King of the Road has taken the last exit

The long and winding road has come to a dead end. Think about it. We all have a dead end at our finish line. Ok, not everyone thinks of roads. How about dots?

If you gave me all the dots I would not have time to connect them. It takes a lifetime to connect the dots. That’s ok because that last dot - it’s a killer.

I’m writing this as I try to lighten-up a bit. Our family joke teller has passed on to his next gig today. I’ve already wept a few tears earlier today so now in the spirit of his joking I strive to write a remembrance on the lighter side of life’s road (at least I'll stay out of the ditch).

Back in Aug. 2011 in MO

I think of him as King of the Road. He has had over 6000 stitches and was thought to have died many times during his years. He has totaled more vehicles, cars, motorcycles, trucks than I have ever owned. Not all the mishaps were driving related. He worked construction and has visited a few bars during his life.

I first mentioned my uncle’s approach to his finish line in a post at the end of November. Since then it’s been a quick ride with him. Some dips and dangerous curves but also many scenic views of past memories. It was an absolute joy to share jokes with our family joke teller too. Even in this last phase of his trip, he could still joke and give a smile.

Less than 24 hours before his brakes failed, he told my cousin and me this joke.

Two blondes at a bar are asked by the bartender if they are sisters.
One quickly replies, “Oh no, we are not even Catholic.”

Two of our daughters were able to visit him on different days. Being separated by a whole generation, one daughter was curious to discover more about him and asked him about his life. I jumped into the conversation by mentioning the fact that he had two marriages. Then I learned my uncle was having a good day. He was surprisingly quick to pull my unsuspecting daughter into a joke.

King: “When I was first married, I picked wild mushrooms.”
Daughter with a puzzled look.
King: “My first wife died from a poison mushroom.”
Daughter with a concerned look: “Oh my”
King: “Do you know how my second wife died?”
Daughter: “No”
King: “A head concussion. (pause) She wouldn’t eat the mushrooms!”

All three of us had a great laugh. I believe he laughed hard enough to bounce the bed.

It was great seeing him with plenty of visitors. While in hospice, he celebrated his 89th birthday. This probably helped him going.

These past five or so weeks showed me the power of humor. Sharing a laugh creates new bonds and strengthens existing bonds. My uncle provided me a lesson without knowing it.

Hospice was a good decision. I think if you are about to leave earth on a one way no return ticket then you should turn off ground control (doctors trying to save you) and share the countdown with family.

If you want background on why I consider him King of the Road check out these older posts:

first one
second one

my local universe

Wow, I almost failed in posting here during the month of November. For about three quarters of the month (BTW I encourage the use of fractions in blog posts) my wife and I were on the road again. We didn't sing the Willie Nelson song but we should have. We weren't making music but were playing music with our family and friends.

• We walked a beach.
• I splashed in the Gulf of Mexico waves.
• We held the newest baby of our extended family.
• We enjoyed a Blue Angels air show.
• We toured a house that George Washington rented once.
• We were held up in traffic jams and confused by Google map directions.
• We samples shots that tasted like pancakes (an excuse to drink before noon).
• We learned historical stories from guides and my brother-in-law.
• We played a new board game with family.

the gulf of Mexico

Garbage collection with a great attitude

Blue Angels

wildlife

shit happens

I could spend more time and come up with other memories of the trip. I don't write travelogues.

I want to move on to a sadder event this month. Like everyone's little local piece of the universe there is good and bad in it. While my local universe was offering many enjoyable moments for me, it had some serious stuff waiting for my attention.

We got a few updates on my uncle's condition during the trip. I don't know, maybe it waited for me. After we settle back in at home, we got the news that my uncle had gone into hospice.

I have posted about my king-of-the-road uncle before. link (there's a good pic of him in that older post)

He is the last of my dad’s siblings. He doesn't live too far away but now his current holding area in only about 2 miles away. He is barely holding on. I visited him twice on thanksgiving (truly, he didn't realize this gave me a reason to duck out of the crazy T-day preparations at our house). I visited with him again today. He struggles to talk but I try hard to listen and prompt him for more.

