Storms Never Last

"Stormy weather,

Just can't get my poor self together ..."

Anybody else notice how many storms we've had already? Severe storms. It's hard for me to complain because I've always liked a good thunderstorm. But it seems like they've come early and have been more fierce this year. We've been fortunate so far in our town. No big hail or damaging winds. But we can't seem to shake the trend of almost daily afternoon darkening skies, often leading to some heavy downpours and threatening winds. We do get an occasional respite. Like yesterday. It was sunny and 75. But now as I write this the clouds have gathered in a sinister plot to once again deny the sun its rightful and proper place of prominence in the summer sky. So it looks like another one day in a row, then back to what must be climate change because it's sure not global warming. Forecast says rain and highs only in the 50s or maybe low 60s for the weekend. That just doesn't seem right for June in South Dakota. Although, as I've already mentioned, it's not entirely a bad thing. Because with bothersome or disagreeable weather often comes some pretty good photo opportunities. Which suits me just fine.

 

It's also true that some of our most fun and exciting family times have been experienced in the grip of a raging storm. Like the time we were camping near Mt. Rushmore with our son, who was about 9 or 10 years old at the time, and a thunderstorm of near epic proportions moved in so quickly it caught most everyone totally unprepared. Most everyone but us that is. We were skilled campers. We had pitched our tent on a very slight incline and driven the stakes deep into the ground when setting up, and even carved out a shallow trench around our tent to divert the water around it in the event of rain. And, oh, did it rain! There was also some of the most intense lightning and thunder we had ever  experienced. We were huddled together inside that little tent, dry and cozy, while the storm raged outside. It was awesome! We still talk about that night and how much fun it was to "beat the devil."

Some storms, however, have not provided such good memories. There was one a few years ago that sent us scurrying into the crawl space under our house to escape the high winds and huge hailstones crashing through our windows. That was scary. So, I guess the quote by Forrest Gump about a box of chocolates could also apply to summer storms... "You never know what you're going to get."  

One other thing - have you ever seen the tree pollen as thick as it is this year? It's crazy. I snapped a picture one afternoon a few days ago because I couldn't believe what I was seeing off in the distance. The pollen was so thick in the air it looked like a pale yellow fog rolling through the trees. It was kind of creepy.

 

If there was a time before when it was this bad I don't remember it. The rain started just a few minutes after I took the photo and knocked it all down, but for a while it was quite a sight.  

As I look out the window now from my desk I see the sun has lost another battle against the clouds. Guess I'll load some fresh tunes into my playlist for the drive to work, and take some comfort in the fact that, just like storms in life, storms outside never last either. Now I just need to decide which version of Stormy Weather to include. Billie Holiday or Lena Horne? Actually, I'm going with the Etta James version. I like that one the best. I might even turn it up real loud and sing along. I don't even care if someone is watching, as long as they can't hear me. That would be one box of chocolates no one would want to get.

Roger O'Dea   06/06/2014

Ten Years After

I don't like taking a test. I'm usually not very good at it. But sometimes you have to do it, even if you're afraid of what the results might be.  This December will be the 10th anniversary of my heart attack, so during my regular annual checkup the doctor recommended I take a stress test to see what condition my condition is in.  I've only done this once before, nearly three years ago. It was the abbreviated version which consisted of walking on a treadmill while being connected to an electrocardiogram. It was toward the end of a summer packed with activities and I felt good, so I wasn't very worried about the results.  And I pretty much aced it.

This time I would be taking the test near the end of winter...a season where I do nothing.  Not even regular exercise. I could exercise. I should exercise. I just don't.  I don't like it, and prefer to get my workouts naturally by being outside between May and October. I am admittedly a little soft right now.  So it was with some trepidation that I showed up for my scheduled appointment.  Adding to my anxiety was the way they would be conducting the test this time.  I would not only be hooked up to the machine as usual, but I would be connected to an ultrasound device so they could actually observe how my heart responded to the strain.  I wasn't expecting that, but didn't protest.  That is until they informed me that they weren't getting a clear picture during the prep process so they were going to insert an I.V. with a solution that would allow them to see into my heart more clearly.  Great.  If I already wasn't worried enough, now I had to think about getting a needle jammed into my hand and having a tube hanging off me - in addition to all the wires.  I could feel my blood pressure rising.  Oh. Did I mention that I also had a blood pressure cuff around my arm?  I seriously considered calling the whole thing off.  The I.V. was something I just wasn't sure I wanted to allow.  I've had a few of those in my day, and more often than not the person attempting to insert the needle into whatever part of my body they were attempting to insert it into had a difficult time getting the job done. I don't blame them. I apparently have difficult veins for this type of procedure. Also, I tend to tense up which just makes it even more difficult.  The nurse was very reassuring, though, and very skilled. It actually went in quite smoothly and with very little pain.
The test got underway at slow speed and just a slight incline. After three minutes the speed was increased and the incline raised.  So far so good.  Three minutes later the speed was increased and the incline raised again.  This cycle was repeated a couple more times until my brisk walk turned into running at a pretty good clip.  After that cycle I reached my limit and had to stop.  The nurse and ultrasound tech both said I did well and everything looked good even after I maxed out on my heart rate.  They even said I beat my time from the previous test. That surprised me. But I was very happy to hear it.  I was also pleased (and relieved) when I received this letter from my doctor a few days later -

