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’

Blogger Blues

I am a poor blogger (is that a word?). As I read other web blogs I am envious of the ease with how the writers seem to just let the words flow. It is like listening to them speak with you in conversation. And, I am sure, that is what a blog is supposed to be. I, in contrast, seem to feel that I should tackle important worldly subjects. Wars, Taxes, Health, Weather, and Disasters. I suppose that is the teacher coming out. Well, I would really like to change that. Opinions are one thing but lectures are another. So, with your kind permission, I will henceforth try to relate my encounters in daily life. Maybe rant a little when things bug me; perhaps share some happy moments; wander a bit and discourse on the mysteries we all meet with and the challenges we face.

Tomorrow my daughter Andrea will arrive for a short visit. All her visits are way too short. We need a Super Train like the Japanese have to bridge the distance between our homes. Airplanes are faster, but travel by air is such a hassle now. The Bush terrorist phobia has taken away our freedom to enjoy. Who wants to live in a society that says you can’t bring your body lotion or your shaving cream with you on a trip. Freedom always poses a risk - - - but Americans have always been willing to pay that price. It was stated precisely by Patrick Henry when he spoke the words “Give me Liberty or give me Death.” But, Andrea will brave the indignity of a body scan, remove her shoes, allow her personal belongings to be x-rayed, provide federally mandated identity papers and wait an hour or so beforehand before being allowed, under parole, to join strangers in a plane with recirculated air and extra charge amenities. However, she will get a free demonstration of how to use her seat cushion as a flotation device, although she will not be flying over any water. Her baggage will be mishandled and, if it arrives, she will have to push her way to the baggage turntable to make sure she can grab what’s left. The bag, suitcase, or whatever will be covered with identity cards that no one will check when she leaves the terminal. Fortunately there may be a shuttle bus waiting that she can board that will bring her to me. If a friend or relative were to pick her up he/she would have to circle the curbside loading area until she appeared or park in an expensive zone at least two blocks from the terminal. Not my idea of a way to begin a short vacation. So, there I have ranted a bit.

We will have lots to talk about. The minutiae of our daily lives; the family gossip; new friends we met and new things we acquired. I am eager to see her new Kindle, an electronic marvel of the world of books. She will introduce me to the wonders of the Ipod as I am of an older generation electronic age. I was among the first with TV, with personal computing, and electric shaving; but, I now lag behind the latest innovations. I have enough problems trying to tackle MySpace, Facebook, and now Twitter. We will also enjoy dining out together as we sample some of the area’s remaining eateries. Yes, the recession has taken a toll there, too. I am excited about her visit and maybe we can blog and twitter together for you tomorrow. I am - - - -

Just Sayin’

Media Fears

The current fear topic dominating the media is Swine Flu. This topic of “fear” is not meant to belittle the legitimate concerns of medical professionals or those of the public at large. But it hopes to point out that the blatant headlines and feature stories capping the television news programs are usually those that spread doom, disaster and depression across the land. One need take a view from afar of such exclamatory news flashes and viewer enticing tales.

I have lived long enough to remember the bold headlines in the 30s that detailed the crash of the stock market and the newsboys cries of horror on Wall Street as he peddled the morning papers. So mesmerizing was the fear spreading across the nation that people committed suicide rather than face the future. Those victims who found their stock dropping to ridiculous lows should have held on a couple of years and lived to enjoy the rich rewards that followed. Fear multiplies itself. It is worse than any invading virus can be in the effect upon lives and fortunes. And, usually, we find our worst fears are as ephemeral as ghosts. There are 15 New Cases of Swine Flu in California cries out the morning headline. Wow! Following story doesn’t bother to mention that it is flu season and we can expect thousands of cases of some kind of flu. Actually the cases mentioned were of those who had only mild symptoms and all recovered. Sore throats and stuffy noses. The many deaths in Mexico reported were not all connected to the virus.

I also remember the terror that swept the northeastern states when a radio broadcast meant to present a fictional drama by Orson Wells caused a panic. His dramatic weekly episode featured an invasion of earth by Martians. And at least twice during the broadcast it was stated that the presentation was fiction. I actually listened to that broadcast and thoroughly enjoyed it. But, many people packed up and fled their homes in terror.

In the 1960s or 70s there was the warning spread across the nation by the media that a substance found in cranberries could cause cancer. Did this help anyone? No, but it virtually put those who depended on producing and selling cranberries out of business. The warning turned out to be an exaggeration of test findings.

What about the slow death that was promised those who lived in houses invaded by the deadly gas radon? Yes, this earth element was seeping into homes and threatening lives; and, almost every home had its presence. It was advised that you should have your home tested. Again, people reacted to the fear headlines.

