Commemorative Air Force HDR - San Marcos, Texas

Law Enforcement Training Facility - San Antonio, Texas

Poop Du Jour

A Note To Tenants from the Management:

Spring has arrived and we have had the good fortune of a few hard rains. This means of course that the trees and grass and wildflowers florish – which it did little of last year during the drought. Anyhow – because we all live in a dog eat dog World, it has come time to discuss the matter of poop.

Before I do that, I’d like you all to know that I recently bought a second hand weed-eater from Danny’s shop. After a little maintenance and a new carburetor, it is as good as new.  I’ll bet you didn’t know that those little two stroke engines can rap out as much as 12,000 rpms at full throttle. And since most are direct drive, that thin little string spinnin round and round becomes a lethal weapon to the juicy pulpous grass, weeds and thistle that come up everywhere this time of year.

Gosh – can you imagine what that blender of a weed whacker can do to a fresh gelatinous cytoplasmic dog poop. Alas, I have first hand knowledge. If you were using your Cuisenart, or perhaps your own Margarita making Osterizer, there isn’t even a button for the kind of puree I found today. And since I wasn’t wearing a Hazmat suit, I could have been a piece of lucky strip gum with as many flavors that, sadly, became moistened mist at my feet – and then propelled in all directions.

I jest of course, but this was in truth, poop mania – a literal landscape of poop hiding out beneath our Spring greenery. And since all of us have lets just say – one dog – and it poops once a day – that’s like 365 poops in the yard. If we have two dogs, that’s a whopping 730 poops. And since we have five units, and nine dogs all told – that’s 3285 potential poops a year right here in our own back yard. Good we are not in Bangladesh. There is as I recall a historically significant cliche that applies to nearly every interpersonal circumstance life can offer - a warning really not to poop in your own back yard. 

So – we are all forthwith on poop patrol. Your dogs may poop at any neighbors – not including me. If they poop here – please pick it up and dispose of it properly.

Thanks

And as always, have a great day!    

Spring Winds

Yapo

For Gregory

• Gregory,
  Last night while writing your dad a Happy MLK note - I ran across a video you did driving home from Dallas. I can't find it now and so I can't watch it again - but I thought about it all night. So - you obviously do things because they are the right thing to do. I would urge you to never lose that calling. The World needs boy scouts and samaritans and Tibetan Monks who walk old ladies across the street, hold doors open for fancy ladies, who protect the weak, watch out for the little guy and root for the underdog. Back in the day when I was on patrol, one my favorite things to do was to overwhelm people with niceness. They would jump out of their car waving their hands bitching to high heaven about whatever - sharing their sad, miserable lives with me - trying though they might to bring me down to their level and make me as miserable as they are. Lesbians do that to - but that's another story. And so the challenge always is to encourage people who are not polite, who are not happy, who are having a bad day, to step up to the high ground that you walk on. You do that by walking the walk, living by example, and doing each day what you know in your heart is the right thing to do - and be the living example of character, humility, compassion, empathy, generosity and love. And if you do this always - you will find that you can change the people around you, and that the people who occupy your inner circle of trusted loyal friends will live by the same creed - to do unto others as you would wish for them to do unto you.

  
  That is all. As always, have a great day.
  Carl

The Mentor

A Text Message Received:  Monday, November 28, 2011 at 4:45pm

Sorry I've been distant lately Carl. I've been very busy between work, school and Alicia, but I wanted to say hi and let you know that I've accomplished the first section of my goals that you made me. I've got a whole lot of Spanish and Guitar ahead of me, but I practice in the meanwhile. I don't know that I would have ever gotten my head out of my ass enough to do that, let alone think of those as potential things for me to do and act accordingly. You are the first person in my life that has taught me how to make impossible dreams into achievable goals and then into my life. When people ask me how my day is: "I'm living the dream" - without sarcasm. For that, I thank you. I still read my list every day, and every day my world gets a little clearer. You're a great mentor and a greater friend. Please know that I don't take that for granted. I hope you are well, as well as the dogs and the cacti. I'd like to catch up with you soon. Let me know if you're down.
Thanks again Carl, for everything.
Michael Lee Melton