Stormbringer's Thunder

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Almost two years ago, I wrote about my beginnings in emergency preparedness . I learned many things but let much of it slide. Even so, it is good to keep some things stocked for situations such as blizzards, power outages, confinement, and so on. Especially water. An employee in a big box store was asked about storage containers. A storm was coming, and she wanted to fill them with water from the bathtub. If she found containers, I hope she washed them first. It would be good for a short-term solution. Water storage bottles, Unsplash / Jude Wilson The CDC recommends having at least  one gallon of water on hand per person for three days. Water from the typical municipal faucet is regulated and safe even if it does not taste wonderful. I learned that those gallons and smaller bottles of water deteriorate structurally, and plastic breaks down —  and microplastics and chemicals leech into the water. (Those clear or slightly-tinted bottles are good for...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Throughout history, there have been rifts between generations. Sometimes there was a lack of understanding, but there seemed to be some degree of respect for one another. Nowadays, the rifts seem to be much more hostile than they were in previous ages; there is pride in belonging to a group. Or am I full of hooey on that? Making lists of generational groups is confined to the twentieth century groups. I am considered a Baby Boomer (a title I dislike), which has a large range from 1946-1964. It comes from the baby boom after the Second World War. Generation Jones is mostly forgotten, a kind of subgroup of the Boomers, which runs from 1954-1965. I fit in that range and feel more in common with them than the full Boomer group. Generation X is listed from 1965-1980, and the Millennials (also called Generation Y) are 1981-1996. (My offspring are Millennials.) Obviously, people have made lists for subsequent generations. While I do not think the assigning of numbe...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  First, a bit of history. It has been two years (11 August 2023) since I had triple-bypass open-heart surgery. I finally got home on the nineteenth or so and was going to write about all the plastics involved in my hospital stay. ( None of the medical personnel referenced Darwin in my hearing.) My wife suddenly died 20 September and I had many things to deal with. Legal and emotional matters, post-operative brain fog coupled with grief fog... writing that article was not important, but I will do something with it now. Some of my medical plastics, image by Cowboy Bob Sorensen There are various kinds of plastics all over the place. I disremember what all is on the table with my eBook reader (in the red, black, and gray cover, and it has metal and plastic components), but the small water pitcher and cups are discernable. Mayhaps the tube trailing off the bottom of the picture was connected to me. I was taken off guard by the entire experience, and even though n...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  After getting acquainted with logic and critical thinking in general, some things practically shout, "Fallacious!" This is very important nowadays, as people "think" with their emotions and do not ask important questions. When confronted with a statement or claim that seems important, it is good to pull back on the reins and slow down. Examine it. A favorite of mine probably tricks gullible folks: This year will be the first time in 666 years that Halloween falls on a Friday the thirteenth. Woman watched by spirits while sleeping, made with AI at Bing That was the comedy. The creepy one up next is...truly bizarre. It was posted on X (formerly Twitter), informing readers that when we wake up between two and three AM without any reason, there is a 99% chance that something has been staring at you for a long time. The clincher is that this is "according to experts." People familiar with my work know that I am mighty fond of asking que...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  The other day, I was going through a storage cupboard to find things my late wife had purchased but never had a chance to use. A few were past the "use by" date, some from even before she passed away. A few canned goods were past due. I took a notion to check online about expiration dates; it seems I heard that there is a kind of grace period. Very much so! In fact, if people check for damage, rust, bad smells, and so forth, most canned foods will last indefinitely . Prepping pantry photo by Cowboy Bob Sorensen, modified with FotoSketcher "People have safely used canned stuff that is sometimes decades out of date, Cowboy Bob. Why do they even have expiration dates? I can think of a few reasons. One is they may be required by the government. Also, self-preservation in case something is damaged and the contamination is slow and a customer gets sick. Third, they are just trying to get people to throw something away and buy more, but I kind of doubt t...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  People require illustrations on posts and such, but there is a risk of copyright infringement. I cringe when I see bloggers and site owners using images that are not  free to use, as they are risking disciplinary action from their providers, or even lawsuits. Shoot your own pics, Sherman. Although I do not always have item-specific photos and illustrations when necessary (use  extreme caution , many can be found). Sometimes I use related images — occasionally with effects, especially my own pictures . Part of what I call "nature therapy" (seriously, get out in nature) is taking pictures. Esopus Lighthouse on left, barge on right, all on Hudson River (photo by Cowboy Bob Sorensen) This child is old enough to remember being selective when taking snapshots because we had to send them away for processing and pay for them. Even the crummy ones. It's so different now. We can use digital cameras and take dozens or hundreds at a setting, depending on stora...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  There are millions of professing Christians, many celebrate the bodily Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Today my wife is celebrating Easter with Jesus for the first time. I miss her, but my grief is tempered with the knowledge that I will see her again. Unbelievers and leftists taint and distort good things that were created. Biblical creationists are called "science deniers" because we reject fish-to-phlebotomist evolution, but those who believe that people can change genders really are  science deniers. Distorted woods, original image by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Study on it a bit. A person's DNA is in every cell, and to change genders would mean to change that in all those trillions of cells. Taking hormones, changing clothing choices, forcing others to use preferred pronouns, having surgery — those are superficial changes. March 31 has been called the Transgender Day of Visibility where people who deny what God created demand to be celebrated. No...