PC Holiday

The holidays, you know Thanksgiving and Christmas, come with amazing speed. Happens every year once you become an adult. I think for the little children, Christmas takes a while. I was thinking about that when I looked at the calender this morning. The last day of March. It seems like those holidays were so long ago. Three months really, but what if it was October ? Wouldn't we then be saying, Christmas is almost here ? Einstein didn't explain this time thing when it comes to the holidays. Of course, I do think that there has a been a shift in time awareness since his days. Or at least, Holiday awareness.
Yes, we had Valentines day, love and candy. Then we had St. Patrick's  Day, a parade, green beer and cabbage. Easter is just around the corner. Easter is a religious observance really, but candy is to be had for the kiddies. Put in Memorial day and the next event is the Fourth of July. Parades and fireworks,barbecue and beer. A one day event ! We throw another Veterans day observance on the calender, another for celebrating the dead and we are back to the " Holidays. " They are a long way behind us right now, but starting to gain speed to rush back at us.
We have tried to make other holidays. Isn't that the real purpose behind making those three day weekends ? An attempt to get that holiday feel ? It is convenient but didn't really work. The other holidays on the calender just don't have the prestige of the big two. I wonder if that will change in the future. I mean, Christmas is a religious observance. Given the questioning of faith in America, by our government, will Christmas remain as a legal holiday ? That is something to give thought too. If we can remove prayer from schools, the recitation of the Pledge from town meetings and force Christians to pay for abortions contrary to their faith, it doesn't seem out of the question. If that happens , what happens to the calender ? Which holidays then take precedence ? Thanksgiving ? Well, there could be issues with that, the treatment of the Native Americans and all that. Maybe we should avoid that. St. Patrick ? Rather an offensive holiday to the Irish I would think with all that stereotypical behavior. Do all the Irish eat cabbage and drink beer ? They all wear green and like to fight ? Maybe we had best leave that alone as well. St. Valentines day ? It does involve a saint and that could be touchy, better leave saints out of this. The fourth of July. Yeah that is the ticket. what could be wrong with that ? Well, it isn't really the day we won our independence but we could overlook that. Of course it is a celebration of rebellion. Maybe a government should not encourage the celebration of overthrowing government. Could give the population ideas, get them all stirred up. Especially a holiday involving explosive devices. Better not do that. So that leaves a couple days to celebrate Veterans. Won't be popular with everyone though.
We are going to have to rethink this whole holiday thing. Start from scratch. Maybe just go back to celebrating the solstice. The summer and winter solstice. Who could object to that ?

Standards

Minimum standards. Society and government set them. We strive to live above them. Those that fall short are either institutionalized, criticized, or empathized with. The standards are clear in some ways, arbitrary in others, your wealth and status in the community determining factors. There is a fine line between crazy and eccentric. And there are the standards we apply to ourselves, the toughest of them all. That is because those standards are truth. Truth in living, and in life are the highest standards. Being honest with ourselves. We can not fool our self. Lies are exposed in the night. When we lie awake in the darkness, they appear. There is no escaping them. Some may choose to drink them away, or medicate them, but they are always there, below the surface. The refusal to face them leads to unhappiness. Happiness can only be achieved in the truth. It doesn't require much self examination to see that.
It is when we try to live within the standards set by others, government or society, that we feel the pressure. By measuring ourselves against those standards we feel inadequate, or worse, superior. Either extreme is to be avoided. The standard we adopt for ourselves is the our truth. We may not know our purpose in life but we do know our standard. We should strive to live within that standard. It is in that realm that we find happiness and contentment. We must strive toward those the goals we set for ourselves to have that peace. The appeasement of others is an illusion. That illusion fades in the darkness. It is not a selfish thing but a necessary one.
I do think that living within the constraints of society and governmental standards are necessary. There must be a standard for good order and discipline. We can't just all do our own thing. Structure is required. That being established, it is not those standards I am talking about. You could call it a moral code. The basis of that code may vary from one to another. Code and conduct, one and the same ? Well, the code drives the conduct, does it not ? So I feel we should examine our conduct and compare it to the code. When our conduct does not fit within our adopted code, we feel unrest. All too often we modify the code to fit the conduct. The justification  of our actions should not be an issue. If you find yourself doing that perhaps you need to review the code. I find myself doing just that.
Issues arise when personal codes are in conflict with accepted societal or government codes. What do we do ? Protest, armed conflict or just submit to that authority ? The answer to that can only be found in your personal code. We must all act within those bounds. It seems to me that our society and government has lost some of its' definition. The code is not as clear as it once was. In the interest of fairness and freedom the code has been modified to fit our behaviors. I believe we, as citizens, need to review that code. We need to define it once again. This definition will not please everyone, that is impossible, still the effort should be made. The truth needs to be told. And the truth must be realized one person at a time. Minimum standards ? What are yours ?

Polite Language

Perhaps it is just me. I work in the public eye and so observe the general public everyday. Like everyone else I listen to the radio and television. I listen to what people are saying. What strikes me most about the conversations of today is not what they are talking about, little changes in that regard even across generations, but the manner of saying it. I can only say that America, it seems, is going more " street. " In short, the language and expressions used , are rather crude. Many words are used today that a short time back would have been met with shock. It is not just the younger crowd either, there are plenty in my age group that do the same. I am not impressed nor am I intimidated. I think people talk in that fashion for those reasons. They either believe it makes them sound tough or that it somehow makes there statements more valid. My opinion is, it does neither.
There is a time and place for everything. It even tells us that in the Bible. This use of crude and vulgar language is getting out of hand. I often speak about being in polite company. As many of you know from reading past postings I am retired from the Navy. An occupation notorious for its' " salty " language. I can tell you there was little politeness among shipmates in that regard. Young men away from home making there way in the world often display bravado and coarse manners. Manly men and all that. And so you see I am no novice when it comes to judging choice of words.
I am not saying we should all act in a genteel manner, but certainly a bit more restraint wouldn't hurt. I find myself questioning the intelligence of those that use inappropriate language. I wonder how they justify that. Are they truly just ignorant, or do they just not care. It seems to me as though it is part of a change of attitude. The public in general somehow seems more defensive in nature. The use of this language does project that image of, I'm a tough guy/gal don't mess with me. Years ago I would have rolled a pack of cigarettes in my sleeve and greased my hair back, it would have had the same effect. Now we all get tattoos ! And we curse, a lot. We just break out the four letter vocabulary. I wouldn't describe my feelings as being offended, more like indifference.
It could be this is just another of those changes that bother us older folks. Social changes work like that. Long hair on guys was once met with some of the feelings I have for this language. I am aware of that, but it doesn't make it right. Or it could be a sign of social degradation. A decline. I don't want to sound like a chicken little here but I'm just sayin'. Pay attention to where you hear it and to whom is using it. You may be surprised. Just inserting certain four letter words, at random, in a sentence does not make the statement any more valid. And, at least for me, it diminishes your credibility.
Are we, as a society, really moving forward ? There are times I question that. Comes with age I guess, this questioning. Each generation fearing the end to the civilization they have known. I am no different in that regard. I'd feel better about these changes if we could discuss them politely. Maybe even use words with more than four letters as adjectives. Would that be so old fashioned ? You could say it would require a bit more thought both in expression and understanding. Might not be a bad thing after all.

Progress not Perfection

I think this quote ,or one similar to it, is attributed to Vince Lombardi. "Strive for progress, not perfection." I woke up this morning and heard a radio disc jockey saying that. I have no idea why, or in what context he was using it, but I heard the quote. I haven't heard it used in a while but the truth of it struck home. We should all strive for progress and find reassurance with that, perfection is unattainable. Progress is possible. And with each bit of progress made, we can attain some measure of satisfaction. This attitude can be applied to any undertaking. Whether you are trying to lose weight,write a book or just live a life of meaning, the advice applies. Strive for progress.
I wonder if I heard this message this morning as a reminder. I think it happens that way sometimes. We are reminded of old lessons by others in unexpected ways. I only heard the quote and no context with it. Am I supposed to add that context ? By writing this short essay you could say I already am. I am striving for progress The question is what is the goal I am striving for ? I think it may be just a short exercise in introspection. Just taking a look around,as it where. Is that the reminder ? Is it time for me to move forward, to make progress in some fashion ? Our goals are not always clear, nor our purpose. I believe everyone is here for a purpose. I also think your purpose may or may not align with your goals. It is in that conflict that we live. Perhaps the progress that we strive for should be an understanding of that conflict. We can not be perfect people, but making strides toward that goal, are achievable. For the Christian is that not the path to heaven ? In other faiths the destination may have a different name, but eternal comfort is the goal. To those that have no belief, I am left wondering. That is an issue for me and not them.
And so, I will spend some time pondering these questions. What is my purpose ? What are my goals ? Are the two in alignment ? The big question in all of this self examination would have to be, do the two have to be in alignment ? It would seem that your purpose could not be contradictory to your goal. Do you adjust your goal to fit the purpose ? Can you know your purpose ? The meaning of life enters into all of this. A lot to think about and consider. I can only strive for progress. Maybe that is all it was, a reminder, it did create an awareness and that is a good thing. That is progress.

