Day 4

The sun is shinning, finally.  Judy is out walking the dog and it is 9:15am. this is from yesterdays walk in the neighborhood.  Katey came over today.  They are out side with the dog having a discussion.  We took a walk without the dog in the afternoon and saw some sand hill cranes in a front yard.

I have some heavy topics to cover today.  As an old man on the doorstep of 77, I have a lot of time to contemplate the future, personally, politically and spiritually.  

As mentioned before, I live in an upper middle class African American community.  Folks are nice and polite but not really engaging.  We say hello and exchange smiles but go on our ways.  Little real conversation is exchanged.  There are walls between us erected by history and not to be dismantled.  It's very frustrating for me.  

I always thought of myself as one of the Kum-by-yah kind of guys where all will work out if we just talk it out

I am wrong.  Historically, there has been too much water under the bridge.  There is too much distrust in the black community for good reason.  Centuries of lies and deceit cannot be denied. 

The evening is coming and the sky is fading.  It's still clear and quiet.  Joan and John are returning tomorrow afternoon. She and I were never at odds, no fights or disagreements. Our lives took different paths. She lost her first husband to cancer and met John. They clicked and were married.  We had three kids and adopted Shannon.  Our lives did not intersect

only by circumstances. But now as senior citizens we have reunited.   

  

I am thrilled to be reunited with my sibling and most happy to have John in the fold. 

 

Its Sunday

Another gloomy day but the rain has stopped for a while.  My constant observer, Dotty is always at the ready.  She is out on the deck presently looking around.  Judy is about to take her for a walk in the neighborhood.  While I am eating my food, her head is in my lap waiting for anything to fall off.  I am not used to a dog of this height.  

We finished binging "The Beast in Me" on Netflix.  The performances are brilliant.  Matthew Rhys deserved all the accolades that were bestowed on him.  Claire Danes was equally good in her part.  While grim and tense, it's definitely worth watching.

This is my friend Chris at the Cares food pantry in Farmington Hills. She is one of my most favorite people in the world period.  She was Shannons first teacher early in her life and Judy's pal and confidant.  Chris has given tremendous support and guidance to challenged  kids in their beginnings.  Enough thanks cannot be summoned for her. She and her husband Bob are great friends and supporters.  This is one of the only pictures of her and me.

El Presidente has banned major news networks from the White House in his latest efforts to cancel out freedom of the press.  Canada is about to become associate members of the EU.  America has been relegated to the sidelines.  What was once the shining light of freedom has been diminished.  

 

This is Dottie

We are dog and house sitting at my Joan/John's house for a few days to give them a short respite from regular life.  So they are up north enjoying the relaxation. 

This dog joins us in bed taking up as much room as a teenager.  She got her name partially from our mom Dorothy This was her nickname.  Also as a puppy she had spots.  

It's taken a little time to get used to all the proximities and how stuff works.  John has a fancy coffee maker with bean grinder.  Good coffee but more effort than I am used to with the Keurig maker back home.  

 

 

Gonna to try to make a daily entry like I did on our Florida trip from 2023.  For me it's good to write every day.  Gloomy and rainy today so not much outdoor activity.  Still is lovely setting with extreme quiet.  I brought some provisions but Joan has a well stocked pantry and fridge..  She has beautiful annuals and perennials ringing the property.  It makes for a colorful environment.  

John and myself have been in outside sales for most of our careers. Prior to mobile phones,  call were made from public pay phones.  We both were required to call our offices from the road for messages and to convince our employers we were in fact working and not sitting in a bar or park bench enjoying the day. 

My recollection was standing at a phone booth on the New Jersey Turnpike competing with traffic noises or standing outside the doorway off a supermarket with the clanging baskets crowding out my conversations.  John had a location where the phone cord was long enough to reach into his window and front seat.  My favorite phone was in the Troy Hilton (now long since replaced by a gas station).  The place had warm, clean bathrooms and an ample bank of phones. It was always filled with sales professionals.  

That's it for now.

too many pictures

Went to the Lloyd Stage Nature Center yesterday on the beautiful sunny day. Had lots of animal encounters. Must have been a day for deer at the Inglenook Farm as well 

because we had a visit on our walk on the trail from a momma deer and her fawn.  The nature center in Troy is a great free outing if you are an outdoor lover.  It was named after a local volunteer fire fighter.  Always well maintained and staffed.  If you are in the area, definitely worth a look. 

its an early morning on the next day.  The dogs are asleep on the couch.  There is not a sound in the house.  Andrew and Steph are on an overnight and we are minding the house.  My tomatoes are gone but Andrews garden on the other side is flourishing.  Lots of

eggplants are growing. 

