I ran across this quote recently and
was sorta taken aback by what it said:
"Children begin by loving their parents.
After a time they judge them. Rarely, if
ever, do they forgive them."
- Oscar Wilde
I tried to relate this quote to my
parents and then to my two children. I
cannot, ever, remember judging my
parents, but after reading the quote and
thinking about it for a bit I suppose I
did (without expounding on the reasons).
I also think it would be fair to say
that my children have judged their
parents. Since we are divorced their
judgment, in all probability, is that we
failed as husband & wife (a given) and,
maybe, even as parents (I hope they
don't). I must say that I do believe
there is a lot of truth in the quote and
that when the child's forgiveness comes
I suspect it would be after their
parents passing. True forgiveness for
the intentional infliction of distress
is hard to accomplish. There is only
one person in my life that I have been
unable to forgive. It was business
related and the intention was deliberate
and prolonged. Somehow, I know that
when I arrive at the entrance to Heaven,
Saint Peter's first question will be:
"Why did you not forgive XXXXX". My
only hope is that I will be judged by
the entirety of my life and not the
inability to forgive one person for
their transgressions.
Age robs us of height. I have a good
friend who complains that when he goes
for his yearly physical he always loses
some height. Myself, I have gone from
5'10.5" to 5'10". I assume as we age
our spine starts to collapse and as we
approach 70 the effect is pronounced. I
saw a fellow on the news the other night
that is the oldest man in the world at
113 (I think he lives in Montana). He
must have been a giant of a man because
he still looked fairly tall. He was in
a wheelchair so it was fairly difficult
to tell. As things go, the oldest
person in the world is a woman age 114
and she lives in Okinawa, Japan. Fred
H. Hale was the oldest living man in
2004. He died in November of that year.
If I live that long they will be able to
bury me in a shoebox. I dunno if we are
related, but I'm hoping we are! The
longest unambiguously documented
lifespan is that of Jeanne Calment of
France (1875-1997), who died at age 122
years and 164 days. I think it is a
long held scientific belief that it is
impossible to live past 122.
None of my grandparents owned a car
during my lifetime. I can remember
catching the bus with Grandpa & Grandma
McCoy and going to Grundy (5 miles away)
the only town I knew as a 4-5 year old
boy. I do not know how Grandpa &
Grandma Hale traveled. I never saw them
in a car. None of my grandparents ever
took a vacation, nor, am I aware that
they traveled very far from their home.
None of them seemed, to me, to be
unhappy. What wonderful people they
were. They never complained about other
people, nor, what they didn't have.
Grandma McCoy used to chastise me (age
5) for yelling at the pretty little girl
that walked by on the road below, on her
way to the grocery store, and calling
her sweetheart. "Tommy Joe", says she,
" don't be calling to that ol' Hatfield
girl!" (we were supposed to hate all
Hatfields). I guess the point I'm
making is that my grandparents never
traveled much, heck, my parents didn't
travel all that much either. Jerilyn
and I have been home 3 months and we are
itching to take off again. How much
better our life is than the previous two
generations in my life. As I set here,
staring at a picture of my mom & dad
when they were 20, I find it impossible
to be thankful enough for the many
blessing in my life.
Have you ever tried to sharpen a knife
on a whetstone? I have never had much
luck sharpening knives. As a matter of
fact, I think they always come out
duller than when I started. Well, the
other day, as I was listening to an
audio book that takes place in the
1930's, this guy says to his son, "Jack,
let me show you how to sharpen your
pocket knife. Here's how: place your
knife on the stone, angle it the height
of your thumb and then only go in one
direction. Do both sides 10 strokes
each, checking the sharpness each time a
cycle is completed". Well, nothing to
do, but me to go out into the garage,
pull out my whetstone and Git R Dun. I
took Jerilyn's handy/dandy kitchen knife
(the one she uses for everything) and
after two complete cycles that knife
would cut a sheet of paper like it was a
stick of hot butter. I have only known
one person that could sharpen a knife
like that. Now, I know two, and one of
them is me!
Did you know that you can send a
message from your PC to someone's
cellphone? Here how:
Open your email program and type the
person's 10 digit cellphone number,
followed by @vtext.com - see example
below:
For Verizon users only:
xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com
xxx=area code + number, no spaces
This only works for Verizon. I tried it
using my son's phone number and he
received the message. If you have a
different carrier you may want to find
out if they have the same feature.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
09-21-2009
I am always aware of the day within each
week because I do certain things on each
day, i.e. run on Monday, Wednesday &
Friday; lift weights on Tuesday,
Thursday & Saturday. I always have
trouble with holidays. I guess it's
because I'm retired. I know the
significance of each holiday, but
somehow, the importance of each are
forgotten in the minutiae of daily life.
