Bio Archives - A Boomer's Thoughts

A FUNNY, I HOPE, STORY ABOUT MY IMPENDING DEATH

psteik — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 03:38:27 +0000

Everything is electronic now days and I’m trying to catch up with the current century.

I had an appointment with my mechanic for some minor, I hoped, repairs on my truck.

In my attempt to catch up with the “electronic movement” I went to put my appointment information on the Calander that came with my cell phone. I don’t know if this is a common problem, a hack, or someone’s attempt at humor but, when I pulled up “January 6” I saw it was not an open date, as I believed it would be.

There was already an “all day” event scheduled- die.

DIE?

As a retired cop and former corrections officer, I have been threatened by the best of them!

I wasn’t afraid. I wasn’t overly alarmed. I think my reaction is best described as “AMUSED”

I feel I am, currently, right with the Lord. Not bragging. Not sure how long that will last, but currently, I feel I have done the things God requires of us to gain eternal life.

I don’t want to get too deep into this topic but, I believe that our Lord wants a basic commitment from each individual.

Being a weak and sinful human, I was well aware that I could fail, and commit a serious sin, before my scheduled “Date of Demise.”

My Catholic faith requires that I confess my sins regularly and I made a point to go to confession on January 5th. I was on my very best behavior from the time I left the confessional until midnight on January 6th! And when I awoke on the morning of January 7th, I did whisper an extra prayer of thanksgiving!

All of this being said, I believe that it’s not a bad thing, morally, to get an occasional “death scare.”

I was “THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF” from the time I saw my scheduled death until the moment the threat passed.

I’m not intentionally a bad person. And I make a reasonable effort to always be the best I can be, but, when I saw my “pre-printed obituary” there was an enormous improvement in my behavior without a doubt!

It’s nice to have that chapter of my life behind me.

I look forward to equally ridiculous obstructions in this journey we call life and I hope that all of your obstacles in life will turn out to be as harmless as this one was for me!

Happy New Year!!

Phil

Please comment and share if you enjoyed this.

The post A FUNNY, I HOPE, STORY ABOUT MY IMPENDING DEATH appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

MY SON

psteik — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 01:40:02 +0000

I have a son, a little son, a boy completely fine.

Whenever I see him, it seems to me, all the world is mine.

But seldom, seldom do I see my child awake and bright.

I only see him when he sleeps. I only see him at night.

It’s early when I leave for work.

when I return it’s late.

Unknown to me is my own flesh.

Unknown is my child’s face

When I come home so wearily,

in the darkness after the day.

My pale wife exclaims to me,

“You should have seen our child play!”

I stand beside his little bed.

I look and try to hear.

In his dreams he moves his lips.

“Why isn’t daddy here?”

The post MY SON appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

HOW ABOUT SOME POETRY FOR A CHANGE?

psteik — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 04:34:23 +0000

I wrote this poem after my father was diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time, the cancer that took his life.

CANCER

What can you say when your father is dying? Is there any way words can express?

The foundation of life that you’ve had from first breath will be gone, leaving vast emptiness.

I could list things he’s done, that to me seemed enormous, though outsiders might not be impressed.

Words he spoke, acts he’s done, that showed who he was. Sing to me that my family was blessed.

Though his time here on Earth will soon come to an end, he will always be close to my heart.

I’ve seen his smile, felt his hand, as he’d guide me though life. I know he’s done more than his part.

As I write, he suffers from an agonizing disease. He suffers in silence and does not speak of pain.

He’s seeking the best for those that he loves, and our pity would not be a gain.

A grimace escapes as he moves only slightly, while watching my mother at work.

He smiles to know that his pain wasn’t seen, then he spies the place where I lurk.

His eyes say, “keep quiet, it’s not that bad.” But his voice speaks low, man to man.

I pray every day that this pain you won’t know; I’m praying just as hard as I can.

