Rats...

[DDT (12)]

The first thing I’d like to do is make it crystal clear that I do not consider myself a ‘rat’: One who habitually tattles or continually seeks to expose any ‘untoward’ behavior of others. (Like those, for example, who eagerly volunteered to be hall monitors back in school.) That said, I do feel a need to point out an occurrence the other day that… Well, it got me to thinking… It also just so happens to be a rather long story… The length is due entirely to my thinking I’d better attempt to provide some context…
 
My landlady and her recycled cohabitator (hey, now that right there just has to be worthy of some PC credit!) have our primary domicile on a heavily wooded just over two-acre lot near the middle of town. How can that be, you might logically ask? I admit this is quite unusual, even for our unusual community, but not so much for this unusual couple… There is an explanation, however…
 
Well, once upon a time long, long ago, this now bustling, burgeoning ‘geriatric-gentry’ warehouse (retirement community), decades before Interstate highways and the giant shadow cast by Mickey Mouse arrived, and long before those former German rocket-scientists began playing spaceship over at Cape Canaveral, yes, prior to any of those major happenings even being contemplated in fact, Ocala was just a sleepy little hamlet in the middle of the upper half of the peninsula of Florida…
 
Roughly halfway between the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and save for Silver Springs, devoid of any tourist draw. It also lies about halfway between Tampa Bay and the Georgia state-line. It was then essentially in what today is referred to as ‘fly-over country’. Forestry, citrus and horse farms provided a slim majority of the mostly agricultural pursuits producing employment, which meant there were also stores, schools, hospitals, and other support functions also providing jobs… For the most part, though, it was just a tiny little village in the middle of nowhere… with a few well-off folks but mostly just regular people like the rest of us. That was then.
 
The incredibly huge scale of activity associated with the prosecution of World War II brought vast amounts of military training, principally flight schools, to this area because of the availability of land for airstrips and the near-ideal year-round weather for such things. These same features in turn brought many returning war veterans back here following the conclusion of that colossal but only temporary check on worldwide population growth.
 
The Florida Land Boom had begun again. The relatively recent widespread use of residential air-conditioning accelerated this historical periodic phenomenon, only this time, due in no small part to the introduction of that temp-taming blessing, it took. The post-war baby boom also has contributed enormously to this statewide population explosion, as those folks from all over North America have been for some time retiring to the relatively low-tax, mild winters ergo golf-friendly/recreation-accommodating sunshine state in record numbers. That is now…
 
During the transition from what was then to what is now, the predictable overlaps occurred, as a few anachronisms here and there lingered-on well beyond their time. One of those was a twenty-five-acre tract of land used as pasture that remained intact well beyond the onset of the latest great expansion. It had once been used to keep horses of some well-off locals near town, but still just on the outskirts at the time. In due course the town expanded and grew around then beyond this parcel, while the pasture remained until it was eventually overgrown by trees, once the horses had been relocated… It evolved into an in-town new-growth mini-forest.
 
Just at the time my future landlady and this non-stationary citizen were preparing for retirement a few months hence, that parcel was divided into roughly two acre lots and put on the market… We bought one of the first lots available, where we then built our ‘retirement home’. While keeping the landscape virtually ‘natural’, we created our own little slice of wilderness… smack in the heart of everything going on around there…
 
Our version of paradise also happened to be only two blocks from where my favorite aunt lived (the hub of all family activity), it was about one hundred miles northwest of and comfortably away from the urban, congested sprawl of the Orlando environs where our daughter and her family called home, and we both had other family in this peaceful slower-paced retirement town… Close enough to but just enough away from everything most important to us.
 
It seemed near perfect! So good, in fact, we’re still here… Although we did have that twelve plus year ‘leave of absence’ by yours truly, she has lived here continuously since our ‘last’ home had been completed in August 1997. Anyway, there remain lots and lots of trees, as we both enjoy the canopy shade in summertime, along with all the birds and other critters that share our habitat… The ‘elbow-room’ and ‘privacy’ afforded by the size of the lot, even in an otherwise ‘urban residential setting’, is another huge plus! Also, now that I’ve given my last car to our daughter, the two-car garage is plenty ample for ALI to have her own indoor sheltered space once again.
 
