Rosebush Redux

What happened to the rosebush, that 40 year old wonder that was carefully nourished to the point of thriving again?  It was cut down, nearly destroyed.  More about that shortly.

Time flies.  Especially when you're busy.  While you experience events, like raising children, you're involved.  The doing keeps the mind off the clock, immersed in the present.  Then the kids grow up. and head in their own directions, as do the parents.

It's been that way for my family.  My son finished his Bachelors in History and is embarking on the military portion of his life.  Daughter is continuing a fine arts education.  Mom is in Law School.  Me?  I'm writing a 4 novel series, a screen treatment and a short story collection.  I'm the only one not in school lol.  Busy.

Recent occurrences have been the result of busy, plus lots of rain and absence.

We've been so involved in our pursuits that we let the grass grow, literally.

We lost our yardman, the talented landscaper who brought the rosebush back to life.  Well, he cleared it and nurtured it.  It was strong to begin with.  It just needed encouragement.

There was no contract with his guy.  He rented.  Round here that means transient.  So, lease up, he moved.  No harm no foul.

Indianapolis people know we had one wet Spring.  Plush and lush, flora sprung up like alien plant life.

Wrapped in our business, we came and went as the grass silently grew.

Three things happened virtually simultaneously. 

Ruthie attempted to revive her mower, which had not been used the last season.  This was due to our neighbor/yardman having access to other equipment.

Apparently some zealous inspector was alerted to tall grass.  Subsequently Ruthie received a demand to cut said tall grass. 

The kids and I got her a new weed whacker to quickly solve the problem.  The tall grass was whacked to an acceptable level.

In spite of the timely solution, the city dispatched a contractor to mow.  They invaded the yard, ignoring the work and used an industrial mower, skinning the ground.  A weed whacker was involved.  That is known because the rosebush was almost completely cut down.

All the new shoots tenderly cared for were cut.  All the flowers literally nipped in the bud.  All that remained was that original branch, which had valiantly poked through the weeds before.  It was lacerated, but intact mostly.  Though it was evident the contractors attempted to destroy that branch, it survived.  One live bud is slowly blooming near the tip.  Already a couple of new shoots have sprung, prolific after the rape of the yard.

Ruthie's violets suffered a dismal fate, cut to the ground by a mower not intended for lawn care/maintenance  A decorative grass circle was also leveled.

This was the unkindest cut of all, in tandem with an unnecessary 'visit' by bungling people who get so much fee for each yard they level.

We are all for civic improvement.  Much has been done to alleviate vacant housing.  But the flipside is an overzealous contractor and negligent inspector which soured our view.

Now the world is full of woe, and a cut rosebush is small potatoes we know.  But wrong is wrong.

That wonder, the rosebush planted by Ruthie's Mom 40 years ago will live.  And thrive again.

Think about what this means re Freedom.  It's simple.

We bumped into a bureaucratic department, which is a juggernaut.  Or did they bump into us?  One can see the potential for corruption and profit in spite of citizens.  All in the guise of civic improvement.

And they are heavy handed in penalty, which for real offenders should work.  But for those who are innocently caught up and poor, it can be devastating. 

We have attempted contact with Department of Code Enforcement.  Guess what?  A number which led to another voicemail.  And Vivian Harris has NOT returned the call.  Not sure her 'title' but it seems sloppy, cowardly and unprofessional/unbusinesslike not to reply.  So far the stereotype of the above mentioned ilk.

Ruthie is working on resolving the city's mistake.  I'm helping however I can.

It may merit a post when we are finished.  Til then, we are mum for obvious reasons.

Remember, that good intentions and the old 'there otta be a law' bit roll quite easily into governmental abuse.  It isn't just guns/2A in danger.  It's our entire lives.

Detractors

Oh how the Alinskyan trolls are rabidly attacking so much that is decent and honorable in these united States.  They are protecting the lies of collectivism.

It's the old point the finger routine.  Guilty, they obfuscate to detract from the obvious. 

Don't let it detract from the truth.  Concentrate.  Take the high ground.  'The enemy doesn't deserve a break.  Send them to hell, as Ltc Vandervoort said before D Day. 

