Give It Up Andy

I Always Considered Andy Rooney To Be A Nice Gentleman Who Enjoyed His Many Years Of Journalism. I Use To Enjoy His Ramblings Of The Different "Things" That Got On His Nerves. Each And Every Sunday At The Conclusion Of Sixty Minutes I Would See What Annoyed Andy This Week.
Now I Am Beginning To Let Andy To Get On "My" Nerves. Oh Yes I Realize He Doesn't Care What My Opinions Are Of Him. I Also Understand He May Be A Cranky Old Man Who Should Have Hung Up His Suspenders Long Ago. It's Not That I Don't Like Old Fashion People Or Even Old Fashion Idea's. I Just Think CBS Needs To Offer Him A Good Retirement Plan And Maybe Show Him The Way To The Yellow Brick Road.
Now Don't Get Me Wrong, Old Fashion Can Be Good. I Have Worn My Hair The Same Way For More Than Thirty Years. I Pinch Pennies. I Must Force Myself To Buy Something But Only After I Have Justified It A Hundred Times In My Head. Small Example Will Prove How Eccentric I Really Am. Years Ago I Enjoyed A Popular Pastry. Each Morning I Would Go Through The Drive up And Complete My Order. Pretty Darn Close To A Dollar. A Dollar To Me Is A Significant Number. It's Simple To See It In Realistic Terms. For Example, If I Stopped By That Doughnut Shop Every Day For A Week I Would Spend 7.00. A Month Would Be Thirty Dollars. A Year It Would Be 365.00! Now I Can Think Of Alot Of Things I Could Do With That Kind Of Money. I Could Have It If I Eliminated That Doughnut.
Ok, Back To Andy. He's Like An Old Worn Out Clock. The Clock Has Seen Many Times Of History. Times Are Always Changing And It May Take Some Longer Than Others To Accept It. Complaining About It Won't Accomplish A Thing. I Can't Recall An Episode Where Andy Wasn't Complaining About One Thing Or Another.
I Try To Eliminate Negative Things In My Life. So Andy, Consider Yourself Eliminated.
Now With That Being Said My Mind Took Me To That Doughnut. A Dollar A Day? Seven Dollars A Week? 365.00 A Year? OMG, Now I'm Sounding Like Andy! I Need To Get A Life!

PS. Could You Trim Those Eyebrows Please?

His Name Is Bond...Albert Bond

At The Age Of 63 In The Year Of 1975 Albert Bond Told Me He Would Live To Be 100 Years Old. Ok, Let's Zip Back To That Year Which Was The Period Of Time I Was Stationed On Nantucket Island. Albert Bond Was An Islander Who Worked In The Commissary Store With Me On The Navy Base.
Albert Would Share Stories With Me About The Time He Had A Restaurant In The Boston Area As Well As New York City. He Chose Nantucket To Be His Retirement Home.
Ever Since I Got On The Computer I Have Read The Nantucket Inquirer And Mirror Weekly Newspaper.
Albert Would be 98 Years Old Right Now If He Is Still Living. Last Time I Spoke With Albert Was Back In 1999. I Decided To Return To The Island And Recapture My Life On Film. I Was Far Too Young To Appreciate Where I Was During Those Two Years On Nantucket.
Albert Had Always Been A Hard Worker All His Life. He Would Crack Jokes With Me About My Midwestern Accent. Of Course With His New England Accent I Would Also Poke Fun At Him Pocking His Caw Next To The Coob. He Was Fascinated With My Tales Of Growing Up In The Same Town As Dick Van Dyke.
He And I Stayed In Touch Over The Years. That Year When I Returned To The Island He Left For His Winter Home In Florida. Not Sure When He Started Doing That But It Does Make Sense Because Nantucket Gets Really Cold In The Winter Months. I Was Disappointed In Not Being Able To See Him Once More. I Was Always Respectful Of His Work Ethic. The Man Never Had Anything Handed To Him. He Worked Hard For Everything He Had In Life. I Admired This Man And I Think Of Him Often.
I Recently Got In Touch With Someone Affiliated With The Newspaper. She Has Agreed To Try To Track Him Down For Me. It Does List An Albert Bond Who Is 98 Years Old But No Telephone Number Listed. This Day And Age The Cell Phones Have Replaced Millions Of Landlines.
So Now I Wait To Hear From The Nice Lady At The Newspaper. My Hopes Is To Reconnect With Albert And Tell Him The Impact He Had On Me Those Many Years Ago When I Was Young And Away From Home The First Time In My Life.
We Would Play Tennis After We Closed The Store. Of Course He Would Kick My Butt. My Fond Memories Of Albert Bond Will Be With Me For The Rest Of My Life.
Do You Have An Albert Bond In Your Life? Someone Who Left An Impression On Your Life In Someway? I Suggest You Call Them And Tell Them What They Have Meant To You.
I Try Not To Take Life For Granted. We Meet People Throughout The Days Of Our Lives. It All Happens For A Reason.
I May Never Get The Opportunity To See Albert Bond Again In This Lifetime. His Memory Will Forever Live On Within Me.

