My Way

      Okay, so I've had this weird experience, not once but twice. I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Two mornings in a row I woke up to crying. It sounded just like Becki. Both times I jumped out of bed screaming, "What's wrong? What happened? Where's Becki?" Yesterday morning I thought I heard the boys and they just brushed me off. This morning I woke Bill up as I tried to fight my way out of the room. I was wide awake at that point, and terrified. I had just let the dog out into the yard, and I thought that maybe she was crying because the dog escaped again and maybe got hit by a car. The crazy thing is the dog had escaped the yard, but she was fine. Bill got her in before the Police even got to her. They were out looking for a black and white dog that was wandering about.
     Back to the crying. I could hear it as clear as day. But Becki was sound asleep. I woke her up demanding to know how she was, and she answered me, assuring me that she was fine. Later she said she didn't remember a thing. I've asked everyone in the house if they remember me waking up the first time, and no, no one does. Bill is still laughing about this morning. It was a frightening experience.
     I've been sick all week, so I'm wondering if these weren't fever dreams.
     Speaking of Becki, she has an appointment Monday Downtown. She's going to check out this art school on Michigan Avenue. They told her to bring some of her work. What she has that I think is very good are two pieces of pottery. One she calls a mustache cup and the other is a vase. I particularly love the vase. Both though are very heavy. I suggested that we take photos rather than risk carrying them down on the train. So wish her luck please, and maybe say a prayer for her success.
     Now has anyone seen those commercials by X.com? It's where people have to learn to do something again after quitting smoking. One has a man who falls out of bed. He puts his pants on backwards. Then he irons his shirt while wearing it. And even tries to cook breakfast by breaking eggs over an electric burner without a pan. There's another commercial where a woman struggles with her car door, and then climbs into the back seat of her car. Then she crawls over the seat into the front. When she backs out she strikes her garbage cans. I laugh each time I see these commercials. I remember way back when. I had to learn to type again. It was so hard typing without a cigarette burning in an ashtray next to my (should I say the word? Oh what the heck...) typewriter.
     Okay, just let me say this. I love the commercials, but I will not preach. I remember people preaching at me. The only thing it did was to get me pissed off. I quit when I was ready to.
     My biggest downfall has been Pepsi. Being sick I'm craving it, because it just seems to me that when my throat is sore and I'm congested, the bubbles clean the guck out of my throat. We quit drinking pop though. Bill drinks diet to begin with. The rest of us don't. When I decided that enough was enough, Becki and Ed cheered me on. I didn't do it because I think I will lose weight. I did it because after running out for a few days, I felt a sudden burst of energy I sorely needed.
       Now let me get onto weight. I give up. Nothing works. Most of my life I've weighed between 140 and 180 lbs. When I worked in Downtown Chicago and I walked daily, usually 3 miles or more daily, I weighed less. When I got pregnant with Ed I lost 40 lbs. Then I got pregnant with Jon. I lost another 20. When I became pregnant with Becki I lost 30 lbs. In between I gained. I walked and walked and worked my ass off. It seemed the harder I worked the more I gained. The more I gained, the more I dieted. It used to make me sick when I worked at 7-Eleven and at Speedway. Every morning people on the way to the train would stop in for their 'breakfast' or 'lunch', or maybe just a snack on the train. I'm talking skinny people here. They would buy donuts, snack cakes, candy bars, jerky, chips, you name it, and pop or an energy drink to wash it down with. And I'm not talking one donut either. I'm talking $8 or $10 worth. And don't kid yourself about energy drinks. They're nothing but caffeine, sugar and food coloring, none of which are good for you. It used to piss me off to no end. I'd work on my feet, stocking and facing shelves and the cooler, running the cash register, mopping and sweeping the floor and anything else that needed to be done, and all without a break in an 8 hour day. (Illinois has passed legislation saying that because convenience store clerks spend time talking to their customers and getting to know them, they don't need breaks. At least that's what 2 of my employers used to say.) I rarely cheated on my diet. One pop a day and no treats. And guess who got fat? And I don't mean 180 lbs., either. How could I let that happen to myself? Got me. When I was suppose to gain, i.e. pregnancy, I couldn't stop throwing up. I lost big time. When I dieted and exercised, I gained. And you know what? It really pisses me off when one of these skinny brats with all those snacks pull their hands back because they're afraid that if I touch them they might get fat, too. That's when I'd use both my hands to pass them their change.
     Okay, so I got that off my chest. I'm still fat. I still like chocolate, but I don't eat much of it. And I'm still not drinking Pepsi at the moment.