Today he told me some golfing stories involving my dad and other uncles. He getting other visitors too.

I know we can't hold off what is coming. I don't believe we ever can. He's in his upper 80's. I feel good about my visits. I noticed a little chuckle from him during one visit. I try to make him comfortable. I know I'll miss him but I try hard to be upbeat during the visits. I'm very happy he can recall memories to share.

His beard is growing. I told him he looks like Lincoln. 

Then the jagged edge appears
Through the distant clouds of tears.
I'm like a bridge that was washed away;
My foundations were made of clay.

As my soul slides down to die.
How could I lose him?
What did I try?
Bit by bit, I've realized
That he was here with me;
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.
I looked into my father's eyes.
My father's eyes.

 

Moving into the universe

We all are moving. I'm certain we are already in the universe already. We must be moving in the universe by definition. Yeah ok, I'll promise to stop being pedantic for the rest of the post.

original hoodie

Since I’m still above the grass I’ve been thinking because I can. If somehow, someway, thinking still occurs after you breathe no more, it must be a very different type of thinking. How could your memories possibly remain with your spirit? If my neuron based memories are left behind how do I know who I am? Maybe memories are not neuron based? I'm no neuroscientist but I've read that is the current thinking based on functional MRIs.

There's much I don't know but I don’t imagine my spirit will be able to read my blog in the future.

Is the sentient source of your conscious your spirit?

Do you have the spirit to keep reading this post?

my conscious is more fractal than circular

Now I just looked up the word epistemology (BTW it’s the study of the nature of knowledge) but I do recall reading this word before so I must have been reading something related to it.

So this branch of philosophy deals with truth and belief. Afterlife spirits and belief are inseparable in my opinion. Actually, I consider opinion a big part of philosophy.

This post doesn’t suggest any answers. You should consult a Ouija board for these types of answers.

Browsing this subject around in wikipedia landed me on the philosophy of mind page. I don’t recall reading about so many “isms” on one web page before. One intriguing ism was Mysterianism which happens to named after the rock band, Question Mark and the Mysterians.

The main tenet for Mysterianism is that humans do not have the intellectual ability to comprehend consciousness. Meh, whatever, why bother?

Now I'm left wondering if I could score some grant money for my idea of blogism.

And she was drifting through the backyard
And she was taking off her dress
And she was moving very slowly
Rising up above the earth
Moving into the universe

it looked to be a nice Tuesday

Maybe my mind's picture of that clear blue Tuesday sky is easily recalled because I looked up at the sky much more that day than normal.

I was scanning the sky wondering what was going to happen next.

This year September 11 falls on a Tuesday again. I am hoping for a nice peaceful day. It will be a sad day.


This past spring my wife and I took a road trip to Pennsylvania. My goal was to visit the Flight 93 National Memorial. We made there, the weather that day was not anything like a sunny clear day. Sleet and low clouds swept across the hillside during our visit.

I have mentioned my connection with Flight 93 in previous posts. Here's a remembrance post from 2013.

I've worked at a handful of companies over my career. Airfone (GTE Airfone became Verizon Airfone) was one of my best engineering jobs. The Airfone service played a role in the Flight 93 event.

Certainly, more people died at the World Trade Center in NYC and at the Pentagon. But I do believe if a brave group of passengers had not fought back for control of Flight 93, many more lives would have been lost in or near Washington DC. At the high speed they were traveling, it would have been just minutes before the plane reached the DC area. These heroes figured out via communication with the ground that the terrorists had another target to destroy. The memorial displays the story of that day and how terrorists' plan to use Flight 93 was stopped that day. Flight 93 was crashed deep into an empty Pennsylvania field.