The post HOW ABOUT SOME POETRY FOR A CHANGE? appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

HOW I “SAVED” A SMALL HERD OF PYGMY GOATS!

psteik — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:52:18 +0000

I have mentioned in earlier blogs that I enjoy driving through the farmlands near my home to clear my head and meditate/pray. One day I was doing just that when I came across a pygmy goat in the middle of the country road I was “flying down.” I safely slowed down, and the goat stared at me then slowly walked to the side of the road. When that goat left my field of vision I saw at least seven more wandering around on each side of the narrow road. Worried that a fast-moving truck would take them all out. I turned around and drove up the driveway leading to a large farmhouse attached to the field they had escaped from. On that short journey, my active imagination reminded me of the stories of farmers who protected their isolated lands with a shotgun and a shovel. I carefully approached the farmhouse; there was a glass storm door that was closed and locked with the front door wide open. I knocked, rang the bell and yelled inside but was not able to make contact with anyone. I drove further down the drive to two large barns and, again, exited my car and knocked on doors and looked in windows with no success. I walked around and didn’t see anyone in the fields or on the property. I returned to the house and tried the same things, oddly enough, I got the same results! The goats were getting bolder, and I was sure they wouldn’t last long outside of the fencing. I drove a short distance to the next farmhouse and knocked on that door- still worried about the many stories I’d heard of farmers and their shotguns. As I was starting to walk away, a middle-aged woman answered the door. I apologized, “I’m sorry to bother you but, your neighbor’s….” She cheerfully interrupted, “Oh! Did the goats get out again, it’s been a few days since that’s happened. I’ll text them. Thanks!” Well! It seems my act of “Probably false” bravery to save these goners was not as gallant as I had pictured in my head! I might have imagined it, but it seemed to me that the goats were laughing at me as I passed them the second time! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Please comment and share with friends, Phil

The post HOW I “SAVED” A SMALL HERD OF PYGMY GOATS! appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

NOTHING LIKE A RIDE IN THE COUNTRY!!

psteik — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:11:21 +0000

I believe that mental health is very important. I was raised by depression era parents and, occasionally, serious physical injuries were not even treated until one- or both- parents were convinced the wound was serious enough to require a trip to the hospital or doctor. Mental heal issues were only recognized in severe cases such as those that stunted learning or caused the patient to run naked through the neighborhood. I don’t recall any talk of anxiety, or depression in our house. I admit that I watch shows that mostly older people enjoy maybe that’s why most of the commercials I see are for medications that will, “Bring back your youthful glow- energy- stamina, whatever. Basically: take our pill and all your problems will go away. Everything from quick weight loss to depression (per the commercials) can be cured with a pill! In my opinion, the millions of dollars spent on advertising to encourage us to buy a pill whenever we have a physical or psychological need rather than “sucking it up” like my parents’ generation encouraged us to do, has been successful. Maybe too successful! I say this because, it seems to me that, modern doctors are taught to prescribe pills rather than cure the cause. About a year ago I realized that my medicine cabinet was overflowing with medications for prostate, sinus, arthritis, skin cancer and other problems. My morning and afternoon rituals were to, first, take several pills- then go on to normal preparations to start the day and work through it. I took the pills but was never sure if they were working or not. I got no worse, but no better, in many of the situations. As a police officer I met suicidal subjects on many occasions. Sometimes I got there on time and stopped them, at least temporarily. Sometimes I was called, “After the fact” and was required to photograph the victim, notify family, if necessary, investigate the scene to eliminate the possibility of foul play and wait for the coroner. After several years of truly believing that suicide was a problem, but it was what “other people do”- “Nobody I know would do that!” My immediate family was struck by that terrible problem twice in a few years and my extended family many more times than that (I do have a very large extended family- but way too many suicides)! For my own self-help I read books on the subject and talked to as many professionals as I could about it. I wanted to be able to answer any questions that might arise on the subject to make me a better police officer, a better father and a better human! One answer that came up, from several sources, was that it is beneficial to help yourself, so you can help others. At first, this solution didn’t sink in. Why would I want to spend time on me prior to offering others help? With the stress that comes from raising a family; and the additional concerns that come from policing and surviving in modern America I started to accept that idea. A few of the “remedies” I decided on were bowling, golf, motorcycle riding and drives in the country. It sounds crazy but I really enjoyed bowling when I was younger and realized that I, at the time, did not have anything I did for me. I worked, slept, helped with the kids and around the house then repeated. I joined a Fall bowling league my brother was on- first as a substitute and then as a regular. I enjoyed it, and it helped, somewhat. Wednesday night bowling gave me something to look forward to from late August to early March. It helped, but it wasn’t enough. Later a high school friend asked if I golfed. I hadn’t since I got married, but I loved the idea of starting again. We started to go out with 2 other guys every Monday in the summer- Tuesday if the weather was bad on Monday. I started with a low average in bowling and a high average in golf- the opposite is desired. It’s been a few years and, as I like to say, I worked my way up to mediocre in both sports, I am a work in progress in both but look forward to each outing. Now that I was taking care of me- a desired action that is good for everyone- I decided to go one step further. I bought a motorcycle. There is no feeling quite like cruising on an open highway with the sun shining down on you and the wind blowing in your face (My hair has been gone for a long time). I rode for several years when I was single and, for me, the bike is an excellent stress reducer! The last thing I’ll mention is taking either the bike or my pickup truck and driving in the country. I get such a feeling of peace looking along the sides of the road and seeing nothing but rolling rows of corn, beans or hay with occasional cows, horses or sheep; I understand this is not possible for everyone, but something similar- or equally effective- might be! As I enjoy the relaxing scenery, I either turn my radio off, pray, or listen to old time rock and roll. It just can’t be beat. Somehow seeing farms, animals, corn, beans and more has a way of calming me. I enjoy all of the beauty these sights provide but, I like the barns that are in the process of falling down the best. When I was in college, years ago, a professor in one of my history classes told me that he was once an insurance salesman and the farmers have to let the barns deteriorate until they collapse or they are not paid the total amount of their claim. I had no reason to doubt him at the time. Back then, I had a lot more faith in “The system” than I do now. At any rate, I wonder, if that was true then- is it still true? I enjoy the times I see activity on the farms like plowing or harvesting. I’m always disappointed to see for sale signs up or, worse yet, excavating to make room for the new houses, condos or whatever will soon replace the crops. I can not, in good conscience, be upset with the farmers for selling though. I know and have known many farmers. I am aware that their lot is not an easy one. They get up before the sun, do hard manual labor during the day, and into the night. I compare that to the current price of land and the temptation to sell hundreds, or thousands of acres and not have to work another day in your life and I can easily see why so many farms in my area are up for sale. I also feel compelled to admit that the last two houses I have bought were newly constructed on farmland! Seriously even most of the more established homes, were most probably, built on farmland! If you think about it, and I believe you should, all health comes from mental health and, in many cases, mental health is the most neglected. Please, for your own good, call for help if there is a need and ask your relatives and friends what you can do for them if they appear to be depressed or suicidal. I hope this story has, maybe. altered your mood for the better. Thank y0u for reading and please comment on your opinion of the topic and the blog. Phil

