We're finally starting to see some nice weather here. We've had a few nice days scattered between a lot of cool, gloomy days and some really wicked weather -- I spent Monday morning waiting in the lobby for the all clear from a tornado watch. I was surprised to find that the pear trees and daffodils had survived the heavy rain and high winds and took some pictures on Tuesday. (Click
HERE for a look at them).
This weekend promises to be nice and Nancy and I are planning to get out; maybe spend some time poking around the stores on the square. There are some beautiful buildings there and I've been wanting to get some pictures.
Occasionally I start thinking of these buildings as “old” then I remember my time in Europe. I once hit an apple tree with my tank and later found out that the tree had been around longer than the United States had been a country. The farm the tree was on has been in the same family for centuries.
Americans babble on about “culture” and “tradition” and “history” -- I’ve walked on cobblestones that were old before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock and visited castles that had been destroyed before Christopher Columbus was born. I am awed at how “new” this country is compared to England, Europe and Japan.
I’ll try to write more later – right now I need to hit the sack.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Just Checking in
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been a month since my last entry! Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.
And for the most part, the last month has been fun. Nancy and I had some miscommunication issues right after we got back, but they’ve (hopefully!) been put to rest since then.
First, we reinstituted “date night”. We go out once a week to a different restaurant. It’s not the getting out that helps, it’s the fact that we actually do a lot of talking. I’m not sure why it makes a difference, but home tends to be a quiet, comfortable place and we don’t talk a lot. When we’re out, however, we talk about all that’s going on – not just the gossip, but what we’re feeling and thinking. I believe most of the important decisions in our lives were decided over a cup of after-dinner coffee.
The biggest help, though, is honest communication. Ten years ago I almost wrecked our marriage. In order to salvage it, I promised I would never lie to her again. I also promised that I would always answer any question fully and truthfully. There have been times when I begged her not to ask something, or asked her if she REALLY wanted to know the answer. The truth hurts sometimes. And telling the truth is difficult when you know it will hurt someone you love. But to the best of my knowledge, that is a promise I have kept, and it’s made our marriage stronger.
Okay, end of philosophy class.
I’ve been asked to play and sing in a group that is all handicapped. Three of us – another guitarist and a harmonica player – are currently working on an R&B song with the working title of “Baby, Don’t Worry”.
Nancy’s been real domestic lately. I pretty much took over all the cooking after we got married, but in the last two weeks Nancy made several loaves of WONDERFUL banana bread and two cheesecakes.
I’m not complaining!
I’m now performing twice a week at Dad’s nursing home. At first it was strictly Christian, but lately I’ve been getting a lot of requests for other stuff – especially bluegrass and some old waltzes and polkas. The latter has been tricky for guitar but a lot of fun!
Well, that’s all for now.
Happy Easter to everyone!
And for the most part, the last month has been fun. Nancy and I had some miscommunication issues right after we got back, but they’ve (hopefully!) been put to rest since then.
First, we reinstituted “date night”. We go out once a week to a different restaurant. It’s not the getting out that helps, it’s the fact that we actually do a lot of talking. I’m not sure why it makes a difference, but home tends to be a quiet, comfortable place and we don’t talk a lot. When we’re out, however, we talk about all that’s going on – not just the gossip, but what we’re feeling and thinking. I believe most of the important decisions in our lives were decided over a cup of after-dinner coffee.
The biggest help, though, is honest communication. Ten years ago I almost wrecked our marriage. In order to salvage it, I promised I would never lie to her again. I also promised that I would always answer any question fully and truthfully. There have been times when I begged her not to ask something, or asked her if she REALLY wanted to know the answer. The truth hurts sometimes. And telling the truth is difficult when you know it will hurt someone you love. But to the best of my knowledge, that is a promise I have kept, and it’s made our marriage stronger.
Okay, end of philosophy class.
I’ve been asked to play and sing in a group that is all handicapped. Three of us – another guitarist and a harmonica player – are currently working on an R&B song with the working title of “Baby, Don’t Worry”.
Nancy’s been real domestic lately. I pretty much took over all the cooking after we got married, but in the last two weeks Nancy made several loaves of WONDERFUL banana bread and two cheesecakes.
I’m not complaining!
