David's Tangled Thoughts
259
Friday, July 04, 2025
Niles Independence Day 2025
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Decay
This was the tractor that I crashed into a pole barn. I was never asked drive a tractor ever again. I had to thin out all the blackberry bushes, however, as punishment. If you know what blackberry bushes are like, then you know how much that would suck.
I went out to the family farm in Benton Harbor. It had been a few years since I've been out there. Sadly the decay has accelerated as Grandma and Uncle Kenny have gotten older. The two large weeping willows that flanked the farm house are long gone. The nearby plots are now littered with farm equipment and rubbish. The land sits mostly fallow.
Grandma's memory is failing. I've noticed it a couple years ago but every time I see her, it's just that more noticeable. It breaks my heart.
I think this is the last summer.
Thursday, May 08, 2025
Holland -- Well, not *that* Holland
This year I finally made a trip up to Holland, Michigan to attend the Tulip Festival. It was a beautiful day. A lot of the flowers seemed passed their prime but they still made for a beautiful site. I went into this kind of blind and I didn't realize how spread out this was. It was a bit of a hike to get around!
Sunday, March 30, 2025
My Roof Was Spared
A strong line of thunderstorms came through late this afternoon while I was at work. I knew that it was a bad storm as I approached Niles. I could see branches down at the sides of the road. The traffic lights at Fort and 11th were out. While I driving down my block, I saw a tree down on powerlines. They didn’t make it to the ground, and I was able to drive under it to get home.
Considering the other reports of outages throughout the area, I thought it would be a while before my power was restored. I went out for some Chinese takeaway since my stove is electric and non-functional. While I was eating at home, I heard multiple utility trucks go down my road. They were able to restore power in 30 minutes. I was impressed. I’m sure it’s still going to be a long night for them, though.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Third Post Office 's the Charm!
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
No Wait at the SOS? Am I dreaming?
I had a delightful yet unexpected experience as my local Secretary of State office. I was going there intending to use the self-service kiosk to renew my car registration and tags. The SOS office has always been crowded with people and ever since COVID, we’ve had to set up appointments if you wanted in-person service. When I walked in I was about to start my transaction at the kiosk when I was called up to the counter. The lady that worked there took my renewal slip, asked me a few questions, took my payment, and sent me on my way. I even saved a few dollars because I didn’t have to pay the service fee that the kiosk slaps on. Seriously, I was caught off guard because I had never imagine service being like that.
Sunday, February 09, 2025
Old Disney World - One Last Ride
This past fall I decided to take a small trip back to Disney World. There were reports that large portions of the parks were going to be torn down and redeveloped before I had planned to go back.
Rivers of America in the Magic Kingdom was going to be removed and and replaced with a Cars land. The Muppets area in Hollywood Studios was going to be turned into a Monsters theme land--I think. Dinoland in Animal Kingdom was going to become a Latin America themed land.
Muppet Vision 3D in Hollywood Studios has always been one of my favorite mid-day attraction. A low-wait, sit-down, air conditioned attraction! All around it are interesting tid-bits to see. Did anyone ever really check to see if there was a key under the mat? I did!
Niles Independence Day 2025
I played with the settings on my camera. Not perfect but damn, these are the best fireworks photos I've ever taken.

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In every election I’ve voted in, polls in Michigan open at 7am and stay open until 8pm. I thought that I would go and vote when the polls o...
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...or Happy Holidays! I went to the post office this afternoon to get some extra stamps. I left with a a sheet of Kwanzaa stamps! How awes...
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A few obnoxious teens came into the store today that reminded me to tell the world: I hate popped collars. Seriously, I think that the guys ...