I think that is so sad. This past Labor
Day is an excellent example. The people
that labor each day are responsible for
the things I enjoy and, yes, even for my
monthly income. If not for them I would
not receive my monthly checks, or be
able to take my wife out to dinner, or
purchase new tires for my car. I know
it is very irresponsible for me to
overlook the value of those fine people
in my life. I have pondered over what
I can do to overcome my indifference and
I have decided that several days before
each holiday I will go to Wikipedia and
research their origin and the impact of
each one. For example: "The first
observance of Labor Day is believed to
have been a parade of 10,000 workers on
Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City,
organized by Peter J. McGuire, a
Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.
By 1893, more than half the states were
observing a 'Labor Day' on one day or
another, and Congress passed a bill to
establish a federal holiday in 1894.
President Grover Cleveland signed the
bill soon afterward, designating the
first Monday in September as Labor Day."
I have come to the conclusion that if I
want something to be important I have to
motivate myself. I think I have found a
way to do that.
In a conversation with my daughter last
week she mentioned that she hasn't taken
a vacation in several years. It seems
her time off is usually because she is
sick (flu, cold, bronchitis) or having
to take care of business. The time she
has to relax is normally spent at home.
"Dad", says she, "Next year I'm going on
a cruise somewhere!". I agree with
her. I think we all should look forward
to something special each year. When
Jerilyn and I plan a trip I always enjoy
the weeks before, anticipating the
escape from daily life. I remember as
a young man in my 30's, my ex-wife and I
went to a lot of NASCAR races
(Charlotte, Talladega, Daytona, etc).
About a week before we were to leave my
left jaw would swell. This happened
about three times before I noticed it.
The next time it happened I went to the
dentist. Turns out, I had an low grade
infection under one tooth and the
excitement of the upcoming adventure
aggravated it. I took the prescribed
antibiotics, had the tooth extracted and
the problem went away. I was always
intrigued that looking forward to
something could be so important to me.
It still does to this very day. If you
have nothing to look forward to, you
will have nothing to look back on.
Sure as shootin' is a phrase I used as
a young boy. Its meaning was that
something definitely was going to
happen. I am, what was called years
ago, a "Shade Tree Mechanic". I will
work on practically anything, whether I
know anything about it or not. I guess
I think I can apply common sense and
figure out 'most anything. That usually
works….up to a point. That's where the
"Sure as shootin' " thing works its way
into my life. The faucet on our kitchen
sink was leaking and had been leaking
for awhile. I forewarned Jerilyn that I
was not a plumber and I could possibly
make the situation worse, as well as
improve it. Well, sure as shootin' I
made it worse. I may as well have
placed a grenade inside it (the faucet)
and dove for cover. Off we trek to
Home Depot/Lowe's to purchase a
sparkling new one. Fortunately, I
installed it fairly quickly and in a
couple of hours it was working, but with
one minor leak. I tightened it a couple
of times in the coming days and it still
leaks. I expect that when I am standing
in front of Saint Peter that darn thing
will still be leaking.
This is a touchy subject, but, the
other day I read an article in a
magazine that said the average person
uses 57 sheets of toilet tissue paper
per day. That equates, according to the
article, to 16 million trees per year.
Being the type of guy I am, I decided to
check my usage over several days and, lo
and behold, I averaged 17 tissues per
day! That's 40 less per day than the
average person uses. What on earth
could you guys/gals be doing that
require you to use that many tissues?
Well, it's the time of year when the
lawnmower is lowered to the lowest
setting and the grass is cut almost
even with the ground. We then pull out
our thatching rakes and begin the
laborious task of scratching every inch
of our yard that contains grass.
Normally, by the time we finished this
project I have lost 10 pounds. Next
comes the chemical to kill the
wiregrass, then the fertilizer and grass
seed. After that comes the watering
that is necessary to get the grass
started. I have been watering the
grass for several days now and noticed
that some new sprouts are peeping up.
Now, if only we could get some rain.
week because I do certain things on each
day, i.e. run on Monday, Wednesday &
Friday; lift weights on Tuesday,
Thursday & Saturday. I always have
trouble with holidays. I guess it's
because I'm retired. I know the
significance of each holiday, but
somehow, the importance of each are
forgotten in the minutiae of daily life.
