"And In Summary........"

  Here it is November and I am doing my SECOND post of the year! I profusely apologise all over the place!  I will try and do better (fingers crossed behind my back).

  While visiting my cousin, Phil, in Las Vegas, we got on the subject of my blog. He said it was very good, but suggested that I talk more about myself so my kids and grand kids could know more about me.  I thought I was doing okay in that department but thinking about it, maybe I have a tendency to talk about everyone around me and not so much about me, but I don't think so. 

  That being said, I will try and focus this posting on moi. I am thinking I will categorize this way:

1. My likes and dislikes

2. My thoughts on my immediate and extended family.

3. My views on politics.

4. My views on Idaho.

5. My views on America.

6. My views on the world.

7. My thoughts on the galaxy and beyond.

8. My favourite things.

  If that doesn't put you to sleep then you better see the doctor!

1. As a child, I liked watching TV. Shows like Mickey Mouse Club, Howdy Doody, Disneyland, Roy Rogers, Annie Oakley, Rough Riders, Sky King, and Sea Hunt were some of them. I didn't care for Andy Devine and Ding Dong School so much.  Food wise, it was cereal, pancakes, french toast, spaghetti, my dad's version of chop suey and his 'tuna pea wiggle' (tuna, peas and white gravy on toast) and desserts! Didn't like liver (yuck!), cheese (except as a grilled cheese sandwich or pizza), fruit jello (plain was okay), nuts (except for peanuts, but that isn't really a nut, it is a legume).  As most people would agree, I don't like bullies. As a kid, I was of small stature and would sometimes get picked on. I spent a lot of time alone and didn't mind it because I enjoyed making things with Tinker Toys, American Bricks, Lincoln Logs, and my favourite, Erector Set. Once I got a crystal radio kit for Christmas. I was too young to read the assembly manual but successfully built it by looking at the pictures. Later on, I had three step brothers so had built in playmates in the house.

  As an adult, I like drama and action TV and movies, though, occasionally I will enjoy something more poignant. My food preferences haven't changed much, maybe expanded a little to include a little of anything smothered in salsa. I do the same thing with ketchup on some things. I love swordfish but don't see it on the menu much, so second choice is halibut when I can get it. I really loved the pepper tuna sandwich at Chili's, but as luck would have it, they found out I liked it and took it off the menu.

Burger and fries are high on my list, but lately I go to Blaze Pizza any chance I get.  I still like building things but now have grown up toys like power tools and really enjoyed my career as a cash register technician (now called a POS technician, short for Point of Sale).

2. Looking back, it amazes me how fast my kids grew up. I wish I took more time to enjoy the experience. Time lost. Makes me think of the song Cat's In The Cradle. It also amazes me how six youngsters grew up under the same roof and all turned out differently, but loved everyone of them and still do when they are adults with children of there own. 

  My four grandparents were the mostest besterest ever. As a child, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without them. They always fostered my interests and most of all put up with my quirkiness. Wish I knew my dad better. I don't have any memories of him until after I turned four when he was done with WW II and the Korean War. Even then the memories are faint. I think part of his distance was he came home with some form of PTSD and there wasn't much interaction between us. Some of my grammar school years and most of my teen years were spent living with grandparents. My mom had her own issues and my step-mom did the best she could. I had aunts and uncles on both sides of the family and my memory is that time spent with them was always a happy time. Unfortunately many relatives are gone now.

3. This one is easy. As stated in my intro on my home blog page, my comments stay apolitical!

4. Living in Idaho for the second time. First time was about 27 years ago when we moved west from Vermont via Utah and stayed for 20 years. Then came back  almost 3 years ago to be closer to kids and grand kids that were still there. A great place to live, weather is moderate, economy is equal to or better then everywhere else. Only problem is, because it is a great place to live, the rest of the world seems to have found it and is moving in!

5. In spite of the political turmoil going on these days, America is still a great place to be. The diversity of opportunities and culture is amazing. I still favour the northeast where I grew up but I have had great times in many other places in the U.S.

6. There are so many fascinating places in the world of which I have only seen a few. I admire the well ordered life in Germany, and the charm and history of England and Ireland. Turkey is steeped in history but while I was a young G.I. stationed there, I pretty much was sequestered to the base by choice, my loss. There is one thing I wish the world could take more seriously and that is the matter of global warming.

7. In some ways, I wish I lived in the far future and maybe see extraterrestrial travel as commonplace.
It is amazing how something as big as the universe and something so small as quantum mechanics can be so closely intertwined. As Spock would say, "Fascinating".

8. On the subject of my favourite things, I am going to take the liberty of repeating an excerpt from a previous post:

- When I first climb into bed and rest my face on the cool softness of my pillow, and if I want to have an encore, I flip my pillow over and do it again
- The refreshment of gulping down ice cold water when I am very hot and thirsty.
- The rejuvenation of a shower when I am tired.
- Finding Crème Brûlée on the menu.
- This one is corny but I like how snow crunches when you walk on it on a very cold and early winter morning.
- Finding a parking space near the shop's door.
- A free upgrade to business class or first class when flying.
- Hearing from an old friend you haven't heard from in years.
- A call from a son or daughter for no reason.
- My favourite dish or dessert made for me.
- Finding something that I have lost and thought I would never see again.
- Waking up and thinking "ugh, it's morning" then realizing it is Saturday and going back to sleep.
- How dogs are always happy to see you, no matter what.
- A five payday month.
- Brown paper packages tied up in string, no, wait, that is someone else's......
- Needing something at the store and finding it is on sale.
- Having someone to talk to about anything.
- Having a favourite book or TV show to look forward to.
- Going to bed one night in the fall, knowing I am going to get an extra hour of sleep because of Daylight Savings Time.
- Pictures of grandchildren and the art they create.  Better still, their company.

Well, there it is, a quick synopsis or cross-section of me. Hope it was worth your time!

That's Garbage!

  The Beatles song, Fixing A Hole, speaks of a wandering mind. Guess what? I have one! (Mind, not song). So today, while my mind was wandering, I was taking the trash barrel out to the curb for pick up and wondered; "When did trash pickup start?" So, got back to my Google to find out about it. Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that the concept of organised community trash pickup started in England in 1751. So my inquiring mind was quenched for the time being.
  Way back in the olden days when I was a kid (1950's), I remember candy wrappers and the like being tossed out the car window while we happily motored along. No thought given to it.Somewhere along the line, Humanity (at least most of it I hope) developed a conscience and littering was generally no longer acceptable. If I have any virtues, one is that I do not and will not litter, unless it is biodegradable. I have no problem ditching a banana peel!
  A couple times I have seen someone in a parked car toss out litter onto the ground. Both times I walked up to the car, picked up the offence and hand it back to the individual and politely say "Excuse me, you dropped this." Fortunately they weren't wrestlers or boxers.
  Of course, littering is only one aspect of protecting the environment, but important.
  So to all those who do there best to protect Mother Earth, good for you!

I see litter as part of a long continuum of anti-social behaviour. Bill Bryson