My Shortest Blog

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.



Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.



It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.



That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.



On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.



No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.



Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.



The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.



As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?' he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked about you a lot.'



After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.



'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'



Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.



'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said. 'As you can see, Mark treasured it.'



All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.'



Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.'



'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary'



Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'



That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.



The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.



So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.



And One Way To Accomplish This Is: To List 3 People Who Were A Positive Influence In Your Life Or That Of Another. Sit Down And Hand Write A Letter To Each Of Those Three People. Tell Them Why You Are Writing Them. That Person's Generosity, Kindness, Willingness To Just Sit And Listen. Whatever Your Reason For Selecting That Person, Say So In Your Own Words And Deliver Them From Your Heart. Sign It A Friend Forever. The Author Isn't The Important Subject Of This Assignment.
One Week From Today I Will Tell You Of My Progress. Your Words To That Person Will Be Meaningful And One To Be Cherished Forever. I Certainly Don't Expect Anyone To Sit Down And Write Three Letters In One Week. How About One A Week? Start Your Letter Today. Write A Little Bit At A Time. I Have Found Your Best Words Come From Alot Of Thought.
I Will Check Your Progress One Week From Tonight(Tuesday). Good Luck.

I Was Lost, But Now I Am Found

The Gene Pool. That's What This Blog Is All About. For Some It Comes Easy. For Others It Can Be A Little Confusing. When Mom And Pop Get Together And Conceive A Child, You Would Think The Child Would Have Features From One Or The Other Or Both.
I Was Never Told You Look Just Like Your Father. I Have However Had People Say You Act Like Your Father. Genetic Makeup Is Not Just Looks But Behavior Too. For Years I Considered Myself To Be "Blended". Then One Day I Saw A Photo Of My Sister Channa. I Stared At That Photo Until It Became Obvious Her And I Looked So Much Alike. More So Than Any Of My Other Siblings.
As We Age We May Take On A Completely Different Profile. For Example, My Father. He Is A Spitting Image Of His Mother. I Have Seen Photographs Of My Grandfather And I See Him In A Couple Of My Aunts Which Are My Father's Sisters.
My Mother Favored Her Mother, In Which I Think She Favored Her Mother Too.
I Knew Some Of My Facial Features Favored The Rohrer Side Of The Family Than The Miller's. My Brother Tuck In My Opinion Favors Primarily The Rohrer's. However My Brother Robin I Feel Favors The Miller Side. Of Course This Is Only My Opinion And Others May See Likeness In Others That I Do Not See.
So The Photo At The Top Of My Blog. As I Stared Into The Face I Saw Features Of My Own. Of Course I Would Since This Is A Relative Of Mine.
At The Present Time My Mother Is Having Fun With Family Members On Facebook. She Posted This Photo And Asked Family Members Who They Think It Is.
Not To Spoil Her Fun I Won't Reveal Who It Is Just Yet. This Will Give My Readers An Opportunity To See For Themselves If They Can See Me As They Look Into This Photo.
My Son Bobby, I Could Never Deny Him. Too Many People Have Said It And I Can See It.
My Daughter Beckie Though, I See Both Her Mother And Myself.
So What's Your Genetic Make Up? If It Looks Like A Duck, Swims Like A Duck, And Quacks Like A Duck. It Must Be A Duck.
So, If It Looks Like A Mac, Talks Like A Mac, And Sings Like A Mac, Then It Must Be A Mac.

Life Without Electricity

The Other Evening When We Had A Storm Pass Through, It Brought Tree Limbs Down Because Of Strong Winds. Limbs Came Crashing Down On Power Lines Interrupting Service To Hundreds Of Customers. My Brother Tuck Called Me To Let Me Know He Had No Electricity.
I Reminded Him He Would Survive This Because Our Father Was Raised With No Electricity Most Of His Childhood. I Can't Imagine Life Without Our Most Modern Conveniences.
I Asked My Father To Someday Sit Down And Write Out On Paper What His Life Was Like Without Power. In Addition I Wanted To Know What My Grandfather Was Like. A Man I Never Got To Know Because He Passed Away Before I Was Born. He Shared A Story With Me This Past Friday When We Sat At My Sale.
He Told Of His Father Digging With A Post Hole Digger 5 Feet Into The Ground In The Shape Of A Horseshoe. The Dirt He Collected He Put In The Center Of This Horseshoe. He Then Poured Concrete Into The 5 Foot Trenches As Well As The Mound Of Dirt In The Center. He Then Dug Out The Dirt From Underneath The Mound, Hollowing Out The Cavity And Exposing The Walls He Poured With Concrete. This He Called A Fruit Cellar Which Also Served As A Storm Cellar. Most Importantly It Was The Coolest Place To Be On The Hottest Day Of The Year.
It Served It's Purpose And Most Likely Is Being Enjoyed By Someone Else Today. Even Though We Have Fans Or Air Conditioning To Keep Us Cool On A Hot Summer Day. You Can't Take Away The Memory Of How Hot It Was And What You Had To Do To Keep Yourself Cool. Most Importantly, Pass On Your Memory To Someone Who Appreciates It. It May Seem Trivial To You, Yet Your Life's Journey May Be Valuable To Someone Who Never Experienced It.
So From Time To Time Whenever My Father Decides To Share His Childhood Memories I Will Pass Them Along To You.