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An Old Irish Blessing

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     So last week interleague play began, and so did the Cross Town Classic. It's taken me a week to get my head out of the sand and get on with life. I hate to say it, but the Sox were swept. It's been embarrassing walking around with all these Cubs fans rubbing it in all week. Once the third game came to an end, Jon, who was on his way to work, texted me. "Sweep. Sweep." I text him back. "Crack. Crack. That's the sound of your broom over my knee." He thought that was funny. What Bill enjoyed I think more than the games was calling his brother, C., who is as die hard as I am about the Sox. After claiming the Sox would sweep at Wrigley, C. refused to talk to Bill for two days. I almost wish I could have. By Wednesday, we Sox fans were so disgusted with their behavior (I had always said it is the Sox fans who are the most aggressive. I think the Cub fans were paying us due diligence here.) we dug our T-shirts and jerseys out of the laundry and continued to wear them proudly. So the Cubs are good this year. They haven't lost more than 2 games in a row, and have yet to be swept. I couldn't say that about the Sox. So anyway, the Cubs went off to play the Orioles, where they lost 2, and the Sox beat the Dodgers at home 2 games to one.
      It began again on Friday night. Becki and I went to McDonalds after she got off of work. The girl who took my money had a Cubs jersey on. I asked her if she knew who won the game that afternoon. To which she asked me, "Do you know who won last weekend?" As much as I wanted to predict a sweep, I didn't. I learned C.'s lesson. Besides, how many times I've come on here and bragged about how good the Sox are, is as many times as I've jinxed them.
     So fast forward two days. Guess who swept this time? Once the game ended tonight with Sox ahead 5 to one. I couldn't wait to text Jon, who was again on his way to work. "Sweep. Sweep." He came back within a fewmoments, "Yea, Yea." God that feels goods.
     To tell the honest to God truth, it's better we split evenly each year. Less to fight about.

     So I'm developing this pet peeve. The idea of 'citizen journalists' bothers me. Yes, on a professional level, and that only because I know how hard it is to get it right, word by word, and not to add my own opinion to what I am reporting on. But also because we are beginning to mistake 'opinion' for 'news'. So let me say this right here, right now. This blog reports very little news. When I talk about what's in the news, it is my opinion. Nothing more nothing less. I can very easily make mistakes because I don't know as much about a subject as I think I do. I am human. But usually when I express my thoughts, they are riddled with my emotions. News might evoke emotion, but it should never be reported with emotion. It is my opinion that when journalists are not objective, and don't report fairly, and ask those difficult questions, and demand the difficult answers, the American people suffer.
     The Supreme Court handed down two major rulings this past week. First off they ruled that it is unconstitutional for a government agency, like a city, to bar handguns. The Constitution reads:  

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Yes, I understand. I truly do. And I understand that any threat to the Constitution is a threat to our way of life.

     What I don't understand is why is it possible for gang bangers to obtain high powered weapons. Why do they need high powered rifles with armor piercing shells? How much more dead can you make someone?

     In Chicago officials are counting Chicago public school students who die each year due to gun violence. There are over 2 dozen now, which is about as many CPS students to die all of last year. We are talking about children here, and that speaks to how disparate this problem is. One of the causes for this is that an adult gang banger can tell a younger member what to do and expect that child not to be prosecuted as an adult. In my opinion we not only need to find a way to keep weapons out of the hands of the criminals, but we must find a way to make adults who influence young gang members pay as fully as if they had shot the guns themselves.