The post NOTHING LIKE A RIDE IN THE COUNTRY!! appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

THE FOURTH OF JULY REMEMBERED!

psteik — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 22:49:12 +0000

As most of us do, I have many wonderful memories of the Fourth of July. This one comes from a time my friends and I were convinced we were adults, miniature in stature, but still adults. To prove it to ourselves and others, we needed to do what grown-ups do- drink alcohol!

None of us felt we could pass for 21 years old, as we had just graduated from 8th grade. With this small problem we started polling older siblings to find a reliable purchasing agent. This position would require the candidate be a person of questionable character, be 21 years of age or older- or be able to acquire alcoholic beverages in some way, be willing to do the job for free, or near free and most importantly; the candidate would need to be able to keep this secret from the parents of any and all of the participants.

We found our agent. I will keep his name to myself even though the statute of limitations has long expired on his illegal deed.

The four of us approached the venue, a local park that had a (What we considered) gigantic sledding hill. We came in from a prairie lot across the street, holding our paper bags that held the bottles. Our drink of choice was BOONES FARM WINE, I chose strawberry. As I recall the other choices were cherry and apple. The scariest part, for me, was when we first came up to adults with our paper bags. I, in my adolescent mind, was sure the first adult we saw you call the Po-Po and we’d be busted.

We walked past a few families and the moms and dads paid some attention to us, but they did not present a threat to our freedom, or our wine!

My confidence grew as the night went on. When the fireworks were over, we got word that a friend that lived nearby was having a party.

We went there and added tap beer to our wine high. I was having a great time until I noticed one of our four members had gone outside a few times and was overdue to return from his last trip. I went outside and found him throwing up on my friend’s patio furniture. I went back in and warned my friend then, with his blessing, got the remaining two in our group to help carry Danny home.

Danny was loudly explaining how he wasn’t drunk and required another beer. He quieted down when he passed out.

We played a form of ding-dong ditch with his mother when we laid him on the front porch, rang the bell and ran- as best we could. I tripped and fell over our friend Gary and was lying in the front yard when Danny’s large, sometimes mean, Italian mother answered the call. It sounded like she let out a muffled laugh, looked up in my direction, then let out a knowing laugh and carried Danny into the house.