It takes a personal level as well..

There is good and evil.  It evidences in spirit of course as well as flesh, though a lot of people dismiss or ignore the fact.  And there are those who embrace darkness just like we live in the Light.  And all the troll activity, to me, is part of that. 

Yep.  Collectivism spawned in hell or at least to those who don't believe that, it is hell on earth.

And whatever you believe, the very nature of evil reaches out to quash hope, to weigh down and isolate.  Even the thought of it leaves a kind of sticky humid feeling, a creep factor for the soul.

Don't underestimate it.  But don't overestimate it either.  Face it and burn it to the root with truth.

Wade through it all, find facts as they are stubborn things (TY John Adams) and do not just counter. take the fight to them.  Even the personal stuff.

If you're in it for any length of time, the trolls will come after you.  Don't think right's on your side.  Know what to do.

This is very akin to how character assassination works.  For every positive, the enemy counters with a negative.

I'd add to that, but I'd rather everyone contemplate where they are in our current events.

Besides, I have a very personal entry tomorrow.  We'll see if there is any of the above mentioned tactics with what I have to say.

Heroes

With Memorial Day weekend, this seems appropriate.

There are many heroes.  So much so that it seems a term too easily bandied around.  But there are different kinds of heroes. 

I have nothing against sports heroes, science heroes etc.  People who stand out, inspiring others to be better, that's heroic, especially these days when mediocrity looms and there is a collectivist drive to quash competition. 

And most innovators have bravely stood up against the status quo to produce things which have made life easier and better.

Heroes help others, without regard for themselves.  Scared?  Yep.  But they go ahead.  Police, fire, the shoe salesman down the block, the homemaker next door.  Crisis calls and it's up to each of us to answer.

Military heroes especially today, bring to mind Alvin York, Audie Murphy and many more.  From Bunker Hill to the mountains of Afghanistan, many have given the ultimate sacrifice.  And that includes those who once wore grey.  There.  I said it.

Lately the Alinskyan trolls are frothing at the mouth about John Wayne and his 3A classification.  It's another attempt to sully a great American.  He didn't serve.  Neither did my Dad, though he was one of the first to try in Indianapolis. 

I won't go into the details, but I will tell you my impression.  John Wayne was always a patriot.  He was a movie hero, not a war hero.  Also, I believe, but cannot prove, he participated as an intelligence agent.  Just a hunch.  Several public figures have.  They can get into places a lot of people can't.  Who knows?

Wayne's movies, besides being box office hits, inspire and motivate.  Brushfire comes to mind.

And don't underestimate sci-fi etc.  Getting people to think is the keystone of Freedom.  Actually expanding their minds to possibilities.

Wayne was well loved and respected by a great deal of Hollywood, even some liberals.  His fame is worldwide as is the affection for this man who spoke his mind.  His great respect for the military was returned and he visited troops from WW2 to Vietnam.

Of course, the collectivists hate him.  He is strength and truth, their anathema.

And those who have returned, to a man, have said the real heroes are the ones who didn't come back.

Let's remember.

Storage

No not long term food.  Nor hiding guns from goons.  It can mean anything from frozen food to surplus items.

My most obscure post yet?  Not really.  Maybe '6'.  Cost me a follower.  Then I don't worry about that.  Agree, disagree, ignore or unfriend etc, is my credo.  Long as I get my point across, that's all I need.

Ever had something seemingly forgotten pop to the surface again, usually suddenly?  Might be just a page from the past or a valuable lesson that wasn't 'triggered' til externals bade it forth.  It might be that memory was 'waiting' for the right moment.

No, I'm not talking about programming.  It's not robotized mind control.  It's actually free thinking and association.

There is a difference between delving into the past and living there.  Embrace the former and eschew the latter.

The good, the bad (ugly is as ugly does lol) all come to mind.  Horrible and heavenly each deliver lessons that may sustain us in times to come.

Memorial Day weekend should lend itself to this.

Remember, never forget and when the time is right/ripe go forth and do.