During the latter stage of my extended absence, my landlady had been adopted by a puppy named ‘Taz’. When this ‘prodigal’ re-emerged back on the scene, a threesome was formed with all of the usual accommodations and allowances necessary to make such a rather congenial arrangement workable. One of those is the predictable morning greeting ritual Taz conducts when he first gets up… usually before my landlady but sometime after I’ve begun fooling with my smartbox and sipping my favorite caffeine-laden beverage …
 
Taz typically enthusiastically bounces off the walls, energetically jumps up on my leg a few times, frenetically runs around in circles, and always has this incredibly happy expression on his face… It is his way of saying ‘Good Morning!’ and of communicating his urgent desire to go outside so he can dutifully re-mark his territory. Dogs are like that, I’ve observed. They are apparently so very territorial!
 
They seem to instinctively load-up on the basic, primary constituent ‘boundary designator’ ingredient before retiring for the evening, then they allow ‘marker fluid’ to form and accumulate while they sleep, ultimately to be widely applied sometime around daybreak… their version of ‘The Dawn Patrol’, I imagine. Naturally, it falls to this easily distracted but usually available escort to go for that all important first morning stroll with Taz among the trees and bushes… That’s when it happened…
 
Routines are normal for us creatures of… well, lots of routines. Things done so frequently they're often considered habits, and nearly always they are performed in some semiconscious, almost hypnotic trance that I refer to as ‘operating on autopilot’. It does require minimal thought, but it can also be rather dangerous, too… like in a ‘natural’ setting for example…
 
As life goes on and living things continue to grow and change over time, new limbs on trees sprout, while older and lower limbs die, decay, and eventually fall to the ground. Not a big thing, and certainly no surprise there, but… Once in a great while, one of those falling limbs can come dangerously close to us if we happen to be there at the time; or, they could possibly even do worse!
 
Happily, I was not injured or even hit; however… a somewhat smallish limb did land right beside me, as Taz was taking his male ‘adopted person’ on yet another routine ‘morning patrol’. I was not prepared… Heck, I was not even fully engaged in our stroll through our very own enchanted forest, as my thoughts were as they always are… elsewhere. It did startle me a bit, though, but most of all I couldn’t help but notice that in this time of pandemic hysteria, those doggone falling limbs were not social distancing!
 
Just to demonstrate I’m not merely being a crybaby whistle-blower here, allow me to do a mia culpa: I was not wearing a PC ‘Chinese-Cootie Guard’ at the time. It’s true, and I know there are those who will think less of me for that startling social imperative neglect, but… there it is… the cold, harsh, unvarnished truth.
 
I confess our tree limbs and I are not doing all we could and should be doing to help in the global crusade by making our fair share of unnecessary, unproductive ‘feel good only’ gestures; of not paying homage to otherwise useless and illogical political correctness and thereby ‘improving’ the bleak human situation… I do, at least, wish I could feel some degree of regret for my ‘shortcoming’! I honestly don’t think those cavalier dead tree limbs feel any remorse at all, though…
 
DDT

[Rams]

Another well told and informative story.
A thought crossed my mind (yeah I know no one expected that).   That tree the limb fell from may have been sending you and Taz a message.
A slight modification to the old phrase could be applicable here.

Don't Tread On Me.

Rams  

[Oss]

If it fell and you were not there, would it have made a sound?

For that matter did it make a sound on landing or just whoosh by you

Was Taz caused to "miss" his target by the limb?

Great story.

Oss

Fortunately the totally accurate expression "chinese cootie" uttered below the Mason Dixon line does not
cause southerners to lose their minds as here in the NY area

[Bighead]

Fortunately the totally accurate expression "chinese cootie" uttered below the Mason Dixon line does not
cause southerners to lose their minds as here in the NY area

And that is why we dont live there

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

Wait, no Six Gun Territory? I mean before the mouse roared, wasn't that was the other roadside attraction in town?

[DDT (12)]

Ron,

No way for this not very astute political/cultural observer to know of any possible 'other' meanings to words or deeds. Nowadays it is indeed fashionable to combine various acts and gestures to add alternative messaging to otherwise well-known routine activities... for example, kneeling during the National Anthem, or de-funding police to curb crime.

