Boo's Birthday Card

Inside of Boo's Birthday card


I cannot remember which birthday it was when my sweet daughter sent me this card that she had made. The drawing if from a picture that was taken of Boo (Elizabeth) and her Daddy laying in bed when she was just about a month old. The photo was taken by Mommy. I think she must have been about 10 years old when she made the card. Both my girls were quite the artist. Her sister's nickname was Rachie the Pooh. I'm not sure why she wrote Phooh.

The card is one of my personal treasures.

Back of Boo's Birthday Card 

Boo's Birthday Card 

Some blessings this past week

1. My Son-in-laws father had a bad heart attack on October 9th. He had angioplasty, but was in a delirious state for much of last week. He finally responded to the medication on Thursday October the 13th and was released a couple of days later.

This is pretty amazing. I was an orderly at Jewish Hospital during 1972-73 and often saw patients on the cardiac floor that were non responsive for weeks. The average stay was at least two to three weeks. Angioplasty was in it's infancy.

2. New doggie at our house. Mikey the poodle is so attached to Linny and he cries all the time when she leaves the house. So we got him a buddy. This is Luke the poodle. Mikey is black and Lukie is white. Doggie diversity!

3. I have a four day weekend coming up.

Vocations Club A Poem I though my Wife would enjoy

by Paula Sergei

We met on Tuesdays after school
with Sister Mary Agnes,
the two Mary Lous, Julie, Kay and me
to learn about being nuns.
The convent sounded good;
a room of my own, a single bed,
time to think and pray, no fighting
over what we'd watch-Bonanza versus Dragnet,
or who would get the couch.
I dug those crazy nun outfits,
and hated hand-me-downswith too long sleeves and too tight waists.
I'd take the smell of polished wood and incense
over burnt grilled cheese and sour milk.
I'd have a good job, teaching kids
and all the chalk I'd want,long,
unbroken pieces that echoed off the board,
all eyes on me as I'd tap directions,conducting my classroom all day.
People, I'd begin, today we're talking about...whatever I want to !
Nuns got great rosaries with fancy beads
and lots of gifts at Christmas.
And the solitude of celibacy sounded pretty good,
better than worrying about French kissing
like my sister, better than pining for men,
like mom, whose men left anyway.

Visiting Brookville Indiana

My grandmother, Dandy, grew up in Carrollton Kentucky, which is near Brookville Kentucky. But this days post is regarding a town of a similar name that is 200 miles or so to the north and west, Brookville Indiana. My wife, Linny, has befriended a dear girl, named Naomi that lives in this quaint town along the lake with her hubby, Kyle and three sons.

'sweet people that were so kind to invite us to their family's campsite for an outing and dinner. We met the nicest folks. Kyle's parents Tom and Joanne, his sis Kara and BIL Bruce and their kids. Aunt Mimi, neighbors Flo and Fred (anyone ever read the Bobbsie Twins. I think the younger set was Fred and Flo(ssie). But I digress).

The campers there were so impressive with all the comforts of home only perhaps better. We are not talking tents and campfires, but big aluminum formed structures with all the conveniences including a nice indoor loo. Linny, Mikey and I had a great time. Well Mikey (the attack poodle) was a little shy and nervous and extremely cold.

The funniest thing was sitting in Naomi's living room and waiting for Kyle to come home from work. She has a large picture window that is more entertaining than most network TV shows.

There was this little boy, all of about 8 years old that was riding his bicycle up and down the street. We were not certain if he was dressed as a vampire or the scarlet pimpernel. The young fellow was wearing a black cape with a collar, a scarlet vest and a ruffled blouse with large sleeves. He also had a white cloth string tie, black slacks and flip flops. We were thinking he was pobably Count Floppula since every so often he would put his thumb to his upper teeth. This was a cute kid.

Seeing this made me think back to my childhood when I savaged the areas of Sherman and Sheridan in my homemade cape and mask saving the imaginary peasants from the overbearing imaginary governors greed. My, my those were the days.

WILD CARD - a poem on Our 33 Wedding Anniversary

by Cathryn Essinger

The local newspaper reports
a Houston housewife has found
a three foot long snake indigenous
to California in her electric toaster.I need to talk to this woman. I want
to know what kind of bread attracts
snakes, if she goes to church on Sundays
and if she believes in chance.While I have her on the phone, I want
to ask about other irregularities, such as
the Osage orange that showed upon my front step, a fruit so large
no creature could have carried it.And what does she make of the wild card
I found in a pile of leaves-a Jack of Spades
masquerading as some variety of oak?
Or the crow who paces the patio,
carrying a packet of taco sauce,
dipping his beak casually, as if
hot sauce were his natural food.
I'd ask about the mouse I found
this morning in the dog's bowl,frantic, half drowned, the small cap
of his skull bobbing like a tiny buoy.
Still, he swam, betting against all odds
that some housewife might appear
on this Sunday morning, looking for eggs
or waffle mix, and the opportunity to tip
the bowl onto a sunny porch where
a small thing, who has never questioned
the implacable nature of the universe,
could have another chance.

Happy 33rd to my darling sweet, pretty wife Linny