Celebrate

One of the features on Facebook I find very useful, and I think most men would, is the birthday reminders. Remembering dates like birthdays,anniversaries and such is the super power of most women. Forget any of them and you will feel the power ! Facebook saves the day.
Now today is my daughter in laws birthday. Everyone says Happy Birthday to you and that it is your day. The birthday person receives gifts and a cake. A party may be given to celebrate the person. That is all as it should be. As I sat down to write my birthday greeting to her it occurred to me how her birth has given me cause to celebrate. She married my son and makes him happy, a reason to be thankful. She gave me grand children another reason to be thankful. She has been nothing but a loving and caring daughter in law to my wife and I. I think we should celebrate. In a strange way her birthday has turned out to be a day I am most thankful for. And I think that is a very good reason to celebrate her birth. I like her so much, I'll even share the cake with her.
I have always thought of birthdays as someone else's day. I think most of us do and that is true. As the years pass however I have come to think about them differently. The birthdays of others that are near and dear to us are days that we should celebrate and be thankful. It is on those days that we were blessed. We may have gone along unaware at the time, but now we know. On March 27,1980 one of my daughter in laws was born. I didn't know that until twenty years later. Sometimes you just have to be patient. What a great day in March of 1980. When I count my blessings I can count that day !
If you start to think about birthdays and other special occasion days in that way your calender will soon be filled. All those days that you thought were to celebrate others, are really days for you. Days that we can reflect upon the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Makes you want to straighten up and fly right, as my Grandfather was fond of saying. And so I will say Happy Birthday Maria ! I love you and thank you for being born. Made my day back in 1980, and it only took twenty years for me to find out about it. Good Job !

Playing Defense

I wonder about the insecurities of America. Where has the bravado gone ? Once we had the confidence to go forward boldly. Now it would seem the political correctness police have us in shackles. It appears to me the nations general reaction to anything is defensive ! Starting on the individual level that permeates our consciousness. We are offended and begin our defense immediately. The name calling and race baiting followed closely by litigation is our response. In our haste to be " correct " we fail to listen. A mere whisper or hint of anything not " approved " by the liberal media and press, and the defense begins. Under the guise of Freedom our rights are being trampled. We are free to speak as long as we say the correct things. No dissenting opinions allowed. Dissenting opinions are racist or aimed at the poor. Listen closely and you will hear it too.
I can only describe it as a child caught in a lie. They will stand by it and deny even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Indignant that you even think they are wrong or have committed an offense. No discussion allowed. Look at the current government fiasco, The affordable Care Act. The government and some supporters will not admit that it is illegal and a disaster. Like that child, they keep on denying. Look at the Presidents stand against Russia. Looks defensive and not very confident in his actions. Calling on our allies to help us. Then he sanctions seven people. Give me a break.
Who would have believed that we have to defend the right to be Christian. To practice our faith, in the established ways, and have government interfere with that right. That issue is before the Supreme court, for their opinion. The decision rests with the Congress, with the people.
All this reliance on Government is at the root of this insecurity. When the government controls your every action and makes you dependent upon that Government can the result be any different ? Like a parent that caters to their child's every need and protects them from reality, they are dependent. Then those that are dependent begin to defend. Defend what you ask ? Defend there very existence. Shields up ! Just do as you are told or big brother will take your cookies.
Well enough ranting and raving for one morning. I feel better now. I have noticed how quickly people are to be defensive in nature. Almost as if they are afraid. Paranoia could be taking hold. If you listen to the news and pay attention you can see why. We the people are being threatened. Threatened by the very government we are told to support. Read the documents of the founding fathers and you will see that they warned of this. It is time to heed those warnings. I could include a bunch of quotes but will leave that to you. We still have the best form of Government ever devised by man. I do think we need to use it wisely. Do not act from anger, but act from knowledge. Do not be afraid to question. Do not be afraid to listen either. Then decide for yourself what is right or wrong.

Going to America

I saw an interesting report on the television. This person was a retail expert. He was explaining the demise of the " mall. " After quoting a slew of facts and figures regarding shopping malls he concluded they are in decline. Online shopping is cutting into the market in a big way. I don't recall the details but he pointed out how no new malls have been built in quite a few years. He did show alternate uses for these empty mall sites however. He was showcasing one that was a themed mall catering to the Hispanic community. Not just shops but an entertainment venue, similar to being in one of the worlds at Disney. Architectural details ,food and complete with characters in costume. It was a big success. A sort of mini Mexico. Interesting idea.
Now I am all for celebrating your heritage. It is a good thing to be aware of where you came from, to pay respect to that heritage. I do question making entire mini-countries in old shopping malls. I do think we should be fostering being an American citizen however. There is more to being an American than just living here. What I'm trying to say is this seems to be promoting a type of segregation, albeit one of choice, but segregated none the less. Will not those going to these mini countries feel a sense of ownership ? And then in doing so create an atmosphere where others may not be welcomed ? I can see some social issues arising.
The main point of the report was to show how you can still make money with these malls. The opportunity awaits a savvy investor. This gentleman was quite excited about the possibilities. He was including not only shops and entertainment in his " mall " but other services as well. Health care, social services and even electronic money transfers, just like in a real foreign city ! I was left with the impression that as long as it was profitable, the social implications are secondary.
Are we going from Gated Communities to Gated Malls as well ? Gates can be erected without any material at all. The wall of segregation only requires intent. Start building these " themed "  malls, or should they be called Ethnic Centers, and I think resentment and indeed some hate may be fostered. Celebrating your heritage is a fine thing but when that celebration includes denial of your present situation, it becomes tedious. I come from German and Swedish descent. I am aware of that heritage yet I am an American. Is that not why all the millions of people have immigrated to this land, to become Americans ?
Perhaps I am overreacting. Maybe it is a viable alternative to just tearing down those malls. Those Malls are the temples to consumerism. They have become difficult to maintain however. The cost of operating the building combined with the inconvenience in getting there, is taking its' toll. Malls are not the safest of places to go. They also cannot compete with the prices available online. It is much easier to shop at home and avoid those issues. But if I can go to a different nation, one with the feel of the old neighborhood, then maybe it would be worth the risk. If I can then teach my children about their heritage and customs, with live demonstrations, it may very well be worth it. According to the gentleman on the television it would practically be an obligation on your part to do so ! Because that is what we are going to do with these abandoned Temples to Consumerism we are going to make them Cultural Centers. Of course we do need to eat and buy clothing and have entertainment while we get this cultural enlightenment. It is a win-win.
When they build the " Mayberry " cultural center I'll be the first in the door. I'll stop by Aunt B's for a good old home cooked meal. After that I'll sit on the porch with Andy and have a cold Pop. Maybe sing a song or two with the Darlins. I could teach my children those values from the old country, a place we called, America ! 

going to the garage

Do you remember when you went to a service station ? I sure do. I worked at a real service station back in the day.Now we have service "centers", different thing in my opinion. In fact I think it is a misnomer, should be replacement center, not much servicing going on in those places. Make an appointment to get your parts replaced. That is about the only service they are going to provide.
Yes there was a time in America when you could take your car to the filling station. That is just what they did there too. They filled your car with gasoline or water, whichever you were in need of. Eventually those filling stations turned into service stations. A garage would be built and a mechanic could be found " on duty. " That is what I always call them, a garage. I took my car to the garage to get gas or fixed. That was during a time when the gas stations and garages provided services. Services like cleaning your windshield, checking the air pressure in the tires and checking your oil. All at no extra charge, provided as a service. Need new wiper blades ? They would sell and install them, one price. Most gas stations had a soda machine and a bathroom. They didn't have food service, that was left to the local delicatessen. No sir, the business here was servicing automobiles. At some point, during the nineteen sixties I think, some gas stations began giving away free things with a fill up. You could get silverware,glasses,dishes and pots and pans. These " gifts " were provided by the major oil companies in an attempt to get your business. That is when gasoline was thirty seven cents a gallon too ! The big companies had there " attendants " dressed in a shirt and tie. A hat was usually worn and you had to be clean ! No grease monkeys at the pumps, please. Service with a smile. You can trust your car to the man who wears the star, the great big Texaco star. That I think was the beginning of the transition. The transition to dropping your car off and having some stranger work on it. It was out of sight and you really don't know what " service " is being performed. The relationship between car owner and mechanic was fading away. They started adding those middle men. Eventually they moved all those mechanics into centers. Put them out of sight in the back somewhere. There are big signs warning you you cannot trespass in there area, punishable by law. Insurance regulations you know ? What a far cry from the day of the garage. The days when you had your mechanic. That mechanic knew you and your car. He also took care of both of you. It was a relationship. Now, it is just business.
There are still a few garages around, mostly in small town America. We have one here in Greensboro, since 1919. You can still get your car serviced and the man doing the work is the one you will talk to. If you want he will take you into the garage and show you what the deal is. This is no sparkly clean dealership service center, this is a garage ! I love the smell and sounds of it. Nothing like old grease and air guns in the morning ! To hear the clanking of a wrench dropped on the floor, to the sound of a rusted bolt breaking loose, I love it all. The mechanic will talk to you and tell you what HAS to be done and what COULD be done. Different things altogether. The things that have to be done will get you back on the road again, and the things that could be done are the extras. I love choices. The mechanics there are like your primary physician, they know you and remember you. They know your car and remember your car. Makes me remember when you only needed one physician too. Now I may be sent to the service center but that's another story.
I expect one day all mechanics will have to be licensed. It will be an insurance thing. Working on these hi-tech computer controlled things we call cars I am surprised it hasn't already happened. The days of the shade tree mechanic are quickly fading away along with those old garages. It is a shame. The garage was a place to hang out with your buddies and a clearinghouse for local information. Now it is Starbucks ! Good Grief Charlie Brown. If these electric cars catch on we may see the days of the gas station return. The local store just having one pump. Need some gasoline ? Bring your can for filling. Gasoline ? Expensive stuff and dangerous too, I don't know why they even allow it.