From the Sources and Detailed Information webpage on Flight 93 National Memorial site:

We know that Flight 93 was destined for Washington D.C. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, at 9:55 am, the terrorist pilot Ziad Jarrah dialed in the frequency for the navigational aid at Washington Reagan National Airport, clearly indicating that the attack was planned for the nation's capital.

display of recovered seatback equipment

this walk follows the final flight path

the victims

Remembrance, memorials, books, etc. are important for future generations to understand the terror that can be inflicted on people. Still all those things fail to prevent future similar tragedies. We can be protected but absolute protection would create a prison cell type life. Singer songwriter Donovan wrote the following in his song, "Catch the Wind".

When rain has hung the leaves with tears
I want you near to kill my fears
To help me to leave all my blues behind





I may as well try and catch the wind

I don’t find this stuff amusing anymore

I hope you do. At least, I hope some of my musings are amusing.
 
Yesterday the New England Patriots went up against everyone in America and lost. Patriots and Eagles are a good mix-up of American symbols.

public art in a nearby town

Could the following two odd things I've noticed be harbingers of our lives in the near future?

1)  I recently discovered the existence the International Asteroid Warning Network.
This is both scary and reassuring. Scary because one day the sky could be falling and life as we know it will be screwed. Reassuring because at least some smart people with advance equipment are working together to give us warning. Also possibly with enough warning and global cooperation we could minimize the impact.

2)  In late January there were Nutella riots in France.
I love hazel nuts and I've tasted Nutella. Meh. What food would be worth fighting over? Ok, maybe if a killer asteroid is scheduled to hit soon I might put extra effort in stocking up on beer and wine. It was reported that "In at least three cases, police were called after customers came to blows in the frenzy for Nutella." WOW, imagine getting hit in the head (or nuts) with a jar of Nutella.

Reviewing old posts on my blog aids my recollection of past events. Years ago I traveled with my uncle to Chillicothe MO., the home of sliced bread, but I failed to have a sandwich there. 

I enjoy an idiom but not an idiot. (thinking French Nutella buyers)

Often I’ll beat around the bush which ends with me barking up the wrong tree.

If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty when you call me
You can call me Al

Hopefully I didn’t bite off more than I could chew with this post but at the drop of a hat, the ball is in your court. No pennies needed, the comment section is open now.



 

Have you heard

Whoa, oh, oh
No, no, no

Oh erase that. That’s a leftover from the tune of my last post.

Now what was I going to post? Oh yeah, cleaning and death. Intriguing combination don’t you think? Has me thinking of wearing clean underwear in case of a car accident.

too much stuff to leave behind

Recently I heard about this idea called Swedish Death Cleaning. I guess it’s a “thing”. Apparently not related to meatballs or IKEA.

It’s personal just like death. From the little I understand (my cleaning knowledge is extremely lacking) one could not hire a person to do this type cleaning for you. It does not involve morticians. I have minuscule cleaning motivation so this is a problem.

A simple idea but yet probably not easy to act on.

When you get old ...

Oh wait, excuse me while I interrupt this post.
I just thought of a great Halloween costume for young adults. Dress up as an old person because turning old is really scary! Just ask an old person.

When you get old, you should clean out your stuff (clutter is one of my wife’s favorite words) by thinking about your death and what you will leave for your lucky descendants to clean up. For example, I should toss my old collection of business cards given to me from vendor meetings. Change my mindset to the one who comes upon this collection and wonders why on earth did he save this.

While I make no big claims on anything other than maybe those extra fries you left on your plate, I do claim a small expertise with youtube surfing. I found a clip on this death cleaning thing.







One suggestion from the above clip is creating a box of things that matter only to you which you labeled toss out upon death. Now collecting those things in a box is good organizing but I suspect my kids might be very interested in that box’s contents. I would have been if my parents had left such a box. I’m putting a $100 bill in my box. Then I’ll leave a separate note saying that there was a $100 bill in that box. One more thought. I should write a note saying that if you find my mess of stuff to be a bit overwhelming, then recall your messy room as a teenager.

I got clutter, whoa-oh
I got troubles, whoa-oh
I got worries, whoa-oh
I got wounds to bind

Enjoy a few more whoa-ohs: