Joys of June

I have been busy the past week moving things into a new room, added to my single room living quarters. This addition has become available as my grandson Kenneth III moved into his new apartment, in preparation for beginning a new life as a married man. Kenneth will wed Melissa Bricker, a beautiful young lady who is employed with a Christian Radio broadcasting station. They will wed in Newcastle, Calif. on July 5th and I have been honored as their choice to officiate the ceremony. While I rejoice at their happiness I will miss having Kenneth around on a daily basis. The extra living space is small recompense for this loss.

As an adjunct to the moving process I have discovered several treasures that had remained hidden in the deep recesses of dark closets and under piles of books and notebooks that have cluttered the floor of my single room abode. Treasures such as forgotten family photos (a couple of which I have posted on MyFamily site). Also found were diaries and journals that detailed the events of earlier days. There were outdated magazines and clothes to be thrown away or donated. It has been an exciting but taxing chore and I am not finished yet.

My son Kennie and grandson Glenn traveled a few miles south last evening to visit my niece Lisa Machado. Lisa has been fighting a long, long battle with breast cancer. Through several years of treatment she has remained strong, courageous and of good cheer. Earlier this year she traveled to China with her sister Leslie and visited the Great Wall. She is now planning a short cruise. She values every day and is a sparkling example of the strength and beauty of the human soul. We should all help in the fight against this and other life threatening diseases. Donations help in the modern research that will find cures.

In spite of the dire threats of global warming our central valleys in California have enjoyed beautiful and mild spring weather. Daily sprinkles and showers have graced our foothills and pleasant temperatures have beckoned folks outdoors. We give thanks for the blessings bestowed. Horrid headlines notwithstanding there are some good things going on. I am

Just Sayin’

May Has Flown

I haven’t published in almost a month. My blog should be like a journal but I seem to think of it late in each day and I don’t function as well in the evening. Certainly not with any literary skills. Evenings are devoted to TV - - - a national habit, I suppose. However, there were some significant events worth mentioning in the last few weeks.
The first event to impact our personal lives was an accident suffered by my son Kennie, Jr. He commonly rides his bicycle to work each morn, mainly for the exercise. And, about a month ago while circling to await a light change he took a header, landing awkwardly on his right shoulder. The fall bruised him well and separated his shoulder severely. His doctor felt that surgery was not necessary and the injury would heal in time. Thus, he has been wrestling with a sling-harness for some time. After the initial days of pain he has been healing well and now only uses the harness during work hours. He has learned to manipulate things with his left hand and last night he ventured to the gym for a work out on the tread mill. He has always been athletic and this leisure pace forced upon him has been his largest headache. His surfing weekends at his home in Dillon Beach have been reduced to long walks on the beach and grinding tours up the steep hills. But, full recovery is now in sight and he looks forward to swimming with the Great Whites again soon.

My daughter Andrea was able to sneak a vacation from her grueling schedule and visit me from Utah in May. We spent a week of relaxing and trading family gossip. We also managed to test the local eateries - - - dining in eclectic manner from truck-stop fry cooking fare to the elegance of a 4-star restaurant. Andrea took the time to teach me about her new Kindle, an electronic marvel that allows one to read books that are reproduced on a screen that you can hold in your hand. The marvel is that the Kindle feels like a real book, turns pages with a flick of the finger, has a no-glare screen that uses a magnetically managed page reproduction which makes the experience like reading an actual book instead of suffering a computer screen presentation and it weighs about 10 ounces. You can put it in your coat pocket. It also will hold hundreds of books in memory that can be brought to the screen with a touch of the key board You carry a library with you!. These books are easily downloadable from Amazon with prices ranging from free to $9.95 for New York Times best-sellers lists. Once purchased or down loaded they remain yours forever, kept by Amazon in your account for free. The Kindle works like a cell phone so you can access the web wherever that service is available without charge. Otherwise it works on its batteries which are rechargeable and last when on for at least 4 days reading on a single charge. As you can tell - - - I am a big fan of this device. Did I mention that it keeps your place in a book when you pause your reading? And, if you like it will present you each morn with your favorite newspaper to leaf through with a simple subscription fee.

Planning is in the final stages for my grandson Kenneth III’s wedding on July 5th to Melissa Bricker in Newcastle, Calif. Kenneth has shared this Sacramento home with his father and I for the past few years. He will be moving to a new apartment this week as he prepares to begin his new adventure as a married man. I have been honored to serve as the minister for Kenneth and Melissa’s marriage ceremony.
The weather in June has been strange and exciting as we endured a rare thunder storm that lit our city with multiple lightning strikes. The accompanying rain was appreciated. Now a stationary weather low is bringing cool delta breezes and moderate temperatures in the 70s to our valley. Perhaps this is a harbinger of a moderate summer as well. We will greet it with delight.

Just Sayin’