Now that is what I'm talking about ! Olympic Heights Service Station. IE: a garage

                                                                                        

More than a memory

The house I grew up in was mostly the creation of my father. He purchase a two bedroom, one bath home, what would be considered a cottage in todays' market. Over the years he added an upstairs, a laundry room, a basement and two more bathrooms. Although the home was not built entirely by him it felt that way. Over the years I have made modifications to homes I have had but have never built from scratch. It is something I have dreamed about doing over the years. I am quite sure it will remain a dream. The time for such an undertaking is past for me. It is still a nice thing to think about.
I wonder what it was like to chop down the trees and build your home. Surely it had to be one of the most satisfying feelings. To have built and provided shelter for your family. A basic necessity of man, it surely had to fulfill that base desire to provide. Now it seems just having one built for you satisfies that same need for most of us. Many of us do not possess the skills to accomplish the task anymore. I do wonder if it would be different if we could still just homestead a piece of land. Without government intervention and restrictions would we still do it ? Or I guess the question really is would you be satisfied with what you could build ?
I believe I would be more than satisfied with the structure I am capable of building. Not to sound like I am bragging, but I do have skills. I learned a lot of those skills from my father over the years. Other skills I learned in school. I was an industrial arts major,after all. I believe living in a home you built with your own two hands, you could not help but be satisfied. It would be like the ultimate " craft " project. A lot of us do crafts now to grab a piece of that feeling. I think the desire to do a craft comes from that same place in our makeup, that place that drives us to provide for ourselves and for those we love. It is an inherent thing.
I'm not saying I want to live in a log cabin in the traditional sense. I do want indoor plumbing and electricity. To stay in a cabin without those amenities would be amusing and fun for a short time, as a novelty. but not forever. I am spoiled in that regard. I do not need as much as some others might but I'm no pioneer. A lot of those pioneers did not survive. It wasn't always the fault of others, sometimes Mother Nature wins ! Well, she always wins if you are not prepared. I am just dreaming about building my own home. And when I say that I mean I built it, not a contractor. My design and my execution of that design. In that way I could say, I own this place ! It is mine.
I think also that to build your own home is to build for a lifetime. It is something you only do once. You may expand upon the original structure over the years, but not start from scratch again. Succeeding generations may receive the benefit of your work. Can there be a better legacy than that ? There are few feelings that compare to feeling of being home. To live in the home of your ancestors is a wonderful thing. To know that your ancestors built that home with their own hands can only add to that value. Oh, I know that no home will last forever. If it lasts three or four generations that is remarkable. Oh, I know that a house is just a house and that it is love that makes it home. I just consider the amount of love that goes in to building that home. When you do it yourself it does take a bit more.
I guess you could say it is just a romantic notion, this building a home. I can understand that position. I do have a tendency to think that way. The things of the past always seem a little better than what they actually were. But nostalgia is a very strong lure for me. I do feel that need to leave something substantial behind. To leave some tangible evidence of my existence. Something that says, I was here and this is what I did. I think it is a universal desire. Despite all our advances I do think that remains unchanged. It is a worthy goal and something to give thought to. What are you leaving in the way of tangible evidence ? If it is tangible, it is more than a memory. And isn't that what we would all like to be ?

A dream

I woke up remembering a portion of a dream. I rarely remember my dreams or even if I do dream. I am not one that believes in dreams. I don't think they mean anything. It is just your mind moving files around, just like your computer reorganizes the registry. I do believe it is just a natural occurrence and you have no control over it. Anyway, this fragment of a dream was two parallel lines. Like a set of railroad tracks. In dreams we know things. I knew that these lines represented good and bad. The good line was on the top and the bad on the bottom, logical right ? I could choose either line to travel upon and had done so, this time I was on the upper line. That is where the dream ended . I was awake. I lay for a moment thinking about that. I was left with a message. I could choose between right and wrong as often as I wanted, but was always on one of those lines. There is no inbetween.
As I said I don't really believe in dreams. This little snippet has left me thinking however. Life is not black and white,right and wrong. It seems to me we spend more of our time jumping  the track than following one exclusively. No one is all good or bad. What of the area between the lines ? Learning to make the right choices moves us forward. The line we spend the most time on determines our final destination. The upper line is the more difficult line to travel. Traveling that line requires self sacrifice. You must be willing to do what is right, not what is necessarily right for you, but what is right. Those traveling the bottom line may have an easier time of it now, but not so in the end. The things worth achieving are always this way.
This dream did not tell me if there was a limit to how many times you can jump the track. I was left with the impression that you travel your whole life just switching back and forth. I wonder if it is just whatever track you happen to be on when you reach the end ? That wouldn't seem logical though. Would it be the line I spent the most time on ? Total right vs total wrong? That doesn't seem right either. There would have to be room for redemption, wouldn't there ? Well, no one ever said life was fair, so maybe not. This switching of lines is by my own choice.
I can self analyze this dream. This dream is telling me to make the right choices in life. This dream offered reassurance and hope for the future. It is not too late, the line stretches before me. I saw no end. Seriously though it was just a dream and meant nothing at all. For a dream to have real meaning wouldn't I have to remember it ? My thinking is it can't be very important if I can't remember what it is. I will say that thinking has got me into trouble in the past however. Let's just say certain dates are indeed very important to remember. Also it helps to remember what to bring home from the grocery store ! Maybe that is the message I should take from this dream. Remember the things that are important to others because happiness comes from others. That happiness comes from making the right choices not just for you, but for the greater good. Of course the whole thing could also mean, stay between the lines. 

The Playground

Here in Greensboro they are building a new playground. Project Playground has been an ongoing effort to replace the old equipment with new and expand it somewhat. I have seen the plans and they are impressive. I do think it is a wonderful thing for the kids. I am concerned about the amount of use it will actually see. I hope it gets well used, but I have doubts. The cost of this project is quite significant. I wonder, even here in Greensboro, how many parents will allow their children to go to the playground without adult supervision ? You do have to be concerned with that in this day and age more so than in the past. That and how many children want to play on the playground anymore ? The little ones do, but the tweeners I'm not so sure about. I hope for the best.
Looking at those plans reminded me of the playgrounds I had as a kid. Up at Herrick park, across the street from the high school, their was a jungle gym and swings. The jungle gym was all steel. Galvanized pipe bent in big arcs and bolted together. The ground underneath packed hard as concrete. The swings were to the left of the jungle gym if memory serves. They hung by those long chains. The chains were not covered as they are nowadays. If you swung high enough and created slack in those chains your fingers could get pinched in those links. You learned not to do that rather quickly. There may have been a chin up bar there as well. I can't say as I remember exactly.
Over at the elementary school the playground was quite different. There was an obstacle course to run. I do recall a galvanized steel culvert pipe that you had to crawl through. We would crawl in there during recess and hide. Didn't seem to bother us at all that we got all dirty. There was a ball field there and we played kick ball on that. We even had a pole vault pit and bar. I never could master that.
When I was young we went to the playground. We played baseball, flipped baseball cards, shot marbles or played other games. All the kids went there. Of course that was long before video games, pinball games and all that. We only had two channels on television. After Saturday morning cartoons it was time to leave. Hang around home too long and you wind up working ! Out of sight, out of mind.
I do remember the slide, made out of galvanized steel ( the most popular choice for playground equipment ) getting really hot in the sun. Had to be careful of that. Sometimes the slide just wasn't slippery enough, if you could get some wax paper to rub on it, that helped. Yes the playground was the " mall " of my day. Didn't have stores of course but the good humor man might come by. His ice cream was expensive though, a dollar at least. If you stayed around the playground long enough you were bound to run into friends and classmates. The big kids might be smoking cigarettes in some hiding spot or up to some other mischief. Might be carving their initials in the benches or a tree trunk.
The new playground equipment is all made out of plastic. Brightly colored and all rounded edges. You can get quite a static shock from that stuff, at least the old ones did. Maybe this new equipment won't have that issue. The ground will be covered with some kind of soft material. The elementary school here has a sponge like surface under their equipment. It is a definite improvement over what we had. It is similar to the feel of a wrestling mat.
Now that spring has arrived I'm certain work will resume on the playground. Should be quite an event on opening day. I'm looking forward to seeing it. My grandchildren are already getting a little old for the playground. Morgan is eleven and Mark thirteen. Those ages are different than when I was eleven and thirteen. Maybe with the new equipment the playground will be revitalized and become a social hub once again. I think that would be a good thing, don't you ?

Footnotes

As we age, hopefully we gain wisdom. Knowledge can be taught and referenced. The facts are before us , in most situations, if we but look for them. This quest for knowledge has been made easier by the internet. The retrieval of fact and opinions resting beneath our fingertips. For me, the older I get, the more I begin to read the footnotes. I find myself studying that additional information at the bottom of the page. More correctly I am becoming aware of the authors of those footnotes. Those people that have made a lasting impression on me. Some people would call them their heroes but not I, they are/were my motivators. It was those people that influenced my decisions. Some I knew my whole life and others have just brushed against me. The contributions made by them are equal. I was not always aware of that influence and now give credit to them. This credit is extended, if only in my own mind, as a thank you. Reading the footnotes and appreciating their value is part of gaining wisdom. To understand the why of it.
In a larger sense I think the best any of us can hope for is to become a footnote. We may gain fame in our lifetime but what about after our passing ? What will we be remembered for, and for how long ? Maybe you will be in a Hall of Fame somewhere, remembered and honored for some accomplishment. Most of us will not. That doesn't mean we can not become a footnote in someones life. I would hope to be remembered by family and friends. I would also hope that I have at some time offered encouragement or support to these people at a time in their life when they needed it. To have made an impact. To become that footnote that provides the insight, the understanding. That is the greatest compliment of all, to have another say that you were a compassionate person. Compassion is understanding. Compassion means to suffer together. To share misfortune and pain with another creates a lasting bond. If your compassion can ease the suffering of another that is a noble deed. It is those deeds that create those footnotes in your life.
It has been said that when we get older we begin to understand what is important in life. I agree with that statement. I do think that wisdom is gained by searching those footnotes. The main text is the story but the footnotes are the explanation. If we strip away the minutiae of life and get to the heart of it, read the footnotes, understanding comes. The proverbial light comes on when we begin to understand the question.
I will say this, it is my hope that one day I will be referenced, a footnote. When someone, somewhere , one day finds themselves questioning and discovers the answer in words I have spoken. That would confirm my existence and worth. It is not necessary that I know this, only that it is. I think we all want that. To be remembered as a positive force, as good. 

Wondering

Every so often I have a customer ask me a question that just leaves me wondering. We have eight pound bags of russet potatoes on sale for two dollars and fifty cents. This customer is examining this bag of potatoes and comments to me what a low price they are. I quickly agree that it is a good deal. Then the customer asks me, " are they going out of date ? " What ? They are fresh dug potatoes,raw, in their natural state and you want to know if they are going out of date ? I just smile and say no, as long as they aren't starting to sprout eyes or smell bad, they're good. The customer buys a bag and leaves. I am left wondering.
How is it that people think everything has an expiration date ? I understand people are getting used to checking these dates on the canned goods and other packaging, but root vegetables ? Have people never heard of root cellars ? Why would you think that a potato would expire ? This was a younger person, well younger than me probably thirty or so, so maybe he had no experience with this stuff. When I was a kid an older lady that lived next door to me used to store her potatoes and some other root vegetables in burlap bags. She had them hanging on a rope in the well. It was dark and cool in there and those vegetables stayed good for months at a time. Yeah, sometimes the spuds grew eyes but you just knock them off with your thumb. It won't hurt you.
I just saw on the news that a Chinese fellow invented a device that can tell you when your food is spoiled. You just stick this little tab thing on there and it changes color over time. In an ironic twist when this tab turns green, the food is bad. A lady was talking about it saying how she will not smell her milk to tell if it is bad. She wants this product. She feels like if she had this product she wouldn't throw out so much food. She can't tell if her food is good or bad ! Leaves me wondering. How did my Mom tell ? Did she just feed us and let us take our chances ? Have I been just risking it all these years ? It is a wonder any of us are still here !
I wonder what these people think we did in the " old " days. You know back in the sixties. Canned goods had no dates on them. I don't think the milk bottles had dates on them but I wouldn't swear to that. If in doubt just smell it or take a sip. If it came out of the bottle in lumps, it was bad.
I wonder if perhaps we aren't buying more than we need. If we need to start monitoring dates in the refrigerator, could it be that we are not using it ? Just a thought. How many times a week do you go to the store ? I see the same customers all the time. Some I see almost daily. We have had snow this year, a lot of it, but people still came to the store. The store was open every day. No need to lay in supplies for a month. Has putting these dates on our products lead to a sense of paranoia ? I do see some checking those dates with a nervous look about them. This can of peas is best if used by 2016 should I buy it ? Oh, it is a dilemma alright. Are we giving up on common sense and relying on the government to inform us about our food ? I wonder, I really do. Used to be you only got what fruits and vegetables where in season in your area. You had to wait to get those fresh products. Now they are being shipped in from all over the world. Used to be milk came from your local dairy, now who knows ? Used to be we all knew about preserving our food to make it last. Now , not so much. We are dependant upon the manufacturers and suppliers. Now we need to check those dates ! Now it is wise to check the country of origin as well. The law requires the grocer to tell you that information.
I guess it is just that people want to feel safe. Stock the shelves in their cupboards and refrigerator. Ready to survive if the stores are closed. It could happen. I wonder what would happen if there were no dates on those cans ? What then ? How can we know ? Are these potatoes still good ? What about the carrots ? This bottle of Pepsi says best if used by, do I want to use it if it is less than the best ? Of course not ! I demand only the best, throw it out ! You know they even have a date stamped on those bottles of water. Yup, water can go out of date, who knew. Thanks Uncle Sam for keeping me safe.

Life In the Library

I often look things up on this computer. The thought came to me that it is like living in the library. Anything I want to know about is at my fingertips. The information superhighway it has been called. It is almost too much information. On subjects that are open to interpretation I can get many different views and opinions. It is sometimes difficult to pick a winner ! Should I believe this source or that source. Just which Professor is giving me the straight of it ? One question just naturally leads to another. That is why I can wind up on here for hours at a time. I ask a seemingly simple and direct question and get sidetracked. I am not complaining about it, it is a wonderful tool.
I never had this problem at the library. I would just go to the card catalogue, I still remember the Dewey decimal system, and find a book on the subject in question. If it was a reference book I would sit in the library and take notes from it. Usually one book was enough. If it was in the encyclopedia britannica that source was unfailable. There was no arguing with that source. The other books I would check out and take home. They got read cover to cover and returned. If those books were concerned with a specific event, say the American revolution, after reading that one book you felt like an expert. No need to read differing viewpoints by other authors unless you had to. If some kind of report was due in school that required that thought process a second book might be checked out.
I think the ease of retrieving information is certainly the greatest use of the internet. It was the original idea anyway.The idea was to have computers share information. That part is a huge success. The only issue being the internet is like the wild west of information. Good and Bad ! You do have to be careful where you roam. I have applied filters to mine to keep me out of the badlands I don't need to be bothered with all that. I still get pop ups and they are bad enough. When I was a kid the local library had an adult reading room. It wasn't for reading adult material however, it was just a quiet place away from us kids ! I did hear they had some books in there that were a bit racy. Virginia Woolf and Peyton Place seem to ring a bell. I confess to not having read either one. Peyton place used to be on television but Mom made us go to bed.
I must say I spend quite a bit more time in this library than I did the one on Main street. If they had had games to play, and you were allowed to chat and could have just copied and pasted material that may have been different. That library was only open at specific times and a scary older lady kept an eye on you the whole time. So quiet, with the smell of old books, it was really kinda creepy. I always felt like you had to be smart to be in there and that librarian knew who you were. You were judged by your family and just what part of town you came from. Others in the library peered over the tops of their books to see just who you were. I sure don't have that problem now and I have yet to pay a late fee.
Yes I would say putting the library in my living room is one of the great achievements of man. Just imagine if Abraham Lincoln had had access to all this. It is still true that you have to use the thing for what it was intended. It was a tool to share information. Man has found a myriad of ways to abuse it. It is even harmful at times. The internet is a wonderful thing. It is still the mind of man however that is the greatest tool. We can now gather information so much faster than in the past. The other thing is we must be moved to action. Just sitting and reading about things is not enough. Every once in a while we must leave the library. There are other things to do. You can just look it up.   

How I see it

I have been accused ,on more than one occasion, of being a revisionist. I plead guilty. In my defense can any one of us say we have not made revisions to our stories ? We all like to change things, or enhance them just a bit, it is human nature. History, even our own, is subject to interpretation. The reasons we did or did not do certain things known only to ourselves. It is sometimes embarrassing to tell just what you were thinking when you made a bonehead mistake. And then if I explained it, down to the last detail, in fifty years another wouldn't understand it exactly and start revising the story. There are things I did fifty years ago that I can't explain to myself ! Therefore I submit to you that all history is revisionist. Unless you personally created that bit of history, by your own actions, whatever you tell of it will have been revised by your own observation. Your personal prejudices will influence the way you perceive it. The proof of that can be found in a childhood game. Remember playing " post office ? " What the first player whispered to the second became history the moment it was spoken. If you had three or more playing the history was changed, or revised almost every time. We can know the basic fact of an action but not know what caused that action. It is that way with almost everything in history. Well at least those things that man has done. We know Kennedy was shot but by who and why ? Those answers certainly have been revised a few times. It has been fifty one years. Whatever story you choose to believe in that scenario could be viewed as revisionist history. How many years were we taught that Columbus discovered America ? Now we believe it was the Vikings, or was it really the natives from Europe crossing an ice bridge into the new world ? Which revision would you like to embrace ? Cases can be made for all three scenarios. Now Pluto isn't a planet, another revision.
When it comes to my personal history I make revisions by omission. That is to say by the things I choose not to share. When I was much younger I would enhance the stories just a bit. Always I came out on top of the situation. Even when it may appear to you that I failed, I did not, it was part of the plan. I could run faster,jump higher and score better on tests. The girls all loved me and the guys were just jealous. Now I just don't talk about that stuff. It becomes fairly apparent, fairly quickly when one chooses to, shall we say, embellish our past achievements or indeed make claim to things we have never achieved. No one wants to tell of their shortcomings. Well there is one exception that comes to mind, ex anythings ! An ex smoker has smoked more cigarettes than anyone else ever did, and he quit. Alcoholics the same way. Drug addicts. Anything that someone used to do, but now no longer does, and wants to point out to you how you should not be doing that either ! Oh, I need to revise that as well. If someone wants to be kind to you they will say they have also done whatever idiotic thing it is you have just done.
Revisionist is one of those catchwords that some like to use. I think it should be called perceptive analysis. Or for layman, that's the way I see it.