     The second ruling had to do with putting child rapists to death. I honestly can't think of a worst crime. But I have to agree with the Courts on this. I am against the death penalty because of what happened here in Illinois when then Governor Ryan declared a moratorium on it. It was found that many of those on death row were falsely convicted. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.

      There's a second reason though particularly where child rapists are concerned. We would do anything to protect our children. In an adult's eyes, death doesn't seem so awful for someone so despicable. In the eyes of many children who have been hurt in this manner, they see themselves as having done something to cause this. To take another's life because of this is to add to that guilt. Children are very good about assuming the guilt of the world. They have already been hurt much more than any human being should. To suffer through a court trial is to relive the experience. To know someone will die because of something a child did can easily be too much of some children.

     Okay, last issue and I'm off to bed. I just finished Barbara Walter's new book, Audition. I think the interviews leading up to the book were more racy than the book was. Barbara talked about her relationships, i.e. 3 marriages, an illicit affair and several 'boyfriends.' She stayed away from all those intimate details. She didn't lead anyone into the bedroom, nor did she discuss anything that could really embarrass her or anyone else with the single exception that she dated a married, black senator. To tell the truth, I don't even remember his name. It just wasn't something that impressed me that much.
     I was more impressed with the difficulty she had with her daughter, Jackie. She told a delicate story about someone she loved, and I hope she can be a model to other parents when it comes to not giving up on a loved one.
     I did get out of it what I wanted. I am a small town reporter, and I can relate somewhat to what she does for a living. What she does though is so much bigger than anything I come across. I enjoyed learning about the interviews and her impressions of the people she interviewed. She spoke about Castro, about Princess Diane, Mosha Dyan, Golda Meir (a personal hero of mine), Princess Grace, Henry Kissenger, Anwar Sadat, Yitzak Rabin, the Shah of Iran, several Presidents and First Ladies as well as many actors and actresses. I wanted to know what she faced when she went after the interviews, what she thought she had learned or gained from the interview and how that individual fit into the news or our current culture. I was far from disappointed. I very much enjoyed learning about the Monica Lewinski and about the cat fights on The View. Now if that's what you are looking for in a book, it's there. If you're looking for sex, go somewhere else.

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Saturday Six - Episode 219

     1. How many clocks in your home or office are set ahead of the actual time so that you can stay on schedule?

     If I count the one on the computer, 3.

     2. Which space is neater: your office or “work” space or your living room?

     My office 'work' space is part of my living room.

     3. Which room of your home is in need of the most cleaning?

     Right now my laundry room.

     4. Take the quiz: What does your workspace say about you?

What Your Workspace Says About You

You are not organized in the least. Everything in your life pretty much survives of chaos. You tend to work at your own pace. If this means things don't You feel like you neglect your family and friends when you're working. You may work a bit too much. You are still trying to figure out your ideal career. You could quit your current job on any given day. At work, you are an introvert. You don't like people coming around your work space.

     5. If your co-workers saw your home after seeing your office/cubicle/workspace, would they be surprised?

     No.

     6. How many family members do you have on display for your co-workers to see?

     I work at home. I have photos on the wall over the fireplace of family members.

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Sunday Seven - Episode 147

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

      Name seven foods that are tasty enough to wreck your diet.

