floundersgreatadventure

Sorry about no post yesterday but it was a holiday down here and we were out visiting. So let’s see what should I post about? I know let’s talk about Donald Trump and his big mouth shall we. I’m really not surprised by his comments he has always had the habit of saying what he want without really thinking it threw. He aims his comments at Mexican immigrants and poor people, neither of which he really knows anything about. He belongs to the one percent that has all the money and doesn’t give a shit what happens to everybody else. My question has always been why when people talk about immigration is always the Mexicans. I mean they’re not taking any job I would want such as fruit picker, dish washer, common laborer. The immigrants that are taking jobs that I would want are from India and other countries in the areas. We also send a lot of our jobs there and the people who do that are members of Mister Trumps one per centers. The fact that all these jobs are leaving the US doesn’t seem to bother politicians very much even though it is responsible for Americans being unemployed. I put a story on Facebook the other day about a young doctor I had seen down here who spoke perfect English and had wanted to work in America but was told she would have to start all over again. Yet if she had been from India there wouldn’t of been a problem and how is it that American that can’t make it into Medical school in the US go to school in Mexico and come back as doctors? If people in the US are concerned with losing jobs to immigrants they should stop the process of giving work visas which allow companies to import cheap labor. I can’t understand how Donald Trump is the leading Republican candidate for president. I think this speaks volumes for the educational systems short comings. But what do I know I’m just a cat. This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombi

Let’s talk a little about racism. I know not a real popular topic but I got started thinking about it after I watched a broadcast of the Boston Pops Fourth of July concert from Boston Mass. The thing that got me going was that in that whole audience there were no Black people. And there have been black people living in Boston since before the revolution. There has been segregation in place almost that whole time. They had to use court ordered busing to desegregate the schools. Here’s what it looks like now in 2014, Boston public schools were 35% black, 41% Hispanic, 13% white, 9% Asian-American and 2% from other races. The school-age population of Boston at the time[when?] was 38% black, 34% Hispanic, 19% white, and 7% Asian.[22] The vast majority of white public school enrollment is in surrounding suburbs. In metropolitan Boston, public school enrollment in 2014-2015 was 64% white, 17% Hispanic, 9% black, and 7% Asian. Boston the home of liberty is a racist city. And it’s not the only one but it is a surprising one considering its history. If you go out in the Midwest or Far West you’ll find cities that are just as bad. But I think with its big Fourth of July celebrations and its place in history more should be done to eliminate racism in the state not just the city. Boston’s basketball team was at one time the only team in the NBA that an all white starting five, actually I think it was first seven players were white. This might surprise some people because Mass is so far North you wouldn’t think about race as a problem. They were a Northern state during the civil war after all. Well I think the army should stop its participation in the concert until such time the audience looks a little more integrated. Just because you have black entertainers on the stage doesn’t mean anything. This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombia.

Today is the service for my niece Kim I guess she really is gone. But she will be forever in my heart. Today is also Fathers Day and I know her dad is holding her hand and telling her not to worry everybody will be OK. I know she wasn’t ready to leave us yet but fate has its way of taking that decision out of our hands. But now she’ll be able to watcher family every minute of every day. That’s no consolation for not being able to hold them. But they’ll know she’s there as they feel a faint breeze at bed time, or graduation, or wedding day. They’ll know that they’ve just felt the kiss of their loving mother. Her sister Janet will always feel her presence and her sense of humor. I hope she can get Janet to stop working so hard. I always thought the two of them would open a restaurant together or write poetry books. But now well we’ll see maybe she’ll be that guiding hand in her sister future. I never really got to know her husband Bill that well, I met him when her father passed. Not really the best time to get to know someone. I hope he will be able to carry on and keep the boys on the straight and narrow. I only met her oldest son Billy when he was one year old and we don’t really talk anymore maybe someday I’ll know why. And Jackson the youngest I’ve never met so we never talked except when he thanked me for a Christmas gift. I had hoped that if things went well I would be able to work something out to see them next year, there’s a lesson to be learned there don’t procrastinate. Well the time has come to say good bye Kim and like your dad says don’t worry you gave your kids enough to succeed. Someday when it’s my turn maybe I’ll understand why some of the bad things in life happen, at least I hope I will. I also wish I had their talent for writing so I could say the things I want in a better way. This is Uncle Jeff saying a Final CIAO to me gorgeous Niece KIM from Medellin, Colombia.

This is the hardest post I’ve ever had to write. On Thursday June 11 my youngest niece passed away unexpectedly she was only Fifty years young. She left behind two great sons and a loving husband. She also left behind her sister who lost her best friend. I lost another part of my family one who I loved very much and though I hadn’t seen her since I moved to Colombia I still kept up with her and her family by Facebook. I’ve read all the messages left there for her and I so grateful that people care so much for her. I never saw her angry and I’ll always remember her smile. She had suffered loss with the death of her parents from cancer and then my mom her grandmother. But she was so happy with her family the boys as she referred to them. I know they felt that pride and love from her as did her husband. I can’t understand how this happened and either can anybody else. I just think Billy Joel was right only the good die young. I worried how she would react to more loss never in a million years thinking that I would sitting here writing about her passing. She was part of my brother and his wife both of whom I miss terribly. I’ve learned one thing life is short live it now don’t wait. I think my niece did this she had retired young and spent time watching her kids grow into young men. I know she would have wanted to stay around and finish the job but she gave them the tools to finish and I know she’ll be proudly watching them every step of the way. Flounder has the day off so this is a sad Jeff saying CIAO from Medellin Colombia.

Once again I was asked why I write a blog that only about sixty people look at and maybe 10 actually read. And why I write books that only my family and close friend buy. Well for both the reason are similar I live in a country where for some deep psychological reason I can’t master the language. I’m retired and me wife spends her day babysitting the grandson. There’s really not much for me to do except take a walk and not much to see. I could go to a mall and spend money I don’t have (my wife does a good job of that). Now when I was in the US a would jumper in my car and if it was summer go fishing if fall check out the colors and if it was winter see if I could spot some animals. So I write to keep myself busy and stop the boredom. The blog is my opinion of something or it could be me just trying to piss somebody off, my books are my imagination running wild. I don’t do either for money although that would be nice. I do it to entertain myself and as in the case with my blog to get out some of the frustrations I have with people. I know my writing could use a good editor but they cost money and being on a fixed income prevents me from doing that. Well I hope that answers your questions for a Monday if not too bad this Flounder saying CIAO form Medellin, Colombia

Well I missed yesterday so sue me I had stuff to do. Now for today’s I was thinking what part to your past do you either could do again or would want in your life now. I realize of course that some of my readers aren’t quite as old as Jeff and me. Jeff is 69 and I’m 15, which translates into 76 human years so I’m the senior member of this partnership. But for this post let’s just talk about humans. What is it you miss is it some event I know we all miss members of our families that have passed on, but what else? Is it favorite food, a style of music, clothes, and manners? Come on what do you miss. Jeff’s situation is a little different he has moved to a completely different country so what does he miss? Well he says he misses food like a good steak and here something real funny he lives in Colombia and misses good coffee. When he lived in the US he’d go fishing two or three times a week in the summer in the last four years he hasn’t gone once. He misses music but he started to miss good music before he left. He misses friends but thanks to Facebook he stays in touch. Of course he misses his mom and his brother but those are thing you have to get used to as you get older. So how about you what are the things besides the obvious, your youth and your family, that you really miss? This is Flounder saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombia.