Flu Shots & Feds

This was the sunset on the trees last evening.

Mr. GQ, Gus's wife, Ra left this in an e-mail. Guys, you'll just have to trust me on this one.


I will seek and find you
I shall take you to bed and have my way with you .

I will make you ache, shake & sweat until you moan & groan.
I will make you beg for mercy, beg for me to stop.

I will exhaust you to the point that you will be relieved when I'm finished with you.
And, when I am finished, you will be weak for days.


All my love,
The Flu
Now, get your mind out of the gutter and go get your flu shot!


As they do all to often the batteries in my 8 shot, one day to be a collectors item, digital camera quit. A unique event ensued; I discovered I had no back up AAA batteries. I say unique because I have always a supply in the top desk drawer. Back in Baltimore I was a hardcore coupon clipper and there was always a battery coupon and a sale on batteries. I haven't "clipped" since the move. So when we went to get our flu shots I picked up some batteries and got home in time to catch the sunset on the trees.

We get our flu shots every year except last when there was that shortage. Pneumonia shots also and those last a long time. The best part this year is Medicare paid for mine. Hope that doesn't brand me a socialist.

The highway 58 bypass around Meadows of Dan is complete. Now all that truck traffic that has been causing gridlock in MOD will be routed around. The Mountain Laurel has a good take on the area. Their Slave Meadow link besides another reason to get pissed at the National Park Service shows normal traffic volume in downtown MOD. Parkway access is still through the village.

Speaking of the National Park Service which administers the Blue Ridge Parkway I must say it's like us against them. I referred you to the The Groundhog Mountain Incident in a previous post. The rangers patrol the parkway like predators (I do like alliteration!). And speeding here really is a federal offense. And they've bought up all these neat houses that border the parkway and are letting them just deteriorate. I never was very fond of "shabby chic" and this is excess. Some one told they mowed on the adjacent parkway land and the feds got their regulations in a wedgie. They confiscated Granny's 22 pistol, some foolishness about firearms on federal property. She was just going to the store and firearms up here are a way of life. Fortunately there are the side roads, necessary due to the parkway: (a) closing (b) ban on commercial vehicles and (c) having a day when the flatlander tourists take over.

File under it's an ill wind: Granny said the sheriff told her they were not bothering with small amounts of pot because of the meth problem in the area. They did bother with the 1800 plants they found down at Rocky Knob shortly after we moved here. Probably those hippies down in Floyd. But then the only criminals we have up here are drug farmers or manufacturers and moonshiners and occasionally a husband or wife who shoots a lover or any combination of the above.