I think that is so sad. This past Labor
Day is an excellent example. The people
that labor each day are responsible for
the things I enjoy and, yes, even for my
monthly income. If not for them I would
not receive my monthly checks, or be
able to take my wife out to dinner, or
purchase new tires for my car. I know
it is very irresponsible for me to
overlook the value of those fine people
in my life. I have pondered over what
I can do to overcome my indifference and
I have decided that several days before
each holiday I will go to Wikipedia and
research their origin and the impact of
each one. For example: "The first
observance of Labor Day is believed to
have been a parade of 10,000 workers on
Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City,
organized by Peter J. McGuire, a
Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.
By 1893, more than half the states were
observing a 'Labor Day' on one day or
another, and Congress passed a bill to
establish a federal holiday in 1894.
President Grover Cleveland signed the
bill soon afterward, designating the
first Monday in September as Labor Day."
I have come to the conclusion that if I
want something to be important I have to
motivate myself. I think I have found a
way to do that.
In a conversation with my daughter last
week she mentioned that she hasn't taken
a vacation in several years. It seems
her time off is usually because she is
sick (flu, cold, bronchitis) or having
to take care of business. The time she
has to relax is normally spent at home.
"Dad", says she, "Next year I'm going on
a cruise somewhere!". I agree with
her. I think we all should look forward
to something special each year. When
Jerilyn and I plan a trip I always enjoy
the weeks before, anticipating the
escape from daily life. I remember as
a young man in my 30's, my ex-wife and I
went to a lot of NASCAR races
(Charlotte, Talladega, Daytona, etc).
About a week before we were to leave my
left jaw would swell. This happened
about three times before I noticed it.
The next time it happened I went to the
dentist. Turns out, I had an low grade
infection under one tooth and the
excitement of the upcoming adventure
aggravated it. I took the prescribed
antibiotics, had the tooth extracted and
the problem went away. I was always
intrigued that looking forward to
something could be so important to me.
It still does to this very day. If you
have nothing to look forward to, you
will have nothing to look back on.
Sure as shootin' is a phrase I used as
a young boy. Its meaning was that
something definitely was going to
happen. I am, what was called years
ago, a "Shade Tree Mechanic". I will
work on practically anything, whether I
know anything about it or not. I guess
I think I can apply common sense and
figure out 'most anything. That usually
works….up to a point. That's where the
"Sure as shootin' " thing works its way
into my life. The faucet on our kitchen
sink was leaking and had been leaking
for awhile. I forewarned Jerilyn that I
was not a plumber and I could possibly
make the situation worse, as well as
improve it. Well, sure as shootin' I
made it worse. I may as well have
placed a grenade inside it (the faucet)
and dove for cover. Off we trek to
Home Depot/Lowe's to purchase a
sparkling new one. Fortunately, I
installed it fairly quickly and in a
couple of hours it was working, but with
one minor leak. I tightened it a couple
of times in the coming days and it still
leaks. I expect that when I am standing
in front of Saint Peter that darn thing
will still be leaking.
This is a touchy subject, but, the
other day I read an article in a
magazine that said the average person
uses 57 sheets of toilet tissue paper
per day. That equates, according to the
article, to 16 million trees per year.
Being the type of guy I am, I decided to
check my usage over several days and, lo
and behold, I averaged 17 tissues per
day! That's 40 less per day than the
average person uses. What on earth
could you guys/gals be doing that
require you to use that many tissues?
Well, it's the time of year when the
lawnmower is lowered to the lowest
setting and the grass is cut almost
even with the ground. We then pull out
our thatching rakes and begin the
laborious task of scratching every inch
of our yard that contains grass.
Normally, by the time we finished this
project I have lost 10 pounds. Next
comes the chemical to kill the
wiregrass, then the fertilizer and grass
seed. After that comes the watering
that is necessary to get the grass
started. I have been watering the
grass for several days now and noticed
that some new sprouts are peeping up.
Now, if only we could get some rain.
Monday, September 7, 2009
09-07-2009
One of the things I really enjoy is receiving emails from my friends telling me what's going on in their world. My last WOW generated quite a few replies and I enjoyed each one. I have come to accept the undeniable fact that the more contact I have with the people I enjoy, the better my life becomes. Reaching out reveals, I think, a need to include others in your life and to enhance your life through your shared mutual experiences. Some of the experiences you relate to me make me laugh, others make me sad, and still others make me think. When all is said and done, I am a better person because people like you choose to reveal a small slice of your life, or an opinion, with me. To all of you who share I say "Keep up the good work!".