I’m now performing twice a week at Dad’s nursing home. At first it was strictly Christian, but lately I’ve been getting a lot of requests for other stuff – especially bluegrass and some old waltzes and polkas. The latter has been tricky for guitar but a lot of fun!
Well, that’s all for now.
Happy Easter to everyone!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
A Brand New Day
As some of you know, I've been throwing a pity party because VA told me my hip was getting worse and there wasn't anything they could do. I've looked around and decided I'm being a wuss.
Walking is painful, but possible. There are others who aren't so lucky. My friends Ally and Billy have MD and don't have the freedom to move around as I do -- Billy has been unable to walk since he was 14 and Ally is raising a 3-year-old. My father is confined to a wheelchair and his mind wanders in and out.
Of all the things that could happen, I believe loosing my ability to think clearly would be the worst.
There's a song that I listen to occasionally that reminds me how good I actually have it.
Oh, I have bad days with a little pain
And I have good days without any rain
But when I look about
And I think these things all out
All of my good days, outnumber my bad days
I can't complain.
I've got a wife who loves me almost as much as I love her. I've got two boys I am proud to call my sons. I've got a wonderful place to live in a beautiful town and I'm surrounded by people who care about me and are always willing to lend a hand. My mind is still sharp and generally my life is good.
But most of all, I've got friends.
That's worth more to me than all the world.
I've been promising photos of my trip from
North Carolina: Here they are!
North Carolina Trip
Walking is painful, but possible. There are others who aren't so lucky. My friends Ally and Billy have MD and don't have the freedom to move around as I do -- Billy has been unable to walk since he was 14 and Ally is raising a 3-year-old. My father is confined to a wheelchair and his mind wanders in and out.
Of all the things that could happen, I believe loosing my ability to think clearly would be the worst.
There's a song that I listen to occasionally that reminds me how good I actually have it.
Oh, I have bad days with a little pain
And I have good days without any rain
But when I look about
And I think these things all out
All of my good days, outnumber my bad days
I can't complain.
I've got a wife who loves me almost as much as I love her. I've got two boys I am proud to call my sons. I've got a wonderful place to live in a beautiful town and I'm surrounded by people who care about me and are always willing to lend a hand. My mind is still sharp and generally my life is good.
But most of all, I've got friends.
That's worth more to me than all the world.
I've been promising photos of my trip from
North Carolina: Here they are!
North Carolina Trip
Monday, February 4, 2008
Answers to questions!
I've been getting requests for the same information from different people, so here are the answers in one place!
>I've just had a quick check on the state of Missouri and I've found that you have the famous great river "Mississippi" in your state and a tourism is the main industry.(I'm sorry for my poor knowledge on your country.)
Don't be sorry. All I know of your country is what is in the popular media. I'm sure the farmers and people who work for the lumber companies would be surprised to learn the main industry is tourism! Missouri has many grain and cattle farms, many of them thousands of acres in size.
> People living in towns along the river have accepted many immigrants from Europe and there are beautiful churches and houses around Ste. Genevieve.> Have you ever been to Ste. Genevieve?
Yes. It is a beautiful town. There are many of these jewels along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Many Welsh and Irish people settled the area I grew up in and it resulted in an distinctive dialect. The folk music of Ireland and Wales evolved to become American Bluegrass music. I have ancestors who are Irish, Welsh, English and Italian.
> I've heard that all big cities in America have similarities in culture, a way of thinking and so on.
> Did you tell differences from those cities?
Very many differences. I have lived in or near Kansas City, Denver, and Atlanta. Each has it's own personality and people from each generally have personalities that match the city.
I spent a lot of my teen years outside Kansas City. Kansas City is part of the Great Plains and is a major center for selling, shipping and processing of cattle and grain. It has a combination of farming and ranching attitudes. It is also a large manufacturing center and many black, Mexican and Italian people moved there to work in the factories. There are a great many different neighborhoods with different cultures and they are great for shopping and eating. And speaking of eating, Kansas City is famous for its barbecue beef restaurants and sauces.
Kansas City also put its own stamp on a type of jazz music. They say that jazz music traveled up the Mississippi, and with the exception of Chicago-style jazz, there’s a lot of truth to it. Start with bright and brassy New Orleans, up to slow and sultry Memphis, then swinging St. Louis, and end up with rocking Kansas City.