Here in Sacramento the media began the fear mongering of the danger of earthquakes. Playing off the quakes that shook the Bay Area, a program of quake-proofing our public schools and buildings was begun. Who profited? Contractors, of course. I watched some beautiful buildings be torn down and replaced by hum-drum squat buildings, taking away some beauty of our city. Well, after spending over ¾ of a century in this city I have experienced only one handful of earthquakes. Damage done? Some cans fell off grocery shelves and out of home cupboards. We live in a flat valley with no fault lines below and a river bottom of hard clay as our foundation. I know about earthquakes elsewhere as I lived on top of some in Southern California and near an active volcano in the north. I don’t worry about earthquakes in Sacramento.

Our current fears are encouraged to grow by the present flu scare and of course the danger of drowning in super floods. Yes, we have floods here and need to keep our levies repaired. But, watch out for that 100 year flood that will turn us all into Noahs. The media is slacking off now about floods because summer is approaching; so, we begin the draught fears. There may be snow in the mountains but tests show that it is the low-water bearing kind. (?) Folsom lake is very low now. Why is that scary? I remember walking across that land before the lake was formed. Can’t get any lower than that. I also can travel a short distance and watch two great rivers come together after flowing through our city. They have been doing that since before the days of the first American explorers reached our valley. Water shortage? I hear it every year. We should pay normal attention to all these valid concerns but “fear,” I am - - - - -
Just Sayin'

A View of Sports

I recently wrote of my lifetime love of sports but neglected to elucidate on my own view of what I consider to be true sports. I think my own evaluation of whether a pastime is a sport or just a game is based on whether or not there is a physical competition in play that comprises an athletic ability of some serious kind. The competition need not be restricted to competing against others but could be against oneself as in a timed event or an athletic ‘best.”

Within those parameters then I do not consider Golf a sport. It is a game. You try to hit the ball to a certain area and get it in a hole in the fewest amount of club swings. It can be played sufficiently well by anyone - - whether 90 yrs. old or a pre-teen. Jack Nicholson could still beat any average golfer. My grandson was a serious player at the age of 9 yrs. You can be fat (some pro golfers are) or tiny as some young women are who play with the pros. No athletic prowess is required.

Bowling is not a sport. It is a game. The fact that one may compete against others does not make it a sport. I was on a bowling team that included a man in his late 80s and he did very well. Children can bowl in competition.

The same criteria apply to games such as curling, pancake racing, dart board, pinball, horse shoes, chess and checkers. You may be a champion at any of these or the world’s best; however, you are not necessarily an athlete or participating in a sport.

By the same token I do count as sports the following: marathon running; track and field events; weight lifting; most Scottish Games events; bicycle racing; NASCAR racing; ping pong; volley ball; and, events that require athletic ability to be good at the sport. Some, such as professional wrestling, I consider sports even though they are merely exhibitions. Like tumbling and acrobatics it requires great athletic skill to perform. And I do consider hockey a sport although I sometimes wonder why the rules permit the violence of fist-fighting while other respectable sports severely punish such infractions. In basketball and even football such encounters require immediate rejection from the contest accompanied by monetary fines. But, there is no doubt that to play hockey professionally one must be very athletic. In the photo above is a classic example of a legend in that sport. Claude Lemieux, a New Jersey player who has returned to this sport at the age of 43 and was the participant in 3 Stanley Cup championships. He may not be pretty to look at but he is still a wonder to watch on the ice. Maybe they should wear boxing gloves instead of hockey gloves but - - - I am

Just Sayin’

Sports Mania

I am a sports fan. But, apparently, most Americans are also. I watched on TV the NCAA college basketball tournament each day as the field of 64 was narrowed down to the “Final Four” and then the championship game on Monday night, April 6th when the University of North Carolina “Tar Heels” defeated the “Spartans” of Michigan State. Present at this game were about 73,000 fans. That’s more than the population of a great many cities in the U.S. It is more than three times the population of the city I moved from in Arizona, and I thought that place was getting crowded.

My love affair with sports began when I was in grade school and played soccer and soft ball. I was small and fast and found I could compete in those sports as well as track events. Then I began to see the great prize fights of the day when title fights were shown on screen during the Saturday movie matinees. Does anyone still remember the double feature movies, the cartoons, and the Flash Gordon spaceman weekly chapters offered each Saturday for the price of one dime? I listened to radio broadcasts of boxing matches from the early Joe Louis contests until the present. I also attended wrestling matches from the age of 7 on Monday nights at the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento. It took awhile for me to realize that these were actually just exhibitions of athleticism.

