Death of a Pet

 

Banner

Some long term readers may be familiar with my dog, Banner, a Lab mix. He went over the Rainbow Bridge this afternoon, lying in a favorite place, and without pain.

He was about 14 and a semi-rescue. I had him for six+ years.

 He collapsed early afternoon and was gone is less than three hours.

I will miss him. I’m grateful we didn’t need to put him down and that he died a peaceful painless death in a place he was loved.

When you adopt a senior dog, you know this day will come too soon. I have no regrets. He brought me joy and was a “good boy”.

Road Closed? Don't Think So

 

Scofflaw

Mt Bross, NNW of Alma, CO has a road that goes to the top. ¾ of the way there is an old collapsed mine with a surviving building. Use of the road is strictly forbidden. Some 20 years ago I drove up to the mine in my all time favorite vehicle, a 1984 Turbocharged Diesel Powered 4x4 Mitsubishi Mighty Max. At about 270,000 miles, the truck started losing compression and spitting oil. I sold it, and have regretted it since.

Bigot

Recently a 2^nd cousin called me a bigot on Facebook. This is Gemini’s definition.

big·ot

/ˈbiɡəta person who is obstinately or unreasonably attached to a belief, opinion, or faction, especially one who is prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.

What set him off was a satirical cartoon I put on Facebook under my frequent, “Stirring the Pot”.

After I responded to his first accusation, “Your opinion may be important but not to me”, he became very upset.

 His parents have my admiration and I enjoy his siblings. This highly educated (attended university classes in Taiwan) young man has chugged the Kool-Aide, IMO.

Am I conservative or liberal? Probably neither.  My bigotry is aimed at parasites. People who are drawing nice salary and benefits that don’t do anything productive.

A comment lifted from a blog: at what point do people wrest control of their government back from those bent on our demise while feathering their own nests on our backs?

What gets my blood boiling is stealing under the color of law. The situation in Minnesota with the Somali is the most blatant. What is less obvious is the practice of passing legislation to help those in need and then diverting the funds via NGOs, by bloated bureaucracy, and consultants.  Those in need are still in need and still not helped in any measurable way.

Over the course of my life, my family has been among the ones needing help. I’ve hit bottom and worked my way back via my Dad’s “Belly Flapping Principal” (If you are hungry enough you will do anything).  

In contrast to the parasites, I admire my sister and my niece.

Colorado has a community health organization now over fifty years old. It was started to help migrant farm workers get basic health care. Now it serves several Colorado communities. My sister has devoted over thirty years of her time to the organization. She receives no compensation other than occasional expenses, nor does she seek monetary compensation. She does it out of love.

My niece has spent her adult life in public health care. She usually works a second job as her primary employment isn’t lucrative. She is out on the mean streets of Reno helping those who have nothing, danger be damned, while raising two remarkable children.

These two women believe in helping underdogs and walk the walk.

(P)regressive Mindset

Blue State Colorado has a big budget problem brought about by reckless and unnecessary spending.  What follows is an apt analysis of the root cause, IMO

Just as a person with bad spending habits does not suddenly fix all their problems by winning the lottery, a $3.6 billion tax increase from a progressive tax structure would not suddenly fix the legislature’s addiction to overspending, and if anything will only make the problem worse.  

 We don’t have a Minnesota sized problem but we have the same problems. Parasites.

Stupid, not bad, to the bone

Career drunk driver.

MORE

What we have here, is a failure to communicate. I hope that driver gets a chance to learn communication. (cue Cool Hand Luke)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WUyZXhLHMk

 Got Ice

Local (P)regressives are clutching their pearls over plans to open a closed prison as an ICE facility. In all the years the place was open few people even knew it was there.

MORE

Car Story

Impressive display

A customer was interesting in buying a ½ ton pickup and wanted the see underneath. We had an elevated display ramp. After removing the vehicle on display, I drove the pickup, check, attempted to drive the pickup and tipped it on the passenger side when I miscalculated. The pickup landed at a 45° angle bending the outside mirror.

 With the assistance of employees the manager managed to back the truck off the ramps.

 We made the sale, with a discount for the broken mirror. The customer enjoyed saying,” I wanted to see underneath and I sure was able to do that”.

 Dirty Al was upset because he wanted to take a customer on a test drive and the pickup was blocking access to the car he wanted to show,

 A lot of teasing over the years has come my way for that oops.

As always, YMMV

Wyoming Winter Winds

Devils Tower, Wyoming

I’m not sure the above photograph isn’t AI generated. Either way, an amazing sight.

