07-09-09

Well, I finally decided to replace my PC. It is 10 years old and was last upgraded in 2005. The new one is the fastest one available now (big smile J). I have no doubt it will be dislodged from that lofty perch within a few months. I could give you a list of all the bells & whistles, but I will spare you the gristly details. Isn’t it odd, how what makes one person giddy with glee bores someone else to tears. I just got tired of getting up in the morning and having the darn thing take 10-12 minutes to boot up. I suspect it was because of all the things I have it doing during that time, but I’m hoping the new one can process all that stuff much faster. I want to boot-up in 2-3 minutes. Jerilyn asked me how much it cost and when I told her I expected to see a shocked look on her face. Much to my surprise it didn’t seem to give her heartburn. I think it’s because she knows how important this is to me. Isn’t it odd when something others hate can make someone else so happy?

I was thinking the other day about “best friends” and I wondered how many best friends can you have? You would think that you could only have one “best friend”. That it would be singular, not plural. But, I’m not so sure that is true. I think I have many best friends. What qualifies one as a best friend? I believe the first requirement is frequent contact. The next would be that you have to enjoy the contact and the third would be that you share with that person things you don’t share with everyone else. Those three things, though simplistic, are the things I see in my “best friends”. I also have “dear friends”. Mostly, dear friends are the ones that I have less contact with, but, nevertheless, I enjoy their company. “Gear friends” are the people I see infrequently, but, enjoy being around. Of course, family has its own set of rules. Mostly, you put relatives in the “Best Friend” slot whether they deserve it or not. I have a few relatives that, probably, should be in the “good friends” category, but, I refuse to put them there. Reminds me of an old saying, “God chooses your relatives, you choose your friends”.

It has been a struggle, but, I finally completed our amended state & federal tax forms. We received some late information this month that had a big impact on our return. This is the first time I have ever filed an amended return and it wasn’t easily accomplished. I hope someone in Washington, D.C. decides to do something about the complexity of our taxing system. Sometimes, I think it would be better to hire someone to do it. This quote comes to mind, "Taxes are what we pay for civilized society."…..Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Well, Jerilyn and I are back from a 10 day vacation. We visited family and friends in southwest Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee & North Carolina. During that trip I attended my 50th high school class reunion. It always great to gather with these fine people and reminisce about our high school days and talk about what’s happening in our lives. At our class reunion eleven of my classmates and I, along with our spouse, visited my high school buddy’s home. My best guess is that he is worth about $2 billion. He told me that he recently sold his coal mining business for $1.2 billion. This was my first, and probably only, opportunity to see how the uber-wealthy live. I was told his home was 48,000 square feet and adjoins his golf course. His driveway was ½ mile long and as we drove along I began to feel as if I was driving our car on a golf course. After a good visit with him and his gracious wife and dinner at their clubhouse, we left around 11:00 pm with me feeling that I could never be entirely happy again . I have often heard that money can’t make you happy. Let me tell ya, that couple looked mighty happy to me. Don’t get me wrong, I know I live a good life, but Jimmy’s life has to be outstanding. Envy is a terrible thing!

As I set her on this beautiful Thursday morning writing this missive I am thinking of the wonderful time I spent with relatives on our recent trip. We visited with two of my aunts (Helen & Beulah) who just recently turned 85 & 80 respectfully. As we sat together and thumbed thru old photos of years gone by, memories long filed away in some dusty part of my mind, came cascading back. We visited with one of my high school teachers (Grace) who will turn 100 in December. We also had a good visit with my cousins (Harold & wife Willis and Jesse & wife Kathy), and my granddaughters in Tennessee. We also visited our dear friends Dick & Mille who just recently moved from their home here in Virginia to a retirement home in Tennessee. It was such a delight to see them again. There are so many people in my life that contribute to my happiness that I find it hard to imagine what those that lack this network do to make life enjoyable. Unfortunately, I do know people like that and they seem to wonder thru life aimlessly. I always include those unfortunate souls in my prayers.

Jerilyn and I have just concluded watching her youngest grandson (Brandon, 14) play on his baseball allstar team. They lost last night in the championship game 4-0, but he played wonderfully during the tourney and seemed to have a good time. The nights we spent at the ball field took us away from our nightly routine of watching TV as we eat our dinner (8pm) and put us in a place where people cheer wildly, criticize without remorse and eat like there is no tomorrow. My adopted sister, Mary, is president of the Phoebus Little League and she made us feel so welcome. The food from the concession stand was great, the nights were cool and the quality of the games were excellent. I strongly recommend an evening of baseball if it is available in your area.