Long ago memory

About this time of the morning, in 1963, John F Kennedy was shot and assassinated in his motorcade on the streets of Dallas TX by a lone assailant, Lee Harvey Oswald.  I was in junior high math class, taught by Richard Kekovich when the news was announced.  School was quickly dismissed and we all walked home.  This was one of the most life changing events for me and others.  We all went home to our families watching the news on our black and white televisions sets.  It was the first time I ever saw Walter Cronkite lose his composure on air.  As of today, this has become a mere footnote in our past.  Younger generations know little of this event other than the single line in a modern American history book.  

During that era, we got shots and TB tests at school, administered by the school nurse.  This was a needle placed under the skin and stuff was shot in to be reviewed in two days.  If the area was red,  you tested positive for the disease or at lease exposure.  I did not test positive.  In today's world,  could you imagine schools injecting students?  In the sixties, it was commonplace and was not questioned.

My seventh grade homeroom teacher was a big burly guy, Mr. George Depillo. This guy had forearms the size of ball bats and was a former minor league baseball player.  Mr. Depillo took the needle and whimpered in front of the class to the delight of the students watching.  He was a good teacher that went on to become a school district superintendent.  

It's a sunny cool day and the day after Andrew's 45th birthday which we will be celebrating. 

thats is

Diners

So Phil Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond, Somebody Feed Phil) is opening a diner called Max and Helens. They were his parents that appeared on his latest show.  Phil would have comedian pals send a "joke for Max." in many episodes.  As all parents do, they died.  I saw a recent interview with him where is was shared that the diner and is concept is a dying tradition.  It's really an eastern convention that serves regular home style meals like you may get for breakfast or dinner.  Coffee that flows like a river of life is served in thick ceramic cups and never is empty.  

In New Jersey there still are many of these places.  Old men gather there in the mornings to meet with their life long friends.  Men in work clothes shuffle in for breakfast before starting their labors.  Discussions over the work ahead and last nights sports event fill the air.  No one is fancy.  Everyone has their favorite waitress looking like your favorite aunt, that recognized them by name.  This was a place that just felt like home away from home.  

When I was out as a salesman,  I would stop to eat at diners always noticing mood of the places and leave quite satisfied full of the spectacular cheesecake.  

Eating together is an important ritual that has fallen off with everyone being so busy, getting thru the day jamming something in the mouth and running out the door..  Family dinners are more of a rarity because all are going in multiple directions at once. Cooking and plating and placing it in front of family members does not occur enough.

So, make soup or spaghetti or blintzes or shawarma sandwiches and eat together.  That is the key word.

thats it

a deal?

its a helluva tradeoff.  Raise healthcare costs for millions of Americans or feed hungry citizens. So a group of Democrats caved and joined the opposition to re open the government.  They could have fought on with no hope of a change of position of the opposition.  More federal employees would not be paid and air traffic could be slowed to a stop. SNAP benefits that feed children would not be renewed and kids would go hungry.  The tradeoff will triple healthcare costs for some and eliminated healthcare for many.  This is not good.  

I have a daughter that is a federal employee that has been working without pay since the beginning of this.  I cannot imagine working for free.  Frankly, pay is the reason we do it at all. Quite frankly, they need the money for housing, food and gas in their cars.

This is not a good solution.  It is not equitable.  I am not happy about it.  But it lives in the reality we created.

New photos taken this weekend of the fam.  They turned out great.  Katey, my planner, setup the whole thing.

Happy Veterans Day to her and her brother Jon along with all who served.;  thats it.

afraid to be hopeful

I am afraid to be hopeful.  In local races around the country, Republican candidates were soundly defeated in yesterday's elections.  America has spoken.  Women have spoken and were elected to many state and local positions.  Trump said the results were because he wasn't on the ticket. These elections were in fact a referendum on his rule.   And in truth, I find myself being emotionally exhausted all the time I think of the state of our republic.  

We have visitors last night after dark.  I was upstairs with Harry letting out.  Peering out the back window, I saw a set of antlers marching across the back yard.  This was a really big guy.  Somehow Harry got out and decided to challenge the deer.  The outcome was not good.  They when eyeball to eyeball and the dog backed down.  I yelled for him to come in and reluctantly complied.  We have a fenced in yard (to keep the dogs in) and really didn't other critters would get in.  This deer leaped over the fence clearing it by about a foot; so much for fencing.

Completely unrelated subject.  Did you ever have a dream and wake up shaking and panting?  Last night I had an overflowing toilet in my dream and it terrified me.  Knew it was a dream but struggled to wake up. Retreated to the couch for the rest of the night.

always good to take a Harry picture.

that it

SNAP

Broke citizens that cannot afford it, are stepping up and paying for their neighbors to feed their families with food staples. Politicians are taking vacations and our president is on a tour of the far east.  World Central Kitchen will be here next preparing meals.  Federal workers are working for no pay and they too are in the food bank lines.  This shutdown is having dire consequences for most of us.  Those in gated communities are not suffering much.  

Daughter Shannon resides in a well run group home.  There are 5 residents, all adults thats are profoundly disabled.  Most are not employable but still should be cared for by our government.  All receive SNAP benefits that are now cut off.  Staff tells me they are not in trouble financially yet.  These benefits fill the refrigerator and the cupboards with food and supplies. This is essential for their care and survival.  Each resident receives SNAP and the staff spends the money at the grocery store and everybody eats their 3 meals a day.  I cannot say this any plainer.  There are no magical charity funds filling in the spaces.  

This matter needs to be resolved soon and those using ACA cannot pay the huge increase that is slated.  

thats it