Sweetie, It Sure Is Quiet Now

The house is finally quiet again.  Yes, my wife is speaking to me, and yes, the television is on, but the house is STILL quiet.  Child A has spent his obligatory twenty minutes with us, and is now back in his room, but that is not the "source" of the quiet.  The source of the quiet, of course, is the fact that  both grandchildren are now back with their parents.  And the house, though full of conversation and television noise, is oh so quiet.  That is one of the parts of "grandparentism"that has amazed me since my lovely bride and I were gifted with our first grandchild, and continues to strike me even after our second grandchild came into our world.  How quiet the house is after "the children" go home.  I know the grandchildren will visit again, relatively soon, but how quiet it is after they go home!

My precious Baby Baby is now three years old and will be four in just a few months.  She seems so grown up!  She talks so well, problems solves well, helps with little chores, and most of all LOVES for Poppee (me!) to play with her.  Yes, I am her playmate.  And I love it just as much as she.  I have gone through countless Peppa Pig adventures with her.  Today's Peppa adventure included me starring as "Monster Poppee" who endlessly trapped "Princess Peppa," only to foiled in his evil plans by "Prince George" who in "real life" is Peppa's younger brother.  Next we spend hours playing "True and Bartleby"  I don't know the actual name of the cartoon, I think it may be "The Adventures of True" but that is just a guess on my part.  True is a young lady who goes on many adventures, and shares those adventures her friend and CAT, Bartleby.  When we are "in character" as True and Bartleby, True addresses Bartleby, who then answers, "Yes, True."  If Poppe does not get that answer right, play is stopped immediately until "Bartleby" answers correctly..."Yes, True."  We go to the Wishing Tree to get three wishes that help solve the particular problem in a certain adventure.  Then we hurry to the "scene" of whatever the problem might be by riding on "Cumulo," a friendly cumulus cloud who is always ready at True's beck and call.  If one were to visit our home while Baby Baby was there, that person would be treated to the delightful scene of "True" leading around her friend (and cat) Bartleby by the hand, telling Bartleby some important bit of information, then hearing True say, " No Bartleby!  You have to say 'yes, True.'"

While all this is going on, Baby Derek, our latest addition, is playing in the floor or bouncing and making noise in his "jumper."  Baby Derek is one of the two sweetest babies I have ever seen.  The other was his uncle, Child A.  Baby Derek is all smalls, and so loving.  And he is already a "Honey's baby."  That means that he much prefers Honey to Poppee, just as Baby Baby does.  For cuddling or comforting purposes, both children prefer Honey to Poppee.  The good news is that when Honey is not available, and the choice is between Poppee and being totally ignored, they happily choose Poppee.  But Baby Derek a strange little quirk.  He has a very bad temper!  If his bottle is a few seconds late, he turns red, bulges out the vessels on his cute little head, and suddenly looks like a pint-size, red-tinted miniature Hulk!  A wet diaper turns our sweet little man into Hulk 2, as does placing him on his blanket on the floor for "tummy time" if he thinks he is not ready.  But he is such a joy!  He and his sister have greatly decorated our lives, my Lovely Bride and I.

And that is what makes the house so quiet when they leave, our little Baby Baby and Baby Derek.  They decorate our lives, as I am sure that all grandchildren do for all grandparents.  Our children are not "dethroned" by the arrival of grandchildren, but instead our lives, blessed by children, are doubly blessed when grandchildren appear in our lives.  The laughter, the occasional tears, and yes, even the hours spent as True's friend, Bartleby, all decorate our lives, literally brightening our happy home.  So when it is finally time for the children to go home, even though I know they will be back soon, it seems so quiet.  My lovely bride comments in a somewhat saddened voice, "Sweetie, it sure is quiet now."  She is right. Even with the TV on and conversation going on, the house seems so very quiet.  And so it is, but only for a short while.  The babies will be here again soon, and once again, the quiet will be chased out of the house for at time.

In just the wink of an eye, 2018 is in the past, and the New Year is upon us!  I am excited about the new year and what it holds in store.  At the same time, I am so amazed that what was supposed to be "just a few days off" for me turned into several months off.  We welcomed our second grandchild into the world during 2018, and that took some time away from writing and other things, but it was a pleasure to spend so much time with my precious grandchildren.  If time cannot be recovered, then this was certainly one of the best ways I could have used this time.  Some of the time I did lose without the hope of recovery and with the knowledge that I would have rather done almost ANYTHING else was the time I spent "filling in" for employees who seemed to be unceasingly ill, who needed off at the spur of the moment, and for one who took off whenever the time off was desired, until that employee was fired.  In 2019 I will not make THAT mistake again.

