5-28-2008

I have very little talent when it comes to carpentry, I am modestly successful with mechanical things, very good with electronic things and quite good with computer things. I am, however, terrible at remembering names. My friends are constantly saying to me, “you remember ol’ so & so, don’t you?” In fact I probably do not. I am inclined to think it is something that comes with age, that forgetting thing, because my younger friends seem to remember everything. I have one older friend that remembers everything, but he is the exception not the rule. I guess the point I am making here is, if you think I remember someone we both knew way back when, I probably don’t. Believe me, I do feel badly when my memory fails, but it’s just the way it is and I move on. It only becomes serious if I fail to remember my name :)

Jerilyn oldest grandson, Chris will be having his high school graduation cermonies on June 14th. We are all excited for him and his big event. He will be attending the University of Tennesse in Knoxville this September and I know he is very excited about it. I also know that his mom and dad, as well as his brother Brandon, will miss him. But, life moves on, nothing is as permanent as we like to think it is, and people that are in our daily lives move away and things change. I remember well the day my two children moved away from home and I also remember the tears I shed. I guess my parents did the same when I left, or, maybe that had a big celebration. I prefer to think they shed a few tears. I’m gonna have to ask my brother the next time we visit.

Jerilyn and I attended a reunion with some of my former co-workers on Tuesday night. It was a delight to see them all. I have come to the conclusion that one of life’s pure joys is the connections we have with others. I enjoy family reunions, class reunions, meeting old friends and reminiscing about days gone by. Old friends are the connection to your past and, I believe, the past is what makes us what we are today. What a joy it is for someone in your past to walk into your life one day and set off a cascade of memories.

I recently bought a small boat from a friend of mine. He and his lovely wife are moving into a nearby retirement community. We wish them both well. I have already been fishing on his boat. My son and I went out on Memorial Day and caught 40-45 croakers. Only a few were keepers, but we threw them all back in. Jerilyn gave me strick orders “Don’t bring back any, I don’t want my kitchen stinking with the odor of fish.” Our next door neighbor, Mary Beth, said next time, bring the keepers to her. So be it.

The new boat has to have a lift, so we have contacted a fellow that will drive 4 pilings down by the pier. That will enable us to place a lift at each end of the boat and hoist it out of the water, thus preventing barnacles from attaching to the bottom. This will happen within a couple of weeks, or so says the contractor. I have my doubts, but am willing to wait and see. My experience is that contractors never keep their scheduled dates.

Summer is upon us and most days I am busy outside, puttering around the yard, and trying to find creative things to do. Lately, the creative thing has been pushed aside and more mundane things have taken over. Our truck is in the garage with an Automatic Braking System (ABS) problem. My lawn tractor is still not running like it should and the Riviera wants to make squealy sounds from one of it’s pulleys. Sometime, I feel life is a series of problems, interrupted by occasional bouts of happines. In mid-June, I will be accompanying my son to Tennessee and helping him move all his belonging back to Virginia. I’m sure there are mixed feeling on his part about leaving his family. I am very happy having him closer to me, but his children in TN will miss him terribly.