We all ran home. I didn’t sleep at all. I couldn’t. I was just lying in bed waiting for the phone to ring so Danny’s mother could explain how they were at the hospital having Danny’s stomach pumped, or he had thrown up all over her new carpeting, or something worse!

Danny called me later in the morning on July 5th. He said his mother didn’t say anything specifically about the previous night, but did make several vague references to drunken teens and the danger of underage drinking in front of his father.

I considered that as my first “grown up” 4th of July celebration. Later, I started remembering it as a lucky escape after a really stupid field trip to drunkenness!!

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment, perhaps a similar experience?

Phil

The post THE FOURTH OF JULY REMEMBERED! appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

MORE SONGS I LOVE

psteik — Tue, 27 May 2025 01:41:07 +0000

Songs are a part of life. When I think back to things I did in the early sixties, and throughout my life, I remember the songs I was listening to at the time. Here is a list of some of my favorites in the order they came to me. Back in 1964, when I was very young and just getting into Rock and Roll, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders released “Game of Love.” This was way before I ever played that game myself- However I did think the sisters Robin and Paris down the street were pretty cute! As I recall the song jumped around a lot and had short guitar and then drum solos. Also, as a little kid, I loved the part when Wayne yells, “Oh Yeah!” “Aint No Sunshine” was released by Bill Withers as the B-Side to “Harlem” in 1971. You’re right, I don’t recall ever hearing him sing “Harlem” either. At that time, I had become aware of how to play the game of love, I just wasn’t very good at it. On a side note, there are some that will tell you I never did play that game well. I hope that those who will point out my faults will admit that I was a pretty good C and then B league 16″ softball leftfielder! Man! Could I track down those long fly balls…. Oh well, I guess that’s a story for a different time. “How Can I Be Sure?” was released in 1967 by The Young Rascalls. It was also released by Randy Jackson and Dusty Springfield, but I liked the Rascalls version the best. The Turtles released their blockbuster hit, “So Happy Together” in 1967. Years later, when I was a cop, I did security for The Turtles at a festival- I think the lead singer was the only original Turtle on stage that day- still very entertaining. While he hit his peak long before most rock ‘n roll bands, I enjoy this guy’s music and used to watch his TV show and his TV roasts. The song I’m thinking about is “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” the performer is Dean Martin. The song was on the Rock ‘N Roll top 20 lists in 1964, it was written in 1947 by Ken Lane. In 1967 The Mamas and the Papas released “Dedicated to the one I love” and it went to #2 on the billboard top 100. I remember being at a friends house in junior high with a lot of guys and girls just hanging out. One of the girls, Laureen, kept calling her boyfriend and playing that song. She was trying to get him to sneak out of his house and join us. Lou Christie released “Rhapsody in the Rain” in 1966. It was written by Twyla Herbert and Lou Christie, sung by Christie with backup vocals by The Delicates. I was “knee high to a grasshopper” and couldn’t get enough of the song without having any idea as to why it was controversial! “Hey Jude” was very popular when I was in middle school. I had been a Beatles fan since they landed and loved this song as well! Not really Rock ‘N Roll, but I loved the song “Oliver” from the musical of the same name. We didn’t get to many movies when I was a child but, my parents took my little sister and me to see this one in a reserved seating theatre- What a treat! “Key Largo” was a hit song sung by Bertie Higgins. I loved the song for many reasons- I loved Bogey & Becall and all of the references to the 1940’s movies I watched on the late show. Hope my memories brought back some of your good memories. Please comment and share Thanks, Phil

The post MORE SONGS I LOVE appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

I AM NOT A HANDYMAN, BUT I DO IDENTIFY AS ONE!!