Christmas 2018 proved to be one of the "merriest" Christmases ever for my immediate family.  None of us stressed this year as far as trying to find the "right" gifts or spending a lot of money just to spend money.  Even without all that, this Christmas was a blast!  Our little grandkids (and their parents) along with our son were all gathered with us this year, and I have to say that was the biggest and best gift of all, far outshining all of the things that were gifted.  My lovely bride and Child B (my daughter) tickled our tummies with some great cooking and some great cookies as well.  We all had such a great time.

Now, on this first day of 2019, I begin the new year with several goals to meet, but only one "resolution" and that is to LIVE each moment in the present.  Yes, goals hark toward the future, but if one has no goals, and no plans on how to reach those goals, than that person is not moving forward, not growing.  The alternative is no longer acceptable for me.  I have some goals, and I have the plans to meet those goals, but whether I do or not, I am going to enjoy my life and my loved ones.  For all of my readers, I have you in my thoughts and prayers as the new year breaks upon us.

I am not going to discuss most of my goals on this blog, but one of my goals I want to talk about, and will accomplish, is to finish a book by the end of this year.  I have, for the past two years or so, been in touch with a very accomplished and successful writing team, each of them successful in their own right as well.  I have gained a lot of knowledge from these two special people, and I intend to soak in even more from them this year.  I will not reveal their names, but they have numerous books to their credit, and have even featured some of my experiences in a couple of their books and magazine articles.  Some of their credits include several installments of the Indiana Jones series, and it has been an honor and a privilege that they have shared their time and their experience with me.

It is great to have the blog rolling again, and I hope to have some interesting posts, some educational posts, and some emotional posts, that will be engaging and thought-provoking.  I will also post some articles that will just be entertaining.  One difference in the blog for the coming year, and for the remaining time that I blog, is that I will make very few, if any, political posts this year.  There are plenty of political blogs and political websites out there, as well as on television, so I will not add my little political knowledge and feeble opinions to that particular hue and cry. There are so many other things to blog about, as far as my interests, and hopefully yours too,  are concerned. Thanks again for sticking with me, and Happy New Year!!!

End Of Watch: Officer Garrett Hull, Fort Worth Police - September 14, 2018

The latest Texas Peace Officer to give his life in the line of duty is Officer Garrett Hull, Forth Worth PD.

Officer Garrett and his colleagues, members of the Criminal Intelligence Unit, had developed information leading to the identification of three subjects who, as a team, had robbed several bars and other businesses over the past few weeks.

On September 13, 2018 the CI Unit were engaged in surveillance of the three men when they committed a robbery in a local bar.  The CI Unit approached the bar as the men fled, and a foot pursuit began.  During the pursuit one of the subjects fired at pursing officers, the bullet striking Officer Garrett in the head.  In the exchange of gunfire that followed, the robber was killed.

Officer Garrett was rushed to a nearby hospital, where medical staff worked through the night and into the following day to save the wounded officer, while many of his colleagues gathered in the hallways and the waiting room to stand vigil.  Unfortunately Officer Garrett died from his injuries the following afternoon.

Officer Garrett left behind his wife, two daughters, his family, and his colleagues at the Forth Worth Police Department.  The officer had served seventeen years as a police officer.  I am proud to honor Officer Garrett here, but saddened at the event that gives rise to this memorial.

I pray for the Good Shepherd's comforting arms for this officers loved ones and friends, and for the safety of all peace officers across the nation and the world.

Meerkats, or The Wonders Of "Autocorrect"

It has been said (by someone) that we learn something new every day.  Well, here is one thing I learned today.

It turns out that if you write a text while still in bed, very groggy from just waking up, and not wearing glasses because they just fell off the nightstand and to the floor, and you misspell the word "meetings" so that the the typo is "meerings" (the "r" IS right beside "t," in my defense) autocorrect saves the day by correcting "meerings" for you.

Here is an actual text message exchange between my lovely bride and me just after noon today:

Bride (all wide awake at work): Want to take me to lunch? Sleeping still?

Me (very groggy from just waking up, and not wearing glasses because they just fell off the night stand): I am awake. I need to just wet my head and dress. Do you have meerkats at 1:00? If not, I will get dressed and be right there.

(Long pause, audible even in the text world, then finally)

Bride: Meerkats?

(Second long pause, audible even in the text world, followed by the realization that I had misspelled "meetings" but, once again, autocorrect SAVED THE DAY...or at least the message)

Me (now sheepishly picking up my glasses):Oh, I think that must be an autocorrect, I was typing "meetings." That is pretty funny.