I was stationed at Fort Carson Colorado, south of Denver, in 1975. Denver is in the Rocky Mountains and is nicknamed "The Mile-High City". People who live there tend to enjoy nature and outdoor activities such as skiing. It also has a large population of Mexicans and they live in their own neighborhoods. It is a great place to visit for food and culture. A friend of mine from the Army, Johnny Valdeze, was raised there and I visited with he and his family quite often.
Atlanta has a young and vibrant atmosphere. It was growing rapidly when I left in 2004 and I probably wouldn’t recognize it now. My first visit to the area was 1987. Because of the heat, everything was slow and easy, giving the impression of a backwards area, but the Atlanta region features some of the best schools in the nation, including the University of Georgia (academics, Georgia Technical College (engineering) and Emory University (medicine).
Atlanta has always been home to Coca-Cola, but many other companies -- especially communications and finance -- are now based in Atlanta. The nightlife in Atlanta, largely thanks to Underground Atlanta, is very upbeat and exciting with many nightclubs, jazz clubs and piano bars.
America is vast country, settled by many nations. People from the Upper East Coast would have different attitudes than those from the Desert Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest has little in common with the Deep South except a common language.
I hope this has helped answer a few questions.
>I've just had a quick check on the state of Missouri and I've found that you have the famous great river "Mississippi" in your state and a tourism is the main industry.(I'm sorry for my poor knowledge on your country.)
Don't be sorry. All I know of your country is what is in the popular media. I'm sure the farmers and people who work for the lumber companies would be surprised to learn the main industry is tourism! Missouri has many grain and cattle farms, many of them thousands of acres in size.
> People living in towns along the river have accepted many immigrants from Europe and there are beautiful churches and houses around Ste. Genevieve.> Have you ever been to Ste. Genevieve?
Yes. It is a beautiful town. There are many of these jewels along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Many Welsh and Irish people settled the area I grew up in and it resulted in an distinctive dialect. The folk music of Ireland and Wales evolved to become American Bluegrass music. I have ancestors who are Irish, Welsh, English and Italian.
> I've heard that all big cities in America have similarities in culture, a way of thinking and so on.
> Did you tell differences from those cities?
Very many differences. I have lived in or near Kansas City, Denver, and Atlanta. Each has it's own personality and people from each generally have personalities that match the city.
I spent a lot of my teen years outside Kansas City. Kansas City is part of the Great Plains and is a major center for selling, shipping and processing of cattle and grain. It has a combination of farming and ranching attitudes. It is also a large manufacturing center and many black, Mexican and Italian people moved there to work in the factories. There are a great many different neighborhoods with different cultures and they are great for shopping and eating. And speaking of eating, Kansas City is famous for its barbecue beef restaurants and sauces.
Kansas City also put its own stamp on a type of jazz music. They say that jazz music traveled up the Mississippi, and with the exception of Chicago-style jazz, there’s a lot of truth to it. Start with bright and brassy New Orleans, up to slow and sultry Memphis, then swinging St. Louis, and end up with rocking Kansas City.
I was stationed at Fort Carson Colorado, south of Denver, in 1975. Denver is in the Rocky Mountains and is nicknamed "The Mile-High City". People who live there tend to enjoy nature and outdoor activities such as skiing. It also has a large population of Mexicans and they live in their own neighborhoods. It is a great place to visit for food and culture. A friend of mine from the Army, Johnny Valdeze, was raised there and I visited with he and his family quite often.
Atlanta has a young and vibrant atmosphere. It was growing rapidly when I left in 2004 and I probably wouldn’t recognize it now. My first visit to the area was 1987. Because of the heat, everything was slow and easy, giving the impression of a backwards area, but the Atlanta region features some of the best schools in the nation, including the University of Georgia (academics, Georgia Technical College (engineering) and Emory University (medicine).
Atlanta has always been home to Coca-Cola, but many other companies -- especially communications and finance -- are now based in Atlanta. The nightlife in Atlanta, largely thanks to Underground Atlanta, is very upbeat and exciting with many nightclubs, jazz clubs and piano bars.
America is vast country, settled by many nations. People from the Upper East Coast would have different attitudes than those from the Desert Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest has little in common with the Deep South except a common language.
I hope this has helped answer a few questions.
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