OCALA COBRA

I hate snakes. Always have and always will. But this is too funny to pass up.

Last week I posted about how it is nice to see your hometown on the news. And we talked about the Confederate Flag issue. If I had only known.

And now it has happened again.

In case you have been in a vacuum the past few days, a 'Monocled Cobra' escaped from captivity in the middle of an Ocala residential area, a few blocks from an Elementary School.

The news is all over the internet, as well as national TV news. I just hope that people don't get the wrong impression of my home town. It is a great place to live and work. (and retire)

Ocala residents will discuss the legal ramifications of this incident for weeks and months to come. Why will the city allow people to have these poisonous snakes in a residential area, while prohibiting me from having a chicken in my back yard? Its a discussion for a later time.

But right now, Ocalans are having some fun with it. Maybe if we poke fun we will forget that we are all scared right out of our panties. Well, at least I am.

We are also having fun with 'photo shop'.

We have a new 'Welcome to Ocala' sign.

It seems like within minutes of the escape, the snake found a lost I-phone and immediately started to tweet. (trying to keep up with POTUS??) You can follow him at Ocala Cobra‏ @OcalaCobra

And he has even passed on some words of wisdom on his face book page.

This proves my theory that every ONE and every THING has a face book page. 

https://www.facebook.com/ocalacobra/

And of course local business are jumping on the bandwagon.

Have to hand it to them. BRILLIANT !!

You can even order a special "OCALA COBRA" TEE Shirt at  www.ocalacobra.com

BTW, proceeds for this go to Habitat for Humanity. That's a good thing.

All jokes aside, I hate snakes. If I step on one, I run screaming like a little girl. I can also run faster than Jess Owens on a crisp Berlin day.

 

I know what you're thinking. 'If this guy hates snakes so much, why does he live in Florida? 

It's simple, my friends. While my northern friends are digging out from last weeks blizzard, I was enjoying the seventy degree weather. It's a fair trade off.

The Cobra is not the only snake on the loose in my home town. We have a four foot black snake that has taken up residence here at the casa de Freshwater. Penny got mad at me because I named it after the Congressman she used to work for. She said it was an insult...... to the snake.

Be well friends.

And watch where you step.

RETIREMENT

    The day came on January 31, 2017. I counted them down for over a year. After 48 years working in the Broadcasting industry, it was my LAST day in the work force.

    My broadcasting career started in Muncie, Indiana and would ultimately lead me to Florida where I settled in 1989. I worked for a number of radio stations over the years, did some Computer Tech Support for Broadcasters, and finished my career at Broadcasters General Store,  selling equipment to Radio & TV stations all over the world. It was the best experience of my life.
     

 
     It was a great ride and I was fortunate to meet and work with a bunch of GREAT people. And a few who were not. I made many life long friends, and frankly had a 'blast'.

    But the day came to say goodbye and honestly friends, I have not looked back. 

     Penny says I wake up every morning with this crazy grin on my face. She tells me I am no longer 'stressed' and seem to be happier than ever. I am.

    The first thing my wife and I did was to embark on a ten day cruise to he Panama Canal aboard the Holland America Zuiderdam. 

     It was a great retirement cruise.

                  

    But what do you do when you retire? How do you fill the time?

    My answer is simple. 'What ever the hell you want to do.'

    I have always been a 'do-er'. Penny says I go 200 MPH all the time. "Slow down" she keeps telling me. But I don't slow down, and have no plans to do so.

    I have many interests in life. Our dogs, tropical fish, Wood Working, Florida Football and basketball, old TV shows, Movies, and a strong passion to write. Now I have the time for these things.

                  

    My latest en devour is learning how to cook. It's something I have always wanted to do. Penny wants me to learn in case that idiot on the road 'texting' takes her out. You can follow that en devour at killitcutitupandcookit.blogspot.com

    But being retired has taken some getting used to. I still go to bed early get up early. My routine is coffee, a banana I share with the President, and thirty minutes of local news. (it's all I can stand) A quick check of Facebook, then it's on to the days errands. I like to
do those as early as possible. Since I was always at the office by 7 AM, I have not seen daytime traffic in Ocala in over 16 years so I was completely surprised at how many people are out and about during the day. While I was working this city got larger.

     I always marvel at people who's only interest is their job. Yes, I worked hard and always gave a hundred per cent, but I always wanted more in life. I surrounded myself with many interests and hobbies. I even renewed my Amateur Radio License, (KE4QLK) just in case I become active in that hobby again. I was asked by many if I wanted to do some outside consulting. I explained that I would do it for $400.00 and hour. I don't think I'll get any takers. That was the idea. 'It was sarcasm, Sheldon'. 

    What are people that work all the time going to do when they retire ? They probably won't retire. That's fine for them, but not for me.

    So if you need me, I'll be in the workshop making saw dust, or the kitchen burning something, or my office writing. I may be in the yard playing with Grover Cleveland, or watching the Gators on my big screen.

     Or watching one of my 4000 DVD's. I'll be having FUN. I deserve it, and I earned it.

    I know where you won't find me. I won't be working for someone else.

    I'll keep you posted.

    All the best.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ??

    This is a question I have been asked recently. Along with "Have you stopped writing?"

     NO, I have not stopped writing, but a few things have limited my time. My first book is finished and the two sequels are almost completed. We are searching for an Agent to work with us. That has not been an easy job. I have also started a forth novel, so I have been extremely busy.

     I found it hard to work fifty hours a week, and do all the other things in life that we needed to do, so something had to take a back seat.

     I have a friend who told me once that you only have so much room on your "plate". For every new thing you add to this 'plate' you have to remove something to make room.

