believe that would be the first Republican to enter the state) , up to the present. A herd of Buffalo will run over the top of you and other such things of interest. The history of Nebraska's part in the westward expansion is pretty well documented.

Our conference was about two miles west of this monument near the interstate.

The lessons we learned were numerous and varied. The State Attorney General's representative was as usual, one of the highlights. He is a good speaker and everyone listens closely to him because he relates how other county boards get into trouble. He said most people who contact him about problems with a board, are already mad about something besides what they called about. He said he can tell right away when a citizen is mad, because they usually want the board sued and then killed.

We have a new Open Meetings Law in Nebraska. It was written because it was just too darned easy being in public office. The new law fixed that.

The Assistant AG related that one board was accused of violating the Open Meetings law by going to lunch, as a group at an uptown diner after their regular meetings. "Those guys are holding another meeting down there where the public can't hear whats going on and I want you to do something." The citizen reported to the A.G. He said the board fixed it by including the diner as one of the venues for the meeting and advertised the meetings that way. From then on the public was invited to eat with the supervisors immediately following every meeting. We learned more about the bidding process, budgets, conflicts of interest, and really tired rears.

The final speaker was with the Dept of Health, and Human Social Services. (HHSS) An agency the Governor promised to 'get control of' and to reign in. It really worked. The number of folks employed by HHSS will fall from 5200 and go to 6200. That worked. This is a massive program for a state of our size, and is out of control. I sit on another board that gets their money from HHSS and our budgeted amount from them was $17M last year and we are just one, on the long list of service groups connected to this agency. The really troubling thing about this is that the Dept. is merely doing what any good family would and should be doing for itself. Yes, some services are vital for us as a society to perform. In the 60's, at the beginning of the age of entitlement, was the beginning of the end, I fear. I don't think the Government can/or should try to be all things to all people. We probably need to take a little personal responsibility for ourselves.

Up Next: Cliff's Perfect World!

A Real Cliff Hanger!

Yes, and I've always been shameless. I promise to hit the 'memorable' moments of my meeting very soon. I know this cliff hanger will make you want to check back.

See You Later

Education, I've always thought, was an organized method we have developed to keep track of the mistakes. Because of this, when someone says 2 + 2 = 4, we can assume the answer is correct and there is no need to hold up our hand and start counting our fingers. Someone else has made a mistake and we know about it. That's education.
I'm leaving to go to a workshop for County officials. Grandpa is going to school is the way I explained it to my Grandson. It will be a little over two days of learning the most recent method some official has found to get himself/herself into trouble with law enforcement or taxpayers, and how we can avoid doing the same thing.
Some of these lessons make me angry that we've been brought to this point by a frivilous lawsuit that some gutless judge couldn't find in his heart to throw out. I guess it would put an attorney out of work for a while. What better reason is there?
We'll learn too much here and too little there but it generally is well worth the time. So see you guys this weekend.
I leave you with this: If a parsley farmer is sued and looses, can they garnish his wages?
If you're the last one to leave, turn out the lights and set the alarm.
Cliff has left the building.

Congratulations!

Congratulations are in order for those of you from Indy. Nora, and Jerry, and Marty and probably others I'm unaware of. I wish the rain hadn't had an effect on the game but I think absent that, the result would still have been the same.
I was tickled by the ceremony after the game where Peyton Manning was named the most valuable player of the Super Bowl and given the prize, A BRAND NEW CADILLAC. Quite a prize it would have been for say...a farmer or just about any other person in America. The fact that I had just read about Peyton signing a 7 year contract and signing bonus worth a reported $98,000,000 made me think that it was equivalent to me winning $10 at a casino. Nice but not worth talking about.
I'm sure that tomorrow we will read about Peyton giving the car to someone or some organization in need. I do think he is that kind of guy. It just seems crazy to give millionaires playing football a prize of monetary value. How about money to charities of their choosing.

Beta and Dry Feet

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.- James Allen (1864-1912)
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We are in for some cold weather here for a few days. Or maybe a month. Who knows. The fuel being burned up in our furnace is causing dry skin. Dry feet to be exact. I have decided to apply some lotion to the problem area. This decision was brought about by the realization that on my early morning trip to the bathroom, the sound of velcro being ripped open was caused by my feet breaking contact with the carpet. I can also attest to the fact that we need new carpet in the bedroom or should at least get it stretched.
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This is my first Beta blog. I see in the transition that Blogger forgot who half of my comments are from and assigned annonymous to them. I'm still a bit skeptical about this.