Fire!

I remember that my father was a volunteer fireman when I was very young. Firemen fight house fires, fires in all kinds of buildings, and sometimes wildfires. Wildfires are outside, either a grass fire or forest fire that's out of control. I have never seen a fire up close. I can't imagine having to go into a burning building to save someone. Many firemen have been injured or lost their lives doing just such a brave act.
An expression you might here is the saying someone is "all fired up" to do something. It means they have gotten themselves highly excited to do whatever it is.
If you have been sentenced to death for crimes you have committed, in some states you can choose to die by firing squad. A small group of people line up with rifles and then shoot you. The last thing you hear is "Fire!"
Then, of course, there is the dreaded getting fired. Generally, nobody likes getting fired. Through my high school and college years I worked 14 or 15 different jobs, but I was only fired from one. The manager that fired me hired me back a few days later.
Tomorrow in Connecticut there will be a Fire Warning in a large part of the state because it is very dry. A fire warning is issued to warn people to be careful with matches, cigarettes, or anything else that can start a fire.
And as a final word on fire, there is the well known (at least in American culture) childhood insult, "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" And on that note, Goodnight One and All...

Human Roots & Who We Are

Roots are the part of the tree (or plant) that take in nourishment or food so the tree can grow. When we talk about someone's roots we usually are talking about where they came from or grew up. But the roots of a person are much more complicated than that. Where have you come from? I don't mean what country or what place, although that is part of it. We were not born today. We have a history. It started with our parents and family when we were children. Our parents had a very large influence on who are by the example of their actions and the things they tried to teach us, or in some cases, the lack there of, meaning the things they didn't do and didn't teach us.
I learned about the hard and cold side of life from my father. I can't really say he was a cold man, but he did not know how to express or even handle emotion. It wasn't his fault, I really cannot blame him. It was the manner in which he was raised as a child. He didn't have a happy childhood. I believe he had quite an unhappy childhood, actually.
The sadness I feel at his death is because of all he missed out on, all the things he did not experience as a child growing up, the high school he didn't get to finish because his parents made him go to work full time at 16, truly experiencing fatherhood with his children, and being able to be close to people in an emotional sense. I believe that his experience of life is one that I would find somewhat empty, cold, and far too lonely. I don't think he knew how or was capable of changing himself or the way he saw life. Again, this was not his fault. It was what he was taught by example and experience. His strength was in doing what he had to do in the physical world, but he simply was unable to cope with the things he could not touch, like emotion, insight, and the emotional richness of fatherhood.
Some of who I am comes from my father. I hope it makes me a stronger, and better, person for the insight. One thing I did learn from his life, is I need to reach out to people. I really don't do so well on my own. I need human contact, to share my life with those around me. Well, at least those who don't run away (a little humor there). I'm still not always good at it. Sometimes I prefer to hide away at home with a good book, but I try to make an effort.
Some of you who come to my conversation groups at the Library to learn English might think I go there to help you. Actually you are helping me. You help bring meaning, feeling, laughter, and brightness into my life. And to you, with this cup of tea, I make this toast: May Long Life, and Happiness be yours, and may there always be more joy and laughter than sorrow and tears...

Time Doesn't Move As Slow As I Am Currently

I must apologize for not keeping up with my blog as I should. Since getting over being sick, my energy level has not fully come back, yet. Trying to keep up with everyday tasks and chores has not been as easy as I would like, but hopefully it will get much easier.
I also found out my father died in a car crash last week. He has been estranged from most of the rest of the family for a long time, and since my mother divorced him many years ago, he got remarried and moved to Florida, where he had been living 'til his death. But even though we have never been close, he was my father. So now I have to come to terms with not just his death, but also his life, and what impact he had on my life and who I am. That will take a lot of thought and contemplation.
Just to make the week more interesting, I decided that after 3 1/2 weeks of not being able to jog, I would jump right back into running my usual 5 to 6 miles. After the first day I was a bit stiff and sore. The second day was yesterday, and although I did manage to jog my usual distance, I was then so stiff & sore that it became difficult to walk. Being not entirely stupid, I did not try to jog this morning, which was definitely a good thing, since I had trouble just getting to a standing position when I climbed out of bed. I do believe it is possible that I am my own worse enemy at times. They do say, however, that "time heals all wounds," and hopefully sore bodies as well. Until next time, remember to stop and smell the flowers...