Brief and to the point. But good news just the same. And a relief, because as I mentioned, it's coming up on ten years since my heart attacked me. The reason that is significant is that the surgeon told me at the time, and my follow up doctor has repeated it several times, the type of by-pass surgery I had generally only lasts from 10 to 15 years before the veins used to build the new arteries wear out and the surgery needs to be done again.  Because I had five by-passes (yes...five) and because I was relatively young at the time it is very likely I will outlive the rebuilt arteries and will need the surgery at some point in the future. That's still true.  However, the results of this latest checkup have provided me with at least some assurance that I have a few years before I need to start worrying about the inevitable.  I can put it off even longer by eating better, exercising regularly, and being more mindful of my health on a daily basis.  I really should do those things.  Everybody should.  And I intend to. I hope I can follow through.  Guess I'd better get started, because I have a lot of things to do and a lot of places to go.

Roger O'Dea   5-4-14

This Old Typewriter

Waiting For The Road To Open

It's been approximately 178 days now since I've gone on a motorcycle ride. Or teed up a golf ball. Or bicycled down a single track trail on the back side of Old Baldy. Or hiked to a secret place that only I and a relatively small band of ragtag fellow travelers know about. Of those 178 days, a majority of them have been cloudy, gray and terribly cold. Yes, it has been a long winter. According to the National Weather Service our area has experienced its snowiest winter ever, and 10th coldest winter on record. My senses have been dulled and my energy level is diminished. That's not good.
Yesterday was nice, though, in the 60s. But I was working so I missed most of it. I miss a lot by working Saturdays, but that's the cost of being in retail. Besides, somebody has to be there to keep America rolling and I don't mind (much) that it's me. As I write this it's about 50 degrees on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But it's cloudy and windy, so it doesn't feel all that nice. And this is the outlook for tonight and tomorrow -

 

 By the time most of you read this the storm will be in full force, or over. That's the good thing...storms never last. But, I want to be prepared so I'm already getting in to full storm prep mode by searching for videos to add to the queue, like highlights from the 1977 Duke Kahanamoko Surfing Championship which was won by Eddie Aikau.  That's probably not something you remember, but I remember watching it on ABC's Wide World of Sports and never missed a broadcast from 1969 through 1979. Not being a surfer myself, I can't explain my loyalty to the DK Classic. Just one of those things we get caught up in, I guess. Sort of like today's obsession by so many people with The Walking Dead. That phenomenon has just recently hit our household. I bailed on it fairly quickly, although when I am otherwise occupied I still occasionally hear zombie sounds coming from the TV in another room. Fortunately we are still fiercely resisting getting hooked on Breaking Bad. But I digress. Getting back to my storm prep - also on the list is the movie Almost Famous, with back-ups of Groundhog Day and possibly one of the original Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers. Books on stand-by include One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I've wanted to read for quite a while but the time has never seemed right up to this point. Or, Advise and Dissent - Memoirs Of An Ex-Senator by Jim Abourezk. I kind of remember reading this one when it was originally published about 25 years ago. I didn't have it in my library, though, and bought it about a month ago after discovering it in the cluttered aisles of a wonderful used book store in Rapid City. Although my days as a political activist are long over, Senator Abourezk is one of only two politicians (George McGovern being the other one) that I ever truly respected for standing firm on their principals as opposed to standing for whatever they think will get them re-elected.

So bring it on Storm! I'm ready for you this time, and can outlast you. It's almost April. There will be more cold days ahead, and even more snow. I understand that. However, I also know that soon brown and gray and white will give way to greens and blues and yellows and all the colors of summer. The roads will be open and clear, and it will be time to RIDE!

 

Roger O'Dea   3/30/2014

No More Bomb Throwing

To Whom It May Concern,

Stop it. Just stop it.  I am so tired of the acrimony, name calling and hatefulness from both sides of the so called marriage equality issue.  Using hurtful, offensive or angry words and displaying such malice in your comments and actions only hurts your cause.  I have seen examples lately in social media like this ---

"...take that all you self righteous, bible thumping, chest beating apes!"