Bride: I was thinking you still had to be asleep.

Me: And no glasses!

Bride: Ha ha ha (she laughed, sure, but possibly called the local sheriff's mental health task force as well)

So I learned today that if one types "meerings" instead of "meetings" the autocorrect will default to "meerkats."                       

As I pondered this new factoid, I also put on my running shoes and tied them tightly, just in case the Midland County Mental Health deputies REALLY ARE on the way to my house! I am thinking this would be a great time to go to Wally World.

Sometimes Life Can Be A Blog-Stopper

I like to think that sometimes life is too hectic to allow time for blogging.  That makes it NOT my fault that I have not made a new post since July 29.  I like to think that so much is going on, what with the new grandson and all, that I "just don't have the time" to write a post.  But then I hear someone say everyone has enough time to do the things they want to do (at least up to a point).  "Your priorities are not in line," someone else says, or you would blog without fail, if you want to be a blogger.

That is true for whatever it is a person WANTS to do, but ends up not doing.  Life happens.  I guess the question is "does one let life be a stopper of any kind, even a blog-stopper?"  I have to confess (well, since everyone can see it, I might as well) that I did let all the things going on in my life, at my job, and in the lives of my friends, become a blog-stopper.  The reality is that I let blogging fall down my list of priorities.  It turns out, in fact, that there are still twenty-four hours in a day, and seven days in a week.  Yes, different things may be happening, but all these things still happen within the same twenty-four hours I have always had between sunrise one morning and sunrise the next morning.  I am sure, looking back, that I could have found time to write at least one blog in the past week, but what a roller coaster ride the past few days have been!

Only a few weeks ago my second grandchild come into this world, and this time with much less drama and danger than did my sweet Baby Baby (my granddaughter).  I have not been able to spend as much time with my new little boy as I wanted, but that is only because so many other people want to spend time with him, too, including (believe it or not!) his parents.  Baby Baby has had to adjust, but she loves her little brother, especially after having decided that he cannot "go back into Mommy's tummy."  So I have double the grand kids I had just a few days ago.  And what a handsome guy he is.

But life is a roller coaster ride, and sometimes it is not such a fun ride.  Just a few days after my grandson was born, I learned that a friend of mine was facing the death of his older brother.  My friend had been caring for his older brother and spending as much time with him as possible because it had become apparent that this man had only days to live, if not hours.  My friend left his brother for the night, but before he had could reach his home, my friend received a call informing him that his daughter had just been killed in a traffic accident.  Still reeling from this devastating news the next morning, this friend received a call that his brother had passed away.  My friend had to bear this double-cross of losing two of his closest loved ones in less than a twenty-four hour span.  But he was both strong and had the loving support of his family and friends to help through this terrible time.

During this same weekend I myself received word of the passing of one of my favorite uncles.  He was a member of the family by marriage, but was loved by our family as if he had been born into it.  The funeral was planned for the middle of the coming week, and I was determined to be there.  I left work the evening before the funeral, packed, and drove the three hundred or so miles to my mother's house.  The next morning she and I gathered with our family to say a final goodbye to this good man.  This was also my mother's birthday, so there was an intense mixture of sadness and joy all wrapped into a single evening and half the next day.  I had a late lunch with Mom and my brother and sister, then it was time to get back on the road, a flash trip back to West Texas.

Back at work the next day, I learned that a new employee I desperately needed would not be coming to work after all, and I would still be short staffed.  Not a tragedy on the magnitude anywhere approaching the loss of a loved one, of course, but it made for a nervous time.  I would have to cover a lot of time for the empty position, as well as continually juggle the schedule so that either I or one of the workers would be available twenty-four seven.  Basically, if I was not sleeping I was at work.  And of if not one of those two, then with the grandchildren.

Even with all of the busy -ness and the emotional upheaval, the days still contained twenty-four hours.  I found time to distract my mind, but not time to put together a string of thoughts to make a blog post.  Staring at a computer all day and a flat screen television at night until I could not hold my eyes open was certainly not conducive to any kind of "real" thinking or creativity.  But the past few days I found writing a blog to be quite challenging when I could just "chill" into the night.  I remember one of my writing "heroes," Louis L'Amour,  said " I could sit in the middle of Sunset Boulevard and write with my typewriter on my knees. Temperamental I am not."  Not so for me.  I have to be in "the zone" for my creative juices to flow.