    The biggest project has been our new retirement home renovation and some work on the big house getting it ready to sell. All in preparation of my pending retirement.

 
     Well, the new house is done and I am officially retired from the Broadcasting industry.

    So I know have the time for other passions in life. So you will be hearing more form me in the future.

     I am also learning to cook, along with my woodworking hobby. I am keeping busy.

    And if you know anyone who needs a 3 bedroom in the Historic District, let me know.

     All the best

    

THE WRONG FLAG ?

     Here is something I wrote a couple of years ago and forgot about. In cleaning out some files I found it again and thought I would share it with you. I normally stay away from Politics and Religion, but this one I feel strongly about. 
 
     It's always nice to see your hometown in the news. And for me  that means Ocala, Fl.

    We live in central Florida, some thirty minutes south of  Gainesville and ninety minutes north west of Orlando. The Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west are just short drives away. Not to mention the 'Mouse House' in Orlando.

    Everyone knows that our most famous resident is John Travolta. It's great sitting in our back yard as that famous jet flies overhead on the way to a private air strip north of town.

    We are also the hometown of the 60's pop band 'The Royal Guardsmen'. Tom Petty was raised just north of Ocala in Gainesville.  Bo Diddley spent his last years in Archer, just north of us. Steve Morse also lives here and can occasionally be seen at the downtown Ocala Starbucks.

     Who, you ask? Steve is the guitarist for 'Deep Purple.' And many years ago I met the sound man for 'Blue Oyster Cult' at a dinner party. He lived just down the street.

    Some famous people have come and gone. Actor Patrick O'Neal was born and raised here. Reba McEntire boarded her horses near Ocala, and the late New York Yankee owner George Steinbrener owned a large motel just off of I-75.

    But recently, Ocala was in the news for a completely different reason.

    About twenty years ago, the Marion county commission decided it would be a good idea to display the five flags of all the countries that at one time ruled over the state of Florida. So they erected the flags at the government complex on the east side of town.

    Soon the flags of United States, Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Confederacy swayed in the breeze above the complex.

    And all was well.

     Until that terrible day in Charleston, when a lone gunman went to a Bible study meeting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and murdered nine innocent people during a prayer service. What a coward.

     Authorities found that gunman Dylann Roof had a web site that included a manifesto detailing his beliefs on race, as well as photographs showing him posing with emblems associated with white supremacy. His photos of the Confederate Battle Flag started a new debate over its public display.

     Soon cries were heard demanding the  removal of the flag. Tempers were raised and a protest was held.

     The flag was removed for a time, but soon the Commission citing 'historical accuracy' ordered the flag restored.

     More protests ensued.     

     Those who wanted the flag removed cried, “the flag is a symbol of racism”.

     I have no answer to that statement. To me, it was never my flag. I was born 86 years after the civil war came to an end. And, as we all know, history has a way of being re-written. And that war was 150 years ago. All those involved are long dead and buried. Isn't time we did the same thing?

     Should we remove all the flags, make it so we never have to look at them again? Do we ban all use of the 'Stars and Bars'? Wouldn't that be infringing on other peoples rights given to them by our own Constitution?

    All because that low life skum in Charleston honored the confederate flag? Should we ban boxer shorts as well? (I am making an assumption here)
 
     Do we let Dylann Roof win?

    The flag did not murder those innocent people. A human did. Just like at Columbine, The West Nickel Mines School, Virginia Tech, and of course 9-11.

     Let's put the blame where it belongs.

     In our society, we have people who do not belong or deserve to be with the rest of us. They can not function in our society. Some are mental, some are just bad seeds. And it has nothing to do with the flag they carry.

     Don't we have more to worry about ? More important problems to solve?

     As a white man I can not imagine how the black community feels about the flag. I would be a hypocrate if I claimed to “feel their pain.”   But I will say this: I never owned a slave. The thought of it goes against everything within my being. I am sure my ancestors owned slaves back in the old days, but that has nothing to do with me.

     I went to an inner city Indiana High School in the late 60's. I never had a problem. I played sports next to black kids, I marched in the band and I studied with them. I was friends with them. We survived the terrible year of 1968 together.

     I hold true to what Dr. King said. "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."  And I have tried to live my life that way.

     Should we forget about the Confederate flag and what it represented? Should we forget about Nazi Germany and what those fascists did? Will you ever forget 9-11?

     I say 'hell no!'

     George Santayana wrote in Volume One of Reason in Common Sense, 'Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

     We should honor the southern heritage. And that flag is a part of that heritage. Our ancestors were not perfect and neither are we.

     I came here from the north. I tell people that I'm 'Northern by birth and Southern by choice.'

     Leave the flag flying. And when we walk past it with our kids and/or grandchildren, lets remind them of where we all came from and how we got here. Those five flags are a part of our Florida history. Let's not deprive our young of a chance to learn about Florida history. Teach them who we are and where we are going as a society. Let's show them by our own actions that racism is wrong and not tolerated in our society.Show them that in today's world you can be anything and anyone you desire.

     Let's honor Dr. King and show them our 'character'.

     For those who hate the flag, look at it and be proud of your ancesters who lived through those horrible times. Honor them by holding your head high. Marvel at how far we as a society have come.
 
      We have come a long way and still have far to go. But we are making progress. Don't let one crack pot in South Carolina ruin what we have accomplished over the last fifty years.

     Let's stop focusing on a past that we had no part of and can not change. We should be moving forward, not backwards.

     Use the tradgedy in Charleston as a way to open up a dialogue. If we bow to 'political correctness', we are doomed as a society.
   
    All the best.

NOTE: Pictures are from the Ocala Star Banner