About Blogging
Several summer’s ago, I was golfing with Mike. I hit a bad shot. I yelled – “Shoot.” Mike goes something like, “Ed, man, you’re a good golfer. But, hey, you’ve got to learn how to swear man! There’s more to this game, you have to know how to swear properly.” The previous week, around the house, I did something I was upset about and I yelled, “&%$#@” … you know what I mean. Mary got upset. “Ed, you know how I don’t like that language!”
Well, the point is, depending on where you are, who you’re talking to, we change our language and we filter our thoughts. Being around Mary, I alter the swearing, but out on the golf course, they’ll think I’m a wimp. Well, the thing about “blogging” is this: Anybody can tune in and listen/read your blog. So, there’s just one channel. What I’m saying is - “what I’m saying,” you know what I’m saying? If my students read the blog, if my golfing buddies read it, it’s the same. There’s no pretense. You get the person. Not Ed the golfer, not Ed the teacher/professor, not Ed the cousin, brother, or,…. just Ed.
So, it’s the same with your blog. Just you. Just communicate a few thoughts. Just connect. So, start one, link up, and share your thoughts. If I don’t like it, I just don’t have to read it.
My Summer, So Far
Well, when you get together with people, or see someone you haven't seen in a while, ... this is the first question asked, .... how's your summer going? What's up? So for those of you that are checking out my blog, and for those who want to keep in touch from a long distance/short distance ... here's mine ... but, you'll have to show me yours ...
First, my life has been getting divided up into semesters for the last 30 years ... went to college, left college for a few semesters, came back to college, got a job at college, stayed in college, ... etc, during the normal Fall, Spring semesters, September through the first week of May (less vacations), I pretty much teach classes, prepare for classes, read about computers, write some software, and maybe work on some papers or review papers, etc. So, when summer comes, it's a nice break and I can shift gears. In May and June, I re-worked a research paper that I had rejected from the Journal of MIS, and sent it off to my co-authors for review. Writing papers is work! Do you remember writing essays in school? Sometimes it's difficult to "get in the mood" to write and you need to dedicate chunks of time to the activity. It's not like, "oh, I have a spare hour, I think I'll sweep up the garage." Sometimes it takes hours to re-read articles, reflect, re-read what you wrote, etc., over and over. But, I like doing it. And of course, summer is the best time to work on a research paper because of the block of time required.
Summer is also a good time to get refreshed from teaching. My other big activity is to find some time to pursue my newest hobby - sketching or drawing, which I hope leads to more art. (I'll post some more sketches soon, ... they're located at
my personal website, check my links section). Why have I suddenly started to sketch? Well, my Mom (as you can tell from my personal website) is an artist. Although she hasn't done any art in about 10-15 years, and altough she didn't do any art until she turned 35 (when I was born), she managed to accumulate hundreds of works (mostly linocuts, and some paintings). Art seems to run in my family, especially my Mom's side of the family, as I have uncles and aunts who were artistic and my sister once took first prize in a district high school competition. The big artists though are my Mom and my cousin Dan. In fact, two developments made me think more seriously about trying to sketch. First, my cousin Dan left his job as a photographer/layout/magazine/artist and converted his apartment into an art studio. Second, was a thought that I have had in the back of my head for a long time .... when I was a kid I was constantly around art and the art world, because of Mom. The fact is, I've always loved that world. The world of creativity. I like the poeple, the environment, everything. So, I've always sort of thought that someday I'd like to bring that world back, a little closer to my home and my life. As Mom has gotten older, she's been giving me small gifts for the house, rocks for the landscaping, prints for the walls, ... well, of course Mom has always given me works of art, gifts of all kinds.
Now, especially after Mom's traumatic trip to the hospital (as described, or blogged earlier), I've made a subtle change to my hobbies. It's just there, .... the desire to create and to sketch or doodle.