Georgetown Fair

Today Is The Conclusion Of The Georgetown Fair. I Didn't Attend The Event This Year. I Guess I Could Have And Maybe I Should Have.
This Has Been A Pretty Active Summer For Me. Every Day Is Different And I Find Little Time For ME. You Build Memories By The Things You Do With Your Days. You Build Them With The People You Choose To Spend It.
I Have Been Flirting With The Notion Of Breaking Into The Food Vending Business Associated With Fairs, Carnivals And Festivals. Maybe Some Day That Will Happen.
In The Meantime I Will Continue My Mission Of Life. I Still Enjoy What I Do And I Feel That Is Very Important. I Need To Make Time For My Time. I Use To Fish. I Use To Ride A Bike. I Use To Go To Fairs. I Allowed My Mission To Take Away The Other Joys Of My Life.
I Need To Take Time To Smell The Roses. The Other Day I Ran Into A Friend Who Recently Began Working In An Antique Store. I Pulled Up To Him And Told Him I Needed To Stop In The See What's In The Store. I Told Him The First Of This Next Week I Would Stop In To Check It Out. This Mornings Newspaper Had Him Listed In The Obituary. I Haven't A Clue What Happened To Him. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.
My Point? Whether You Choose The Georgetown Fair Or The Covered Bridge Festivals, Make The Time To Do It. The Hoopston Sweet Corn Festival Is The Next Event. I Think I Will Go This Year.
Asking My Readers To Create A Memory. Choose Someone To Go With You And You Just Created More Memories. Do It Today Because Tomorrow Never Comes.

A World Without Pets?

Can You Imagine? Nope I Can't. I Can't Imagine Life Without A Dog. I Suppose There Are People Who Are Not Suited To Be Pet Owners. Alot Of People Like To Leave On A Moments Notice And You Just Cannot Do That When You Have A Pet. That Pet Is Dependant On You. Food, And Shelter And Lot's Of Love Are The Ingredient For A Happy Companionship With Your Pet.
I Am A Dog Lover. I Relate Better To Dogs. I Enjoy Their Unconditional Love As Well As Their Commitment And Dedication.
I Bet Many Of You Can Recall Some Memorable Moments With Your Pet. Alot Of People Include Them In Photo Shoots With Other Members Of The Household.
I Know Of A Miniature Yorky That Is Celebrating A Birthday Tomorrow. Of Course She Hasn't A Clue But Does It Matter?
I Think We Can Agree That Our Pets Have A Big Impact On Our Lives. Life Without Them Would Be Boring. If You Don't Have A Pet, You Could Always Enjoy The Opportunity Of Being Playful With Someone Else's.
I Don't Know About You But I Think I Will Tell My Pet How Happy She Makes Me.
A World Without Pets? Nahhh, Not This Planet.

Winter Or Summer? That Is The Question.

A Couple Nights Ago I Watched With Interest An Interview Clip From Last Winter 2009/10. In This Interview Were People That Were Tired Of The Cold Winter Temps And Just Couldn't Wait Until Summer. Fast Forward To The Summer Of 2010. As Most Of Us Know This Summer Has Been A Scorcher And We Just Begun The Month Of August. The Same Person Who Conducted Last Years Interview Decided To Ask People What They Thought Of Summer So Far. Of Course It's Not Surprising To Hear People Say They Are Sick And Tired Of These Hot Temps And Are Looking Forward To Cooler Weather.
Do We Know What We Want? I Was Speaking To An Older Lady This Afternoon As We Wiped The Sweat Off Us I Told Her To Contact Me Again Before October. She Said That's Not A Problem Because She Has A Winter Home In Maine And Would Be Leaving Illinois By Then. Maine? I Have No Idea The Story Behind That But I'm Sure There Is One. I Immediately Said New England Eh? I Then Told Her I Lived On Nantucket For Two Years. Her Reaction Was... Oh Your Parents Are Wealthy. I Chuckled And Told Her Our Nation Was. A Two Year Stint In The Navy Sent Me There When I Was Too Young To Appreciate Where I Was. Of course I Returned To Take Video's Of The Places I Enjoyed Most. One Thing Is For Sure. Winters On Nantucket Island Was Not On Top Of My List. I Cannot Remember Ever Being Someplace Where It Had Been So Cold. It's Funny About The New England States. The Season's Are Nothing Like Illinois. The Seasons Were Hot And Cold. I Can't Remember Experiencing Spring Or Fall.
Any Way, Here In Illinois We Are Experiencing The Dog Days Of Summer.
Boy, I Wish It Would Snow Tonight.