St. Patrick

Growing up St. Patricks day wasn't a big deal around my house. Oh, we had leprechauns and all that and spoke with a brogue, the top'o' the mornin' to ya. The big parade was down to Montauk and that was a good distance from us. A good fifteen to twenty miles. I don't know why the parade was there I guess that is where the Irish lived. We weren't taught much about it either. All we knew,as kids, was that it involved corned beef and cabbage and drinking a lot of beer. We all knew that is what the Irish did, drink and fight. In fact those Irishmen fought each other just for the fun of it ! When somebody died what did the Irish do ? They had a party and drank some more. Seemed a little strange because almost every Irishman was a cop. That is what they did when they came to America, probably because they were used to violent people. And they were such a happy go lucky people too. Always laughing and having a good time. Most of them were named Mick for some reason. They didn't like it if you called them by that name though. I remember being told, he's a Mick, and that explained a lot of things.
There are those today that will tell you how we were being taught stereotypes. I can't argue with that as we certainly were. Of course, to be fair, the same was being taught about us. Whoever us is ! Now I knew a lady named Nora. A fine big Irish lady with a huge laugh and incessantly talking. My mother told me Nora had come over directly from Ireland. I asked Mom if all the Irish talked as much as that lady. Mom says, only the one that have kissed the blarney stone. The next time I saw Miss Nora, in typical kid fashion, I asked her. Miss Nora have you ever kissed the blarney stone ? Without hesitation she answered me, yes sir, twice ! Well, that explained that alright. My next door neighbor was an Irishman or at least I think he was. Dad called him Patty the mad hatter. A big robust fella, rather loud and outspoken, he had been a hat maker at one point in his life. He didn't sound like an Irishman though. No telling about a persons heritage though.
At some point I was told that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland with his shillelagh. Geez, even the saints in Ireland are violent fellows. That shillelagh sure looked like a club to me. Well, we know about snakes from the Bible so it is no wonder that Saint drove them out. Funny though how the Irish seem to sin a lot anyway, what with their drinking and fighting. And now we have a big parade in honor of this Saint. A whole lot of beer drinking,cabbage eating and wearing green clothes. We spend the whole day acting in a way that should be offensive, at least in today's political correctness, to those of Irish heritage yet the opposite is true. It is practically a national holiday here in America. It really is in Ireland. It does strike me odd how some many " atheists " and others possibly lacking in religious belief so readily join in the celebration. Doesn't seem to " offend " them as much as saying I believe in Jesus or saying a prayer in school. Just my observation. Of course it could be argued that not much Christian behavior is being displayed either. Then again the Irish can't seem to settle their differences among themselves on the matter of religious belief. The protestants and the catholics have their differences, or so I hear. I haven't studied that issue at all so withhold all comment in that regard.
Well no matter. Enjoy the holiday for whatever reason you choose. All in all I think the Irish have a fine reputation for being a friendly people. Ireland is one country I have never visited but would do so given the chance. The emerald isle they call it and a fine soundin' name it tis. I wonder just how much of the Ireland of hollywood and tales from the old country are true. I would enjoy a pint in a real Irish pub in the countryside. It would be fun to just listen to the conversation.

Memories of Home

Looking back it is amazing to me how small a world I grew up in. That portion that I spent 80% of my time in was probably within a four mile circle of my home. That three bedroom, 21/2 bath two story home on an unpaved lane in the woods was the center of it all. From there I ventured forth into the world. From the bay to the ocean was about the extent of it. Living on long Island, our movements were mostly linear, from the west to the east. West was New York City. Just about a hundred miles west that is, and may as well been a thousand. Heading east a distance of about twenty miles was Montauk point, with its' lighthouse. Wasn't much else in Montauk back in my time there. Oh there were hotels for the wealthy people to come and do whatever wealthy people do. There was a fishing fleet. The Viking Star or something like that. That was for people from New York city that wanted to go fishing. They were rich but I guess they didn't have a boat, probably couldn't keep one in the City. They didn't know how to fish either, I was told the mate on the boat had to put the bait on the hook for them. My oldest brother was mate for a while but I never did that.
If I did go west,toward New York city, it was always for a specific reason. That wasn't a direction you just went on a whim. No, I went there to go shopping or to some entertainment event. I went " up island " as we called it to see a rock and roll band, Steppenwolf. First real concert I went too and it was up island alright. Halfway to New York city ! It was a little frightening and intimidating but the lure was great. I made an occasional trip to the city to go Yankee ball games but not until I was sixteen or so. That was a great adventure and one not taken lightly. I knew to put my wallet in my front pants pocket, fools the pickpockets you know, and to put at least a dollar in your shoe just in case those pickpockets got your wallet anyway. If needed you could always call home. Other than going to the ballpark and a quick shopping trip, to say get school clothes, I didn't go up island. To tell you the truth I didn't like it much. Always seemed crowded, noisy and filled with strangers. It was far better to stay around home, at least the faces were familiar.
There was plenty of variety around those parts. I lived down to Three Mile harbor. That is its own little community, I suppose neighborhood is a more accurate description but it is a large neighborhood. The houses are not arranged in neat rows on streets, that was uptown, were those "upstreeters" lived. I could go down to Amagansett, seemed like a different world altogether. I only knew a few from Amagansett, them people were different, let me tell you. Springs was another place. Had an Uncle that lived in Springs, my aunt still does. Good folks down to springs. Knew a girl down to Montauk but the distance between us was too great, near to twelve miles. Long distance relationships is hard.
Yes, that about covered it. All within a few miles of each other. I knew people that had spent their whole lives right there. Many of the men I knew, my Dads friends, had been in the war and so had gone places. None I knew wanted to go back or go anywhere else than where they were. Most of those folks died there. I left when I joined the Navy. Since then I have lived all over the country. That little circle on Long Island will always be home though. I suspect it is that way for most everyone. The place you grew up in holds those memories. I was listening to an old Merle Haggard song yesterday and this line stuck in my head ; " I guess everything does change except what you choose to recall. " So much truth in so few words. The old hometown has changed but it is what I choose to recall. Those memories are a comfort in troubling times and a joy to remember in good. It truly is a small world, the world inside our minds. No matter how far we travel, no matter where we may live, we always go home. An old gospel song sums it up nicely, Will the Circle be Unbroken, and the answer is, No, it will not. 

Be Patient

I think the hardest thing for us humans to learn is patience. We tend to want things now and see tangible results right away. Probably why I enjoyed my job as a furniture upholsterer as much as I did. Put that new material on there and the results are immediate. In a few hours it goes from a muslin covered plain looking lump, to a thing of beauty. Instant gratification. I get almost the safe result from painting a room, except it is a bit more tedious and involves more preparation and cleanup. It is not just with material things that we humans find ourselves impatient. When others disagree with our thoughts or statements we can all get a little testy. Follow a thread on social media and you will often see the truth in that. The conversation may start out cordial enough but usually disintegrates after a while.
I can only speak for myself but I find patience is something I lack. It is a quality I need to improve. I need to learn to just chill out and let things develop naturally. Trying to rush things never helps. I am always saying, " quality work takes time " in a seemingly joking way, but there is much truth in that. My Dad always said, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right. Or, if you are not going to do it right, don't do it at all. That second statement really meant, you are going to do it and it will be done right ! It was a sort of parental code, like when Mom called you by your first and middle name, that didn't bode well for what was going to follow.
Even when I write these blogs of mine I seldom take the time to verify my facts. Sometimes that does lead to a problem. Generalizations almost always do that. My thinking is if I spent all the time necessary to do proper research I would never get the story written. I'm always in a hurry to get to the point. I have been known to get there so fast, even I miss it.
As our technology increases, it seems like our patience proportionately decreases. How many times do we hear ourselves say, stupid computer, so slow to load. Even with " dial up " it is still way faster than going to the library. Remember trying to look things up in the encyclopedia ? Now that took patience. Waiting for an answer to a letter. Faster and faster we go. We are getting impatient for more speed !
It has always been so I think. I suspect the cave man was impatient, come on let's get going. That was the reason he invented the wheel. Can go faster that way. The thing is though the best things in life do take time. Like being a grandparent, doesn't happen overnight. Getting the maturity and appreciation to be a grandparent doesn't happen overnight either ! Takes patience to develop those skills. Then when you get there you have to have the patience to wait for others to catch up. It is always the others that are behind, isn't it ? Seems I'm always waiting on someone else. Funny how it doesn't seem like I went too fast. Well. I'm working on that, have a little patience, will ya ? Guess that is also why when we go to the doctors we are called Patients. We will be waiting.