 How Elections are bought

 Rhys Williams works at Whole Foods in Fort Collins. He is 24 years old. Federal Election Commission records show he donated $73,752 through ActBlue in 2025—113 separate transactions to Democratic campaigns and committees. A Whole Foods employee in Colorado earns $15 to $21 per hour. That translates to $31,200 to $43,680 gross annual income. After taxes: $24,336 to $34,070 take-home pay. Williams donated 216% of his likely net income. Colorado Secretary of State records confirm Williams exists. He registered as a Democrat on December 6, 2023. His address matches the FEC filings. The donations are real. The math is not.”

He is one of thousands, maybe tens of thousands across the country.

Bureaucrats

Trivial complaint.

Please note the potential “gotcha” police can use if they need something to inconvenience you. I wonder how many staff hours were spent coming up with that regulation.

Colorado Prisons

When we were doing offsite sales around Colorado, I became acquaintances of several correctional officers who bought our cars. After hearing some of their problems, I have been more aware of the sorry state of our prisons and the near total indifference of (P)regressives . While Colorado has no death penalty, twelve prisoners have died in traffic accidents while riding in poorly maintained and unsafe prison transport vehicles. The situation only gets worse.

MORE

While not sympathetic to criminals in general (you did the crime, do the time) the prisons, along with highways and law enforcement, are a primary state responsibility, and on a lesser level, counties and cities. These don’t seem to concern our blue state aficionados.

Partial Return to Sanity

The environazi EPA overreach is being cut back. The idea “good ideas” can force engineering solutions is being recognized as not working.

MORE

 It is a start.

Steve Inman

A daily watch.

MORE

Car Story  

Harsh

Half deals or split commissions are common in the car biz. A customer comes in and ask for you by name but you are not available The salesperson makes a sale. You are on ½ of the commission.

 More common is a turn. The salesperson isn’t making progress and goes to the desk (manager) who sends another salesperson to talk to the customer. A sale is made.

 Conflicts arise when the salesperson “lot drops” a customer without going to a manager first. Another sales person sees this. They approach the customer and end up making a sale. The lot dropper is not entitled to anything but a serious counseling session with the manager.

 This leads us to Mr. Artie Pruitt. He snaked me out of a deal and I found out. After a robust private meeting with me in the bullpen he decided to take his aching ribs to Down the Road Motors.

 One day at a Ford dealership in Kirkland, WA he suffered an aneurism on the showroom floor while talking to a couple. While all the drama of 911, EMTs, etc. another salesman took the couple to another area and ended up with a sale. Artie was d.o.a at the hospital.

This brings us to the question, is Artie entitled to ½ the commission?

He didn’t make a proper turn with a manager, he lot dropped the customer. and he no longer works here.

Political Correctness

Background: My middle son is high on the Asbergers Scale and has little use for social graces. When he decides to speak, he is clear and concise. Growing up he was a huge fan of professional wrestling and wrestled in middle school.

During the Presidential election, he called the Democrat candidate come’allah, offending several people who corrected his pronunciation. He replied, “Surely you remember the wrestler, Kamala the Cannibal?”

As Always, YMMV

Banner News

 

He now has a new bed when he skips the sofa.

From this

To this.

Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting

That saying has been used in Colorado for decades, if not a century. It is relevant today because of the proliferation of data centers and their need for large amounts of water. Readers with technical background may get more for this than I did.

MORE

Just how wise it is to build high water consumption operations in semi-arid regions with shrinking aquifers and precipitation dependent rivers? This winter the snowpack in Colorado is around 60% of normal.

Another consideration is data centers built on farm land and consuming irrigation water. What is the long term impact on food availability?

Where does the electricity to power these energy hogs come from?

Smarter people than me can explain why we need all these data centers. I can only accept that we do. I do think my questions are relevant.

Oh, WSF, why do you carry on about water? In my youth I did some irrigating spade work on relative’s agriculture land and one large amount working the harvests off that land. Early on I knew water was the difference between economic life and death.

Seen it Before

“You are way overqualified for this job”, I said to the applicant, circa 1970. The opening was for a minimum wage local driving job.

“Damn it”, he replied, “I need a job and nobody will hire me because I’m a Vietnam veteran”.

Feeling like the lowest of lowlifes I said, “OK, you are hired”.

I constantly see a parallel between the troubled times caused by LBJ and his gang of criminals and the current mess created by Biden’s handlers.

The protests are organized and funded by outsiders, both then and now.

Servicemen and women returning from Vietnam were spat upon, derided and discriminated against.

What experiences are ICE agents and other Federal LEOs enduring now that will cause long term emotional problems?

Back to the man I hired. He went on to a twenty five year career with the company after replacing me. I’ve never fitted well with a corporate job. Think Dilbert.

