I’d like to say veggies and fruit, but it’s dark roast coffee beans, Oatmeal and Raisin Cliff Bars, Berries and Vanilla Chobani yogurt, something from the deli, and Utz Ripple Chips. My wife tends to all the really healthy stuff, so we eat smartly more often than not.
Tag: dailyprompt
A Modicum of Ambition
Pretty much, I guess. I’ve never been one for making long range plans, especially anymore. The only thing approaching goals or plans that I might have had a year ago would have been to stay ahead of the bills, and stay healthy enough to be useful around the house, enjoy the grandchildren, and tackle a couple of woodworking projects.
Some Things
I recently introduced myself to the new combination belt/spindle sander I had bought a while back. It’s a very useful tool, and I intend to utilize it as often as called for, especially now that I know how it works.
As far as lessons learned, one can never arrive at a place where they feel as though there’s nothing more to learn, especially when it comes to human relationships.
Just A Few
I honestly have no burning desire to visit any urban area, but if I had to choose, it would probably be places like Tokyo, Sydney, London, Paris just because, and Reykjavik.
A Sensory Memory
Daily writing prompt
Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.
Of the three choices named in the prompt, the one I remember best is my first day of first grade. My first day of work was when I was maybe 16, working on a farm, but I don’t remember much else about what I did that first day. My first day as a parent was, of course, a day like no other, and the significance of that moment when our first child was born wouldn’t really settle in until sometime later.
My first day of school, on the other hand, sticks in my head as a sunny morning in early September, 1960. I remember waiting for the bus at the bottom of our dirt driveway, on the opposite side of the street, near a power pole and a banking, beyond which spread nothing but woods, since it was still years before the housing development would appear. My Mom was with me, though I can’t remember if any of my brothers or sisters were there, too. Dad was already off to work. I was the oldest, so this was the beginning of a next chapter that I got to kick off.
I remember the old Dodge bus rounding the bend and slowing down. The door opened and I got my first glimpse of Mr. Lemanski, a weathered, older gentleman with a gruff exterior but a good heart, who smoked cigars (this was 1960…) and gave me the impression he was always a bit put out by something.
I don’t remember my first day in the classroom, just bits and pieces along the way. But I’ll never forget that first day waiting for the bus. That has stayed with me, for some reason.
I Suppose So
I was Bob Cratchit in a middle school performance of A Christmas Carol, but never got to deliver all of my lines because a couple pages of dialogue somehow got skipped. It was a long time ago, but I’m pretty sure that’s what happened.
I was a pastor for 26 years, so most Sundays, Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, Lenten mid-weeks, Holy Week, and at weddings and funerals I stood before groups of people and offered words that hopefully fit the occasion. They weren’t speeches, in the typical sense, but to a skeptic or a neutral observer they may have seemed that way.
Movement
I try to get to the Y on a regular basis, where I warm up with a brisk half mile on the elliptical, then move on to several weight machines. I’m not against walking, but it’s nice to have a destination or at least different routes. And even though we use a cart, golf is quality outdoor time, with friends, and a fair amount of walking is still involved.
Come Spring, I might be working with my son, helping him in his landscaping business. I also enjoy mowing our yard and doing other yard work.
Keeping It Together
They volunteer, give of their time, find ways to stay connected, keep their heads about them. They aren’t in a hurry, they practice their religious faith in ways that make sense to me, that seem genuine and well-informed. I find a certain humility admirable.
I gravitate toward people who are low-key in their approach to conversation and general behavior, who are capable of engaging in give and take– capable of listening as well as speaking. I tend to tune out when people are loud and in your face and argumentative, none of which sparks admiration or joy.
Several Contenders
It’s still The Roadrunner, though I must say that South Park and Family Guy can be downright hilarious sometimes. Especially lately.
And even though it’s had a great run, The Simpsons have never really caught on with me.
A Bit of Everything
Daily writing prompt
What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?
The first thing that comes to mind is more of a silver lining variety. My brother died in May, which was a shock to everyone, but the time family and friends got to spend together afterward, as we gathered in Minnesota for the funeral, was a true gift. And our trip out there included a reminder that there are still many kind, helpful people in the world, as we had car trouble and made an emergency stop in a town in north central Ohio, where, it seems, everyone we met steered us in the right direction and offered much appreciated help.
I guess the overarching common thread was the family visits. There were a lot of them, including the time in MN and WI, along with a trip to Connecticut for a family wedding, but mostly it was folks coming to us for stays of varying lengths.
There were a few day trips, several golf outings, some nice meals at a local favorite eating establishment, we gave our carport a bit of a facelift, finally tore down and replaced a storage shed in our back yard, and we survived five days of babysitting our four local grandchildren while their parents were off for a well-deserved vacation and anniversary celebration.
3 Cents' 