Cardboard boxes, creek water and honeysuckle

Sometimes I  wonder how I  survived  childhood.
There were no  childproof locks, or plugs for  the electrical  sockets.

We didn't  have  seat  belts, air  bags or  special safety car seats.
We played on a concrete playground  with steel monkey  bars.
We played in  the  mud, drank  out  of  hoses-remember the taste  of water  from  the  hose?

We walked  everywhere-no  fear  of  kidnapping, or  perverts.

When  we  moved   from D.C,  to  Maryland  we  discovered  new  exciting  things.

Our  house  backed  into  Sligo Creek  Parkway. We  had to  walk  through a  small  stretch of  woods-that  led to a  big  hill then  the  creek.

One of  the first things we  learned  from  the  neighborhood kids
sledding in  the spring and  summer.
First you  find a  big  cardboard  box-the  kind that  console televisions  came  in, or  better yet a  refrigerator one- much  bigger and more  to  share,
We would  tear of  a  big piece, hold  it in  front of  our bodies,take a running start  and  dive down  he  hill  with the  cardboard as the sled.

Another great  thing to  do with a  box-leave  in  shape, climb  in  and  roll   down  the-we   would  get  cuts  and  bruises-but  never  anything  serious.
When we were tired of playing with the  cardboard., we would head  on  down  to  the  creek.

We  need  more  creeks in  this  world. 
Sligo creek  was  teeming   with all  sorts  of aquatic life.
We would watch  the  water striders skim  across the surface, we  would  catch minnows, crayfish, salamanders, and  in early spring tadpoles and  later  frogs.
We  never  kept  anything, it  was the  original catch  and  release.
However, sometimes  we would find a box turtle and  take  it  home for a few days.

When it  was  realy  hot and  were  thirsty, we  would scoop up a handful of  creek water and  drink, sometimes  we  would even  stick our  mouth in  the  creek and  slurp.

We never got  sick.
We would play in the  woods, and  eat wild  mulberries and blackberries. We would uproot sassafras and  chew  on  the  root, and once  we  found a  persimmon  tree-only one  in  all the  woods.

There was a  lot of  honeysuckle  growing around, and  we  pick  the flowers and  try  to suck  the  honey  out  of  them. Sometimes, I  think the  fragrance of  the  flowers  influenced  the  taste.

I never  swallowed  a bee and  I  never  got sick  from  the honeysuckle.

We  did a lot of  dangerous  things  growing  up  and  we  survived,

Todays kids spend too  much  time in front of  the computer, or on their cell phone.
They may  never experience the joys  of  catching a frog, or  wading through a creek. They will  never know the  thrill  of  rolling down  a  hill in a cardboard box.

But perhaps, they have  an  app  for that.

FAMILY

One reads of so  many dysfunctional  families  , broken  families,  feuding   families and  it is so  sad  when  you  read about  parents, and  children  and siblings, no  longer  talking to  each  other,not  even  a phone call   or a  card  on  special  days.  If  you  read  the  advice  columns-  you  read  about family  members  not  attending  weddings, anniversaries or  other  events  because a certain  family member  might be at  the  same  event.

What  is  wrong with  these  people?  Most of  the feuding is over something trivial-hurt  feelings,something  said in  the  heat  of an  arguement , or perhaps a parents  giving  money  to   one  sibling who  needs  it,  but  to  one who doesn't.  There  are  so  many  stupid  reasons that  families  feud or  ignore each  other  and for  what?

Granted  there  are serious  issues in  some  cases, but  the ones  I read  about  or   know about are  trivial.

I consider  myself  blessed.My family  gets  along,we have all stayed  in  the Metro  area,  and whenever  there is a crisis, we  all share  in  dealing with the  problem.

Recently  because of  the  illness of my room mate, I've had  to  rely on  my siblings  more  than  usual.
They  have  there own  families, and problems,  but  they  found  the  time  to  help  me  through  my  recovery  period, with cooking, cleaning, and other  details.  I am grateful for  their  help.Without  them I would probably have  to  hire  someone.

My  parents  were great parents-and their  greatness, love, and  concern  for  family has  been  passed on to my siblings  and  me.  Judging from the  actions  of  my nieces and  nephews  the  tradition  continues.

