Starting to get crazy / Down a road I've been on Before

What is wrong with this picture ? A week ago I was perambulating around down near the Arizona / Mexico border , getting a couple of lifes neccessities (groceries , soap etc. )and what comes creeping into my range of hearing ? Christmas Music ! I have to admit there are some sounds that really set me off , Helicopters flying close at night , Babies screeching for no reason , the sound of a 50 calibre rolling off a chain of rounds , the howl of a semi truck from behind when I'm on a bike on the highway , the misery of hearing a TV personality[talking head ] droning on about what I should buy or what we all need or how to fix the world . But , nothing gets my blood pressure skyrocketing like the sound of Christmas music the first week of November while some dipwad extolls the next big sale or telling me to beat the rush and buy , buy , buy ! I have been in touch with several friends in the outside world {like outside of the valley where I live }, times are not good for a lot of folks right now , economy is still in the tank , no end to the recession regardless of what the talking heads say , a good number of folks are teetering on the brink of foreclosure and the credit highway is crumbling or at the very least filled with potholes you can lose a good sized car in ! I reccomend to all who are within hearing or reading range to stop listening and reading and start to pay attention to your family and friends . Stock up on some quality groceries , perhaps a beverage or two , get close together and take care of each other , eat well , see what you can do to weather this insanity . My view on this comes from living in a community that folks are doing just that . Not to say that the celebration of Christmas should be ignored or made light of , rather start celebrating it every day that you can , giving someone your time or being there when they are troubled , sitting with friends or family or both at a table of good food and sharing ways to cope with the problems at hand .Replace the bad music with the sound of laughter and good conversation
.Stay away from as much of the commercialism as you can , I repeat what I have put here before , from Thoreau :
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined.  As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."  
I'l stop the rant for now , just give it some thought .
Lately been cruising the back roads of my mind and searching out memories to taste and savor again , I've been aided in this with the aid of the internet and that bit of goofiness called Facebook .Surprisingly I have found a lot of old friends / acquaintenences there . Dredging up good thoughts and some regret that I failed to stay in touch , it wouldn't have taken much on my part to do so , while said friends and acquaintences were building families , making a living and generally contributing to society , I was out ramrodding around the planet finding stuff that was interesting to me having some good times and more than a few that I don't care to repeat . So it goes ...
Another Veteran's day come and gone , while I sat out in the mountains communing with old friends , I recalled a toast that my great friends , J.C. , Mickey and Mickey's Dad , Doug used to make on occasion usually when the conversation turned to folks we knew that had passed or wished to honor for whatever reason . It goes like this " To those who have went before us !" a time for a private thought whether it was a close friend in the military or a personal hero , perhaps someone who made a difference in your life , or did an unexpected kindness. I'll leave it to you , I have so many to think of it would take me till forever to list them . At any rate it doesn't cost anything and it will make you feel pretty good .
Been out in the desert looking for trails for earlier in the next year , folks are looking for trails to get to the mountains from Rusty's without going on the main roads . It has been interesting to say the least . What looks like perfectly flat desert turns into dry washes , arroyos , large rocks and mesquite so tough you need a pack of high explosives to get it out of the way ! But for all it's savagery it's quiet and so beautiful it hard to take it all in . The Border Patrol even knows my truck, they have told me sometimes all they  can see is the top of the old trooper as it bangs along the desert floor , they think I'm a little off the bubble too . But it's nice to know they're watching .
Made a short run up past Portal and got a few photos of the trees changing , brilliant colors , and some new aromas with the coming of fall/winter .
Stay tuned ..