SLEDDER

162 – Thursday, June 11, 2009
If you are a regular follower of my blog, then you have probably surmised that there is a predictable pattern which has now emerged. It happens every Thursday when Cynthia and I go sit with our grandson while his mommy works at the law offices for a few hours. You can anticipate that you will read an account of something inspired by my observation of Isaac, and this day is no different - while there are multiple incidentals that provoked my musings, what struck me most today was something that has visited every grandparent that I have ever known – the assessment that reveals how a tiny human will be more enthralled with the wrappings and boxes surrounding holiday presents than he is with the treasures contained within – how he is more thrilled with being spun about in a ‘toboggan’ fashioned from a clothes basket on the ‘icy slopes’ of the Nordic living room carpeting whooshing past the plastic ‘mountain’ of piled toys, now probably needing therapy due to feeling neglected in lieu of the down-hill thrills. I imagine it has more to do with the fact that Poppie is the propeller of the sled (who returns the precious, contagious grins) than the intrinsic cost of the plaything. Poppie is cheap but he is a really fun sledder!!
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BLACK AND WHITE

161 – Wednesday, June 10, 2009 - In the dawning hours, as I anxiously awaited the accompaniment of my life’s love to join me in our den, toting that aromatic brew which ever serves to help brush away the cobwebs of the previous night’s repose, I flipped on the TV to catch the early edition of the morning news. Experiencing some ‘temporary technical difficulties’, for a brief five or six seconds, the screen display hosted a picture devoid of color, and it evoked a chuckle inspired from within my memories. Somewhere around twenty-plus years ago, Cynthia and I were watching a November documentary covering the assassination of former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on the color television in our family room. Ben would have been perhaps seven or eight years old and, unaccustomed to seeing a picture on that tube without hue, he queried about what we were watching. He was informed by us that the man on the program was the president when we were in high school and had been tragically killed. A strange look overshadowed his face and his visage contorted in a manner we had never acutely before observed. Our son was sullen, pensive, and somber, but after several prolonged moments of poignant pause, in astonishment, purposefully asked, “Mom? When you and dad were in school, was the world in black-and-white?” Yes, my beloved son – much more so than today!
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WOW

160 – Tuesday, June 9, 2009
As I sit in my den contemplating my life and the numerous blessings for which I am grateful, my eyes scan the room – I love this room – golden oak surrounds me and the gratification bubbles within my soul that God blessed me with the skills to build it or, moreover, that I was even inspired to design such a warm and comfortable surround. Sporting tiered bookcases and an entertainment column hosting the Samsung HD-LCD television, the digital video recorder, and the Bose 1-2-3 surround-sound, and dozens of DVD’s and CD’s stored in its four drawers, you might think that a guy would be ‘in his element’ and with the minor addition of a mini-fridge and microwave, might be able to literally spend 24-7 right in his easy chair – not the case. What really gives me the ‘warm fuzzies’ are the numerous plastic items bearing the Fisher-Price logo – there is the colorful block sorter, the blue talking chair with a smiling face, and the rocking ring-stacker – all sitting atop the oak window seats under the bay window, which also serve as toy-box storage. The TV unit and book shelves support an upper ledge that circumnavigates the entire room and serves as the landscape and roadbed support for the O-gauge Polar Express train – the locomotive and trailing cars are the absolute favorite attention-grabber of my 17-month-old grandson – he becomes mesmerized when the lighted 5-gang assembly begin their forward motion and a throaty WOOOoo-WOOOoo evokes a captivating stare through widened eyes as his tiny mouth forms one of his first words, W-O-W! While that entertainment center offers a time-bridge, spanning the voids between his visits, its appeal pales in the minutes the little tyke is elevated in my arms as he reaches for the center push-button that toots the whistle that brings my ‘little buddy’ alive – it is when I watch him that my eyes widen and these aging creased lips form the descriptive word inspired by experiencing my grandson – W-O-W!
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CHESSBOARD

