Oh This Summer

As a kid summer was the most awesome time of the year, followed very closely by fall and Christmas. As school got close to ending and freedom began looming closer any idea of classes or studying went flying out the window. Which, in reality that was always pretty close to happening.

                I had a blue, Schwinn Stingray, 5 speed, monkey bars, banana seat. It was my Easy Rider ride to freedom. “Honkey Tonk Women, (I finally saw the Stones last year, incredible!), Crimson and Clover, Grazing in the Grass, Come Together,” were blasting from the radio. DJ’s were stars, the sun set late, the grass was green and time seemed limitless.

                This summer, the summer of 2020 I have a few more years on me and a few more concerns. While it certainly isn’t as carefree as the summers of my youth, it’s still a good summer.

                This pandemic thing has us all twisted up and turned around in so many ways.  Not much seems normal, there are a lot of new phrases out there that I never care to hear again.  Social distancing, the new normal, shelter in place, flatten the curve and the dreaded, “We’re all in this together”. Right.  I have yet to have one company get in touch with me and tell me that due to the pandemic I don’t have to pay my bills. I’m hopeful though.

                Here’s what’s good, really good. We’re both working, me in another field. My wife and I have more time together. We used to get up, have coffee and watch TV news. Now we get up, have coffee and sit out back, watch the sunrise, jump in the pool, play with the dog. A refreshing start to the day instead of a boring routine.

                Here are other changes we’ve made. Reading more, listening to more music, (vinyl and cd), learning some great new recipes, BBQing more, doing our own 4^th of July fireworks, driving less, sleeping better, listening to old broadcasts of Prairie Home Companion, helping around the house more, turning off TV and radio news, turning off the TV,  working around the the yard more, renewing some old friendships, playing the guitar more – not necessarily better but more, and spending less money. There has been a general slowing down of life while increasing the quality of life.

                It’ ain’t all bad. Different, even trying at times. In the words of Groucho Marx, “Each morning I open my eyes and say to myself; I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.”

                

Have a great day!

Lift Off!

Kona, the dog, ate my glasses a while ago, and that seems as good an explanation as any to the absence of writing. Coupled with the dreaded writers block, the current state of affairs which I’m not even going to comment on, and what the heck – general laziness.

There’s a lot of crazy going on in the world, and if you watch the news it is enough to make you wish you were on Space X’s Crew Dragon, heading up to the ISS for one to four months.

And that is where we are. Something that brings a smile back of right when it was needed. A manned US rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Florida from the same launchpad once used by Apollo and Space Shuttle astronauts.

Growing up in the ‘60’s the space program was huge, it’s strides in a short period of time were fantastic, overcoming hurdles that at the time seemed nearly insurmountable.

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

An excerpt from President Kennedy’s speech in September 1962. Travel to the moon was a daring choice. Christmas Eve, 1968 only 6 years later Apollo 8 circled the moon. July 20, 1969 only 7 months later Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

We did it and the whole world was watching.

I don’t know if the whole world was watching Saturday, but I was. I hope you were too and that it bought a smile to your face as well.

Happy Beginning of Summer

Turkeys away!

                It’s getting to be that time of year, you know what it is…the Holiday Season! Now arguably it has been in swing for a while. Generally it starts around the beginning of October when the push for Halloween kicks into gear. I’m not going to bemoan how early it starts, it’s become a fact.

                What’s weird though is that growing up, Halloween was traditionally a night for kids. When we were small Mom would actually make our costumes. We’d get to buy a mask to go with it, but other than that it something that she would do at home. And, of course it was cool. The only regret I had on those was one year she made me a great costume as a dalmatian which got mistaken as a cow. But what the heck, the candy flowed in no matter what.

                Next in line is our upcoming holiday, Thanksgiving!

                Thanksgiving and holiday traditions have certainly changed over the years. As a kid the kick off of the season was waiting for “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”  Sometime around Thanksgiving one of the tv stations in Chicago always aired, “Miracle on 34^th Street.”  

                With the advent of first VCR’s, followed by DVD’s and now streaming it’s possible to watch any of these shows any time you want. It’s convenient, but the anticipation was a big part of the excitement.

                Moving into the ‘70’s there were two new Thanksgiving specials brewing. In Phoenix it became a tradition for KDKB to play Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant.”  A while ago they started playing it throughout the day rather than once at a particular time.

A movie that, at least in Phoenix moved into the holiday tradition was Errol Flynn in “Robin Hood.”  If I remember correctly Thanksgiving Day had somehow become an Errol Flynn movie day, “Captain Blood, The Master of Ballantree, The Sea Hawk.” I had a friend that had one of the original suitcase size VCR’s and he recorded them, commercials and all. They may still be hanging out in a closet somewhere around here. A project for later on.

                Then there is my favorite, WKRP’s Thanksgiving turkey drop. If anyone is having Thanksgiving day with us I make sure they get to partake of this particular holiday classic. If you haven’t seen it I’m sure it’s out there on the web somewhere. It should be required viewing.

                To finish off our Thanksgiving traditions I’m going to get this up, get a fresh cup of coffee and go light the fire for my wife and dog. Our Thanksgiving tradition is to relax and be thankful for our family, health and friends.

                Happy Thanksgiving.

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy

 I’ve had a change in my work schedule, for the first time in my adult working life I have weekends off! It’s a change in a lot of ways. Most noticeably I now have time off with my wife without having  to schedule it and that has been an amazing reward for both of us.

 With Sunday’s off I’ve returned to an old habit, buying and reading the Sunday Newspaper. That is why I say  I read the news today, Oh Boy. No, the English Army hasn’t won the war. We’ll see how many pick up on that!

