Thanks, brother

My brother Jon brought me two bags of groceries from his  garden Friday, including tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and zucchini.  Several  tomatoes  were  the Heirloom variety.  They are becoming popular because of     their flavor.

Many  varieties of tomatoes are available as seedlings, each variety promoted as having desirable qualities such as    resistance to disease and  other problems.  Many home gardeners enjoy testing  different varieties while commercial producers limit their  preferences.

Thanks, brother

Fire or flood--both bring tragedy

While fires burn thousands of acres and hundreds of  homes in the west, record floods are responsible for  25 deaths in West Virginia.  The tragedy is  considered  one  in one thousand.  Meanwhile Britishers voted to go it alone and the Dow crashed by 600 points.

Father has a day

Father's Day will be observed Sunday, June 19.  Mother's Day is celebrated Sunday, May 8, with flowers and candy.  Father's Day gets cards and his saw sharpened on June 19 each year.

I noticed that the Obama  family visited Carlsbad Cavern,  a popular tourist spot.

Over a hundred years ago my dad and a group of young men from Waldo, Ark. toured the west looking for   jobs and adventure.  One of the places visited was Carlsbad, Cavern.  Fifty years later Dad was still talking about  the caverns.

Veterans Luncheon

Veterans Luncheon showed the warriors have not been forgotten with a program Friday, June 10,  on Barksdale Air Force base. Among those attending were Jon,  Jen and Roy Lowe.  Thirty-seven years ago this luncheon was begun by Col. Steve dePysslers, now retired. H continues to keep the affair going

Note  -- I intended to pay tribute to the veterans of three wars but the world was smashed by ISIS who used a nut to attack an Orlando  Florida night club killing 49 and wounding 53.  I lost my ability to write.

Problems with Obamacare

Many subscribers to the Affordable Care Act will soon pay premiums increased by as much as 50 per cent.
Given Obama's name, the Act has failed to live up to most promises but  has been even worse than was feared.

Some insurance  companies have already announced they will no longer make policies available and others are planning rate hikes.  Results will include millions without medical cover.

What can we expect from Hillary?

Democrats completed their voting Wednesdav and named Hillary Clinton their nominee for president. The outcome was expected.  Congratulations; I was unhappy no matter the outcome.  Will Hillary, if elected in the general campaign,   tell us how to improve the economy and provide decent jobs?   Can she protect us from ISIS?

D-Day Normandy

Normandy was invaded June 6,     1944, with thousands of Allied troops hitting the beaches.
I have tried to    determine where I was on that date.  I   am fairly certain I was finishing radar school or was in the hospital for meningitis.

When we speak of D-D we   always think of that day on the beaches of Normandy , but we had a lot of D-Days.  I especially recall the high cost in men and ships when  we attacked Okinawa.

A beauty contest and a lie

A recent viewing of the segment of the Andy Griffith show where Andy has serious troubles when he is named judge for the Mayberry beauty pageant brought to my memory a beauty contest in Homer many years ago.  We had hired for the summer a girl who was a recent high school graduate headed for college in the fall.

Let's call her E.  She was gullible and we teased her unmercifully.  One afternoon she was bubbling over with excitement as she announced she had been nominated to be a contestant for  Miss Claiborne Parish Farm Bureau queen.  I remarked something like, "That's nice; by the way I''m going to be  a judge for that contest." 

I had no idea the effect that casual remark, a total lie, would have.  E told several of her girlfriends, "I'm going to win because Roy is a judge."

You know what happened.  The contest was held; I was not a judge, and E did not win. 

Effort needed to create jobs

Time is moving rapidly and some effective actions must be taken to provide jobs or the increase will come in government aid  and food stamps.  Three  experienced leaders are offering their ideas while  President Obama boasts that the economy is  good and well-paying jobs are available.

He should talk to workers in hamburger joints.

About  25 years ago I was calling on companies in North and South Carolina.  I mentioned that their       unemployment rate was three per cent.  The manager laughed and said, "If we kept a real figure it would be nearer one per cent.  An employee can walk out my door, go next door, and immediately have a job."