Busted Leg Sparks A Reading Frenzy & A New Business Idea

I’m currently laid up at home with a busted fibula in my left leg. I’m wearing a doctor- prescribed massive black boot that resembles a device used in a medieval torture chamber or the Frankenstein family’s preferred footwear.

My mobility is severely limited. I spend most of my time sitting up with the gamey leg propped up above my heart, per doctor’s orders. It’s exceptionally uncomfortable and my excursions are limited to using a leg scooter to head to the bathroom and back. Longer and more strenuous round-trip excursions include the home office and kitchen table. I’m hoping I’ll master the scooter well enough to venture outside soon.

As a result of my gamey leg, I have lots of time on my hands to read, watch TV, listen to the radio and chat with wife Linda. Over the years Linda has heard most of what I have to say. I can only watch so much Fox News, and the radio is full of music that is incomprehensible or sounds like an electrical generator that’s been struck by lightning. I tried NPR and lasted about 10 minutes. President Trump is correct. Why is a single dime of my tax dollars going to that far-left Democrat party propaganda outlet?

I’m reading a lot. I just finished Kurt Vonnegut’s whacky 1976 book “Slapshot”. I Forgot what a talented and entertaining writer he was, and it whet my appetite for more of his books that I have yet to read. I also finished Robert Merry’s 2009 book, “A Country Of Vast Designs”, a history of the one-term presidency of James K. Polk, one of America’s most successful and underrated presidents and am currently reading Joe Posnanski’s “Why We Love Baseball.”

Somewhere in a newspaper, magazine, a book or on social media I read that a single Dragonfly can eat up to 100 mosquitoes a day and it sparked an idea.

If a Dragonfly’s appetite is that voracious then it seems that four or five Dragonflies patrolling a deck in the evening would be sufficient to control those pesky parasites. The challenge is finding them and enticing them to hang around out there.

If you don’t have any Dragonflies zipping around your yard, how do you attract them? Can you buy them?

When I was a kid there was a radio station I could only pick up at night out of Cincinnati or Memphis, I can’t really recall where, but it advertised live baby chicks. For just a buck they said they would mail you a dozen baby  chicks. I’m not making this up. I wanted to order them, mostly out of curiosity to see what condition they’d be in once they arrived. I also thought I could resell any Postal Service survivors for a massive profit.

I planned to realize a huge ROI on my dollar investment from Bank Mom by keeping the well-traveled Post Office toughies in a box under my bed and selling them to neighborhood pals for about 60 cents each.

However, my mother got wind of my plan following an interrogation of why I needed the buck that I was desperately pleading for and quickly put a kibosh on my fledgling chicken empire plans.

I wonder if it’s still OK today to mail baby chicks? Or ship them via UPS or FedEx?

Somebody could market dragonflies as sure-fire mosquito killers and then ship them to customers. Using the My-Pillow guy’s TV pitch formula, the cash will start rolling in. There are a few kinks to work out first, such as how do you confine them to the outside area where they’re needed and if they don’t find any mosquitos how do you feed them?

They would also have to create Dragonfly ranches or breeding farms. Maybe people would pay to visit a Dragonfly sanctuary and atrium? Folks could buy Dragonflies at a discount, souvenirs. post cards, candy, etc.

I can visualize cheap Chinese takeout counters in this facility capitalizing on the Chinese obsession with the word “dragon” in their foods including specialties such as:

• Dragonfly Beard Candy
• Dragonfly Pearl, a steamed glutinous rice ball.
• Dragonfly Breath Bun, a steamed bun.
• Dragonfly Roll

And they could sell mosquitos to feed the Dragonflies as well as apparel such as t-shirts, hats, ties and more.

Folks, it seems to me there’s a need and an opportunity out there for a savvy entrepreneur to fill. Or maybe I have too much time on my hands.

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Cutting The Fata__es: Duke Lebold, a good friend and member of Fernandina’s American Legion Post 54 reflects on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s recent announcement to cut back on all the brass sitting around the Pentagon in look-busy jobs that contribute nothing to the grunts in the field but headaches.

Duke’s reflections from his days in the jungles of Vietnam are about what he calls “these Field Grade goldbricks.”

“I was a squad leader in D Troop, 1/9 Cavalry Squadron, 1st Cavalry Division,” recalls Duke. “We were Airmobile with our own helicopters: Guns, Scouts, & Lifts.