Sadly progress has caught up with the newspaper industry, I’m possibly one of the last people to discover that. Our local paper is now owned by Gannett. Many of the stories in the paper now are merely reprints from USA Today. It’s like broadcast news, soundbites and tidbits of useless information that doesn’t tell the story. Journalism has taken a dive. Gone are the days of Edward R. Murrow, Mike Royko, Jimmy Breslin. Another time, place and blog.

 Some of the columnists have hung on, which is almost regrettable. Instead of developing new talent over the years we have predictable writers with predictable opinions. But, I digress.

There is a section of the paper that I read completely every Sunday. Some may find this morbid, but hang in there, an explanation is here.

Everyone’s life is interesting and should be acknowledged. It’s sad in a way, that as a whole we don’t truly appreciate a person’s life until it is over. The obituary is where we find out so many facts about people, details, loves, losses careers, hobbies, pets, favorite things to do. Things that we often wish we had known when they were with us.

I’ve found that small town papers are much better to read in all aspects. When we are out of town I always try to pick up the local paper. The obituaries in them are in depth, by the time I’ve finished reading them I feel like I knew the person, or wish I had met them.

 Here’s an experiment, write your own obituary and see how incredible your life is. Share it with a friend or loved one, don’t be shy!

Sometimes You Don't Need to Say a Word.

Summer Thougths

In the words of Bob Seeger, “In the sweet summertime, summertime.” And that’s what it is, sweet summertime.

Some are under the impression that summer in Arizona is a season to be dreaded, but I beg to differ. It’s merely a matter of adjusting some, getting in the proper frame of mind. Because the truth is summer in the desert is unique and wonderful.

Start out by listening to some great tunes, it’ll get you headed in the right direction.

                Saturday in the Park                      Chicago  

                Hot fun in the Summertime         Sly

                Wipeout                                           The Surfari’s

Break out the Aloha shirts and huarache sandals, suntan lotion and wide brimmed hats, it helps you get in the mood, look very cool, and be comfortable.

Phoenix in the summer is hot, no argument there. But, the majority of us go from our air conditioned house, to our air conditioned car to reach our air conditioned destination. It ain’t that bad. Most of us have a pool to jump in as well.

Traffic is incredibly light, stores, movie theaters, restaurants, all business’s are so much easier to deal with. The population drops incredibly in the summer. Snow birds have flown and half of Phoenix goes to San Diego.

Summer mornings are beautiful. Quiet and cool. Sit on the patio, have some coffee, jump in the pool, all before 6:00am, it’s a wonderful start to the day. If you have a friend that has a boat on Lake Powell you can hit the water, then the jet ski’s before most people are awake!

BBQing becomes the mode of cooking, why heat up the kitchen? Grilled corn on the cob, grilled chicken, burgers, dogs and finally fresh fruit. Time to enjoy friends and family, the BBQ is a well-documented stress reducer. Really it is, look it up.

Summer storms, the monsoon’s are unique to us as well. Now I’ve got to admit a mile high and 30 mile long dust storm is not a pleasure to endure, but it sure is cool to look at. And, it’s easier to sweep away the dust than shovel snow! A few years ago it was decided to call them Haboob’s instead of dust storms. I still like dust storm, for what it’s worth.

It’s also time to catch up on great old movies, Jaws, Close Encounters, Captain Ron, Stand by Me, ET. For some reason they were just made for this time of year.

Close out the day with another dip in the pool. Get the noodles out, float around, watch the stars, look for shooting stars and listen to the cicada’s.

“Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.”- Bob Marley

Happy Summer

A Penny

I collect pennies and some other old coins. Now I’m not a numismatist by any stretch of the imagination. I just collect old stuff that interests me. Today I made a find, a 1941 wheat penny That’s pretty much what I limit my collecting to, wheat pennies and coins from the war years. For me it’s a real slice of history. What kind of past do they have, where have they been, who has used them, it takes me back.

My dad was in the Army Air Corp during the Second World War. Most of my friends fathers had served during those years, a lot of us grew up hearing war stories and Army stories. One of the great adventures for us as kids was going to the Army/Navy surplus stores. There was one just across the border in Hammond Indiana, and there were a couple of great ones right in Downtown Chicago.

Trips to Downtown were an adventure. We’d walk or ride our bike to the IC (Illinois Central) station in Homewood and take the train to the end of the line, which at that time was the Prudential Building, once the tallest building (at 41 stories) in Chicago.

An adventure downtown always included a few necessary stops for us. Going to the Sun Times Building to see my dad at work, heading to Marina Towers to watch the DJ’s at WCFL, hitting a couple of record stores, lunch at an old deli in the Loop, right under the el train as it thundered over us,  deafening and shaking us as we feasted on sumptuous Rueben sandwiches, cole slaw and fry’s. And of courses the goal of the trip, hitting the surplus stores.

They were like toy stores for us. Being in Boy Scouts we needed all kinds of cool camping supplies as well as emergency equipment, living up to the Boy Scout Motto of “always be prepared.” Which, by the way still serves me well today, thank you Baden Powell!

Shelves and racks of jackets, tents, all types of bags, pistol belts, mess kits, compasses, c rations, zippo lighters, gloves, hats, helmets, shovels, bayonets, scabbards, cartridge belts, patches and pins, it was a 12 year old’s treasure trove! And all very useful for those excursions into the wild.

What made it even better was it was affordable on a budget, money derived from cutting lawns, raking leaves, shoveling snow, working at the hobby shop. Try to buy that stuff today and it costs a small fortune, collectible and vintage being the words to watch for.

Every once in a while I take my jar of old pennies and dump them on the desk, sort through them, wonder about them. Write about them a little bit.