Out There

I have had a taste of spring and I want more. The warm breezes and sunshine acting like a drug awakening me from hibernation. I want to be outside. I have not wanted to spend any amount of time "out there" in months. It has been a place I have had to pass through to get somewhere else, inside ! Yes, I did venture forth with the first snowfall to take a few pictures. Yes, I went " out there " once to play with the grandkids. I went "out there" when I had too. Now, I wanna go "out there." I'm hooked and I want more.
I am already making plans for what I am going to do, "out there." There is grass to cut and flowers to plant. Lots to do. I'm thinking of outdoor projects. Maybe build a grape arbor or a fire pit. Maybe some modifications to the deck. Barbecue figures into the plan. My mind is fairly racing with ideas. I'm anxious to get going. Come on spring I'm waiting on you. Even time itself is anxious, the clock has jumped forward. Daylights burning.
For two days I felt the promise of spring. I saw the robins that came out of hiding. The crocus poking out of the ground. The air had a different feel to it. Even the people I met had a new attitude. The grumpiness of the winter doldrums burned away in the sunshine. Spirits were soaring. Now we have had a slight setback as that old polar vortex tries to return. I don't mind, it will not last long now. The trees will bud very soon and then spring will really be bustin' out all over ! I'm watching the cherry trees, they are the first indicator for me. I have seen the shoots of spring onions as well. Yes it will not be long before the sounds of mowers and blowers will fill the air. Bring it on.
When the spring finally gets here I plan on doing a little exploring. I'm grabbing the camera and taking long walks, " out there. " I think there are exciting things to see " out there. " I have been ducking in and out and hurrying through there for too long. I am finding out just what is " out there. " I am walking the back alleys and side streets. No telling what I may discover " out there. " Then after my exploration is complete I'll lie in the hammock " out there " and watch the sky for a while. Cloud watching is good for the soul. Of course it must be moderated, that is why I close my eyes, I'm not sleeping just moderating. All things in moderation my friend, perhaps that is what I should start with. All that grass cutting, projects and exploring might be too much right away. I'm thinking it may be best if I start out in moderation. String the hammock and watch the clouds for a bit, then just moderate. Yup. think that is I will do " out there. "

Take a look

I may have mentioned this subject before but it has been brought to the forefront again, all day pre-K. The governor of Maryland is pushing for this. The experts are testifying. The big issue, to them, is the funds to accomplish this. Oh, they talk about how the children will benefit from an expanded vocabulary, a big increase between those that go to pre-K and those that do not, hundreds of words. It all sounds like a rosy picture. Let's get those kids educated ! My concern is when are the children going to see their parents or siblings ? When do the children get to be children ? Are we now going to raise our children industrially ? A sort of child rearing factory. When they reach the age of four we send them off to be with strangers all day and become programmed to the classroom environment. A constant barrage of competitiveness. And despite what any experts may say to the contrary, that is just what it is. The children are quite aware they are being judged and graded. The pressure to succeed begins early. I am certainly no expert in childhood development but I know a thing or two about kids.
A hot topic right now is bullying. Wonder why that is ? There were bullies when I was a kid too. Why is it so much worse today ? I don't think the bullies are any worse, just the reaction to them. Why ? Could it be that the kids are not being allowed to have enough social interaction, without adult intervention, to know how to deal with it ? Maybe there isn't enough time spent just letting kids be kids instead of attempting to " educate " them all the time. Children need time to learn how to get along with other kids on their own terms. Just learning to follow the rules is not sufficient. If for every difficulty they encounter they just run to the " authorities " what does that teach them ? How can we expect them to learn any coping skills that way ? Ever notice the number of lawsuits being filed today ? Isn't that the same thing we are teaching our children ? Don't deal with the issue in a reasonable or logical way, just call the authorities. Looks the same to me. The I'm right because I have a lawyer that says so attitude. We will set aside common sense, compassion or respect for others and go straight to the law.
I'm thinking in our haste to do the best we can for our children we are doing harm. We are rushing them forward. Contrary to what some may think I believe the children of today are no smarter than the children of yesterday. Think about Abraham Lincoln or other historical figures. Were they as children any different from the children of today ? I doubt it, kids are pretty much kids. Yes some are " smarter " than others. Intellect is an inherent thing. Learning how to socially interact with others is not. Behaviors are taught. It just appears to me that the children of today spend way too much time being supervised in some fashion or another. School and organized activities always with adult supervision. When they are not doing that and are left on their own what entertainment venues are there ? Violent video games, social media and the internet. All those things were not readily available years ago. I don't blame those things for the behaviors, the kids are still responsible for the bad choices they make, but if the children were given more time for development maybe they wouldn't choose those. I view those things as more of a protest than entertainment. I'm doing things contrary to the authority ! Like I said, kids don't change much. My generation grew our hair long and listened to rock and roll. If we had been forced into pre-K at the age of four no telling how we would have protested against the " man. "
Isn't it ironic that the families of today are generally smaller but spend less time together. We have fewer children and spend less time with those children. More children are staying in their parental homes now, but the interaction is less. Children feeling more entitled than ever before. The elders are being shipped off to retirement homes and the children go to school. The rest of us are trying to earn a living. We chase after the almighty dollar so we can do what ? Buy more stuff and pay for our children to be away from us in those schools and after school activities. Pay to put our parents in retirement homes ?  I think we should just rethink this whole thing. Society is a reflection of the family. I don't like what I'm seeing.

Escaping the Vortex

Today the weather prognosticators say the mercury will reach seventy degrees. Doesn't that sound wonderful ? Time to get outside for a fast charge. A little disturbance is supposed to happen during the night and drop the temps back down, might even see snow. That's alright I have seen the first green shoots of the crocus. They have appeared next to the steps by the church. It seems fitting that they do so. Can the yellow tops be far behind ?
Yes, the grass will be greening and the rakes come out of the shed. The hammock has been folded all the long winter and is anxious to be stretched out. I'm volunteering right now to do that job and test it for security. A test of several hours, with cool beverages, is in order. Safety first ! The beds of the gardens need to be made. Old friends will arrive in them soon and perhaps a few new ones will be added. An early spring trimming of the bushes and general sprucing up. The sound of power washers will fill the air also, as the houses get washed. That is a fairly new thing, I don't remember anyone washing their houses when I was young. Well the only ones that did had wheels on them. Of course the majority of the homes back in my younger days had either cedar shingles or those asbestos ones. Seldom did anything green grow on those.
But I am rushing ahead. The mention of seventy degree temperature for today has sent me off on a flight of summer dreams. Barbecues and sitting on the deck. The windows open and listening to the sounds of the night. The smell of fresh cut grass. Ah, fresh air and sunshine. Is that the clink of ice cubes in a a tall glass of sun brewed ice tea I hear ?
Well now it is time to go to work. I'll be anxious to get outside this afternoon and enjoy this brief burst of spring. Light at the end of this winter tunnel. Coming out of the polar vortex ! I wonder what name the weather man will come up with for the heat of summer. Global warming is so yesterday. I remember vaguely someone singing " we're having a heatwave,a tropical heatwave " either on the radio or in some musical. I'm ready.

St. Patrick

Next Monday is St. Patricks day. Wow, that came as a surprise this morning. Another time warp has taken place. March will he half over before it ever gets started ! The weather man says warm weather is coming this week too. I'm ready for that. St. Patricks day no longer holds the allure it once did for me. The days of the wearing of the green and drinking green beer are over for me. I'll leave the imbibing of that beverage to the Irish and the Irish at heart.
St Patricks day is a bit of an enigma. I know he was a real Saint and the Patron saint of Ireland. He is reputed to have brought Christianity to Ireland. The church suspends the lenten requirement of fasting on that day. The drinking of alcohol is also allowed. It would seem, at least in modern times, that the Christians take full advantage of the loosening of those restrictions. In the political correctness of today's world it could be taken as a a bit of a slur to the Irish. All the stereotypical behaviors. Eating potatoes, corn beef and cabbage and excessive drinking. Wearing green clothing and wishin' everyone the top o' the mornin' and all that.
It could also face opposition from some quarters. Parades honoring a Saint. In America where religious freedom is treasured but not allowed to be displayed in public ! Should this tradition continue in this age of enlightenment ? Seems a bit hypocritical. But it is not because it involves drinking beer and having a good time, the true purpose and meaning having little bearing on the actual observation of the day. The day observes the day of this Saint's death. What a wake. We all know the Irish, that is what they do when someone passes, they party right ?
I have also heard that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland with his shillelagh. The animal rights people should be upset with him. Those snakes have a right to their home too. The truth of the matter is Ireland never did have any snakes. There are other countries where snakes don't live either. Some snakes have been brought to Ireland as pets and exhibits in zoos but that is all. So St. Patrick is being unjustly accused of  being cruel to snakes. Well after drinking all that green beer and Irish whiskey it is no wonder they couldn't get the story straight. The Irish sure are a lovable bunch though, full of wit and humor. A little quick to want to go to fighting, but laughing while they do.
St. Patricks day has always been a sign of spring for me. It is the first parade after the Christmas parade. Sometimes it is cold and others quite nice. A welcome change from the festivities of winter. The Irish have done a lot for this their adopted homeland. They are a hardy people and enjoy life to the fullest. I tip my derby to them. On St. Patricks day everyone wants to be Irish. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I'll be sharin' some of that Irish wit and humor and a reverence for the almighty. The Irish are known for that, the rest of it is just for celebratin".

