We're making applesauce with some of our last apples.

Stories Everywhere

It has struck me lately how there are stories all around us just waiting to be seen. This afternoon I went to Lowe's to pick up some paint.

Parked in front of an auction/flea market venue there was a delivery truck with an open back door. It seemed that a naked person was standing up looking vacantly outward. As I got closer I realized that the truck was loaded with many mannequins and mannequin parts among the boxes.

Further down the road I noticed a state trooper had pulled over a Honda Civic with two women inside. One trooper was talking to the drive while the other one stood by the road and was staring at the car roof. An over-sized couch was tied precariously to the top of the car. The wind had hit it just right and twisted the couch. With any more movement it seemed that the couch was about to fly off. I wonder how that conversation ended?

Irrigation in the morning

This was the scene as I drove to work the other morning. They were irrigating a driving range in the rising sun.

FORT230-Study-Sites-Fall-2012

FORT230-Study-Sites-Fall-2012, a set on Flickr.

New phone

I just got a new Galaxy 4 phone yesterday
It's great. I still have a lot to learn about it, but it's fun.

Graffiti

P062913_0705[02].jpg, a photo by P_Linehan on Flickr.

I saw a man drawing this graffiti at our local park. He was with what I assume was his girlfriend and some children.




Then  the next morning when the dogs and I walked by the same place I saw this one next to the first one.

Of course, they didn't last long.

Thoughts on The Godfather

I recently listened to an audiobook of The Godfather by Mario Puzo. Check it out on Librarything here. Of course I have seen the movie many times on TV. I first read the book back in the 1970's, when I was just starting high school.

The story holds up very well. The actions of the Corleone clan and the story of how Michael became the new Don is still gripping and well told. Still, the language is typical of the late 60's and doesn't accommodate today's sensitivities.

The Hollywood part of the story is mystifying. It could have easily been shortened or left out without hurting the story. What did Puzo include it?

I was fascinated by the Mafia philosophy. This came out in different parts of the story, when Michael was in Sicily and in the recounting of how his father turned to crime in his youth. The story showed how he learned that he couldn't rely on society to create a safe environment. Instead, he had to create his own world with its own rules. Intimidation and violence was okay if it was to protect his people and family. Loyalty was everything.

The justification for having guns reminded me of some of the more extreme justifications of gun advocates. They claim that we can't rely on society to protect us. They say we should be armed and ready for violence at all times.

The book ended differently from the movie. In the book, Michael's wife, Kay, converts to Catholicism and attends daily Mass to pray for the soul of her husband. I think this was a better ending, although it didn't allow for sequels.