My sports interests grew and eventually included most categories. With the advent of television I was able to watch pro football and basketball games; the college teams competing in all sports and became a devoted fan of soccer (called football in the rest of the world) and the teams in Britain’s Premier League and the leagues in Germany, France and Spain. Sports events put life on the big stage, providing (as TV has often put it) the triumph of victory and the tragedy of defeat. We can follow and become emotionally attached to the teams or individuals that compete. As in the basketball tournament mentioned above, I became a fan and follower of the teams from North Carolina and Duke Universities many years ago. Perhaps because I was an extension student of No. Carolina and had a friend who graduated from Duke. I remember sending a “Tar Heel” team cap to my daughter once who thought it was “cool.”

Crowds of 75,000 to 90,000 plus are not unusual in attendance at college football games. Major league baseball attracts 30,000 and up for games that are played almost daily. The big events such as the Kentucky Derby ( I attended in 1943), the Masters golf tournament, the Super Bowl, pro-basketball championship, NASCAR championship, the Indy 500, and other title events are always sold out. Pay-for-Vue now rakes in millions for title boxing matches, the martial arts competitions, and selected premium events. Yes, there is a sports mania across America. Maybe not everyone is so involved but I am
Just Sayin’

Nothing to Sneeze At

I have written about my strange food allergies before. Briefly again: I get ill when eating most any vegetable that is green. There are minor exceptions such as lettuce or green beans and green peas. It is legendary in my family that “Grandpa won’t eat green things!“ Also on the allergy list are most sea foods or others with a fish taste. As a child I was just considered a ‘picky eater.” Allergies were not popularly known or appreciated. Today it seems they are pandemic. We are deluged with drug advertisements on TV and in other media that promise relief. Often the drug side affects are more frightening than the relief you seek.

I can think of only two other allergies that I may have. One is peculiar in that it causes me to sneeze 3 times in a row and rarely a 4th time! This happens when I feel a sudden chill on the back of my neck. Not like when you watch a scary movie and something frightening is about to happen; but, when the nape of the neck actually becomes cool for one reason or another. Most often it occurs when I step out of the morning shower. It can happen when the air conditioner comes on or when I happen to encounter a breeze. The most unusual occasion of its onset came when I was vacationing in Hawaii. I had a reservation to attend the Don Ho dinner show one evening and as I and my party stepped off the elevator a young Hawaian lady placed a lei of small blossoms around my neck. Soon after we were seated I began the 3 sneeze routine. My cousin asked if I was O.K. and I said that I felt fine but sometimes had this peculiar allergy and explained it. She laughed and said “Well you have that damp lei around your neck.” Yes, that was the culprit. An awkward moment but it was relieved later when Don Ho asked if there were any WWII veterans in the house and would they please stand up. I did; was the only veteran - - so he applauded and sent a bottle of champagne to our table.

The only other allergy I recall suffering came a few years ago when I attended a Country Line-Dance performance that my sister was participating in at the city park in Lodi, Calif. As I was watching from a folding chair on the park lawn I began sneezing and my eyes began stinging and watering. Finally I had to leave. My sister caught up with me as I walked towards the car a few blocks away. We decided that the falling blossoms from the park Cottonwood trees were the cause. They floated everywhere in the area. And, sure enough, as we increased our distance from that place my discomfort lessened and quit.

Strangely enough I have never experienced any other symptoms of allergy. Even as a child I have been able to handle poison oak or ivy and its threatening compounds without an itch or a blemish. Contrarily, my mother could become deathly ill by coming within 10 feet of these plants. Several times so seriously ill that she was hospitalized. Perhaps I gained genetic immunity from her trials with these beautiful plants. Mosquito bites, spider bites, bee or wasp stings have little effect on me. Last year I was bitten by a Black Widow and it only caused a minor skin irritation. My immunity shot for small pox as an infant left no scar that is usually present on the arm of those inoculated. And later booster shots in the army left no evidence of the need. So - - I have been very lucky. Such allergies as listed above may provide a source of humor to the unaffected, but for those who have them - - -it is no joke - - I am
Just Sayin’

Amazing Free Offer by Andrea - - But Odd

Below is today's posting by my daughter Andrea. She is also at the left in photo with her sister and my other beautiful daughter Meaghan posing on the Fair Oaks River bridge.

*Voiceofangel*
Monday, March 2, 2009

Free! .. ?
Free Give-Away!!What free?!?Here's how it works...The first four people to comment on this post will get something from me, made by me. My choice--but just for you.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I give!2. What I create will be just for you.3. It will be done this year (hopefully, even this month!!!)4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog.The first 4 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did, will win a marvelous homemade gift by me!Let the games begin!Oh, and I have to be able to contact you with mailing information!Good Luck to all!Ah, reposting things.. I did this in order to win something from my aunt, possibly. I hope I get whatever it is she decides I have if I happened to be one of the first four. And if any of you comment on this.. damn. :D
Posted by voiceofangel at 2:07 AM 0 comments