Lovely morning for Fathers' Day

 Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2001 at 08:16:33 AM EDT---Originally written this date

Cheerfulness is the atmosphere under which all things thrive---J. P. Richter

To all the fathers, dads, pops, etc., may this day be a super one!  Add to that, all the moms who do it on their own, either by choice or circumstance.  Add to THAT, families, friends, fosters, adoptives and relatives who do it because the REAL ones can't or because they have chosen a different lifestyle and can't be "bothered."  There are times when we wish our children would stay on the young side.  I, for one, love watching them grow.  Young is good, but who the heck misses the late hour wake-ups or the pre-potty days?  You love, you watch, you love, you teach, you love, you share, you love, you spend, you spend, you spend.  You hope they retain MOST of what you teach, and, when they leave the nest, you miss them but you feel great because you know they have a strong foundation.  Ego gets a big boost when you see them do well, especially when they do it without asking your opinion.  My gosh, they DID listen to some things!  After awhile, the phases pass and they begin accepting responsibility.  Think about it, you don't see many CEO-s with pierced noses or tongues...THERE IS HOPE!!!  Most kids turn out okay...it's just that some of us have to pray a little harder.  And, remember this: You get to inflict karma when you become a grandparent!  YAY!!!

It's ice cream season.  Nothing like a hot, humid evening, standing in line waiting to pay a buck seventy-five for a scoop of chocolate, rocky road, pineapple, oatmeal or whatever flavor and then putting up with mosquitos, unattended dogs, screaming kids with black sweat rings on their necks and the odor of six little league teams celebrating their 74-3 victory.  You can't do that in Rejkjavik!

Simple pleasures: Sitting on the porch sharing stories of growing up, listening to the ball game in the dark, wishing there were still drive-in movies, watching the kids play hide and seek.  For those of you on the rear deck or wallowing in your central air conditioning, you REALLY don't know what you're missing!  After a tough day's work and a nice shower, there's nothing like being out and feeling the cool of the evening.

I'll dispense with the quips and odds today...just go out, enjoy the day and say "thanks" to God that you're able to be here...all because your dad played the original "Parent Game."  God bless!

Dental visit---NOT!

Marcia asked: How was your dental appointment?

When I arrived at the dentist, I asked how long the visit would take.  When she said upwards of 45 minutes.  I asked if I could reschedule, as I was having chest pains....not the heart, but immediately below the pacemaker.  I normally get short, soft electrical spurts, but those are signals of adjustments.  Whooosh...off to the E.R.  They take vitals upon entry and those were damn near better than perfect!  In the exam room, I was forced to remove my shirt so they could swoon.  Having recovered their composure, they inserted the needle for Dracula snacks, then hooked up the pacemaker cables along with EKG markers...you know...the kind with adhesive that comes off only when you ignite the napalm!

Nurses, doctors and Indian chiefs came in, asked questions, grunted and left.

Equipment made their intended beeps, toots and the occasional WTFs...merely to see if the techies are paying attention.  All checked sooopah!  Discharge papers were printed, verbal "Good on ya mates" were uttered and off I went...after ONLY 4 hours!  Yes, the pain went bye-bye and I rescheduled the dentist for a visit at month's end.

Didn't expect THAT, didja?

Cyberhugsalone from "Still crazy, after all these years"

Flying predators (excluding pterodactyls) in your yard

 It reminded me of something learned a few years ago from an entomologist.  I admired the landscape at her estate sale and we got into a lengthy conversation on plants and pests.  I was having a problem with yellow jackets but didn't like using chemical pesticides.  She explained that they didn't have lungs, so, the "trick" was to block their pores.  The recipe was: Into an everyday spray bottle, add 2 teaspoons of Dawn and 1-2 teaspoons of the original Listerine.  Fill the bottle with water, shake to mix the combination and spray directly onto the enemy.  Depending on their size, you might have to double the ingredients.

Once at home, I followed her instructions, confronted the perpetrators and BINGO...within 15 seconds, they were hardly moving...death by suffocation!  I recall her saying Dawn was sticky enough to adhere to them and the combination of that and Listerine were all required to eliminate the pests.

I tried it on wasps, carpenter ants in the garage and other invaders.  And...if the queen isn't fed, she will succumb to starvation.  I must say, her wisdom allowed me to be safe while not absorbing any dangerous chemicals.  Obviously, pets won't be affected.  Happy gardening!

The oneth of June

 From my local, online newspaper: A "should read" and perhaps, a "must read" is the recent Harvard commencement oration. You can google the article as, The Washington Post's Nancy Gibbs on Tom Hanks' delivery at Harvard.  I was quite impressed.  Is the name Nancy rare?  Off hand, the only other Nancy I know is also neat, as she once ended all her online emails with, "No matter how many times you slice it, there are always 2 sides."  We should all have that kind of common sense!

Workers at a bakery in Avon, Connecticut, were loading cakes into a van for delivery one day last week when a hungry black bear showed up. The bear helped itself to 60 cupcakes before it was scared off with a car horn. There are 1,000 to 1,200 black bears living in Connecticut, the state environmental agency says, with sightings last year in 158 of the state’s 169 towns and cities.

In case you forgot:

JUNE 1 1925 — Lou Gehrig bats for Pee Wee Wanninger in the eighth inning and replaces Wally Pipp at first base to start his streak of 2,130 consecutive games. 1975 — Nolan Ryan of the California Angels pitches his fourth of 7 no hitters, beating the Baltimore Orioles 1-0.  Ryan has 3 more than any other pitcher.

Being the start of outdoor activities, I consider lawn tractor mowing as individual therapy, akin to fishing, gardening, knitting and perhaps even sharpening a large quantity of Number 2 pencils, or whatever you do,  where your mind is rinsed of all that menial thunder.  It's the "magic" of conscious meditation, a time where there IS no time...in short spurts.  Other moments bring up old memories or thoughts that cause the old response of, "Huh!"  I had that today, when all of a sudden, I was doing karaoke to an oldie, goodie song, "Dungaree Doll."  Will you try resurrecting it?

In closure---smile at a stranger, hug someone.  I'm sure Martha would say, "It's a good thing!"

Finally:  I'm amazed how quickly a group can assemble to express approval or opposition to a product, a manufacturer, a belief, etc.  Cases in point: Lite Beer, Abortion, LBGTQ+, to name only a few.  I'm not here to defend or oppose.  Rather, I'm wondering why the same isn't bring applied to our political system, meaning all the campaign promises quickly forgotten, lobbyist dollars being distributed, etc., etc.  They get rich while you struggle.  Don your Sherlock Holmes cap and uncover honest people to represent you and yours.