I also need to mention the fact that, at work, I mentioned that my cousin had left his job, was doing art shows, etc., with Girish, ... and just having a few conversations with
Girish was a bit of inspiration to start. So, this past spring semester, January, I started a few sketches. I'm not "good" ... but that's not the point. The point is that it's a new hobby, or pastime, or whatever you want to call it ... and along with blogging, a way of creating, (writing and drawing) that takes me a little away from work, and brings me a little closer to my Mom and my family.
- Ed
Our Pond: The WaterGarden and our trip
We put a watergarden in our backyard a few years ago. It was much more work than anticipated, both the planning, building (done expertly by Menne Nursery, eventually), and the personal buildup of plantings both inside and outside (mostly by Mary), maintenance, cleaning, etc.
First View of the watergarden, and the
2nd View.
Recently, when we were traveling to my conference in San Diego, we had a neighborhood lad take care of the pond while we were gone. His job was to feed the fish, clean the filters, and watch the water level (in times of heat and sun, we'll lose some water to evaporation, so he'd fill it up if necessary). Well, after writing up detailed instructions, everything looked all set, ... but, ... the morning before we leave, ... the waterfall shuts down! Darn. When the waterfall shuts down it's typically because the filters are clogged, which means I let them go too long before cleaning.
This time I checked the filters. They were fine. Hmm. Next, I checked to make sure the pump was getting electricity, so I went in the basement and checked the circuit breakers. Fine.
Hmm. What could it be? What would cause the pump to shut down like that? Great. The day before we leave. Now what? ....
Well, the only other thing I could think of was ... maybe, just maybe something got caught in the pond pump intake. So, I reached down and pulled the pump up.
This is what I found.
No kidding. And check
this out. Biggest one I ever saw. Man! In the spring you should see what I pull out. But that's another story.
Check back later,
- Ed.
Why I like films
Why I like films.
Because we’re all trying to figure out life. Since we all have a limited viewpoint, and since time and thus experience are finite, we can only get a better picture by sharing stories. Films are the latest and most advanced form of story-telling.
Because of our modern culture, most everything on the mass-culture, living room portal comes in the way of sound bites. People are reduced to stereotypes. Simple, one dimensional, humanoid-robo-tons. Films use modern technology, take glimpses of life, and return people to their basic, n-dimensional shapes.
Because, when it’s done right, we can weave the stories, the people, the environments and glimpses into subtle shades of gray, look inside people’s DNA, their motives, their situations, point the camera in a unique way, and get a peek into ourselves. It becomes art.
Film Meme
1. Total Number of films I own on DVD and video.
Well, I am going to have to say "zero." I have occasionally taped a few, but I'm not inclined to save any videos. I used to try and keep my own academic journals in my office at work until a colleague stopped by, looked at the large collection of fragmented journals and said - "you know, that's what the library is for." So, months later, when cleaning the office, I decided "less is more," and I through them all out. Well, ok, I saved a few. With videos, I do have a few saved small number of things that I never watch, like the "Ben Franklin" PBS special.
2. Last film I bought.
Zero films purchased. See (1) above.
3. Last film I watched.
Aha! I can answer this. Dogville. Loved it. I'm a big fan of Nicole Kidman. I love the unique way it was filmed, much like a play, you could really focus on the characters. All distractions were removed.
Oops. Actually, I just watched "Hotel Rwanda." Powerful. Wonderful acting.
4. Five films that I watch a lot, or that mean a lot to me.
Well, powerful films that have had an impact on me ... The Shawshank Redemption is a wonderful story, it gets under your skin because of the tremendous emotional upheaval of the main character, I can really be transformed from sitting on the couch to feeling everthing this character is going through. It represents the trimuph of the human spirit, he uses his intellect, his attitude, and he is extremely focused. In prison, the world is different, so different, ... the pecking order, the status, the rules, ... the character adapts, he drifts along seemingly helpless like a man on a raft amid the tumultuous sea, but there's this quiet, hidden confidence below the surface. Of course, the story and the ending are just wonderful and satisfying. Good acting, a lot of fun.