“One day while on a ‘stand down’ at our base at Camp Evans in I Corps north of Hue we got the order to ‘SCRAMBLE’. We grabbed our gear and ran to our helipad to board our ‘Huey’ lift birds. We took off, unsure of our mission. They took us out about 1/2 k east of the LZ (Camp Evans) and put us on the ground with orders to form a large defensive perimeter. When we were in position another Huey approached high above us at about 5000′ AGL. Soon about six parachutes appeared from above. Everyone was asking WTF is this about?

“Well, it turns out the jumpers were all senior officers and NCOs that needed a ‘combat jump’ to maintain their ‘Jump Pay’ in addition to their regular pay.

“We were ordered to fly out to set up a defensive perimeter to secure these fat-assed goldbrick personnel. What a farce.

“I think Defense Secretary Hegseth is on the right track. Remember we won WWII with only a handful of Generals.”

Duke summed up adding: “But then if we get rid of a bunch of them who will congressmen & senators’ wives have to dance with at the D.C. Cotillions?”

Secretary Hegseth is not only cutting the top-heavy brass but cleaning house in many other ways telling a crowd in Tampa just recently: “We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns. No more climate change obsession. No more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that sh*t,” said the secretary to applause and cheers.

***

Speaking Of The American Legion: Another local Legionnaire, retired Naval Officer, Barb Kent, who serves as Post 54’s treasurer, is always looking for ways to save money for the 626 South 3^rd Street facility.

When the city’s water, sewer and trash pickup bill was received Barb calculated that she could save the veteran organization $80 a month using a private trash service.

She wrote to City Manager Sarah Campbell saying:” I am the treasurer for American Legion Post 54. I understand the city has a franchise with Waste Management for trash pickup within city limits. The bill indicates 10% goes to the city. Since we are a veteran, non-profit, all-volunteer organization, I am requesting a waiver of this franchise so we can use another company and save $80 a month.”

Ms. Campbell responded with a flat: “Nope! Not a chance.” Well, not exactly in those words, but actually saying: “Thank you for reaching out. While I understand the great value that your organization plays in the community, these fees are set by ordinance. I do not have the authority to waive them.”  She then cited a city ordinance stating that nobody is exempt, no matter what. In other words: “Nope! Not a chance.”

Barb asked how she could appeal and was told: You can’t! “There is no appeal process,” said Ms. Campbell. “Ultimately the City Commission adopts the ordinances.”

Barb needs to realize this is the same slate of Commission doofuses that employ the illegal impact fees that have put several local businesses out on the street due to the excessive amounts and constant harassment by city enforcers, saying: “Nice little business you got here. It’d be too bad if something happens to it.”

Instead of easing up, the city did the opposite and recently raised those fees to astronomical levels so it could hire more enforcers and buy more shiny new vehicles. Commissioners Darron Ayscue and Tim Poynter were the only two reasonable votes against this city-sanctioned theft.

At its Feb. 4 meeting, the commission voted in favor of raising the fee from $2,480 to $7,480 per new residential connection to the system, a mere $5,000.

The trio of far-left Stooges, aka City Commissioners Genece “Serial Liar” Minshew, Joyce “Tree Hugger” Tuten, and James “The Potted Plant” Antun, would cut the HVAC and water off to an orphanage full of special needs children, if they thought for a second there might also be any patriotic Americans, churchgoers, veterans, developers, Rayonier employees, local business owners, or conservatives inside.

Fernandina voters are beginning to realize that their city hall is embedded with a workforce and Commission that’s a version of a horribly run company. It has its share of hard workers, dedicated to their jobs. But they are undermined by self-promoters and get-byers with the added toxicity of embedded partisans. With the exception of Commissioner Ayscue and sometimes Poynter, the general public and local businesses are getting screwed by dim, biased, ill-informed, ill-tempered, and fanatical activist leftists.

***

Late Breaking News:  While writing this post I learned that the first American Pope had been elected by the Cardinals convening in Vatican City in Rome, and that it is an American from Chicago – Cardinal Robert Prevost – now Pope Leo XIV. I thought the first American Cardinal to become Pope would be Albert Pujols, not Cardinal Prevost, an admitted Chicago Cubs fan. Chicago’s a crime-ridden, incompetently governed city that truly needs Devine Intervention and it appears it may finally get it.

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A Sincere Thank You is extended to all my friends and associates that have reached out to me during my incapacitation with notes and various “get well” messages with a particularly loud shout out to those who delivered every form of mouth watering edible ranging from homemade gingerbread, cornered beef & cabbage, pastrami, matzo ball soup and offers to physically assist me or Linda. I didn’t realize I had so many caring, kind friends.  We are truly blessed.