Much of what passes for 'clear expressions' passes right over my head. It is entirely possible the 'Don't Tread...' idea was behind that, but I didn't consider that until you brought it up. Of course, you are such an astute observer, so... you just may be right on point there... Thanks for adding great depth and a broader perspective to the conversation...

DDT



Evan,

Another deep thought! Heck, I don't have a clue!!! Being from the shallow end of the gene pool, myself, I often find myself lost when 'deep' topics are brought up... I will say, however, that I don't think Taz's target hitting was impacted... everything seems fair-game to that random squirter...

DDT



Barry,

I agree, but I would add that is but one of a whole host of reasons for our choice!!! Another reason that, while I do like the state, I seldom travel to California... The majority of their folks' ideas and mine seem to be 'out of sync' by a rather huge margin!!! I'm content to remain largely in 'fly-over country'... where I'm not made to feel so primitive or criminal... just for not agreeing with them.

DDT



OWP,

You are correct in noting Six-gun Territory was a rather significant tourist attraction... with the daily gun battles, rollercoaster, and other features. However, it didn't arrive until after the second world war, so... I didn't include it... You do seem to know your way around this area, though, so... Hmmm, should I have included Wild Waters, too?

DDT

[Bret SD]

"Taz typically enthusiastically bounces off the walls, energetically jumps up on my leg a few times, frenetically runs around in circles, and always has this incredibly happy expression on his face… It is his way of saying ‘Good Morning!’ and of communicating his urgent desire to go outside so he can dutifully re-mark his territory. Dogs are like that, I’ve observed. They are apparently so very territorial!"

Bruce, Taz is short for Tasmanian Devil I presume? haha  Love dogs..

"Just to demonstrate I’m not merely being a crybaby whistle-blower here, allow me to do a mia culpa: I was not wearing a PC ‘Chinese-Cootie Guard’ at the time. It’s true, and I know there are those who will think less of me for that startling social imperative neglect, but… there it is… the cold, harsh, unvarnished truth."

Forgiveness? I think 5 Hail Mary's and 3 Our Father's should do the trick  

My neighbor, a smart engineer, came by yesterday and put on his cootie guard in the house. I told him I didn't have any problem with him not wearing one if he didn't, he said that he has a young kid at home which I know about, obviously, because I live here..

That got me thinking, does he really believe that thing will stop the virus? I live in a far more upscale area than I am comfortable with, and I see a lot of mask-wearing people just walking around by themselves, running, or even driving in the car alone. It continues to Astound me even after months of seeing this.

[DDT (12)]

Bret,

Yep, 'Tasmanian Devil' was the namesake... He is a cutie, for sure, and it amazes how easily they train us and wrap us around their paws... pets are amazing!

As for the cootie guard wearing... Much of that, all of that really when no one else is even around, is not for virus spread stoppage at all. It is a 'political statement' and a signal of virtuous compliance... of being a concerned team player! You see, they claim by demonstrating our 'commitment and sacrifice', that demonic virus will more quickly go away... 'Those folks are just doing their part to help', don't you see... or so they'd like us to believe... No thinking person sees much value in that gesture... they do see great value in indicating to others they are good citizens, though... Gotta keep up that image, ya know...

DDT

[Valkorado]

I agree that masking up in solitude is about as useful for COVID prvention as wearing skivvies to shield rank farts.  In crowds, I'd wager they're better than nothing.

Wear what ya want.  Or not!   

[Bret SD]

"It is a 'political statement' and a signal of virtuous compliance... of being a concerned team player!"

I see over the air TV commercials all the time saying 'we're in this together'.. Only problem I see is that the people writing and making these commercials are obviously making a paycheck. For those who are unemployed or who have lost businesses it's a little hard to swallow.

In San Diego Governor Newsom is trying to shut down businesses for the third time due to testing at San Diego State. City council here is fighting him, and I can see the writing on the wall, San Diego may be one of the first to break free of the current tyranny coming out of Sacramento.

[DDT (12)]

I agree that masking up in solitude is about as useful for COVID prvention as wearing skivvies to shield rank farts.  In crowds, I'd wager they're better than nothing.

Wear what ya want.  Or not!   