     1. Dean's Moose Tracks

    2. McDonald's Cinnamon Melts

    3. Rice A Roni

    4. Campbell's Chicken and Stars soup

    5. Doritos, Restaurant Style

    6. Homemade chicken salad (my own)

    7. CHOCOLATE! (Get the point?)

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     The Sox and Cubs played early today. I didn't watch because I was busy in the kitchen. Today was Jen's baby shower and I promised to help with food. It was easy to keep up with the action on the field just because Bill screamed and hooted and screamed again. Finally it was all over and he screamed harder. Cubs won 11 to 7. Sox better pull their heads out of their armpits and begin to play like a major league team. (I'd like to say or else. I won't. It's too much fun to bate each other, and I have no plans of changing my allegiances.)
     I did mention a while back that Jen is expecting. She's due the beginning of August, but it doesn't look as if she'll make it that far. She's huge. Anyway, being that Becki is her best friend, Becki helped to organize a baby shower. Only Jen wanted everyone she knew, male and female to partake. Becki worked her ass off. Someone bought the cake and Jen's Mom did chicken.
     Becky organized games and bought prizes, too. She made the mistake of saying that Jen's family is really competitive. I took that as a challenge. When Becki passed out three pieces of paper with games on them, I went to town. There was a game in which we had to unscramble baby products, and another in which we had to name the baby animal. There was a goose, which the baby is a gosling. I looked at it and saw a duck. I said duckling. There were seals, deer, cows, etc. There was a picture of a baby in his crib, and there were 28 items that didn't belong. The teddy bear had a carrot from its nose, and the numbers on the clock was out of order. It also wasn't plugged in. So anyway, I found 26 errors in the picture........  Oh, never mind. I won all three. Had to. Just couldn't walk away.
     Becki asked everyone to cut a piece of ribbon off a spool. We wrapped that around Jen's belly. The person closest to the actual size won a prize. And then someone guessed how many Skittles there were in a jar. I said one, thinking if everyone else went over, I might be closest. Someone else said 6. Jen's grandfather came closest and he won the Skittles. He was disappointed because he thought they were jellybeans. I didn't try to diaper the baby doll while blindfolded. Everyone got a laugh out of watching those who did. We had a good time.
     The only thing to mar the day was that half the people there wore Cubs jerseys. Jen's Dad wore a Sox jersey and as insults flew his way, he handed them right back. The competition intensified when Jen and her boyfriend, Bob, opened gifts. Right away she received two Cub jerseys for baby. We Southsiders hooted and howled. Then toward the end of the stack of gifts, Bob pulled a rope out of a laundry basket. Clothes pins held brand new outfits and accessories to the rope. Somewhere in the middle, a Sox onsie was pinned. We clapped. The last packages to be opened were what Becki and I bought her. (In an earlier post I explained how we bought a laundry basket, and as either of us went shopping, we bought little things to drop in the basket. There were lotions, soaps, laundry soup and softener, a piggy bank, some toys and even some books. Becki picked up one outfit and I picked up another. She put both together in a separate box, and made sure that Jen opened that first. Jen grabbed one outfit and Bob the other, and both held them up. I bought her another Sox outfit and Becki bought a Superman outfit complete with cape. Not only were the Sox fans satisfied, but we found out that Bob is Superman crazy!
     One photo I took is of Becki and Jen together, holding onto each other. I have a huge number of photos just like this one, but with different situation and different clothing. This one is cute, too. Just surprises the hell out of me how big this girl is!


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Saturday Six - Episode 218

     1. What is your biggest distraction in a normal day?

     Life. I am A.D.D.

     2. On an average day, do you feel like you accomplish more than you should, less than you should, or something in between?

     I rarely feel as if I accomplish anything.

     3. If you know that a close friend has a serious problem, do you ever let that worry you to the extent that it distracts you from things you need to do?

     Uh huh.

     4. Take the quiz: How’s Your Attention Span?

Your Attention Span is Medium

Your attention span is just about average. You may think that you have a short attention span... But being distracted is something most people struggle with. The most important thing is that you're aware that your mind wanders. If you find yourself daydreaming, you can usually snap out of it. It may be tough to concentrate at times, but you can do it... if you want to!

     5. Do you generally find yourself more distracted in the morning or the afternoon?

     Afternoon, when I am fully awake.

     6. What works best for you in terms of removing the distraction and getting back to work?

     I am A.D.D. I can get so totally into something, no one or nothing will be able to distract me, or more often than not, it is hard to wrap my mind about any work.