Now I am back into a sort of regular routine again, but really, it should not matter whether I am in a routine or not, blogging, or writing anything, should come natural to me and should be a high priority activity.  There are so many interesting things, people, activities, events, historical or scientific points of interest, so many wonderful things happening in the world, that topics are inexhaustible.  But one has to keep his priorities in mind, and choose to do things each day that he wants to do.  There may never be a more perfect time each day to write, or whatever one enjoys doing, than to just do it right now.  Yes, life will always keep coming, and will always throw a curve.  The roller coaster will always be an up and down, twisting turning adventure of a ride...but hopefully life will not always be a blog-stopper for me.  In fact it occurs to me...life's roller coaster ride should not stop the blog...it should fuel the blog and fire the story into life...

So to paraphrase...I will keep calm...and blog on...
 

What Can Happen In Just A Week? or "Life Has Its Little Ups and Downs"

Have you ever deliberately sat down and cataloged all (at least all that you remember or that was significant to you in one way or another) that happened in just a week, all that you have gone through, things that have happened to your friends or loved ones, events across the nation or around the world that were significant to you?  Have you ever considered the great "roller coaster ride" that we can experience in just one week?  I have to say that the past week was just such a roller coaster for me, for many of my loved ones, and for people I do not even, some of whom have never crossed paths with me.

This past week I experienced one of the most blessed events a person can have, shared in the pain of a friend who lost his daughter in tragic car accident, and learned of the death of my own loved one.  Those were just some of the highlights.  There were some things that happened that did not directly involve me at all, but had an impact on me and on many others as well.  One of those events, one that did not involve me, but had an impact on me and many others, a tragedy, is one that I will write about soon but I did not want to write about it today, on what is the first blog I have posted in several days. With the highs and lows, ups and downs, I suspect that my week was just about like yours, and all of us have stories to tell about last week, just one week out of one month, out of one year of our lives.

Years ago the late Charlie Rich ("Behind Closed Doors," "Rolling With The Flow," et al) sang a song that contained the line "Life has it's little ups and downs, like ponies on a merry-go-round."  If we just look at one week of our own lives, we see that that simple line above applies very much to those seven short days, as well as to a lifetime.  First, whether we are talking about a week or a lifetime, there are ups and downs, whether or not we choose to look at them as "little."  There are sad things, happy things, in-between things, but they can all happen in just those seven short days.  But the second truth is this: our week - and our life - goes on, or turns, if you will, just like that merry-go-round, in spite of all the ups and downs.

Without a doubt, the highlight of the past week was the bringing into this world our second grandchild, by his mother, our own second child.  There were so many things that could have gone wrong with this pregnancy, a high-risk pregnancy for several reasons.  Of course we were concerned for months about this day, but it was coming no matter the risks.  Life has its little ups and downs, like ponies on a merry-go-round.  The birth of Derek Weston and the health of the mother both during and after the birth were both such great "ups" that the "downs" were overshadowed, though not unfelt at all.

Baby Derek came into the world to his waiting, loving parents and his "big" sister (and his large extended family) on July 26th.  Unlike many newborns (just being honest here, not being grandfatherish) Derek was a beautiful newborn right from the start.  Yes, all babies are cute after a couple of days, but many look like little space creatures at hour one!  But Baby Derek came out looking good right from the start, and looks even better now. 

Our first grandchild, Leah (Baby Baby to me) was a little unsure, at first, about what the new little being meant for her.  She knew she would be getting a baby brother, but I think she was not prepared for that baby brother to be a pink little crying thing all wrapped in a blanket.  I believe she was disappointed to find that her little brother could not jump up and play with her right off the bat!  But is appears that in the days that have passed since Baby Derek was born, Baby Baby has (at least tentatively) come to accept him as the newest member of the family.  And no doubt he will play with her some day.  I am sure on that day there will be a huge fight because "those are Weeyah's toys!"

Like all the rest of the family, I took my turn holding Baby Derek, and just like it was for Leah from her day one, my heart is so full of love for this little bundle that it ached.  Really, it almost burst, because it is the same heart that is so full of love for Baby Baby, and now it is twice as full.  It is so amazing that such a little soul, with such perfect little tiny hands and feet, will one day be child, then a teen, then a grown man, and all in such a short span of time.  It truly is a short time.  It seems like only a few days ago that we brought our own children home from the hospital.  Older and wiser people told me this would all pass so quickly, and I thought they were crazy.  Now I find those crazy people were right.  The time has truly flown.  Baby Baby is now over three years old, and not really a baby any more.  My own Child A and B, and our new son Child B+1, are now grown and productive members of society.  But that cliche...it seems like only yesterday!...is so true.