159 – Monday, June 08, 2009
Such incredulity is bannered across our nation’s headlines! It is not only unbelievable, it is agonizingly evident that our entire world is in peril! Today, the top stories included an account of two young journalists caught up in the chessboard of international politics surrounding a feud between North Korea, currently attempting to intimidate the US into allowing them to possess a nuclear arsenal, indicating that they are indeed a player in world at stalemate. Two pawns, one a Korean-American, one a Chinese-American, now sentenced to twelve years of hard labor, have suddenly been thrust into the limelight while journaling for Current TV, another brain-child of Nobel Peace Prize recipient, former VP Al Gore. The tragedy in this whole debacle is the lives of the two young ladies and their families. It is not uncommon in our world today for the pawns in the match to take the heat for the peripheral political players who can take their own sweet time to make their next move. I suppose the ladies knew there may be risks involved in their assignment, but I wager they were not expecting their present state. I pray for their peace and safety, for I am certain they are terrified. I pray for their families, for they are in emotional agony. I pray for our national leaders, for they are clueless as to what move to make next. I pray for us all, for in the balance hangs our collective future – much of the rest of the world despises America!
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A GRILLING DAY

158 – Sunday, June 07, 2009
The high-pitched hiss of the propane making way through the tiny orifices - the prelude to the ‘whoosh’ as flames burst forth from the burners on the outdoor grille – another sign that spring is in full force and we are days away from the onset of summer. Our summertime is spent poolside under the cover of the screened lanai where even the hottest of sweltering days yields a shaded 80-degree ambiance – we live out there – it’s perfect! Once the barbecue is warmed up and seasoned, the aroma of sizzling meat soon engulfs the entire area and is carried aloft, permeating the whole vicinity – yes, the neighbors now know that we are grilling out and they become much more curious and friendly than even just a few short hours ago! There is simply nothing that compares flame-broiling on the outdoor spit – everything just tastes better and suits well the likes of our family and friends. Among our most favorite venues, we would all rather meet out back for a cookout than to patronize any restaurant – the food, more enjoyable, the relaxed fellowship, priceless – for everything else there is MasterCard!
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TEAMWORK

157 – Saturday, June 06, 2009
What an action-packed day! We arose early with a list of fifteen cooking things to do before our first guests were to arrive – our goddaughter accompanied by her fiancé and her father, a former college roommate of mine, who made a surprise visit for her birthday and to spend a few days with her future husband, getting to know him better – we were serving chips and salsa, taco salad, watermelon balls, and a special birthday carrot cake, especially for Erin to enjoy. Bustling about the kitchen, we worked as a team, a finely tuned food-producing machine! We have been doing things together for such a long time now that, when put to the test, we can nearly read each other’s thoughts and anticipate what needs to be next on the list. It is such a rewarding and comforting feeling that overtakes me at times as these – a glowing knowledge that, no matter what the press that makes demands of us, we are at our best when teamed up to accomplish any task. It is so important that couples are able to work in tandem, especially when it would be difficult to fly solo, that our prayers turn to Nick and Erin – we pray they will endeavor to develop the communication skills necessary for them to eventually bond in such a way as to replicate the behaviors Cynthia and I share. It requires spending time together to develop that literal empathy - I can think of no higher aspirations for the soon-to-be spouses. We had a fantastic visit with all three before another social engagement pulled them away and we were on our second round – our best friends would be arriving shortly for a new menu offering and a round or two of Canasta. Bring it on! We are up to the undertaking – teamwork re-engages and we are ‘on’ with our ‘A-game’, anticipating what needs to happen next to meet the deadlines of readiness for entertaining. If it sounds like we dread doing all this, we don’t! It is another opportunity to endorse each other and reinforce the bond we have nurtured between us! It is also our hope for all of you as well!!
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BEEFSTEAK

156 – Friday, June 05, 2009
What a crimson beauty! Our first produce of the season from our very own planting efforts – it’s our first tomato born in the screened lanai – it’s a Beefsteak! weighing in at a whopping pound! In the early spring, we purchased a couple of seedlings from the Home Depot and planted them in our Topsy-Turvy hanging planters, suspending the baskets, roots up, vine down. I have watched the growth process of the fruit from the elongation of the stalk to the earliest bloom until a tiny light green orb began to form in the blossom base – at first discovery, the size of a B-B, then a pea, then a golf ball, until its ripened full maturity reached the size of a softball. For months, we have eaten some of the most tasteless and grainy imitations – the hothouse varieties are harvested so early for shipping that they are not allowed to properly mature. Our hope is that this home-grown item will offer a surprising explosion of flavor since it was allowed to fully develop and was 100% vine-ripened! We have not tasted it yet – perhaps just one more day of resting upside-down in the fresh veggies basket where all our tomatoes reside until it is their day – a day to glance at the beauty for a bit longer. My expectation is that all my anticipations are fulfilled and not dashed when I get the first bite – it would be such a let-down if that were to happen.
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