Car Story

Balloon

The Glenwood Springs off site sale was being set up included balloons on all the cars. Then the Big Show, the 20’ balloon with an American Flag underneath and a 200’ cord. I was holding the spindle while the cord unrolled with some salesmen standing by. The final inch came off and we all stood there watching the balloon soar off eastward, flag underneath, with 200’ of yellow cord just out of reach.

On the positive side, if you are going to fuck up, do it big with a critical audience watching. 

As always, YMMV

 

Wyoming, Still Untamed Thankfully

 

The feud between Gov. Mark Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray boiled over Thursday when Gordon asked Gray, “Do you want to step outside” near the end of a marathon Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners meeting in Douglas.

MORE

A state representative from Casper wants to keep people from being charged with drunk driving if they're drunk while riding a horse, mule or donkey. The bill made one defense attorney laugh and left prosecutors wondering if a specific case inspired it.

MORE

Citizen Disarmament Flourishes in Blue State Colorado

That pesky 2^nd Amendment keeps getting in the way of the Liberal’s dream of disarming all citizens. OK, they say, we will make it expensive, inconvenient with many “gotcha” laws to entangle you in legal trouble. You should just give up.

 Latest version.

MORE

I have a strategy in place. To all questions, “I plead the 5^th”. “I don’t agree to any searches”. “I won’t have any conversation without counsel present”.

I’m generally pro law enforcement and don’t want to make officers jobs any harder. That said, I’m protecting my ass first.

Car Story

Charles Sampson

He was a 5’ something Los Angeles kid who became the first modern era black World Champion Bull Rider in 1982. He and Little Hitler, who spent years riding bulls, were friends. Charles had a long term gig with Wrangler clothing but decided to try selling cars. After floundering for a couple of weeks, he asked my help and I started training him in the “Tank” way.

Among used trucks, Kias, and used cars we sold stock and utility trailers. We had a 40’ tilt bed gooseneck trailer with a truck on it, tilted, out front one winter and we needed to clear snow. The trailer had a wood deck but metal over the wheels. I stepped on the metal and feel off on my ass. Charles found this amusing until he did the same.

After that I enjoyed pulling his chain with, “Yeah, Charles and I both got bucked off at the same event, but I had the tougher draw”. 

Charles lost an ear in Reno when a bull stepped on his head and had two prosthetic ears. One was darker for summer time. He and Sisty were good friends and she enjoyed telling him when it was time to change ears. One time when she was on her way to Reno to see her daughter and grand kids, she asked him if he wanted her to look for his ear.

Fame can be a burden. Charles learned quickly how to sell cars. His problem was people stopping just to meet him who didn’t have the means to buy anything.

Many people called him Charlie, which he tolerated. I called him Charles, which he preferred.

MORE

As always, YMMV

 

Ain't Happening

 

IIhan Omar

Can this foul person be sent back to Somalia? My favorite YouTube lawyer steps out of his usual lane to offer real information.

MORE

New Tax Needed to Save Us

People worldwide are weary of climate change taxation and a new “crisis” is needed. There must be a clever way to exploit this.

MORE

Wolves

The issue gets more complicated as time goes by. Here is a very long article analyzing the current state of affairs. Well done, IMO.

MORE

And a new player enters the argument, the Trump Administration.

MORE

Paranoid minds wonder if some Minnesota Lite is lurking?

 Here, kitty kitty

A long Colorado Parks and Recreation report on the recent mountain lion deaths. As you can see on the map, some have been seen close to DRJIM’s backyard.

MORE

Smartass WSF – the Early Years

Senior year of high school, a requirement in an English class was to memorize and recite aloud a poem, of our own choosing. 

MORE

My sister was ten years behind me but several of my teachers were still there. My sister approached two of them with, “Ladies, may I speak to you?” Upon receiving an affirmation she said, “Ladies, I’m not my brother”.

I was not remembered as a scholar.

 Deleted Comments

After many years of not deleting comments, except anonymous comments, I’m tired of the off topic comments. Spam, bots, ???

Not having it anymore.

Going green, create more problems

Among the myriad rules, regulations and dictates that complicate our lives and increase costs everywhere are “water saving” low flush toilets. One is in my apartment. How much water is saved when the damn thing needs to be flushed three times?

Car Story

Glue, locks and a Dodge Viper. This is probably a repeat.

 1993 my manager at the used car lot (show us your cocks story) got fired and the omens weren’t good for me. Up I -405 in Bellevue WA I got hired at the Dodge store while the GM was on vacation. He was not pleased when he returned. His problem? He didn’t hire me and I was selling two vehicles every three to four days while not adhering to his “system”.

 The Viper had just arrived and he foolishly put up a prize; the top salesman got to drive the Viper for a day.  That month I beat his house mouse by three cars. He was beside himself when I picked up the Viper on my day off. I drove it up I-90 to the Snoqualmie Pass summit and back to the store. Dropping it off I remarked, “Just another car”. When the management started messing with my pay I moved on.