Yes, this past week was surely a week of ups and downs, although by far the ups outweighed the downs.  I actually hope for a week filled with somewhat FEWER ups and downs than was the week past, but whether or not that is the case, the coming week will be filled with life's little "ups and downs, like ponies on a merry-go-round."  That merry-go-round would be such a bland ride if the ponies did not go up and down as they turned...ita quoque vita

The "Good Old Days" or Terror In A Small Town In Mississippi

Have you ever heard someone say, "How I miss the "good old days," or "I wish we could go back to the "good old days"?  Maybe you've said it yourself, and I know that there have been times I have wished for the simpler times of "the good old days."  But what could it mean to return to the "good old days"?  Would turning back the clock and somehow living in the "good old days" be "good" for everyone?  Or said another way, the "good old days" were not the same, were not necessarily "good," for everyone.

Case in point.  I attended a party with my lovely bride the other night, a gathering of good friends and some who would become good friends as the night went on.  It turned out that a gentleman I met at the party was a history major (as well as an attorney) and was the newly hired director of nearby museum.  He and I of course had much to talk about.  As we talked about Texas, the Southwest, the relationship of the neighboring states, and so on, evidently some item of conversation reminded the hostess of the party of something she remembered that happened to her uncle several decades before "the turn of the century."  This incident (actually several incidents) occurred in the late fifties or early sixties.

The hostess's uncle ran a drug store in Mississippi during the "good old days" when Black Americans were still not allowed to have their full measure of freedom and civil rights by a large portion of the White population, even though various constitutional amendments had passed which guaranteed everyone equality under the law.  The Civil War was over a hundred years in the past, and many a Black American had fought and died during World War II, while thousands of others survived the war along with "the Greatest Generation" in America.  Yes, all Black soldiers gave some, and some of them gave ALL in the cause of stopping the world takeover attempted by Hitler, Hirohito, and Mussolini.  But when the war was over, the Black soldiers returned to an America that quickly forgot their bravery and sacrifice.  It was clear that they were not a part of this Greatest Generation.

My friend's uncle, unlike many of the White residents of Mississippi at the time, decided to do what was right and what his conscience dictated.  He opened his store to local Black citizens.  They did not have to use the "back" entrance, could sit at the counter, and could depend on being served  courteously and treated fairly.  Well, this was still the "good old days."  Word soon got around that a certain drug store was open to Black Americans in a small town in Mississippi where most of the other business establishments still openly discriminated against Black people.  The Black people were happy; many of the White people were not.  And the local "chapter" of a certain organization was most unhappy.

Within a day or two of opening his store to Black residents, the White owner became the victim of a campaign of terror orchestrated by the still active and powerful Ku Klux Klan.  At first persons unknown hurled rocks or bottles through the front windows at night.  Soon these acts of vandalism began happening in broad daylight.  Shortly afterwards this honest and conscientious man began receiving death threats over the telephone and "Molotov cocktails" in his front yard.  After he received several calls threatening the lives of his family, my friend's uncle called his sister in Oklahoma, who made a quick trip to Mississippi to pick up her sister-in-law and the children.  The store owner continued to serve Black customers in spite of all the mayhem.  I am not sure how long it went on, but he and the store survived the threats and vandalism.  At some point his family was able to return. And also at some point, Black Americans were able to shop or secure services at businesses in that little Mississippi town without discrimination (open discrimination, at least).

This was a most interesting account to me.  I realized that while times were great, or at least good, for most Americans back in the "good old days," and many people might want to return to those good, simpler times, not everyone would want to return to the "good old days" as they were in the America of the 1950's or 1960's.  For some, the "good old days" were a quieter, simpler time.  For others the "good old days" were times of meager living and jobs that paid very little for a hard day's work.  But for others, the "good old days" were days of struggle, uncertainty, and yes, days of grave danger.

I realize that when most people say "How I wish for the good old days," they are speaking of good times, of friends or loved ones who have gone from this world, of the small towns or familiar neighborhoods that have given way to the lifestyle of the 21st Century.  Very few people want to return to the prejudice and discrimination that was a part of a by-gone era.  But when we wish for the "good old days" or reminisce on our pleasant memories, it is good to remember that the good old days were not the same for everyone.  I think it is also good to recall the heroes, especially the ordinary people like this store owner, probably not a hero in his own eyes, who helped in some small way to put "real" good into the "good old days."

May God bless the South - AND the North
May God bless Texas

And of course

God Bless America