♥I will:
♥Smile at flowers.
♥Drive 60 miles an hour on the freeway and watch my miles per gallon increase 15% and
always obey the speed limit, no matter how many dirty looks I get.
♥Have the best looking lawn on the block.
♥Button my shirts at the neck if I want.
♥Wear a watch cap around the house if my head is cold.
♥Call my friends “Old Timer.”
♥Laugh loudly at my own jokes.
♥Speak to strangers just to see what happens.
♥Wander around hardware stores looking at stuff for hours.
♥Shave only on occasion.
♥Read as much of the paper as I want.
♥Tell outrageous lies about myself to my granddaughters.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Home Is Here
Home is Western Washington. In my working life I traveled on business many times to Southern California, the Eastern Seaboard, the South, and the Midwest, to city after city. Each time I returned, I stepped out of the terminal at Sea-Tac and took a deep breath of the crisp air and thought to myself, “Ah! It’s so good to be home.”
I was born in Southern California and spent 10 years in the Midwest, moving from town to town. My wife and I were in Germany for 2 years. But the Puget Sound area is home. It’s where E and I raised our two sons. It’s where we bought our first house. It’s where, when the company which sent me to Seattle wanted me back in Los Angeles after a year, the family took a vote and we decided to stay. It’s where every time we go to the airport or the grocery store or the mall or the park we meet friends we know.
It’s where I learned to square dance, referee soccer, and identify birds. It’s where we learned what a “fir and cedar” forest is and how it differs from a “pine forest.” It’s where our sons went to grade school, high school and college.
It’s where we’ve been the proudest and happiest to live.
I was born in Southern California and spent 10 years in the Midwest, moving from town to town. My wife and I were in Germany for 2 years. But the Puget Sound area is home. It’s where E and I raised our two sons. It’s where we bought our first house. It’s where, when the company which sent me to Seattle wanted me back in Los Angeles after a year, the family took a vote and we decided to stay. It’s where every time we go to the airport or the grocery store or the mall or the park we meet friends we know.
It’s where I learned to square dance, referee soccer, and identify birds. It’s where we learned what a “fir and cedar” forest is and how it differs from a “pine forest.” It’s where our sons went to grade school, high school and college.
It’s where we’ve been the proudest and happiest to live.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sunday Morning
A-a-h-h! Sunday morning pancakes, sun shining, Seattle Times in the driveway with news about the Mariners, the Sounders, and March Madness--and that's just the sports section.
George Cooney, our resident raccoon, came by at breakfast time, lounged around on the deck, and acted like a lazy brother-in-law (looked in the refrigerator, made a mess, then left.)
Baseball season opens today (for Phillie and Atlanta.) So all's right with the world and right now every team's record is 0 wins and 0 losses. Starting out even. The Sounders FC won again last night; in Toronto this time.
E and I had wonderful discussions about the state of the world, the economy, and the Mariners.
Now we are heading for the yard to do gardening, weeding, and trimming. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday, too!
George Cooney, our resident raccoon, came by at breakfast time, lounged around on the deck, and acted like a lazy brother-in-law (looked in the refrigerator, made a mess, then left.)
Baseball season opens today (for Phillie and Atlanta.) So all's right with the world and right now every team's record is 0 wins and 0 losses. Starting out even. The Sounders FC won again last night; in Toronto this time.
E and I had wonderful discussions about the state of the world, the economy, and the Mariners.
Now we are heading for the yard to do gardening, weeding, and trimming. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday, too!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Seattle PI and WaMu
Washington Mutual ended first. Now the Seattle PI is gone (from print.) I've lived in NW Washington since 1976. Before we paid off our mortgage, our last mortgage holder was WaMu--over time, with one acquisition after another, they were the surviving institution that held our mortgage. The first one was Pioneer Savings and Loan in 1976 with a couple of others in the intervening years. During the years we made house payments, we paid almost $50,000 in interest, which more than the price of our house when we bought it. They did not use our money wisely, did they?
Over thirty-two years ago we began subscribing to the Seattle PI. Today we had to quit because they quit. At current rates (I understand that their subscription rates are not the same as they were in 1976) we paid about $20 a month for the PI. In today's dollars, then, we have paid almost $8000 for the daily paper. It was worth it. But they did not use our money wisely either, did they?
It does not speak well about our socio-economic philosophy that two once-respected institutions fail as these two have. What does it tell about our ethics? What does it tell about our greed? What does it tell about our need for instant gratification? What does it tell about today's generations' understanding of what is and what is not important?
I don't know the answers. I wish I did.
Over thirty-two years ago we began subscribing to the Seattle PI. Today we had to quit because they quit. At current rates (I understand that their subscription rates are not the same as they were in 1976) we paid about $20 a month for the PI. In today's dollars, then, we have paid almost $8000 for the daily paper. It was worth it. But they did not use our money wisely either, did they?
It does not speak well about our socio-economic philosophy that two once-respected institutions fail as these two have. What does it tell about our ethics? What does it tell about our greed? What does it tell about our need for instant gratification? What does it tell about today's generations' understanding of what is and what is not important?
I don't know the answers. I wish I did.
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