Pay the price

I listen to people complain about what they don't have. I hear people complain about what they do have. I hear about entitlements and my rights. I hear about what I should have, and want I have to have. Then I hear about raising the minimum wage and how things cost too much. All of these things make me think of a saying my father often used, having a Champagne taste and a beer pocketbook.

I'm thinking the majority of Americans are getting that way. More of us feeling deprived in some fashion when we don't have everything our neighbor has. More and more of us feeling that those that have less, are less, in some way. No more do you see poor but proud, now it is poor but defiant. Poor and angry in some cases. Humility does seem to be a dirty word these days. What does it mean to be humble, to display humility ? It doesn't mean being someone's doormat or being inferior in some way. That seems to be the idea people get, but it is not so. Humility is showing modesty or being respectful towards others. We need a little more humility in this country in my opinion.

So where does this Champagne taste come from ? Is it from the advertisers of products that create this desire ? The constant barrage of " you need this or that ? " All these products that guarantee your " quality of life. " Could it stem from a move toward materialism and away from the spiritual ? I really don't like he word materialism, it sounds pretentious to me, but is an apt description. It expresses that thought that you need a lot of material things to be happy. Those things beyond the basic necessities of life. Being material implies that need to acquire stuff. The problem comes in when deciding how much stuff is enough ? For some they never reach that point. I'm not talking about hoarders, I am talking about normal everyday people. How much to do you need to satisfy yourself ? How much do you need to satisfy others ? That second question leads us to the crux of this Champagne taste and beer pocketbook mentality. It also speaks to the maturity of the individual.

I think what Dad was trying to tell me with his use of that phrase was that sometimes enough is enough. He was saying that you don't need everything that you see. He was saying it is alright to be satisfied with what you have, even if someone else seems to have better. That thought and attitude was shown to me in other ways as well. When I wanted a car I got a used one. I made repairs to it, paid the insurance on it and it was mine. I appreciated that car and took care of it. I knew some that had brand new cars that their parents had paid for or financed in some way. They didn't seem to have the same appreciation for that car. Maybe I am wrong about that but it is what I saw. Oh, I had that Champagne taste, but alas I had a beer pocketbook. I didn't think so at the time, but looking back the beer tasted really good. I once purchased a brand new car. The taste went flat after the first six payments. I haven't ordered Champagne since. Live and learn. 

Everything is based on supply and demand. The more we demand the harder it is to supply that demand. That is why the cost keeps rising. If we were to lower our demands the supply would be larger and easier to fill. It is a simple concept. When are demands are met we feel content. When we are content we are happy. This drive, this desire for the Champagne is causing a lot of unrest. Those with less feeling they should get more, and those with more feeling they are superior. And because they have more, have a larger pocketbook, the taste is fading and they are demanding more. Like any addict they can't get enough. And like all addicts the cure must come from within. And within, lies the spiritual. What is the desire of the spiritual person ? I think for most it would have to be peace and happiness. Are those attainable ? Yes, of course they are. The human spirit is capable of achieving anything. Can you measure it ? No you can not. And that may be the problem for some of us. We need to measure it and prove it. I have more money, more success, more friends, or more whatever. I am smarter, I can prove it by taking a test. I can run faster, jump higher. But I can not prove my contentment to you. I may have less material things, so therefore I am less. Occasionally those with " less " catch the attention of those that have. Then that person is considered "exceptional " and given recognition. The poor, unfortunate soul that somehow, remarkably " proved " themselves. But should that be surprising to us ? I don't think so. Is not each of us capable of the same ?

If I have a champagne taste and a beer pocketbook it also implies that I have to somehow settle for less. The implication being, champagne is better than beer. But isn't that a subjective thing ? Can you prove it ? Not by me you can't. So, for me anyway the true meaning of that phrase is, devout more time to enjoying the things you have, rather than yearning for the things you do not. Peace and happiness cannot be measured except by our own standard. That standard is set within your mind. When you can reconcile your mind with your soul, you will have achieved peace and happiness. It doesn't take much in the way of material things to accomplish that, the growth required however does come at a price. And sometimes the price to be paid is in humility. You must be willing, even eager, to pay that price. 

 

Getting ready for Spring

Lent has started. Did you give anything up ? I have given up eating any form of potato chips. It is a symbolic gesture. Lent is a time of fasting and sacrifice. I, along with the wife and the Grandchildren, make this a game. Let's see who can go the longest. Last year everybody won. In the bigger picture I think this can be a learning tool. Teach them about will power. Also teach them about making a promise and then keeping that promise. After all, you don't want to break a promise you make to God. Seems a lot worse than just breaking a promise to Grandpa. Of course with Grandpa you are going to hear about it a lot sooner, so there is always that.
The little kids are waiting for the arrival of the Easter Bunny. When I was small we were told giving something up for lent was part of that. If you gave something up in the end you would be rewarded. At first we were rewarded with those Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies. When I got older I came to understand that the giving up, the sacrifice, was the important part in all of this. Yes it is related to a religious practice but isn't it also a life skill ? A skill more children should be taught today, in my opinion. You can make changes in your life and get positive results. Giving something up is not a bad thing. I also learned that you didn't need a team of counselors or a program to accomplish that. All that is necessary is willpower and the belief that you can do it. The strength is inside you. That Strength does need to be exercised just like anything else.
It is also during this period of Lent that traditional spring cleaning takes place. I confess to not holding to that tradition as much as in the old days. That tradition was more prevalent in my Grandmothers time. But you do have to remember things were quite a bit different. My Grandmother was old fashioned, even in her time. That is to say she didn't have all the modern appliances and conveniences. For instance, she didn't own a vacuum cleaner. She would have called it a Hoover. In the spring she would take her rugs outside, hang them over the clothesline or a piece of fence, and beat them clean. Oh the dust would fly ! In the house the windows were thrown open and things dusted and cleaned from the long winter. She had a wood stove and the dust was built up from that. The house smelled like winter, warm and dry. Once the windows were open and things aired out, it was like a new place. Spring, a renewal.
All these things are just a part of a cycle. The natural order of life. It is a comfort. I'll be looking forward to Easter. Following Easter I can once again have potato chips, if I so choose. Having already proven to myself that I can go without, the option is mine. I am in control. Where that strength comes from I will leave to the reader to decide. I will tell you it is inside us all. All you need to do is accept it and exercise it. The manner in which you choose to do so is your choice. Me, I'm giving up Potato chips. At least for forty days I am.

Another Loss

I posted this on a webpage dedicated to my old friends and classmates. A little subgroup on Facebook but thought I would share it here for those that may not belong to that group.
I had taken my granddaughter, who is eleven, to the post office with me. Her Mom sells Thirty One products and so does mailings. We had a couple packages and some cards to post. I purchased the stamps and had Morgan affix them while I dealt with the packages. I said to Morgan, " do you know what it means if you put the stamp on upside down ? " She just gave me that look, like little girls do, and said nothing. I told her you would do that to say " I love You " if you were sending it to your boyfriend. That drew the response of " eww " and a scrunched up expression. I guess the boys of today won't be getting any of those letters. I wonder if any of those letters would be SWAK. Sealed with a Kiss that is, remember writing that across the back ? Maybe a kiss, in red lipstick, would be on the letter along with some perfume.
I was thinking about this when I was chatting with another retired Navy man. We were telling a younger guy how important the mailman on the ship was. There were certain people on the ship that you gave special favors too, the cook and the mailman. Well, not really the cook but a fella called " jack of the dust. " Jack of the dust was the guy that held the keys to the ships storerooms, especially those having the food supplies. It was real good  to be friends with him. And the mailman, well that is obvious. This was in the days before cell phones,e-mail, text messaging or any of that stuff. You got letters from home and that was it. Oh, you would hit a port every now and again but making a long distance call to home was very expensive. Also difficult if you didn't speak the language. It could be done but it was quite a hassle. But that has all changed now and I wonder if letters are even sent anymore. I guess you just get texts and a selfie these days. Well, I think the younger crowd is missing out if they do not get letters from home, especially those scented letters that were swak.
I know I read and reread those letters. I don't think reading a text message over and over would have the same effect. Once I even got a scented lock of hair. Now that was love for sure ! Wonder what ever happened to her ? LOL  They say anticipation can be better than the actual event. I, along with hundreds of others aboard those ships, waited for the mail. We all knew what day it was supposed to arrive. After it came on board it had to go to the post office to be sorted. The mailman was under pressure to " just hurry up " will ya ! This was the time to cash in on those favors you did for him. Your letters just might get out first. It was an exciting time when the mail came. It was also a big disappointment if you didn't get anything. Then you were isolated for a short time as everyone else read their letters. Helped to have a few old ones to reread during that time.
I think this is just another little thing that is slipping into the past. Everything has to be faster now. It has always been that way. First man walked, then he learned to run. We have continued to speed up to where we are today. Now we routinely drive seventy miles an hour while sending an instant message. Wasn't all that long ago when we rode a horse at 5 miles an hour delivering letters that took weeks to arrive. It is progress. But it does come at a price. Like riding in a car at seventy miles an hour, you don't see much of the scenery. Not much time for anticipation. We are missing some things. No one knows the exact origin of the phrase, " stop and smell the roses " but we all know what it means. We all need to do just that every now and again. A nice letter gives us that opportunity. Especially if you are young and in love. Stop and smell the mail. Don't think there is an " app " for that. YET.

