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.