 The manager, Bart Moss, was a big water skiing fanatic. He would go to Lake Sammamish at 5 am when the water was “flat”.  The ass kissers would meet him there and they would have workplace bonding. How pleased the folks with lakefront property might feel seemly didn’t matter. I gave it six weeks then went to the parking lot and squirted glue into all the door locks of all their vehicles while they were recreating. Well yes, WSF is evil. Fuck with me and I will fuck you over.

 I didn’t tarry, needing to open a small pot lot I’d been hired to manage.

 Side note: The Viper was a blast for about an hour and a half. After that, the parts bin engineering became increasingly noticeable. Also, my courting tackle didn’t get any bigger.

 MOPAR impressions. In that era I always thought Dodge was ahead of the game in terms of design. The Intrepid, with the cab forward design, was far superior to Ford and GMC. The full sized pickup redesign was a game changer. The weakness was Chrysler went cheap on the details. I won’t go into details; ancient history now. Their one success was the Dakota. Needing a small pickup, the Dakota was a Dodge Regis cop car chassis with a pickup bed and the rest 20 year old parts bin left overs. It was a decent truck, especially compared to the Toyota T100. That disaster had Toyota giving dealers a hidden $4,000 cash bonus to help move them.

As always, YMMV

A Trip Around the Sun Doesn't Change Things

 Nice Kitty

A solo female hiker apparently was killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion near Glen Haven, CO New Years Day. Two lions in the area were promptly hunted down and killed. There are many news report for those interested in the details.

 Glen Haven is a spot on the road, Highway 14, in a slot canyon NNW of Fort Collins. DRJIM has family that live in the area.

 LL (Virtual Mirage) has explained how mountain lion devour their prey and it is not a pleasant way to die.

 Political Fallout – Colorado Edition

PDJT vetoed the bipartisan Arkansas Valley Conduit bill. Why? His explanation.

MORE

This puts two of Colorado’s four Congress critters in a hard spot. They are not happy. Our Senior Senator, who wants to be Governor, is pissed because it was “his” bill. A co-sponsorer.

MORE

This project started life in 1962. Lots of money has been spent over the years with little to show for it. Long story here.

MORE

There is much speculation that PDJT took this action because of his loathing Emperor Polis. Maybe, but just maybe, the business man side of him thinks this dog won’t hunt.

 Here is a thought. After 63 years of not making this plan work, perhaps it is time to come up with a plan that will work?

 Unhinged Conspiracy Theory

Why Cackles, excuse me, Kamala’s handlers wanted Waltz as her running mate didn’t make sense to me. Now that the massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota suggests a pipeline of tax dollars flowing into various (P)regressive accounts was the motivation.

 Boo, Fucking Hoo

ICE arrests in Colorado. An article, from a left leaning “independent and non partisan; they claim” online newspaper.

Note the emphasis on “human cost” and the number who “had no convictions”, etc.

MORE

Let us be clear. If you are in this country illegally, you are a law breaker, period, full stop. Law enforcement is often messy, innocent bystanders are impacted, and mistakes are made.

 One more law enforcement push is needed, IMO, and that is going after those who employ these illegals. Further, those who facilitated illegal immigration need to be taken to task.

 So, WSF, you heartless bastard, you don’t care the people here illegally are human beings? Answer: they are not my problem. They had homes and didn’t want to pay the high personal costs of cleaning their own foul nests. They come here for what they can get, not what they can contribute. They keep their way of doing things with little or no regard; disdain even, for our norms. Yes, there will always be exceptions. Not enough, IMO.

 Banner Report

He is living his best life at Sisty’s house as age takes a toll. He can’t get into the back seat of a car without assistance and his rear legs are weak. With other people in the house, another dog, and cats he isn’t lonely and he has unfettered access to a fenced back yard. I miss him but know I made the best decision for him.

 Car Story

If anyone now reading this blog was reading it 15 years ago, many of these car stories are reruns.

Among the groups I worked with a practical joke was known as “spinning”.  One Saturday morning Dirty Al spun a complete sales force. I was sitting with my hand an inch from the phone to grab sales calls when he came up and handed me a newspaper open to yesterdays winning lottery numbers plus his lottery ticket. “Check my numbers”, he said. “Check your own fucking numbers”, was my response. He then started whining about not having his glasses. Finally, to shut him up, I checked. Damn! For a moment I thought about running out the door with the ticket, but instead said, “Congratulations Al. Looks like you won $7,000, 000”.

What he did was buy a ticket for the next drawing with the winning numbers from this drawing.

 Chaos erupted. Al milked it for every moment. 

A future story will explain how revenge is a dish best eaten cold, just saying.

As always, YMMV