Most of us are familiar with the “bad news” of extended waits for obtaining medical care within the VA system. Social media and “real news” reports have cataloged the unacceptable and looooong delays for medical care. I am no stranger to such delays. To be fair, however, I’ve also benefited from very quick responses, someRead more

I opened my email this morning to find a message indicating that some birthday gifts I had ordered from Amazon would be delivered tomorrow. No big deal – get those all the time. Next, I receive a message from my Internet provider indicating that a serviceman would be calling between 3 p.m. and 5 PMRead more

I am a white, male, American, born into a lower working-class family. I’ve had to work hard all my life and was blessed to have the strength and stamina to do it. I grew up believing that if I “went to college” I would have a better income and lifestyle.   So that’s what IRead more

  For the past week, almost everyone I speak to is concerned about the effects of hurricane Harvey which struck Houston, Texas with a vengeance. Dropping over 52 inches of rain water in many places, the storm ravaged and pounded the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. Making landfall and turning inland, the massive stormRead more

At the beginning of last football season, Colin Kaepernick staged a “silent protest” against the perceived evils of America by not standing for our National Anthem. After a few weeks, the media furor both pro and con, settled down. Since then, he has lost his starting position and has been released from his team. NoRead more

When I was a young boy and continuing through my teenage years, I loved to play the trumpet. I played in the marching band, concert band, brass ensembles, and even played taps at military funerals. On most Sunday mornings and evenings, I offered a trumpet solo as special music in our church’s worship service. OneRead more

  Christmas in July – I first heard of this concept while residing in Australia, many years ago. It was used in advertising a weekend getaway package to a mountain resort. It kind of made sense since Christmas is summertime in “the land down under,” where the seasons are flip-flopped from what I was accustomedRead more

This afternoon I took three of my grandchildren “to the tree.” They love it there. Our street has two islands which separate the two lanes of our road. In the middle of each island, there are trees and bushes which are quite mature. Some of the trees are conifers and appear to be some kindRead more

Remember Mrs. Manicotti? Do you remember Mrs. Manicotti? She was the chronic complainer I commented on in last week’s blog. She delighted to give organ recitals as she regaled her various ailments and physical problems. I also pointed out that we tend to emulate her frequent grumblings. Like it or not, every one of usRead more

I remember learning the hard way that saying, “Hello, how are you doing?” is more than a greeting; it is a question. New neighbors had recently moved in across the street from us and the lady of the house enjoyed poor health. Seeing her walking to her mailbox at the street curb, I politely said,Read more