psteik — Tue, 27 May 2025 00:14:51 +0000

I have always been able to fix things. Especially when I couldn’t afford the replacement cost and I needed them. When I was a kid, between the neighbors and my brothers, there were usually plenty of replacement parts for anything that needed to be fixed. In the rare cases when there weren’t any, we could ride a bike to stores in the area. A hardware store about 4 blocks away and a bike shop near 3 miles away, that weren’t out of range for us. My dad was handy, but usually too busy to fix bikes. My brothers were very handy and often had “garbage picked” bikes or other sources for parts. As is often the problem with older brothers, they were not generally enthusiastic about helping their little brother and they were very much against the concept of donating parts to a dead-beat little brother with no means of support (or repayment). This problem required me to learn how to obtain the needed fenders, tires, wheels- whatever, in the dark of night- so to speak! We were “boomer kids” and always had plenty of friends around to help, or join in, no matter what we were up to. We graduated from bike repair to go-cart building, to minibike building etc. My brothers rebuilt an inherited 1950 Plymouth in the driveway with the hesitant approval of my parents and then with that great success my brother Pat rebuilt his 1956 Ford Sun Liner when he was about 17-just a couple of years later. I was often allowed to help my dad on his household projects: Finishing the basement, turning an 8-foot-high projector stand into a bar in the basement, putting a cement patio in the backyard, tiling the basement, dividing the basement into 4 rooms, paneling rooms, putting a privacy fence in the backyard and many more things. As I was growing up, it was a badge of honor to proclaim, “I rigged that; I couldn’t get it to work so I…” After I was married “rigged” became a dirty word as my lovely bride often asserted- she would prefer that the job be done correctly. I guess that makes sense. When I bought my first house, at twenty-six years old while living alone, I repaired and painted the interior walls and sanded and varnished the hardwood floors. I put an antenna on the roof in a windstorm (I didn’t say I was smart). It wasn’t until I was holding this large metal antenna standing near the chimney, on the roof, of my two-story Cape Cod house and looking down at the thorn bushes approximately 40 feet below me, that I realized that I had not told anybody what I was planning to do! If I had gotten blown off the roof, or struck by lightning, I probably wouldn’t have been found until the next family party! I kept fixing things for over 40 years. Faucets, drains, tables, driveway patches, bicycles, cars, holes in walls. I made shelves, tiled floors, fixed broken screens, removed beehives and more. I think the beehive (Wasp nest) is an interesting story. Early in our marriage we had bees dive bombing us as we entered our front door in a duplex (The first home my wife and I bought together) we lived in for a few years. We spotted the nest on an overhang near the girl’s bedroom on the second floor. I didn’t have a ladder high enough to get onto the roof, so I backed our 1986 Buick Estate Wagon up to the front door and put our 6-foot ladder on the roof of the car. Yes, it was as dangerous and foolish as it sounds!

This is a mid-fifties Chevrolet Station Wagon

Not “my bees” but bees just the same!

Oddly enough, I didn’t see my wife or any of the kids in the yard to watch me as usual. The ladder was a little shaky on the roof of the car, but I got up there safely armed with a can of Raid and a disposable lighter. The nest was active and as I sat on the roof to work up my courage, I saw 5 or 6 wasps fly in and out. There seemed to be a short break in their activity, so I got active. I lit the lighter and then sprayed the Raid on the small fire it produced. The Raid acted like a flame thrower directed at the active hive. It’s amazing how many wasps can fit into those honey combed nests. Hundreds of them came swarming at me. I couldn’t get down the ladder/car combination fast enough, so I jumped about 20 or 30 feet into the front yard and rolled, purposely, to lessen the impact. As I dove for the ground I saw my wife with the three oldest kids. They were laughing hysterically at the site of me running for my life with a village of angry bees in pursuit. Somehow, I did not receive one serious sting. I think my rapid loss in altitude might have confused some my pursuers! In defense of my wife, she has a motto. She never laughs until she feels certain you will not be seriously injured. Then she lets go! From the timing of her laugh, I believe she knew I would not be seriously injured before I knew- I’m just saying… I am still an active Handy Man Impersonator. Recently, I have put a motion detector light in the backyard and put a dryer vent on a new gas dryer I installed. In answer to obvious questions that might arise: The gas line is secure, and the house has not blown up! The lint and exhaust are exiting the home as designed- even after my involvement. The problems I had that caused me to suspect my “handyman prowess” was not what it should be were how long the jobs took, and how many trips to the hardware store were required after I thought I had all the tools and accessories I needed. For the motion detector, the regular porch light I was replacing hadn’t been working so I needed to do some trouble shooting before I did any replacing. When I pulled it apart, I found one of the wires installed by the builder, 29 years earlier, had separated from the wire nut and was lying loose in the housing. Yes, this is a very simple fix. That’s why I’m doubting myself. That job took me about 8 hours and four trips for parts I didn’t realize would be needed. I imagine an electrician would have been done in no more than an hour. I was happy to finish it. I was happy it works. I was very disappointed that it took so long! A few months later I replaced a bathroom exhaust fan in the first-floor powder room. I had been putting that chore off for way longer than I should have. I have replaced the same type of fans in various bathrooms of different houses. but I recall they were all difficult and time-consuming tasks. The replacement piece, of course, was a different size and shape than the fan being replaced. I am not an adventurous man anymore! I checked every hardware store within 15 miles of my home- Home Depots, Menards, Aces, Farm and Fleets… you get the picture. If they sold screws, I went in and asked them if they had my style replacement fan. The general answer was a laugh and then, “I haven’t seen one of those for 30 years….” I was so desperate for this one to go smoothly that I read the installation instructions (That is a big step for me). They revealed a key to easy removal and replacement! WOW! That job went so smoothly I wanted to tell the world. It was the first time I felt like a true HANDYMAN in years! I felt so good that when my ex-wife and I walked into an appliance store a few weeks later and bought a dryer I declared, for all to hear, that I would install it myself- This, of course, was after they told me it would cost a few hundred dollars more for installation. As with most jobs around the house, I had done this more than once. The night of the purchase, I put the dryer in the back of my pick-up truck and drove my new prize home. I purchased a new exhaust hose and installation kit before I left the store. I was working on adrenaline. My son and I pulled out the old dryer. Slid it out of the way and gently placed the new one in its’ place. I tightened all the connections, checked for leaks and started it. Everything was AOK!!! I quickly turned it off and turned to the exhaust hose. I remembered how, the old one was very difficult to install- that’s why I had purchased a new hose! I placed it against the dryer exhaust piece- it felt like they were both exactly the same size- THE HOSE WOULD NOT FIT INTO, or OVER the dryer receptacle. Simple! I put the other end of the hose up against the dryer and got exactly the same result! The bottom line is…. It took me over 2 hours to accomplish what a dryer delivery guy, or trained repairman, could do in about 5 minutes! Again!!! I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory! I’ll tell you this for certain! The next time something needs to be done around the house I will try to do it! That’s because a true handyman must have the same lack of memory that any good professional relief pitcher has! Thank you for reading to the end. Please comment and share.