Now, what did that accomplish? How did this comment do anything to further your position, belief or argument?  The other side is probably just as bad, although they are not quite as vocal around here about their position.  And it seems their opposition to marriage equality is largely based on religious beliefs.  That's fine.  I respect that. Both sides have every right to their beliefs, and the right to assemble, protest peacefully, lobby, debate and try to change the things they think need changing.  But, please, do it in a way that doesn't insult, demean or belittle others.  Is that so much to ask?

Personally, I don't understand the problem.  Love is an emotion. A feeling. You can't just make it go away.  Two people, any two people, who love each other should be able to get married.  Or not get married.  It should be their choice.  How does that decision affect the health or well being of anyone who is opposed to it?  This comment made by a friend of mine on a social media site seems to put it in perspective quite well ---
"Every person deserves equality in all their rights...regardless of who they love. Isn't that what we are here to do is love one another?? How can that be wrong or judged when it is in fact the most powerful and positive energy there is...regardless of who is loving who! Life is way too short to be anything but happy. Make your memories good ones. We are here to make it the most amazing journey we can for ourselves and others. Be Kind and Love One Another. Simple."

Then there's this from Ellen ---

"Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don't think we hurt anyone else's marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they're fine. - See more at: http://perezhilton.com/2013-03-06-ellen-degeneres-supreme-court-brief-marriage-equality#sthash.wmftDrIo.dpuf

"Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don't think we hurt anyone else's marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they're fine. - See more at: http://perezhilton.com/2013-03-06-ellen-degeneres-supreme-court-brief-marriage-equality#sthash.wmftDrIo.dpuf

"Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don't think we hurt anyone else's marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they're fine. - See more at: http://perezhilton.com/2013-03-06-ellen-degeneres-supreme-court-brief-marriage-equality#sthash.BhWndcb2.dpuf

“Portia and I have been married for 4 years and they have been the happiest of my life. And in those 4 years, I don’t think we hurt anyone else’s marriage. I asked all of my neighbors and they say they’re fine.” 

Nothing like a little humor from Ellen to make a point.  I guess that's really what this essay is about ... there's a better way to make your point.  Be firm, but be kind.  Have conviction, but also have compassion.  And if you want to win friends and influence people - stop throwing bombs.  Please.

Roger O'Dea    3/6/2014

Right Around Here

Tuesday afternoons never disappoint me.  Even though I usually have no particular place to go,  I still make it a point whenever I can to pack up my cameras and head out in search of something unusual, unique, odd, historic, nostalgic, or just the occasional random irregularity.  You know...things that just seem to be out of place or don't go together.  Like, oh, say for example, a bright blue bath tub sitting outside surrounded by a group of pink Flamingos.  Now there's something you don't see every day.

 

Sometimes I want to go knock on somebody's door and ask them about some of the sights I come across, "Hey buddy, what's up with the bathtub and pink Flamingos?"  But then, maybe there are some things that are better off being left to the imagination.  

I decided to drive (I can't wait for warmer weather when that word drive becomes ride) to some very small towns in the area.  It's the smallest towns that sometimes offer the biggest surprises.  I didn't have to go far to discover a castle sitting atop a little hill on the edge of the first town where I stopped.  Just turned down a side street and there it was.

A tiny castle, and not one that would hold off the barbarian invaders from the great white north, but still a castle.  It was located in someone's back yard so I didn't investigate further, but it was another one of those,  "Hey buddy, what's up with the castle?" moments. 

On a large lot in this same town was a building with a sign out front identifying it as the Art Ranch.  It was hard to tell if it is still in use.  I would like to think that it is.

I would also like to think that it is a place for art. Not a place owned by a guy named Art.
About thirty minutes away and a mile off the main highway, in the same town as the above mentioned bathtub/Flamingo spectacle, I saw a Gremlin.  A real Gremlin.  Ok, show of hands - who had or had a chance to ride in a Gremlin back in the day?  Pretty much a deathtrap and a money pit, but that doesn't change the fact that they're a pretty cool car.  Probably more so now than then.  I broke out the old Polaroid instant camera for this shot.  I just seemed right to take a picture of a Gremlin with a camera that might have been sitting right there on the seat when this car was new and roaming the streets of Any Town USA.

Another few miles down the road is what was once known as the sheep capital of the country.  I remember there being a sign many years ago proclaiming as much, but it's gone now.  Apparently they moved a lot of sheep through that town during more prosperous times.  But, like a lot of small towns these days, there isn't much going on.  They still have rooms for rent, though -

This might have been a boarding house at one time.  It's always nice to see old buildings like this in good repair and still functional.

