Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Feelin Groovy by Paul Simon

Slow down, you movin' too fast
You gotta make the moment last
Just kickin' down the cobblestones
Lookin' for fun and
Feelin' groovy____________

Hello lampost
Whatcha knowin?
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain'tcha got no rhymes for me?
Doo Bee Doo Doo,
Feelin' groovy____________

Got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all it's petals on me...
Life, I love you,
All is groovy___________________

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/paul_simon/#share

Humor

An elderly gentleman..... had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%
The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Your hearing is perfect.. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.'
The gentleman replied, 'Oh, I haven't told my family yet.

I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!'

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Help - by Kathern Stockett

I've read some really good books this past year and this is one of them. Highly recommended.

It is about the life of maids and their relationships with their white women employers during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The setting is rural Mississippi. It is mostly told from the point of view of the maids. But it was written by a white women who grew up in the south during these times and was taken care of by a maid with whom she formed a special relationship. If it were written by a black maid, the story would have been more sad or tragic. The ending would have been more sad than happy - I think.

Nevertheless. it was poignant, funny, sad, well written for the most part and certainly made you think. Reminded me of my Dad taking me to Celtics games in the late 50s and seeing bathroom doors with the words "Colored Men" and "White Men." Will never get that out of my head. Probably the first time I realized that the world is not always so nice. "The Help" will make you think that too.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

2010 The Year in Review

The problem is that I do not have a system for writing on this blog. So I write few and far between. I will now try to catch up.

2010 was an eventful year. Mom died on March 13. It was for the best. Her alzheimers was getting worse and worse. Last Christmas 2009, I wrote a reminder email to myself to be opened 2 days before Christmas 2010. I reminded myself not to bring her to our christmas eve gift opening because she just did'nt know what was going on. She did not really appreciate the gifts she gave (I got them for her to give) or received.

But also she was bad off physically. She fell down at the beginning of the year and ended up at the Blair House nursing home where she got an intestinal flu and dehydrated. Her final days were incoherent reminding me of my dads last days 10 years earlier.

The nursing home was an eye opener to me. I realized why my mom dreaded it so much. It is a place where people are kept alive waiting and hoping to die. So sad. I will do whatever I can to avoid being placed in a nursing home. Our health care system keeps persons alive longer than they should and the final days are often spent in pain and with little dignity. More on that in a future blog.

But I digress. 2010 was also eventful because I made my first trip to Hawai. This was Malle's 3rd visit. What a wonderful place so beautiful. I'm so glad that we played golf because that is one of the best ways to see the beauty of tropical Hawai. Although when we landed on the Big Island from Oahu, I thought we landed on the moon. The area around the airport was pitch black for miles and miles to the ocean. I soon figured out that it was lava which had accumulated over the years from various volcanic erruptions. But it was also very beautiful especially in contract to the blue ocean and the green tropical foliage beyond.

Malle and I took a helicopter ride(our first) to the famous Kiluaia Volcano. It was exciting and interesting and beautiful especially watching the steam created as the lava flowed into the ocean.

The 3rd and 4th memorable event(s) of 2010 was the loss of our cat Midnight and dog Penney. I had the unenviable job of bringing each of them in 2 separate trips to the vet to be put down. I cried. They were such an integrel part of our family for so long. Pen was the best dog I ever had. But I could no longer watch her walk around bumping into things. At the end she was blind. And Midnight was not much better. She had trouble climbing onto our couch. You could see her pain.

In January, we went to Vas Vegas. Played some golf and saw Bette Midler perform at Ceasers Palace

In early March we went to Arizona for a few days to a Caremark Confernece at the Gainey Ranch.

In April we went on our annual trip to Myrtle Beach to play lots of golf.

July took us to Detroit to visit brother in law Jack whose health has been failing. He just had a pacemaker placed in his chest. We also stopped in St Catherines, Ontario to visit Malle's cousins. It was nice to get to know Ronnie, Malle's brother, and Mariann, his wife. Really enjoyed their company

During the last week of July, we played a golf tournament in Maine with some friends from Tewksbury.

Malle went to Chicago in August but not with me. In mid-august we returned to Myrtle Beach for one week to play some serious golf in the heat.

Oh and last but not least, business was much better in 2010 compared to 2009 - about twice as good.