The other evening around 7:00 pm I had finished reading our daily paper, put it aside for Jerilyn to read in a couple of months (her pile goes back to March) and reclined in my chair for a nap. After all, naps are what people my age are notorious for taking. I quickly approached that area of sleep we all strive for called REM (Rapid Eye Movement). It is this stage of sleep that is supposed to be the most rewarding. It is where I either, become a hero, or I'm scared out of my wits; I'm slaying dragons, or being chased by something and it is impossible for me to escape. Just as I'm about to do something heroic, Jerilyn puts her hand on my shoulder, shakes me vigorously and tells me to "Wake up, wake up, there are about 7 poopin' geese in the back yard". You should know that we are very unkind to Canadian Geese in our back yard. They remind me of when I used to go up Clell Holler to visit my Grandma & Grandpa Hale. They had plenty of chickens and those chickens roamed everywhere. There was practically no place you could go without stepping on their droppings.
Anyway, I groggily got out of my chair, headed for the garage to obtain my weapon of choice (a Wal-Mart slingshot and a pocket full of marbles) and out the door I go in my best Indian crouch, slingshot loaded, hiding behind trees and bushes as I approach my prey. Half-way there they pick up my scent, or whatever it is they pick up, and stand very silent and vigilant. I step from behind the tree and let go with my first shot, it goes zinging over their heads into the creek. I reload again with the same results. I expected, I guess, that the geese would start to chatter amongst themselves, but, they just stood there quietly. I knew it was useless to hit one of the males, so I concentrated only on the small females. If I could hurt one of them, it would fly away and the others would follow. On the fourth shot I nailed a small female and in unison every goose went airborne, flying down the creek screeching epithets at me. Geese have a very good memory, so I don't expect them back for another six months. My slingshot and marbles are waiting for me in the garage.
A few weeks ago someone left a message on our answering machine. It lasted about 2 minutes, but, what caught my attention was the number of times "you know" was used (16). That is probably the most over used phrase in the English language. I think, perhaps, we use it as a placeholder while we think of the next thing we want to say, but it becomes very distracting when it is used too much. Since that time, I have tried to notice how often I used that phrase and as it turns out, I too, am guilty of the same, only not quite as often as the caller. So let it be known far and wide, the "you know" police are out monitoring conversations and tickets will be forthcoming.
I took our truck to our local Dodge dealership the other day. They called a few days earlier and offered me a special rate ($40) for an oil change, tire rotation, car wash and 24 point inspection. I also had them replace the PCV valve (positive crankcase ventilation) and fix a problem I was having with it idling too fast and the cruise control not working. Total cost was $125. I wasn't unhappy with that price, considering the amount of additional work assigned to them. I specifically stated to the service rep that I wanted it greased. I gave her a list of things I wanted done. I get home with the truck, and as I normally do, I changed clothes and crawled underneath to see that it was greased. The reason for doing that is the last four times I took my vehicles to have it serviced (I normally do it myself) it has not been lubricated. Yup! You guessed correctly, it wasn't. Aggravation is not a condition I enjoy, but as you can imagine, aggravation set in on me big time. I head inside and call the service rep and explained to her what happened. "Hold on", says she, "I will check with the mechanic". She returns shortly and says "I checked with the mechanic and he says it didn't need greasing". "Lady", says I, "I specifically stated that I wanted that done and I'm very unhappy that it wasn't! Your company normally calls me after a visit to inquire as to my experience. I will tell them I was very unhappy". "Well", says she, "that's unfortunate, but do what you have to do". I am not a violent man, but people are pushing me in that direction
Jerilyn and I ran our favorite trail today (Noland), but this time it had a different twist: it was pouring rain. The Trail is about 30 minutes from our home and all the way there she was fretting over the possibility of rain. We arrive at our starting point and, sure enough, it started to drizzle. We decide to proceed without our customary warm-up. Well, about 1.5 miles later it starts to pour, I look over at Jerilyn (she has a piece of plastic over her head) and she is drenched. I tell her, without cracking a smile, "You aren't really wet until your underwear is wet, so you can't judge by your outer garments". She looks back at me with a frown and says "Well, I'm officially wet!". So was I. We finished our run in 55 minutes, dried ourselves as best we could with the towels we took with us and jumped into the truck, both of us feeling a surge of enthusiasm for what we had just been through. Sometimes, the rain can wash our cares aware, renew our energy and improve our outlook for a short period of time. That's what it did for us. I expect that renewal to last all day. I'm already looking forward to the next time we can run and play in the rain like children.
I hope you're enjoying whatever season it is in your part of the world. Thanks for reading my monthly missive.