Seth,

No denying masks have their uses, and in some circumstances they are indeed essential. However... Your analogy is... well, one that frankly has not occurred to me... I liken it to this: Studies indicate that those who drink one or two glasses of wine per day live longer... would that then suggest that becoming a wino might be the key to immortality?      

DDT



Bret,

Yeah, hard to ferret-out truth when politicians get involved... Hope for the best, but prepare the worst... Good luck!

DDT

[Bigwolf]

Bruce,
What a fun and playful story to address a social division!  Thanks for that!

It seems That I am just a deplorable old man with a lack of regard for the health of others.  Guilty as charged I recon.  I wear one of those “protective” face coverings only when it is a requirement for entry to a building I need to enter.  Such buildings include my doctors office and my bank.  I still feel crazy uneasy in the bank with a mask on!     I can still remember that not very long ago the banks required everyone to remove their hat to enter.  Are they more susceptible to robberies now?

Anyway, I made a custom mask of my own to maybe have a few laughs when the people in charge require my acquiescence to their folly.

Keep rambling and keep writing my friend.


Bigwolf

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

I recall the name Wild Waters but never went there. I was not aware of when Six Gun opened. I did as a young whippersnapper visit Six Gun Territory. Later I learned my wife's grandfather was the engineer for steam engine train at Six Gun.
As a parent I took my two kids to the sister attraction- Ghost Town in the Sky , in Maggie Valley Nc.

[DDT (12)]

Jerry,

As you know, I do not mean to be making lite of the seriousness of the deadly pandemic, nor do I intend any disparagement of the social responsibilities any of us have towards our fellows. I do find humor, even ridiculousness, however, in the behaviors of some...

I also happen to be greatly annoyed by the way some seek to capitalize on the natural fears of individuals. The way politicos politicize, even weaponize, the issue, and the way 'news reporters' hype the situation to gin-up readership/viewership for their own gain and other purposes. It's the exploitation of this serious threat for reasons other than public safety that I dislike!

Most of all, I do resent the sinister and totally disrespectful way peoples' natural concerns and well-being are ignored, even exacerbated, for gain in ways totally unrelated to the issue itself. Yeah, I know... "Our aims are so noble, little 'liberties' like this are perfectly acceptable... for the greater good, of course." The continual refrain of self-serving tyrants everywhere; those who claim to do good in the name of all...

OK, off my soapbox now... Thanks for your comments and compliments! It is fun to observe 'us' and to point out some of our... peculiarities.  We are a strange breed for sure, but we're still the best game in town!

DDT



OWP,

I've lived in Ocala four different times, starting in the late 40s. Each time I return, it's like coming to a new place that is strangely vaguely familiar! Deja vu comes to mind! It changes rapidly and expands continually... a simply amazing place to this periodic citizen. Businesses come and go, attractions have their time in the sun then fade, and life evolves here just as it does everywhere. It appears you've noticed some of that yourself!

DDT

[DIGGER]

I agree that masking up in solitude is about as useful for COVID prvention as wearing skivvies to shield rank farts.  In crowds, I'd wager they're better than nothing.

Wear what ya want.  Or not!   

Seth,

No denying masks have their uses, and in some circumstances they are indeed essential. However... Your analogy is... well, one that frankly has not occurred to me... I liken it to this: Studies indicate that those who drink one or two glasses of wine per day live longer... would that then suggest that becoming a wino might be the key to immortality?      

DDT



Bret,

Yeah, hard to ferret-out truth when politicians get involved... Hope for the best, but prepare the worst... Good luck!

DDT

Great story.....in response to the above.....my wife is a retired Registered Nurse.....we don't wear masks when around friends or when at places that don't require it.    She admits a mask does very little to keep you from getting the virus.  However she says that if you have the virus and don't know it a mask helps a lot to stop you from leaving infected spittle laying around where ever you are at.      Most spittle are small unseen saliva droplets.    We all produce spittle when we talk.    So she says we should wear masks as much as possible to keep from spreading the virus.    We do wear masks when visiting my 96 yr old mother and her 92 yr old husband at their home.