So the president declines to attend with the other formers at the 9/11 memorial yesterday and does go to the remembrance at Washington DC.  Once he makes his opening remarks, plopped in his chair, he falls fast asleep.  What a wonderful way to commemorate the passing of American heroes, a nap. It shows the impact of the events of the day.

In our local world, I fear that our democratic candidate for

U.S. Senate will lose to the Republican part time Michigan resident due to his name and faith.  That would be a shame.  

I know, too many pictures.

Notes on 9/11

I was 51 firmly in the throws of middle age with aches and pains newly diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, kids in school and a wife running the household while I was earning a wage. It was a sunny morning and I was sitting at my computer screen going thru my emails and requests.  I had been pulled off the road and relegated to administrative tasks most of which were done on line, still employed at the same firm since 1987.  It was probably around 9am when the internet stopped working.  Nothing fixed it.  Someone had a news feed reporting that a plane had crashed into the  World Trade Center.  We all thought "what a terrible accident".  When the other tower was crashed into, we knew the truth, our country was being attacked.  If I were an artist I could still paint a picture of that day,

John Kennedy was shot in November of 1963;  I was in Mr. Gingrich's math class and 13 years old when it was reported.  It's another picture I could paint.  Walter Cronkite looked shook on the evening news.  We sat around glued to our black and white TV's for a week watching history unfold.

The September 11, 2001 events marked the first time our country was attacked on our shores since December 7, 1941.  The relative safety we had felt since that date was shattered in an instant.  We felt vulnerable and frankly shocked.

A new slate of enemies was created. All were Islamic.  These bombers were getting trained on aviation under our noses with no suspicion.  

My grandchildren have only known a post 9/11 world.  At this point,  these events are part of the history books for them.  The universal animosity toward middle eastern people is nearly gone.  Diversity is throughout the public schools.  

Us old people still carry the baggage of hatred on our backs.  Whether it is toward different races or ethnic groups or genders or sexual orientations It accomplishes little other than misery.  

Lets do better.

a collection of comments

This is me and Judy Kavanagh after the ballgame a week ago riding the QLine back to our car.  Indeed a pretty girl with an old guy. It was one of the last good games the Tigers played

This also my spirit animal Frank on our last visit.  We get along famously after an initial upheaval of a greeting.  Gonna see him again this weekend Hoping the weather will cooperate so we can sit outside.  The political temperature is heating up with the mid terms approaching.

Repubs are attempting to throw Benson under the bus saying she is a LIBERAL and supporting a radical left wing group the SPLC with is the Southern Poverty Law Center that promotes justice for the disadvantaged. Her ads have been about positive changes she wants to make and that she was a waitress counting her tips.  Have not seen much from John James.  Maybe he is saving his money for next month. 

The senate race is more volatile.  This guy is a Michigan born Doctor, though not practicing physician.  

From what I can gather, he is a policy wonk, not a guy taking your temperature.  No he doesn't like football, nor does my wife.  The Florida dwelling Rebub loves the game and thinks it is a measurement of American values.  What this will come down to; can the citizens of Michigan elect an Arab American or do they want the Trump supporting status quo.  Frankly, Haley would have been an easier sale.   

We have some hot days coming so stay hydrated

Dolly

Dolly Parton has left us and the world.  Loved by all, the famous and the normal.  Never thought she would leave as a fixture in the American fabric.  I am saddened and shocked by her passing.  There were lots of recipes on FB from her that keep popping up. .  Hers was a face that was part of our identity.  I cannot think of the correct profound thing to say about this event.  Someone said that no one didn't like her.  

As an aside, Ive got a wound on my leg that will be seen by my primary care doc today.  It's wonderful to get old, with the body falling apart.  Dragging myself to planet fitness this morning to try to get some level of fitness along side of the young fit members.  

I started this yesterday and did not know where to go with the topic.  I heard about her death at the ballpark watching the Tigers beat the Rays, a real treat for us in that we haven't been to the ball park in a long time.  Judy mentioned it, the crowd collectively sang "Jolene" we went back to the game.  Later the. next day I realized just how devastating this news was.  I knew she had some years on her seeing her entertaining millions with her wonderful songs and sparkling, positive personality,  I figured we would be enjoying her for at least another 10 years. Death, however, does not present a calling card.  It happens without much warning when you are called home.

We can all learn a lesson from Dolly.  Be loving, positive and accepting of all people and bring a smile to their faces. 

This is my disheveled commentary