I wish  to  thank them  all today .
As for everyone out there in the blog  community, or  Facebook  or  any other  social network  group-if you  are  feuding  with  your   family or haven't talked to a family member in a while--pick  up  the  phone  and  call them.It is time  to  grow up, act  mature and  mend fences. It  is  time  to  be an  adult.

It's Only a Pear

I like all kinds of fruits-among  my favorites are -watermelon.honeydew,Fuji apples, oranges (I like grapefruits, but it affects  the medicine I take, so now I must  avoid it), strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and pears. But not any pear, it has to be a bosc pear-not the red ones, the brownish, ugly ones-they  are my favorites.

    I can not explain why this type of pear satisfies my craving for something sweet. In most cases, a bowl of chocolate ice cream, or a Milano cookie or a Berger cookie will satisfy  this craving, and yet if there is a bosc pear available  I will go for  the pear.

  Now, I do not want the pear to be too ripe-it has to be hard, crunchy and cold.

  The bosc pear is not a pretty fruit.  It is brown, scarred, splotchy-it looks like it has been through a war of pears- but I  do  not  care.

I raise the pear to my mouth and take a bite. The taste is cold and sweet, with a slight earthy taste.  When  I am done eating-only the stem  and  seeds are left.It is a taste that is so satisfying and yet my friends  say" Bob, it is only a pear"

I know it is only a pear.  But for a brief  moment, as I am enjoying this  ugly  pear I find  myself  someplace  else.
There are no people, no TV, no music, no noise except  the crunch of my pear.

I sigh and I wonder  how can  such an ugly pear  provide such a beautiful  feeling.

The Beauty of Americana Finnmark

Because of my health,  I no longer am able to walk the grounds of Finnmark.The beauty of this great piece of property is a sight to behold.  We have won a couple of awards for our landscaping.  We also have living on our property some amazing gardeners.

     These days I sit on my balcony  and admire the courtyard and whatever else falls within my view.

    If you have never walked the grounds during the spring and summer . you should do so.  There are some really pretty sights- whether it is the natural beauty of our trees and shrubbery, or your neighbors patios and balconies.

    I enjoy my balcony, for the privacy.  When the tree in front of my balcony is in bloom, I am hidden from everyone and it is like my own private Eden. I can listen to the music, enjoy the sights and sounds of local wildlife, sip a Campari and soda, and admire the beauty of the trees and shrubs.

  I have squirrels and chipmunks, scurrying around in the grass, numerous birds, butterflies and sometimes insects I do not recognize.  Early in the morning I can see a family of rabbits, the occasional deer and soon ducks and Canadian  geese.

  Those of you who are mobile- and are able to get around- take a walk- admire the sights, say hello to a neighbor.  Check out the courtyards, the patios and the balconies.

Enjoy the walk and enjoy the beauty that is Finnmark.

Remembering Christmas

Another multi-killing in the United States- but this time the victims were not adults or young adults-they were vey young children-ages 6-10. It is tragic when adults or young adults die- but little children-it is beyond tragic and tears the life out of everyone who hears or reads about the incident. I watched the new reports and my eyes fill with tears-so young- children who have not even started to experience what life is all about. So close to Christmas. The parents have bought and wrapped the gifts, bought new film for the camera-ready to capture that magic momnent- the joy in their childrens eyes when they wake up and see the tree with all the lights and glitter and of course- the many wrapped gifts. The camera will capture the smiles, the wide eyes and the laughter of the children- Pictures that the children will appreciate when they get older- the camera ,however does not show the happiness on the face of the parents. If you go beyond the corny Christmas shows, the lights and glitter, one will realize that the best part of Christmas is the look on the childrens faces. As adults we remember our own happy days and we wonder now as adults- how ould we have believed in something so silly as eight reindeer, pulling a sleigh with an elderly fat man, who travel over the world, climbing down chimmneys and leaving gifts- As silly as this sounds, and as much as we believe in telling our children the truth- we still lie about this idea-- and why-- because of what Christmas represents. Beyond the gifts, and the joy it brings our children, it is also the celebration of the birth of the child of God- Jesus- the simple carpenter who preached unconditional love- sort of the love parents receive from their children. Christmas is about honoring the teachings of Christ- the giving of ones self, the helping hand when someone is in trouble, the respect we show others- and we do this- not to hear the words "Thank you", we do it because it brings happiness to another human who may be hurting- our reward- we feel good for our good deed- and we share the gratitude and happiness of the person helped. With tragic loss this magic might fade- but it doesn't have to. If you have bought gifts, and wonder what to do- donate them to a charity(Toys for Tots etc.) and imagine the magic on the face of those children who will receive your gifts. For the adults who do not have children, but still remember the magic of Christmas- go buy some gifts for a local charity and remember the magic. To everyone- remember this day as the birth of Jesus- the Son of God- and remember the love that is given to us unconditionally. Merry Christmas

