Bert Garcia^2.0

Warmer weather allowed us to spend the week working on the yard.

There was gutter cleaning duties, raking whatever leaves were left on the ground and the first mowing of Spring.

Gathered up all the dead branches and twigs to make an excellent pile of kindling for the fire pit.

30 bales of pine needles were distributed throughout the yard, where grass does not grow and tall trees abound.

The fish in the pond came alive, thawed and very hungry. Next week I’ll give it a good deserved cleaning.

Today was a rest day, my back needed it. After months of Winter hibernation, it was a welcome break to wear shorts and t-shirts outside. Afternoon beer breaks are now on the schedule, along with BBQ hamburgers and chicken.

Caleb Meyer, he lived alone
In them hollarin’ pines
And he made a little whiskey for himself
Said it helped to pass the time

Woke up this morning to warm weather, a far departure from the last few weeks of supposedly early Spring but all we got was Winter weather. Back in February Phil said we’d be in a warmer place real soon, but we’ve had to re-live the same cold day over and over and over again.

Hopefully, fingers crossed and all that, we can start to work on the yard this week and get out of the house. I think we can all use some Vitamin D on our skin cause we’re molting everywhere, our keyboards could use a shot of compressed air.

Let’s hope that we do have a Spring this year and not an early Summer like we’ve had for the last couple of years. I’m all for warmer weather but not of the skin melting or the let’s check if those pores are working types of heat.

“Go West, young man”, is a quote that’s been resonating in my mind ever since I was a kid. Maybe it’s time to change coasts, I hear the weather in Cali is awesome.

I got flowers in the spring
I got you to wear my ring
And when I’m sad, you’re a clown
And if I get scared, you’re always around

Danica Patrick finishes the Daytona 500 in 8th position.

Overall it was a rather boring race, I mean how can you find it interesting to see a train of cars circling the track lap after lap.

Nobody could pass, they were all stuck on the top line hoping their cars wouldn’t overheat. Only one fast line around the track, so it came down to pit road speed.

By the 83rd lap, the Fox televised event became background noise as I went back to working on my computer. The norm was 5 laps of racing then 5 minutes of nauseating commercials, cutting away so often does not a loyal viewer make.

Auto racing, it’s a sport I’ve always been fond of. I can’t wait till March 17th when the Formula 1 season kicks off in Australia. Sorry Nascar, a long train of cars scared to get out of line is not racing, it’s rush hour traffic on the L.A. Freeway.

If I can just get off of this LA freeway
Without getting killed or caught
I’d be down that road in a cloud of smoke
For some land that I ain’t bought

A very cold jet stream made it’s way to the Carolinas today. A mixture of snow and rain has been falling on us all day, but when the sun began dipping over the horizon, the mixture turned into pure white snow. The neighborhood is abuzz with youthful laughter.

Tonight when the temps dip into the 20’s, the roads will be covered with black ice. Glad we did some groceries yesterday, or else we’re sledding to the store. Come morning we’re putting on our gloves and having a good old snowball fight.

February snow
The trees wore you like a dress
You left me high, you left me dry
You melted to this mess

In 1969 I was a teenager living on Long Island.

On February 9th, a Sunday, snow started to fall on our suburban Westbury neighborhood. When we awoke on Monday, the snow had basically turned us into a Winter wonderland.

There was no driving on the roads, my father had to walk to the nearest grocery to buy milk and bread. Nobody could get to work, we had no school, us kids were in snow heaven.

Galoshes over Converse sneakers made for tingling toes whenever we came home for food.

When the snow plows made it to our streets, I believe it was towards the end of the week, there was the task of shoveling our long driveway to get the station wagon out of the garage. The garage was covered by a snow drift, only the windows of the two doors were visible. It was the last time my dad parked the car in the garage during Winter.

As I watch the weather channel today, I can relate, memories of that week in February flood my mind. I’ll never forget being snowed in for days, but at my age, I wouldn’t care to re-live it.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we’ve no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Spent the holidays in Miami, I have the tan to prove it.