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     That's right. This is a Chicago summer tradition. It means more to us than the fireworks on a Friday evening at Navy Pier, or even the biggy itself, the July 3rd fireworks. This is better than a picnic or even a bar-b-que cook off. Or even a concert in Grant Park. This very early morning there was a Chicago concert at Northerly Island. This beat the hell out of that, too. If we could legally declare this a holiday weekend, we would. It it time for the first part of the Cross Town Classic, and all of Chicago and suburbs is split right down the middle. That's White Sox vs. Cubs, and this week it is played at Wrigley Field.
     Hearing that the first part of the Classic was at Wrigley this year, and because of the rains, there would be no time to take batting practice, White Sox Coach Ozzie Guillen declared his players wouldn't use the indoor batting cages, because rats down there were lifting weights. Love it. Ozzie can't go anywhere or do anything without raising some controversy.
     We are truly at odds here. We waited with bated breath for the game to begin, and almost gave up because of rain. But it did start, and it went nearly 10 innings. Damn close game. Cubs went up by 1 in the earliest innings, and the Sox tied. The Sox then went up 3 to 1. Then the Cubs tied. That tie wasn't broken until the bottom of the 9th. On the first pitch, Aramis Ramirez hit the ball over the center field wall for a walk off homer.
     Okay, so they play tomorrow, too. I'm expecting better.
     Early in the game my house erupted with every hit.Our loyalties are split right down the middle. Bill and Jon are Cubs fans while Becki and I are Sox fans. Ed hates baseball all together. I have one complaint. Jon bought this jersey and insisted on wearing it all day. It is numbered 1, and the name on the back is Fukathome. I told him to curse the best is to rot in hell.
     Becki had to work tonight. Before leaving she received a text message instructing her to wear a Cubs or Sox jersey. Trust me, she didn't wear Jon's jersey.
     As I said in an earlier post, if the Sox and Cubs went to the Series together, their would be rioting in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway. From what I understand, this is a rivalry that's deeper than any in organized sports. One of the announcers today spoke about his time in New York. In his opinion, they don't have the history that we do just simply because the Mets were an expansion team from 1969. Both our teams are over 100 years old. In fact they did play each other once in the Series way back in the beginning of the 20th century. Don't know what happened then, although I think the Sox won. The only thing that matters today is when the Cubs enthusiasts tell me how great they're doing this year, I can hang 2005 over their heads. What a ring!!!
     By the way, both the Cubs and Sox are in first place.