Why I am Voting For Romney

The Republican Convention is over and I am excited. No Republican convention has got me this excited since Reagans. The past four years have been bad for millions of Americans. When President Obama was elected the country was excited, people who never voted before cast their votes for a new and exciting era in politics--or so they thought. Instead the people got higher unemployment, larger deficits, partisan politics, a health bill that will ruin this country with its high rates, taxes and regulations. The Democrats and the liberal(progressive) media have been rude, nasty and arrogant. As a Democrat I am ashamed of the antics of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi- I have never heard such hatred toward other people who disagree with you as these two dispense toward Republicans, conservative voters and the media. I can not support the nominee of the Democrats this year. . I will cast my vote for the Republican nominee- Mitt Romney- not because of any lofty promises, but because of what he has done and will do. Listen to Romney's speech from the convention. Listen to what other people have said about Romney. Read about his background. Now ask yourself- Is this the man you want to lead this country. You see- it is not about his promises. It is not about his religion. It is about the man himself. He has devoted his life to providing for his family, and when he was done with this he devoted his life to helping others. He served as Governor of Mass. for four years and took no salary- he reduced the defict in Mass., lowered unemployment and left the state with a surplus. He took over the U.S. Olympics when it was faced with scandal and financial ruin- again- no pay and he made the U.S. Olympics something to be proud of. He founded an investment group and helped make a number of companies successful(Staples, Home Depot) Granted some did not become succesful- but he did not use taxpayers money and overall he created jobs and saved many companies. During all this time he gave his time to helping neighbors and co-workers in their time of need. He has been successful in business , life with the public and life with his family. Many people condemn his success- but in the real world everyone wants to be successful. Listen to Romney and read some of his speeches. Read what others say about him. Isnt this what people wish for- success- success in family, success in work, and success in your place in society. Romney may not have all the answers- but we know that the current administartion have no new ideas and have exhausted all their other ones. When I look at Romney- I see something more than a politician- I see someone who has achieved great things in his life. I see something that people- no matter what age, gender, relgion, education , race or citizenship status- hope for in their lives. What I see is what people see when they come to this country, or they read about American history- I see someone that everyone aspires to be- Successful,in life, for their family, and for the future.

Hey Romney!

Those who know me. know that I am a nice guy- I do not discriminate, I open my heart and mind to everyone- and try not to make enemies. Those who want to know more- well here it is- I am a 61 year old white male Democrat, who is currently suffering from heart failure and a chronic lung condition that requires me to be on oxygen 24 hours a day. Now that you know all this. I want to make a few comments on this years Presidential election. The country is in bad shape- the Democrats had their chance and only made things worse- it is time for a change. I will be voting for Mitt Romney this year and I will vote for Ken Timmerman for Congress,Bongino for Senate. But before I make that final decison I have something to say--"Hey Romney"! What is your problem- stop being a nice guy and get mean. This current administration is fighting dirty, with lies and innuendos and I hear nothing from you or your PACS- Well I may not know much about campaigning- but I do know this- if I was running for office,and my opponent wanted to fight dirty, he better be prepared- because I will come back at you hard and mean. Wake up your staff, get them angry and get mean- talk about the failure of the past four years, talk about the arrogancy of the current crop of Democrtas and their elected officials- We know you are a good guy, but come on Romney- it is time to put on the boxing gloves and fight back- Enough is Enough.