The post I AM NOT A HANDYMAN, BUT I DO IDENTIFY AS ONE!! appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

IT’S FUNNY HOW “POINT OF VIEW” CHANGES OUR PERSPECTIVE

psteik — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 02:56:02 +0000

While I was driving the other day a pedestrian stepped into the street right in front of my pick-up truck. I slammed on my brakes, and he jumped backed back onto the sidewalk. All of the words to describe such an individual flooded into my mind; jerk, idiot and several forms of @#%**#@!!. The rest of my trip I amused myself thinking of all the ways this guy, and most pedestrians, were obstacles to the motoring public.

I arrived at my destination and parked. I started my walk from the parking lot and came to the corner of walk and don’t walk. I stepped into the street and the driver of a turning car I hadn’t seen slammed on the brakes. I jumped back onto the curb and the frustrated driver stared me down as he continued on his journey. The same descriptive words flooded my mind, then I thought how ironic it was that I had just experienced both sides of that scenario and felt I was the wronged party both times. Perhaps, I thought, a little self-evaluation was called for!

I was definitely wrong the second time- my bad!

For me, this scenario has played out many times in my life. I’m wondering, in print, if any of you have had the same experience?

Some of my “perspective moments” follow:

In our, almost completely, confrontational political environment I find myself tempted to go down the perspective road.

Evidence is found that the guy I voted against has been taking bribes. What is my gut reaction?

Give him the full penalty! Throw the book at him! He better get jail time, the last politician didn’t!!

These are legitimate feelings. My inner core truly, and profoundly, feels that nobody is above the law. I have spent over 35 years of my life working in the law enforcement field and I am very proud of the fact that I have lived up to the vows I took to uphold and obey the law- I’m no angel, but I am proud of the job I did, and the path I took.

That being said, since we are on this “perspective” quest… How did I react when my guy was being accused? Suddenly, the answer was not as clear! I did not cry out, “Throw the book at him!” This time I believed he was innocent– it was very easy for me to believe the other guy was guilty; and easier to believe my guy was not.

I had to force myself to get all of the material, for and against, both of the accused. I had to question how, and why, reference each fact I accepted and each fact I didn’t.

Soul searching is hard. Completely honest soul searching is harder and, I feel, an unbiased decision on something I feel strongly about is difficult, if not impossible, for me to do.