Dances with Wolves. This is the only movie/film with Kevin Costner that I care for. But it's one of my favorite all time films! Why? Well, it deals with character transformation. Like film 1 above, the character finds himself in a completely different environment. All of the "brainwashing" from his past life, well, it slowly get pealed away. I can relate to his journey. I go through a mini-transformation when I leave Buffalo and hike in the mountains. Of course, as an environmentalist the film has a deep impact. Also the film has a humanist, multi-cultural impact.
Some "drug" films - Traffic and Maria Full of Grace. Big impact. The world of drugs. Big impact.
Comedy - to round out things. Being John Malkovich. Loved it. Whacky. Malkovich's role is very subtle.
My Mom and Dad: Now and Then ... The Upcoming Family Reunion
Well, from the previous post on June 13th, you can tell that the big story nowadays is that Dad has Alzheimer's. I could see it coming for a long time actually, the forgetfulness, and not so much the small slip-ups because we all do them, the little oops here and there, but really the fact that Mom would do more of the talking for Dad. Now, my Mom is very energetic and talkative, and Dad is more laid-back, but, it became a little more and more exagerated as time went on.
I recall specifically being in a Tully's restaurant in Syracuse (at least I think it was Tully's, .... oh, oh) with Mom, Dad, and Mary, and I asked Dad a question. Mom immediately started answering for him, "Your father, ...." and I shot back, "Mom! I was asking Dad, let Dad have a chance to talk and answer for himself!" I was a little frustrated because I felt that our visits were becoming more dominated by Mom's thoughts and that Dad was not participating enough. I thought Mom was too much, and Dad was getting too lazy. I thought that after being married for 50 years they both had adapted to each other and that this was .... well, behavioral. Just let Dad talk.
Well, this was maybe a year before he was diagnosed. This wasn't what Mary and I thought it was. They were simply the same loving couple and they had learned to adapt to life's newest problem.
Fast forward to the present: Mom is the primary care-giver for Dad. Living with an Alzheimer's person is a lot of work. I know a little because I've had to spend time alone with Dad. It's like you're running around trying to think for two people. At the same time, the Alzheimer's person is simultaneously an adult and a child. They're an adult because they're still partly themselves with the same outlook and interests, etc. But, they have to be watched constantly because you don't know what they might do.
Since Mom is naturally a little "hyperactive" and suffers from anxiety, caring for Dad can be a little stressful. I try to call Mom once or twice a week now, for years it was once a week, but now she needs more support and just an understanding ear.
As you can tell from the June 13th posting, Dad has been the one with the medical problems. It was always Mom, the big care-giver, the big heart, the soothing one, who watches out for everyone else. Mom is the strong one. She watches out for everyone. She's tough.
Well, the big surprise, actually not that big if you look at the details, but, ... the big, big suprise came one Friday night in September 2004 ... I came back from a fish fry at the golf club, and I saw the answering machine light blinking .....
..... it was a nurse from University Hospital in Syracuse. Mom was in intensive care. It was, ironically because in a figurative sense, it is her most prominent feature, ... it was ........ her heart.
Really Mom's doctor had warned her before, but, Mom was always worrying about you ... about Dad, about someone else. She didn't want to schedule a surgery for a pacemaker for herself. So, .... what happened was, her heart lost all of its Rhythm, the complex neuro-pathways from nervous system to heart, to tell it to beat in a perfect Rhythm ...
Well, without the Rhythm working right, people would pass away, and Mom almost did. In fact at the hospital she "flat-lined" or lost all heart beat. Mom had waited to the last possible second. Fortunately, they installed an emergency pacemaker, kept her alive, and scheduled her for surgery.
After I got the message, I left the next morning, September 11, 2004, and headed to Syracuse. Fortunately again, our neighbor Mary Story (whose husband had died of Alzheimer's), took care of Dad the night before.
I spent the next several days in Syracuse with Dad. Going up to the hospital everday, all day. I would have stayed and stayed, but, as life is complicated, I had responsibilities back in Buffalo. My classes, my students were without a teacher. In fact, at the time, I really didn't know what was going to happen. What would happen to Mom? Was she going to be ok? Would she make a recovery? (She's 82 years old at this point). How long would she be in the hospital? Who would take care of Dad? What was I going to do? There's no one else .... my sister lives in Colorado. What was I going to do?