[DDT (12)]

DIGGER,

Yep, I agree with you and your wife. I also believe strongly in frequent hand-washing. I do not object to reasonable, thoughtful actions taken to protect oneself... I also agree strongly, that we all have an obligation in 'the social compact' we all share with each other. I do not, however, appreciate all the pompous posturing done by some to divide us in the name of unity! Thanks for adding serious thought to the conversation... If we had more calm solution-oriented dialog and less vitriolic political diatribe, perhaps we could actually make a huge difference!!!

DDT

[Willow]

... I do not mean to be making lite of the seriousness of the deadly pandemic, ...

Bruce, you and I probably view this thing very similarly but even we have been conditioned by the media.  Referring to a disease as deadly which has an over 99% record of recovery is a bit misleading.  I even wonder if the term pandemic rightly applies to a disease that only 6% of the population acquires.

It's an interesting world in which we find ourselves.

[Rams]

Ron,

No way for this not very astute political/cultural observer to know of any possible 'other' meanings to words or deeds. Nowadays it is indeed fashionable to combine various acts and gestures to add alternative messaging to otherwise well-known routine activities... for example, kneeling during the National Anthem, or de-funding police to curb crime.

Much of what passes for 'clear expressions' passes right over my head. It is entirely possible the 'Don't Tread...' idea was behind that, but I didn't consider that until you brought it up. Of course, you are such an astute observer, so... you just may be right on point there... Thanks for adding great depth and a broader perspective to the conversation...

DDT

Bruce,
Although I greatly appreciate your thoughts and opinions, you are giving me much more credit as a "deep thinker" than I deserve.   I'll repeat/rephrase my wording to make it much clearer.

The tree may have been responding to Taz with: Don't Tread (Pee) On ME. 

Rams

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

" I've lived in Ocala four different times, starting in the late 40s. Each time I return, it's like coming to a new place that is strangely vaguely familiar! Deja vu comes to mind! It changes rapidly and expands continually... a simply amazing place to this periodic citizen. Businesses come and go, attractions have their time in the sun then fade, and life evolves here just as it does everywhere. It appears you've noticed some of that yourself!

DDT "

I am a bit south of you, down in Pasco County. All of my 64 years. My daughter now lives in Ocala . Yes I have seen things come and go but its now mostly to be coming. Only Orange grove and pasture land are going , fast.

[DDT (12)]

Carl,

Yep, once again you are on target. It is amazing how we are conditioned (I would add propagandized, programed, and led around) by those who ostensibly are the 'gate-keepers of truth'... the so-called fourth estate. This was among the 'promise of a free press' notions the founders embraced. Those we've previously come to expect will give us the straight skinny, so the citizenry can then make informed decisions, dramatically let us down. We no longer have that luxury... It is, sadly, doubtful we ever did have it, but still it beats the alternative.

Our current news media has abandoned even the pretext of being unbiased, objective reporters of fact; instead, they've joined the fray on one side or the other. As with all meaningful, impactful, important issues, the information presented is slanted, exaggerated, distorted, taken way out of context... It is not presented to inform, it is presented to influence.

This places the responsibility for 'informed opinions and decision-making' squarely upon the individual... where it logically must rest and actually always has. It does complicate things when we have to wade through so much trash to find worthwhile bits and pieces, scraps really, of 'truth' in order to choose what we think might be the right thing.

Anyone who simply gets his/her information from one source only, well... Even diligent effort is no guarantee, unfortunately, as much of what we see/read is either lazily parroted or outright fictionalized accounts of whatever... And all that brings us back to your point... Our beliefs depend more upon our sources of info than they do upon actual facts... Regrettably, I'm just like everybody else...

DDT



Ron,

Gotcha! BTW, you don't have to fain modesty with this guy... I've talked with you many times, so I know how observant and astute you really are...

DDT



OWP,

Times do change... and so do locales! Citrus at one time was evident everywhere all the way to near Jacksonville! Citrus had been introduced (it was not native to the western hemisphere) by the Spanish (it was not native to Spain either... it had been brought there by the Moors from Africa) around St. Augustine in the 1500-1600s. The series of hard freezes experienced in the 1980s, however, drove that form of agriculture largely south of I-4... Former groves up our way became mobile home parks and subdivisions, and our former 'adversaries' from up north continued to flood in... Yep, the northern 'occupation' of dear ole Dixie is even more pronounced today than it was in the post war years...

DDT