Sleep, Exercise, & Garbage Trucks

I feel like a slug, which is similar or the same as a snail without a shell. In other words, I feel slow, clumsy, and weak. I still have not fully recovered from my 2 weeks of being ill. I had planned on trying to do some jogging early this morning, which would have been the first exercise I would have gotten since being sick, but I had a bad night of sleep. There were 2 reasons for my lack of sleep. The first was my fault. I did not get my auctions for books listed on ebay as early as I should have, and so I went to bed very late. The second reason was because of the very loud garbage (collection) trucks. My garbage and recyclables (anything that can be recycled) are picked up on Monday morning. VERY VERY early on Monday morning. The first truck comes to pick up the garbage between 5:00 and 5:30 am. The truck that picks up the recyclables comes anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30 am. All the trucks sound like they have small jet engines and really really squeaky brakes. Why is it only in the movies that garbage trucks come during the day? I have never lived anywhere where they did not come very early in the morning. Is there some kind of rule or law that says that garbage cannot be picked up unless you are sleeping? Ok, enough complaining. Tomorrow is another day, and I will try jogging again.
I did get a lot accomplished today. I packaged and put 3 books in the mail, drove to Groton and bought Edgar some bird feed, stopped at Walmart for gentle liquid soap, picked up eye drops at Walgreens, and I got my haircut. I decided to be adventurous, and I got a Mohawk. A Mohawk haircut leaves a strip of hair right up the middle from front to back, and the sides are completely shaved. Looks pretty interesting. I'd post a picture, but I don't want to scare you. Some of you will see it soon enough. So, get lots of sleep, plenty of exercise, and if you can get a job as a garbage collector, not only will you make lots of money, but you also get to wake everybody up.
Be well! Enjoy life! And of course, stay out of trouble...

It was Good to be Seen

It was a real pleasure to be back in the Library today, and to feel like I was once again a functioning part of life outside my own little world. Two weeks trapped in my apartment was way too long. There are two expressions or idioms that come to mind that describe how I was feeling: stir-crazy, and cabin fever. Stir-crazy usually refers to the feeling of being stuck or trapped somewhere for so long that you feel like you are going to go crazy if you don't get out. Cabin fever is an expression that means pretty much the same but originally comes from a time 200 years or so ago when it was common for people who lived in northern New England or in the mountains in places like Colorado or California to be stuck in their cabins for most of a winter because of the snow and the cold. Sometimes people would literally go "out of their heads" and do truly crazy or insane things, including killing friends and family. This kind of craziness was blamed on being trapped in a cabin for a long time, and so it was called "cabin fever." Now, I'm not saying I was ready to do anything crazy or harmful, but being stuck at home for two weeks is too long. Particularly when you are sick and can't do much anyway. Let's just say another day or two and I would have been trying to get Edgar to teach me how to fly.
And so, there is a line that has been used in more than one movie where a man says to a beautiful woman, " It is good to see you." The woman then says, "It's good to be seen." Today it was good to see everyone, and, it was good to be seen. It is much more fun to be part of the world, than to watch it from a distance. Until next time, be well and stay out of trouble.

Still Kicking

Good evening to one and all. As Mark Twain I believe once said, the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Yep, I'm still alive. I hate being sick, and I am always impatient when it comes to recovering and getting my energy back. Today was a good day, but I don't think I'll be going out dancing tonight. Of course, while I am sick all those things that need to get done, well, they don't get done. Today I did two weeks of laundry and vac'd up at least five pounds of birdseed Edgar had scattered all over the living room and kitchen floors.
Anyway, the real point is I am feeling much better and I am happy to be alive. I will be back in the Library on Wednesday, and I hope to see many friends there.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Thursday's Conversation Group will be from 1:00 to 3:00 instead of 12:00 to 2:00. So if you see anyone who is going to the Library on Thursday, tell them my group isn't starting until 1:00. Thank you.
Okay, here is a stupid joke for you. A man and a giraffe go into a bar. The giraffe gets very drunk and falls down and then falls asleep on the floor. The man, who also is a little drunk, pays the bartender and starts to leave. The bartender points at the giraffe and says, "you can't leave that lyin' there." The man says, " That's not a lion, that's a giraffe."

Being Sick, Round 2

Sorry, fans of my crazy English conversation groups. It seems after my intestinal bug got past my immune system, the door was left open and a respiratory infection has walked in. I am going back to the doctor this afternoon to get antibiotics. I will, however, for the next couple of days be contagious, so I have to take this week off as well. The good news is I will live, so not to worry. I hate being sick, and I complain a lot about it, but it's better than being dead. At least that's what my mother tells me. So, until next week, enjoy life! As soon as I am up to it I will post something of interest.

On the Road to Wellness

Thank you all for your concern. I was able to eat solid food today without getting sick immedeately afterwards. Plus, I no longer feel like someone just punched me in the stomach. I'm pretty happy about that. It may take a couple of days to get my strength back, but after that I will be able to post something of interest. Thank you again for your emails and phone calls. They were greatly appreciated. For now, Be Well, and Stay Out of Trouble.