Memorial

Off to another memorial this morning.  My long-time friend Alex. He was a Vietnam vet and is getting  a proper send off at the lake where he lived.  He had a hard time of it when he got back from the war and fought drugs and alcohol for a long time before he got clean.  Liver cancer finally took him.  The really sad part is that he died alone at home.  His long time off and on girlfriend had tried to call him but no answer so she called the local police for a welfare check.  They had to break into the house where they found him.  She was on her way from Texas to talk to him about what he wanted done.  I wish he had called me.  I'd have been there in a heartbeat.
This is the second memorial I will have been to in a week.  The first was a woman who was killed doing what she loved to do....working as a corner marshal at Road Atlanta.  She went to help a downed motorcycle rider and tripped.  The rider who hit her couldn't avoid it.  It was the first time a worker has been killed at the track and hopefully the last.
I will mourn their passing but know that they are in a better place with no pain.  Blessed be.

Code of Ethics for Professional Journalists

I took this from the Colonial Williamsburg magazine.

Ethical journalism should be accurate and fair.  Journalists should be honest and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect.
The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public.
Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one's work and explaining one's decisions to the public.

The Society of Professional Journalists, once called Sigma Delta Chi, first adopted a code of ethics in 1926, borrowing from the American Society of Newspaper Editors.  The latest code was adopted in 2014 and can been seen in its entirety at spj.org/pdf/spj-code-of-ethics.pdf

One has to wonder just how many journalists actually have read the code and follow it.

Cleaning house

I have a house guest coming on Monday.  She will be presenting a talk and workshop at my quilt guild.  Therefore, I must clean my house.  It isn't too bad anyway, mind you, but could do with some dusting and vacuuming.  So the next couple of days will see me doing just that.  I'm only going to worry about the downstairs.  The upstairs is for the grandchildren, cats and my room (which IS a disaster). I might straighten the loft up a bit.  That will certainly confuse the cats.  Happily my guest likes cats and, when asked about food likes and dislikes, stated she's like Mikey except for a couple of things, things I don't like either so no worries there.
I'm hoping the blueberries last while she is here.  I've been picking them every morning and it looks like they may be gone by next week.  I'm keeping some in the fridge just in case.  I'm also going to ask my neighbor if he'd mind if I come over there and pick.  He has lots and LOTS of blueberries.  Once mine are gone I'll be cutting the bushes back in hopes that the bush out instead of up.  I know they are happy where they are (the drip line from the roof).
Y'all have a really, really, REALLY good day.
P.S.  I will be SO happy when the special election here is over.  The ads are nothing but mud slinging and I'm sick of it.  No matter which one the 6th district gets it's a losing situation.  And I'm sick of all the negative stuff coming out of DC.  Never have I seen so much attempted destruction of a president.    Glad I'm not just growing up in these times.

Received word last night that a long time friend has passed away.  He had been fighting cancer for a while and we had hoped the treatments would work.  The really sad part is that he died alone.  Another friend was on her way from out of state to check on him and help him.  When she couldn't get him on the phone she called the local police and asked them to do a welfare check.  They got no response when they got to his house so they broke in the door.  I wish he had called me, so does my daughter.  We've known him for so long.  He wouldn't, though, because he wouldn't want us to see him in such bad condition.  Nor would he want us to "go out of our way" to help him.  He was a very private person.  I mourn his passing but know he is no longer in pain.
If only he had called.

Grrrrrr

Wednesday I took my truck in to have routine maintenance.  Came home, had lunch, then started for an appointment.  When I turned the ignition a component warning light came on.  Called the dealership, arranged to bring it back in after my appointment.  Turns out it was an O2 sensor or some such.  The truck is only two years old! Yesterday I took my van in for routine maintenance as my daughter was going to use it to get to St. Lois for a gig.  She brought her van in for an oil change and a look to see what might be making a small noise of some sort.  She was going to leave it there and get it when she came back.  See, my van is in much better shape than hers 'cause I take it in for maintenance when it's due.  She tends to forget.  Any way, my van is ready so we stop at Lowe's to pick up a couple of tarps, then on to home where she'll take my van to an appointment then go home and get ready for St. Louis.  Wellllll, we're on the way to my house, stop at the four way stop, start to continue, get just through the stop to the other side and......nothing.  The engine quits.  Could. Not. Get. It. Started.  Daughter calls the dealership while I call a friend to come pick her up to get her to her appointment.  The dealership calls the tow company (which had just recently gone by me).  I had a feeling I knew what it was.  Fuel pump.  Yup.  Unfortunately the dealership didn't have one on hand.  (They never do). Luckily, my daughter's van was taken care of so that's what she's ended up taking to St. Louis.
There's more to the story but I don't want to bore you with too many details.  My van will be ready some time today.  No, I don't like to use after market parts, which they could have put in yesterday, because there's no guarantee.  I hate to think of how much it's going to cost but....I love my Astro van and will keep it running as long as I can.  Wish they still made 'em, but then they wouldn't be as good 'cause nowadays they just don't make 'em like they used to.
Came across these stress relieving tips that I give consideration to:
1.  Stand up
2. Stretch
3. Take a walk
4.  Go to airport
5.  Get on plane
6.  NEVER RETURN

P.S.  My 2005 van has 270,000 miles on it, hers has over 300,000.  Mine tows like a charm, hers doesn't anymore.  Luckily she didn't have to tow to St. Louis.