Lonely Pilot Bob

Have you ever been in a VFW?  Or perhaps, an American Legion?  The bars in there are really quite a bit the same.

When you walk in, it’s usually dark.  And you will typically find one long bar, with at least a couple-3 “regulars.”  Before you get completely through the door, you are often “back-lighted.”  The regulars, the “rum-dums” as Dear Ole Dad used to call them, will lean either forward or backward to see who is entering…

Then you can take a seat along the bar with the resident rum-dums, and begin sharing your dreams and philosophies – and receive well thought out feedback, usually expressed something like, “You’re gawd-damned right!”  Or even more introspective, “No shit!”  I have experienced this sharing of opinion on many occasions myself!

In conceiving the idea for my military albums, the thought of the rum-dums came to mind.  The last place I ever wanted to find myself was on a bar stool next to a rum-dum, explaining my idea – proclaiming it “would have worked.”

I can almost hear the, “You’re gawd-damned right” today…

And so I resolved that I would take a hard look at the idea; and if it had merit, I would “give it a go.”  I would rather try, and fail – than not try at all.  I have been this way all my life, and hope to instill this spirit in my kids and my grand kids.  Failing is not anything to be feared – it is something to learn from.  That’s all…

In 1988, just after retiring, I was out in my garage looking for something, or another.  Otherwise I wouldn’t have been out there.  In my search I came across of a box of ‘Dear Ole Dad’s’ military stuff.  “What a way to collect a career of military memorabilia,” I thought to myself.  Then I thought, “I wonder why someone doesn’t design a ‘scrapbook’ specifically for military guys – instead of those ‘cutesy’ books with the green frogs and pink bunnies on them in the Base Exchange (BX)?”

“Well hell,” I continued thinking, “I’ve had SOS, by correspondence, and I’m not doing anything, why not design a book myself?”  I have always been good at having great ideas.  And so, I grabbed 2 beers and headed out to Walmart.  Why 2?  One for the trip over; and 1 for the way back.  In those days it was legal to drink and drive in Texas – as long as you weren’t drunk!

So, I get to Walmart and head to the scrapbook aisle.  I then find a half-way decent looking scrapbook and grab the company’s info off the back cover… and I was off!

Sparing you the details, it took 3-4 weeks and about $10,000 before I had “product.”  That was in October 1989.

From the very beginning, I knew I had a “good” product.  My next challenge was to get it to the market.

I thought it would be a “natural” in the BX system.  Stupid me!  I fought those bastards – and there is really no better term for those bastards – ever since I first presented my books to them.  I kept my first “rejection letter” that says, While we think you have a fine product, we consider them a specialty item, with limited demand.”  YGBSM!  And so it began, RESISTANCE.  What I learned is while the BX touts itself on doing business with “small businesses,” in reality, they want nothing to do with folks like me.  It’s just the way it is…

That was just the beginning of the RESISTANCE I encountered.  I “had issues” with the Post Office.  They didn’t consider my scrapbooks ‘books,’ until I wrote an 8-page ‘history’ for inclusion.  Personal from Bob to the Post Office bureaucratic MFWIC:  You dumb shit – you had me add weight to my books, so I could ship at a lower rate!  And you wonder why the Post Office continues to lose money!).

I also learned if you are a ‘successful, educated white guy,’ forget about any Federal financial assistance.  Just the way it is!

And I could go on, but that’s not my purpose here.  Suffice to say, as I encountered RESISTANCE at every juncture, my books were selling!  Through my personal web site, the Army Times and Amazon.com.

But finally, in September 2012, it just became “too hard,” and I began to shut it down.  I harbor no regrets; for either beginning the business, or shutting it down.  Aside from the ‘frustrations’ I encountered, I learned a great deal, and met some interesting people.  I don’t consider my venture here a “failure,” by any means.  I did sell a lot of books!  But it just became apparent it was time to close up shop, so now I’m off to something else – whatever that might be…

Oh, the name “ORF?”  ‘Ole Retired Fellow, of course…

…to outsmart a chicken!

When I retired in 2006, I began raising brown-egg chickens.  Why?  Because I just like doing raising brown-egg chickens…

A laying chicken is only productive for 2 years or so.  After that, a hen will continue to lay, but the production drops off significantly.  So, every two years or so I will “re-hen” the house.

Late last fall, Harry and I bought 81 chickens to re-hen our respective coops.  Harry bought 75, I bought 6.  We bought them as chicks then took them to John Miller to raise.  John is an Amish guy who raises chickens.  Two weeks ago we went over to John’s and brought them home.

When you introduce new birds into the flock, often the older ones will beat the hell out of the new guys.  I won’t tolerate “bullies” in my flock!

To make room for the new guys, I ship the old ones out… This year one of them “got loose.”  For two weeks now she has been eluding me when I tried to catch her.   Then I discovered she likes to roost up here by the house at night.

So, here I am this morning, out cleaning my shop.  It was still dark outside when it occurred to me that the old hen might be roosting out front.  So, I grabbed a flashlight, went out on my porch and there she was!  And I got her!

Taking her out to the coop, I thought to myself, “Oh how sweet it is – to outsmart a chicken!”