Last stop was what is left of another once active small town.  Not so much any more.  I imagine this was a busy store at one time.  The sign on the door is still in good condition, unlike the rest of the building. It reads "Reach for Sunbeam Bread." I bet it was good bread.  With a name like Sunbeam, it has to be good. Right?  

Notice the reflections in the windows.  They really make this photo pop when you see it up close.  I wish I could make it larger here so you could see the details. It really was an impressive scene.  Hopefully you get the effect.

Then it was time to head back home, to another small town that has changed quite a bit over the years.  I won't say it has changed for the worse, however.  There are still a lot of good people here, and it's still home. That means a lot. After all, isn't that where the heart is?

                                                          Roger O'Dea     2/19/2014

All The World's A Stage

I can't stop thinking about the recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.  When I start thinking about something too much it usually means that I need to write about it.  That always seems to help me put to rest whatever it is I'm thinking about too much.  One reason I'm thinking more about the death of this particular person is the way it happened.  Alone in his $10,000 a month apartment with heroin scattered around the room and a needle stuck in his arm.  So tragic for someone so talented and for someone who seemed to have shrugged off his fame and lived what some who knew him called an "unassuming life" and said that he was just a "regular guy."  But regular guys don't shoot heroin.  It's all just so sad.  The other reason for my reflection has to do with the connection I felt to the characters he played in certain movies.  Some of his roles were familiar to me in both time period and subject matter.  Almost Famous, set in the year 1973, is a good example.  So many scenes and conversations in that movie took me back to that year in my own life.  Scenes like this one, which is pretty accurate right down to the Pabst Blue Ribbon beer on the table and the shag carpet.

There is also a scene in this movie in which Lester Bangs, played by Hoffman, as the editor of a music magazine called Creem, is having a conversation with William Miller, a young kid, played by Patrick Fugit, who is trying to break into the business as a music writer/reporter.  Following a long lecture about how corrupt the music business is, Bangs suddenly pauses, then says, "I can give you 35 bucks.  Give me a thousand words on Black Sabbath."  This gets the kid started on his way, and for the rest of the movie you see him carrying around a small, cheap cassette tape recorder with a microphone about the size of a magic marker.  The reason this scene stood out so much for me is that when I was only 18 years old and working as a dj (that's disc jockey for those of you not hip to the lingo) at a small AM radio station in South Dakota my boss came to me one day with my first big assignment.  Militant members of the American Indian Movement had just staged an armed occupation of Wounded Knee, a small town on the Pine Ridge Reservation about a hundred miles away.  A press conference was scheduled for the next day in Rapid City, about 50 miles away, and reporters from the major national news networks would be there, along with South Dakota Senator James Abourezk, Abourezk's aide Tom Daschle, FBI officials and a bunch of other big shots.  For some reason our own news director was not available, so I got the assignment.  I was nervous, excited and scared all at the same time.  But I went, and there I was - sitting at an over sized conference table with all of these pros with expensive equipment, wearing suits and smoking Chesterfields.  A couple of them may have even been right out some classic film noir, wearing a Fedora with a tag that said PRESS sticking out of the hatband.  It was a big moment for me...even if I was way out of my league.  Thank God I never asked a question.

Another Hoffman movie role that got to me was The Count in Pirate Radio.  It should be obvious by now that my radio days were a huge influence in my life and the source of some very fond memories.
I played a lot of those same records in real life as those guys did on that underground station located on a ship drifting somewhere off the coast of England.  I wasn't quite as animated, however, and I was bound by FCC regulations as well as local standards of the time.  But, in one of my proudest moments, I did almost get fired for playing "The Ballad of John and Yoko."  Some of the lyrics were...well...let's just say they weren't acceptable to the owner of a local station in a small midwestern town.  He gave me a break, though, and I'm glad he did.  Thanks Joe.
My next favorite Hoffman role was Brandt, the nerdy personal assistant to Mr. Lebowski. That's Mr. Jeffrey Lebowski, the millionaire philanthropist, not Jeff Lebowski, the Dude.  You know, the one who abides.  I guess if you haven't seen the movie then you don't know.  So see the movie.

There. I feel better.  Maybe I just needed to talk about some of these things.  It could be that deep down when I hear about the death of someone I admire, even though I may not know them, it causes me to consider my own mortality.  After all, I'm not in my early 50s any more.  I'm not even in my mid 50s any more.  But I plan on being around for quite a while yet. As Gavin Cavanagh, one of those crazy guys on Radio Caroline out there in the North Sea said so poignantly "Now here's a rather long record. I hope I'm here at the end of it."

             Roger O'Dea     2/4/2014