Thanks to our gracious hosts, Zenaida, Fernando and Romeo for having us over for sun and fun.

Spent most of my time outside, me and the dogs enjoying the warm weather. I would of stayed for longer, and our hosts were sad to see us go, but we had to get back and check on our house.

Now we’re back to freezing temps and ugly looking skies, I’m tempted to hop back in the car and head south again. Until then, we’ll have the pictures we took to remind us of the wonderful time we spent in beautiful Coral Gables.

My most vivid memory will be of the huge Hong Kong Orchid that shaded the side yard. We dubbed it the Tree of Power after Fernando decorated it with Christmas lights and we used it to power all our gadgets. Essential gadget #1 was the powerful Bose speaker with an attached MP3 loaded iPod. Visitors used the tree as a charging station for their smartphones, or to hook up their laptops.

The Tree of Power became the central party location, no longer were visitors using the front door, everyone came in through the side iron gate, knowing full well that Dude was most likely sitting under the tree smoking a hand rolled stogie and sipping on Spanish red wine.

So I’ve lived in my blind spot
Thought myself usual when I’m not
And your garden is a nice spot
As long as it is brave and where you are

2012 Person of the Year: Barack Obama

If you didn’t care what happened to me
And I didn’t care for you
We would zig zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Wondering which of the buggars to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing

Tia gave us an early Xmas present.

Thanksgiving was spent alongside the warmth of our new backyard fire pit.

All the twigs and branches that have fallen from the trees over the last six months fuel the pit. When we need a little extra oomph, we throw in a bucket of dried leaves from the many mounds we’ve accumulated in the backyard.

At the rate we’re going, the backyard will be free of debris in no time.

There’s a calming effect that only the flames from a fire can give you. We have a gas fireplace in the house, but the distinct odors and crackling sounds that come from burning wood are worth the effort. The above photo has a piece of birch wood releasing it’s incense.

Thanks to Tia, sitting outside in the evenings makes us feel like we’re camping out in a distant forest. Now where’s my tent and that bag of marshmallows!

And I swore we’d put this all behind us
And one day the fire pit would remind us
Not of this night only
But of others after

Bert —

I’m about to go speak to the crowd here in Chicago, but I wanted to thank you first.

I want you to know that this wasn’t fate, and it wasn’t an accident. You made this happen.

You organized yourselves block by block. You took ownership of this campaign five and ten dollars at a time. And when it wasn’t easy, you pressed forward.

I will spend the rest of my presidency honoring your support, and doing what I can to finish what we started.

But I want you to take real pride, as I do, in how we got the chance in the first place.

Today is the clearest proof yet that, against the odds, ordinary Americans can overcome powerful interests.

There’s a lot more work to do.

But for right now: Thank you.

Barack

If you’re having world problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but Mitt ain’t one

On Sunday, 60 Minutes asked Mr. Romney what his big idea would be for his term in office should he win the presidency. Mr. Romney responded that he wants to restore the kind of freedom that allows America to lead the world.

Should he be elected, I would imagine Mr. Romney would immediately overturn voter suppression laws that his fellow Republicans have put into place in the states of PA, IN, FL, TN, MI, SD, ID, LA, KS, NH, and GA. Because the right to vote is the biggest freedom a Democracy has, or else we should just go ahead and label America a Plutocracy.

In a Plutocracy:

• CEO Romney would immediately give favorable tax breaks to his rich donors so that they would have the freedom to trickle down their fortunes to those less fortunate.

• CEO Romney would remove restrictions and amend tax laws so that large corporations can freely profit from the products and services they provide to the middle class.

• CEO Romney would repeal current health laws so that the elderly and the sick have the freedom to die in emergency rooms.

• CEO Romney would further redistribute wealth into the hands of the already super wealthy, freeing more dollars to be stashed overseas for a rainy day.

A healthy Democracy proclaims, let my people vote in 2012.

This was my home
All this pain and devastation
How it tortures me inside
All the innocent who suffer
From your stubbornness and pride