Making Sense of the Sixties

I was born in 53 but would say I grew up in the sixties. There were some leftover beatniks from the fifties hanging around but the hippies were gaining ground. A few greasers too, with their hot rods. Those Beatles from merry old England showed up with their long hair singing yay,yay, yay. The race to enlightenment had begun. Before the end of that decade a lot of social change would happen. In some ways we are still trying to catch up with them today.
Keep in mind these are only my observations and thoughts. They may or may not be accurate. I was thinking about the music and the bands. It seems to me once they got a drum set, a bass guitar and a lead/rhythm things started going wild. Now those Beatles started out alright, except for that long hair. wearing a suit and tie. We all know what happened in the end, tie dyed tee shirts and hanging out with the Dalai Lama.  Yellow submarines and abbey road. More Brits followed and more rock and roll. Eventually we wound up with KISS. It was a wild ride for sure. In the sixties we were encouraged to tune in and drop out man ! We started smoking funny things,as Kid Rock says, and expanding our mind.
Some became involved in revolution. Again those Beatles were singing about that. Communes developed and the concept of " free love. " Everything was groovy. Mustang Sally was riding the highways and Hanoi Jane was a hollerin". Vietnam was raging' and those dying were being vilified by the hippies. The National Guard fired on some protesting students at Kent State University. On Broadway the musical Jesus Christ Superstar was creating quite a stir.
I lived in New York state then. On the eastern end of Long Island in East Hampton. That was before it was called the Hamptons. We had the " city folks " there alright but they left after Labor day and wouldn't be back until Memorial day. We had all the little Mom and Pop stores on main street. I would say East Hampton was a lot like Mayberry during the " off season. " I could ride my bicycle anywhere and leave it sitting. No one is going to steal it because that is Bens' bike. The drinking age for beer and liquor was 18 and condoms were behind the counter. You could snag am occasional Playboy if you had connections. Our " sex education " was a film in the gym, at night, with your father having to bring you. The girls went on a different night ! I remember there were " drawings " showing various parts. And that was the last you heard about that in school !
Now I was not part of the progressive crowd. I pretty much clung to the old ways, except in music. I did listen to the music on the radio. Truth is we didn't have much choice. I mean you could listen to Mom and Dads station but that wasn't too cool. I listened to Dads' station though when I spent time with him. Speaking of which, Quality time to him meant getting some work done ! It does have a different meaning today. I was not allowed to grow my hair long and dress like one of those dirty hippies. No sir, you ain't going out of my house looking like that.
The sixties were a time of change. I know that can be said for each decade and a case could be made to support that. Living in the sixties it just felt natural. It was just the way it was. Now looking back forty or fifty years it takes on a different look altogether. It is comfortable, that much is sure, but memory has a way of polishing things. Tends to make them shine ! Everything happens for a reason I suppose and when I think of the sixties and growing up back then I am contemplative. Making sense of the sixties. It just might take a lifetime to understand.

Moral Defense ?

The Maryland State legislature passed what has been called the " Revenge Porn " bill by unanimous decision. The vote was 130 to 0. It is an amazing thing to see all those politicians agree on a single topic. Now, don't misunderstand me, it is a good thing and a bill that needed to be passed. No one should have the right to post any such material and cause so much pain and embarrassment to another. They should be held accountable for such a mean spirited, and dare I say, immoral act of conscience. In an offhand sort of way this bill defends the right to practice , what I consider immoral, or at the very least exercise a horrible lack of judgement, by allowing such photographs to be taken in the first place. But, that is just my take on it. I do wonder about the reasoning that taking those picture with your significant other is alright, but sharing them is porn. Is it art when done in private and porn when shared publicly ? I just don't see the distinction. What is wrong is the taking of the pictures in the first place. Questionable moral practice in my opinion. Falls into the same category as, " if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." That way it won't get repeated, know what I mean ? But then we already had laws for lies, slander and character assassination. Now we have this law covering this portion of moral judgement. Interesting, and sadly necessary. If only those lawmakers could come to agreement on more things. This one was a no brainer for any politician. There was no spin that could be applied to legitimize a nay vote.
I have, on occasion , been labeled as idealistic in my views. Some say self righteous even. I wouldn't agree with that but that is to be expected, is it not ? The answer to all this would seem to be an easy one. Don't allow pictures and videos to be taken of your most intimate moments. Problem solved. The same tired old argument, I expect, would be used to obtain those photographs. If you love me and I promise. Right ! But now we have a law to guarantee your right to privacy, so don't worry. No one will ever figure out a way to post those pictures and videos in violation of the law ! You're safe. Well you are safe from a complete idiot anyway, and if he/she is an ex that is probably what they were anyway. LOL Just kidding about that last statement but revenge can lead to some pretty erratic behavior and poor choices.
  

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. Ash wednesday. It is 46 days before Easter. Not all Christians observe it however. When I was growing up we were told we had to give something up for Lent. I don't remember being told the reason for that. Us kids made a game out of it. We would give up soda or candy, very specific though ( no coke ) whatever was perceived to be our favorite to make it harder. It usually lasted a few days before one of us slipped and then all bets were off. Funny how in reality we were betting on a religious observance. Little heathens that we were !
I recall going to school and seeing the Catholic kids with those ashes on their forehead. I didn't know anything about that custom. I wondered why some of the kids and adults/teachers too, had dirt on their forehead. I did find out that it was supposed to the sign of the cross. Mostly it looked like a smudge of soot to me. I haven't noticed that many people following that tradition in recent years. I wonder if it has diminished in practice or if I just aren't paying close enough attention ? I'll be looking come Wednesday while I am at work.
Will you be giving up anything for Lent ? I will not. As a child we did that because we were told we were supposed too. In an offhand way we figured we had to do that or God would be mad at us. Didn't want to risk that. Strange how after a few days we always figured that was enough. Forty six days seemed a bit excessive. After Ash Wednesday it is only 40 days to Palm Sunday. That is spring and I'm anxious to get there this year.
When I was a young boy, living at home, the Christian calendar was as important as the Gregorian. The passing of the seasons marked by significant events like Ash Wednesday,Easter and of course Christmas. It did add to the flow of things. Some of these events seem to be becoming less celebrated by the public in general. Shrove Tuesday known now more for Mardi Gras than anything else. Ash Wednesday doesn't appear as an important event anymore, at least in my observation.
I'll be asking the Grandchildren what they are giving up for Lent. I know they will participate. Each will choose something and the game begins. The results will be the same as when I was a kid and the cycle continues. Life goes on  and keeps on turning.

Moral Necessity

Here is a little something to give thought to. In light of recent discussions I have been having, I have given further thought and consideration to the question of mans moral values. I think we will agree that there are certain moral values that all men share. I will explain , so as not to confuse anyone when I say man I mean all of mankind inclusive, regardless of gender,national origin, or religious affiliation or lack of affiliation. To put it succinctly everybody. Now having established that definition of man I will continue.
The central question here is just where does that basic moral value system come from ? Are we just born with it ? Or are we taught those values ? An examination of mans behaviors over the centuries and all the different cultures that have developed would suggest that they are not taught, but innate to mans character. It makes no difference if you are a Christian,Buddhist, Shinto,Jew,Muslim or Jehovahs witness or any other religion you can name, it makes no difference if you do not believe in the existence of God or any other deity. All share a common value, say, what is mine is mine and you have no right to take it. Another may be you have no right to kill me. I will defend that right ( to live ) vigorously. All of man would agree to those. Why ? Where does that stem from ? Certainly not from any man made laws. A quick look at man made law would disprove that theory rather quickly. So, if it doesn't come from man where does it come from ? Has to be something else ? Can't be from advanced education, even the cave man held those truths.
Those values are universal. All encompassing. They are the truth. What is the origin of truth ? Therein lies the question for the ages. The one question man has always sought the answer too. Man has worshipped and prayed to, made sacrifices and implored and pleaded to Gods,demons,idols,shamans or whatever to try to explain it. We have worshipped the ground and the sky. Man has always felt the need, the NECESSITY, to appease or satisfy or please whatever deity he has imagined. In more recent centuries there are those that choose to defy those innate feelings under the guise of knowledge. They are fools. The basic moral values, those natural laws of all mankind can not be repudiated. They exist. They exist without having to have a shred of evidence. And so existing they had to have been created. Created by whom ? The mind of man is incapable of understanding the infinite. Even Einstein had no explanation for that. In fact he said, " Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity. " Einstein  showed no proof for the infinite nature of the universe yet he clearly believed it to be so. He also realized just how little man does know of the nature of the universe and its' creation. Einstein himself never reconciled with the idea that you can get something from nothing.
Many books and papers have been written on this subject of natural law. All are an attempt to define those laws and spell them out for man to read. Choose whatever book you prefer but none have the answer. The answer lies in our soul. And the soul exists, but where is the proof you ask ? In the conscience of man is my reply. I know what is right and wrong without being told, everything else is just mans law which is imperfect. That is why it keeps being written and rewritten, modified,codified,adjudicated and contemplated. The natural laws, those that require no proofs are absolute. Could it just be that the creator knew what he was doing ? Smarter than man ? Now there is a radical thought. You may name your Creator, you have been granted that right by that very creator, but it would not be wise to deny his existence if for no other reason than it makes you look like a fool.

fool: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com

www.answers.com › Library › Literature & Language › Dictionary

fool n. One who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding. One who acts unwisely on a given occasion:

And that is what I have to say about that.