The other evening around 7:00 pm I had finished reading our daily paper, put it aside for Jerilyn to read in a couple of months (her pile goes back to March) and reclined in my chair for a nap. After all, naps are what people my age are notorious for taking. I quickly approached that area of sleep we all strive for called REM (Rapid Eye Movement). It is this stage of sleep that is supposed to be the most rewarding. It is where I either, become a hero, or I'm scared out of my wits; I'm slaying dragons, or being chased by something and it is impossible for me to escape. Just as I'm about to do something heroic, Jerilyn puts her hand on my shoulder, shakes me vigorously and tells me to "Wake up, wake up, there are about 7 poopin' geese in the back yard". You should know that we are very unkind to Canadian Geese in our back yard. They remind me of when I used to go up Clell Holler to visit my Grandma & Grandpa Hale. They had plenty of chickens and those chickens roamed everywhere. There was practically no place you could go without stepping on their droppings.
Anyway, I groggily got out of my chair, headed for the garage to obtain my weapon of choice (a Wal-Mart slingshot and a pocket full of marbles) and out the door I go in my best Indian crouch, slingshot loaded, hiding behind trees and bushes as I approach my prey. Half-way there they pick up my scent, or whatever it is they pick up, and stand very silent and vigilant. I step from behind the tree and let go with my first shot, it goes zinging over their heads into the creek. I reload again with the same results. I expected, I guess, that the geese would start to chatter amongst themselves, but, they just stood there quietly. I knew it was useless to hit one of the males, so I concentrated only on the small females. If I could hurt one of them, it would fly away and the others would follow. On the fourth shot I nailed a small female and in unison every goose went airborne, flying down the creek screeching epithets at me. Geese have a very good memory, so I don't expect them back for another six months. My slingshot and marbles are waiting for me in the garage.
A few weeks ago someone left a message on our answering machine. It lasted about 2 minutes, but, what caught my attention was the number of times "you know" was used (16). That is probably the most over used phrase in the English language. I think, perhaps, we use it as a placeholder while we think of the next thing we want to say, but it becomes very distracting when it is used too much. Since that time, I have tried to notice how often I used that phrase and as it turns out, I too, am guilty of the same, only not quite as often as the caller. So let it be known far and wide, the "you know" police are out monitoring conversations and tickets will be forthcoming.
I took our truck to our local Dodge dealership the other day. They called a few days earlier and offered me a special rate ($40) for an oil change, tire rotation, car wash and 24 point inspection. I also had them replace the PCV valve (positive crankcase ventilation) and fix a problem I was having with it idling too fast and the cruise control not working. Total cost was $125. I wasn't unhappy with that price, considering the amount of additional work assigned to them. I specifically stated to the service rep that I wanted it greased. I gave her a list of things I wanted done. I get home with the truck, and as I normally do, I changed clothes and crawled underneath to see that it was greased. The reason for doing that is the last four times I took my vehicles to have it serviced (I normally do it myself) it has not been lubricated. Yup! You guessed correctly, it wasn't. Aggravation is not a condition I enjoy, but as you can imagine, aggravation set in on me big time. I head inside and call the service rep and explained to her what happened. "Hold on", says she, "I will check with the mechanic". She returns shortly and says "I checked with the mechanic and he says it didn't need greasing". "Lady", says I, "I specifically stated that I wanted that done and I'm very unhappy that it wasn't! Your company normally calls me after a visit to inquire as to my experience. I will tell them I was very unhappy". "Well", says she, "that's unfortunate, but do what you have to do". I am not a violent man, but people are pushing me in that direction
Jerilyn and I ran our favorite trail today (Noland), but this time it had a different twist: it was pouring rain. The Trail is about 30 minutes from our home and all the way there she was fretting over the possibility of rain. We arrive at our starting point and, sure enough, it started to drizzle. We decide to proceed without our customary warm-up. Well, about 1.5 miles later it starts to pour, I look over at Jerilyn (she has a piece of plastic over her head) and she is drenched. I tell her, without cracking a smile, "You aren't really wet until your underwear is wet, so you can't judge by your outer garments". She looks back at me with a frown and says "Well, I'm officially wet!". So was I. We finished our run in 55 minutes, dried ourselves as best we could with the towels we took with us and jumped into the truck, both of us feeling a surge of enthusiasm for what we had just been through. Sometimes, the rain can wash our cares aware, renew our energy and improve our outlook for a short period of time. That's what it did for us. I expect that renewal to last all day. I'm already looking forward to the next time we can run and play in the rain like children.
I hope you're enjoying whatever season it is in your part of the world. Thanks for reading my monthly missive.
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