I have a whole new respect for judges who recuse themselves from trials in which they have a personal relationship with the plaintiff, the accused or a key witness.

More food for thought:

When you are driving down the expressway what do you think when some driver comes shooting up behind and passes you like you were stopped? Are you thinking, where’s a cop when you need one? I hope there’s a speed trap ahead! I will laugh if I see him pulled over before my exit…

How does your perspective change when your alarm clock doesn’t go off and you end up leaving the house way late? Are you hoping there’s no cops on the road, no speed traps etc…?

What about kids misbehaving? I raised 7 kids and, believe me, I felt stares the few times my wife and I were able to go out to dinner with them. I was at Disney World with some of my grandkids and we saw a sour pussed couple several times in the week we were there. I studied them and can report with certainty that they were in their late 30’s and had no children. While I was behind them in a line, I heard the lady say to the man, “I wish they would keep all of the children out of here and have it adult only for one week. I would pay whatever they asked. Kids ruin everything!” The man agreed.

I agree that, at times, kids can be a bit much- even my kids and grandkids, but I had to hold back my laugh when I heard the absurd thought of banning them from Disney World!

I would like to see their perspective change at some point. I know that won’t happen because I wouldn’t recognize them, I doubt, with their attitude, that they will ever have kids and if they do end up with kids- I would pity the fool who ends up with them as parents!

What about a neighbor’s dog barking? Do we have the same reaction when their dog barks as when our dog barks?

How about the person who brings too many items to the express checkout? That bothers me a lot! That, in fact, bothers me so much I would never do it- but I am still tempted to at times.

Thanks for reading this. Please comment about what you liked, what you didn’t, what your “perspective moments” are.

Phil

The post IT’S FUNNY HOW “POINT OF VIEW” CHANGES OUR PERSPECTIVE appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.

MY GRANDMA’S DOCTOR CAME ON A HORSE- 2025 VEHICLES AVERAGE OVER 180 HOURSEPOWER!

psteik — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 01:51:19 +0000

When my grandmother was born the doctor arrived at the family home on horseback (That’s one horsepower!). Now, the “average Joe” can buy a car with an average of 180-200 horsepower!

Sometimes I find myself musing about the massive changes that have taken place in our own lifetimes.

When I was a young boy, my mother flew to New York to help her sister when she delivered her 9th child. I remember standing at the departure gate with my dad and siblings. We were waving at mom as her bi-prop commercial airplane was pulled from the gate.

Since then, the propeller powered airplanes have morphed into jets, then jumbo jets, supersonic jets and, who knows, what will follow.

The horse and buggy has been replaced by the automobile. Early cars created less than one horsepower (per AI Overview, The Benz Patent Motorwagen had an engine that produced 0.75 HP). As noted above, the average car sold in 2025 can produce as high as 200 HP with the Porsche Panamera leading all 2025s at 670 HP (Per Kelly Blue Book). The Porsche is definitely not an “average” car!

I started my life listening to AM radio. When we were doing yard work my dad and I would listen to the Chicago Cubs on his portable battery-operated radio. FM radio was invented in 1933 by Edwin Howard Armstrong (Per “How Stuff Works”), but I don’t recall any real FM radio listening audience until around 1971 or ’72- at least not among my group. At that time, we were all driving around in our own, or our parents’ cars with standard AM radios that provided us with 3 local rock and roll stations. The emerging FM stations that played rock music were coming on strong playing a much wider variety than the AM stations and, with a real FM radio, the music was available in stereo!

My buddies were replacing their AM radios with FMs, those of us that couldn’t afford a “real” FM radio installed FM adaptors- they didn’t give us stereo, but we did get the larger selection of songs. Now, of course, all of the new cars have FM radios and, some manufacturers, are considering eliminating AM radio capabilities.

The reception with AM radios was often scratchy and the FMs were much clearer. This was because of how AM radio waves are received and that has not improved. One AM station in my area that I still listen to is making their programing available in other forms- via computer etc. – in an attempt to save listenership.

Not all of the changes are great as I grow older. My memory used to be as good as anyone’s. Now I have to write notes to remind myself of why I am going into a different room!

I hope you enjoyed my rambling. Thank you for reading to the end

Phil

The post MY GRANDMA’S DOCTOR CAME ON A HORSE- 2025 VEHICLES AVERAGE OVER 180 HOURSEPOWER! appeared first on A Boomer's Thoughts.