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     Meet Lefty. She's cute, and so much different from Cinderella. I find it funny that such a little creature can have a personality. Cinderella loved all kinds of good things, like fruit and veggies. She was skitterish, loud, and the only person she really trusted was Bill. We all fell in love with her because she was tiny and cute. The only real draw back was to pick her up was a guarantee that the little rat would defecate. Needless to say, she didn't get picked up much.
     Now Lefty is quiet and calm. She seems to like everyone. And she likes junk food. There are carrots sitting around she won't eat. She loves French fries and chow mien noodles, and anything salty. Bill and Becki have been loving her up like crazy. I have to laugh at her though. Becki put her on my shoulder one day. Lefty knocked me in the side of the head, as if telling me, "move, dummy." When she did the same thing to Becki, my daughter was really surprised.                
    Bubba didn't go to work on Tuesday, so Ed asked me to drop him off and pick him up. I agreed, just because it's been a while.
     I wrote about the pothole at the gate of Ed's company before. Last time I went there, I saw what I described as a pool. It was so deep that I was sure if these guys wanted to swim on their lunch hours they didn't have far to go. When I pulled in Tuesday, I began to go around like I always had. Ed stopped me. "Mom, don't. Drop me off at the other dock." Fine. I really didn't want to take a chance of getting stuck. When I returned to pick him up, I pulled up before the gate and waited. Before Ed got there, a big rig pulled to the gate, fell in and pulled itself out again. I swear to God, this is Crater Lake now. I just wonder if they continue to allow it to grow, how long it will be before it threatens the Grand Canyon as the biggest hole in the earth. "I'm not kidding," Ed explained to me. "Last week a big refuse truck came in here to empty the trash. It got stuck and they had to get a tow truck to pull it out." As low as my van is to the ground, I doubt a tow truck could help me.
     Only because I have a photo of a truly huge flag, and because I am really pissed, I will write about the economy. I watched This Week with George Stephanoupolis in between dedications to Tim Russert on Sunday morning. This Week had a round table discussion about what Tim Russert did for journalism.
     That led into the election, and then the economy. An argument raged between George Will and someone else (I'm sorry, I didn't catch his name.) George Will insisted that tax breaks for the wealthy are good because it is the wealthy who use the money to create jobs. The other guy tried to explain that the people who drive the economy are the people who have to spend all their paychecks to survive, and they need a tax break. Will seemed unsure, but did not back down.
     In between that was a discussion about how the airlines are cutting service because of the price of gas. That reminded me of the airline companies who hired and paid obnoxious amounts of money to CEO's and CFO's who were suppose to turn their companies around. Solutions usually entailed asking the workers, the pilots, mechanics and flight attendants to take pay cuts, which they did. When that didn't work, the CEO's and CFO's were fired, although not without big severance packages. I guarantee it wasn't the pilots, mechanics and flight attendants who received the tax cuts.
     I also remember hearing Warren Buffett on Charlie Rose or a similar TV show. He said he felt so guilty when it hit him that his secretary made $60,000 a year and paid more taxes than he did. 
     I've beaten this horse over and over again, and there are people out there who still don't get it. We aren't afraid to work and most of us cannot spend frivolously. Not when gas is sky high and only expected to rise, credit card companies can raise their interest rates at will, and so many people are losing their homes. We simply want to be able to provide our families with the basics and still be able to keep a roof over our heads and enough gas in our tanks to get us to work and back.
     Another issue that bothers me is that President Bush and John McCain are calling for Congress to allow drilling for oil in protected areas. They say it would help relieve the price hikes on gas. If only it could be that easy. According to the experts it will take at least 10 years to make any of those fields operational. It also presents a danger to the environment. Rahm Emmanuel reported last night that there are fields the oil companies were given to drill but have not taken advantage of. "Use it or lose it," he said. I remember back in the 1970's when the oil companies capped thousands of wells in the U.S. Why do we need this? Is this a band aid meant to draw voters attention away from the real solutions? Are Bush and McCain pandering to the oil companies?
     I think what we need is to develop alternative fuel sources before we worry about polluting our game reserves. It makes sense. We now have hybrid cars that run on electric as well as gas, and we have cars fueled by hydrogen (or is it nitrogen?). We have a start now. We continue to work with alternative fuel sources, we can make a huge jump in converting vehicle traffic over to an alternative fuel use within that ten year spread it would take to develop an oil field. We can begin new industries with the promise of new jobs, and new exports. This can be a very good thing, something we must consider before killing more sea birds.
     I am concerned about the flooding along the Mississippi. Every night the news shows another town where the residents are sandbagging in hopes of holding the water back as flooding moves south. Cedar Rapids was completely under water last week. And this week the residents are returning to find their homes have been condemned because of water damage, usually to the foundation. It's sad. It's another Katrina, although people are not so concentrated. Just like Katrina, there are a lot of people who saw a need, and came out to help. People interviewed who were sandbagging said they came from over 100 miles away because they knew they could do something. It just goes to show you who we are as a people. Please pray for these people, and please, if possible, donate to the Salvation Army or other agencies that will help.
     I bought gas last night for $4.15 a gallon. That's down $.10 from last week. Let's hope this trend continues.


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The Children’s Hour

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)

BETWEEN the dark and the daylight,   When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day’s occupations,   That is known as the Children’s Hour.   I hear in the chamber above me         5   The patter of little feet, The sound of a door that is opened,   And voices soft and sweet.   From my study I see in the lamplight,   Descending the broad hall stair,         10 Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,   And Edith with golden hair.   A whisper, and then a silence:   Yet I know by their merry eyes They are plotting and planning together         15   To take me by surprise.   A sudden rush from the stairway,   A sudden raid from the hall! By three doors left unguarded   They enter my castle wall!         20   They climb up into my turret   O’er the arms and back of my chair; If I try to escape, they surround me;   They seem to be everywhere.   They almost devour me with kisses,   Their arms about me entwine, Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen   In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!   Do you think, O blue-eyed banditti,   Because you have scaled the wall,         30 Such an old mustache as I am   Is not a match for you all!   I have you fast in my fortress,   And will not let you depart, But put you down into the dungeon         35   In the round-tower of my heart.   And there will I keep you forever,   Yes, forever and a day, Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,   And moulder in dust away!         40

     I had to memorize The Children's Hour when I was in 4th grade. I remember thinking how horrible it would be to work so hard and never quite get it down. With my Dad's help, I learned it quickly. To my surprise, I still remember.
     Anyway, Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. You have a very special job to do and a very special place in the lives of your children.
     Bill and I had time to plan for raising children as we were married 9-1/2 years before Ed came along. We had such ideas. We'd have one boy and one girl. We had the names picked out even. Definitely Edward William and Rebecca Marie. Our children were suppose to be beautiful, and smart and athletically inclined. They would never utter a bad word or step out of line. Surprise! Instead of two, we had three. And names? Rebecca Marie almost turned into Emma Louise. (Glad it didn't.) And Jonathon Phillip didn't get his name until I was in labor with him. Poor kid. I accidentally spelled Jonathon wrong and intentionally spelled Phillip wrong. (Phillip was my Dad's middle name and he spelled it wrong.) That was before I had a computer with spell check. My kids are good kids and haven't gotten into any real trouble. On the other hand, they all have mouths like truck drivers, which I am ashamed to say, they picked up from me. They are bright, although poor students, and in my eyes, and Bill's, they are beautiful. None of them are athletic, or even graceful. Ed wrestled in high school and Jon played baseball. Becki threw everyone off when she joined ROTC. (She got her license yesterday.)
     One of the things we discussed back then is appreciation. I've been told that kids never appreciate anything, and there have been times when our children tried to show us how true that was. But if you ask me how you know they appreciate what you've done for them, it is when they are grown and they are raising kids of their own. When my children spend as much time with their children as we spent with them, then I know we did right by them. No thank yous will ever be necessary.
     Bill is having a decent Father's Day by his own admission. We had planned to chip in and buy him a digital TV. Instead, he pulled me aside and showed me his chair on the porch. "What I need," he said, "Is a new chair. This one is breaking down." Okay, TV on hold and a chair became our target purchase. When our last shipment from Barnes and Nobel came in, he said, "Where's mine?" Well, Jon's birthday present was there, and so was Jen's shower present. Ed ordered books and I ordered a movie. So we figured buy him movies. Bill loves old war movies. So we bought him movies yesterday, too. We got The Great Escape, Patton, McArthur, They Were Expendable, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes and a few others. (Some of what we picked up had two or more movies to disk.) We split the cost.
     Jon had to leave for work as he was due down in Olney by 9, and Becki spent the night with her cousin, Jill, again. We called her and hurried her along. She showed up with a box of her own to offer. We set the chairs on the porch and placed Becki's box along with the movies in the chair, and then called Bill out. The biggest surprise was the box. One look inside and Bill smiled. "I don't want another rat," he said as glanced at the black and white guinea pig she brought home. (We had lost Cinderella during one of Bill's hospitalizations. It was during the time of the Chinese pet food recall. We aren't sure if that got her or something else. Needless to say, Becki was devastated when Cindy died, and so was Bill. He used to talk to her every morning, and feed her fruit. He had her trained to give him 'smooches' for the fruit. It was cute.) "What do we call her?" he asked almost immediately. "How about Lefty?" So not only does he have two chairs for the porch, a lot of movies to watch, too, but also Miss Lefty. She sure is cute.


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