Diane, God bless her, said - "Give Aunt Martha a call." Wow. I hadn't talked with Aunt Martha in years.
I called Aunt Martha. That's where this started ...
Aunt Martha was great. We hadn't talked in years .... although Mom talks with her and keeps in touch, I had lost touch with her and my cousins. But, Aunt Martha said - "Sure. I'll come over and stay with your Dad, and help your Mom as she recovers." Wow. It was great seeing Aunt Martha! She's so nice, and has a great, easy-going personality.
I picked up Mom from the hospital, she recovered fairly quickly, all things considered. Aunt Martha came over, I was able to go back to my job, and Mom, Dad, and Aunt Martha looked over each other.
Not only did things work out, but, as my Aunt Martha put it - "Maybe things happened for a reason." After getting back in touch with Aunt Martha, .... we now have a family reunion this weekend ... I will be seeing my cousin Dan (the artist, etc.), my cousin Bill (my buddy from childhood), and Devon - my cousin Marty's son. By all accounts Devon is a great guy, a real gentleman, and .... he's an environmentalist too! There will be others too, my cousin Dan's daughter or daughters (Brooke and Kelly, may be there), and everyone's significant others. My wife Mary is excited ... as you can tell I am. And of course, Mom and Dad and my Aunt Martha.
I can't wait!!!
My Mom and Dad: Dad, Part 1
With Father's Day and a visit back home coming up this weekend, I thought I'd write a little about my Dad, ... but, I can't write too much about Dad without also writing about Mom.
My Dad is the best guy I know. What can I say? He has all of the good qualities that are truly important in a person - honest, hard working, friendly, fun-loving, warm, sincere, ... likes to joke around and laugh, and ... he always tries to do the right thing. Of course one can't reduce a person to a long list of adjectives and qualities, people are so much more. How can I describe Dad to give you a sense of his personality, character, and life?
Some background information: Dad, like Mom, was born and raised in Syracuse. He was very athletic, played all kinds of sports as a kid - Dad mentions that he was especially good at street hockey, but he also played a little football and baseball. Never really played basketball at all and he didn't take up golf until his 30's, as a salesman because it was the thing to do, and after he had given up tennis. Once Dad quit playing tennis competitively, that was it. He was very good at tennis. As a kid, he won the city of Syracuse junior title at 18, then starred as the captain of the Syracuse University team. He had a great forehand, a so-so backhand, and an admitted lousy server. But, he more than made up for it with the ground strokes, speed, and by chasing down every shot. (Later, Dad won the Syracuse city Doubles title in Table Tennis with my Uncle).
World War II came along, and Dad like everyone else joined the army. Since Dad was born on April 14th, 1923, he was very young when he entered the service - 18 years old. Fortunately, Dad passed an exam, was placed in the signal corp, and did a lot of training. The closest he came to action was when he was in the south Pacific and a Japanese submarine passed by their ship. Both ships let the other one go by, there was no confrontation, perhaps the Japanese sub was on a more important mission, whatever, .... Dad came out of WW II unscratched .... Thank God! ... and then finished Syracuse University with a degree in (back then it was called - Advertising).
Dad was a salesman. He was pretty good, sold insurance, worked for a number of companies over the years, but for the most part, when I was a kid and teenager he sold for Employers Insurance of Wasau. Selling anything is difficult, and as competition intensifies, there's always pressure on salesmen. I recall Dad's frustration trying to make sales, talking to Mom and the dinner table, the famous line was - "I have to make the quota." I don't know if Dad's job and stress contributed to his stomach problems but, he had very serious digestive problems. As a teenager I recall Dad having dinner and then going to the bathroom at night and losing it - vomiting some of the food as he had a very bad case of acid reflux. Night after night.
Eventually Dad had major surgery. He was diagnosed with a spastic Esophagus, hiatel hernia, ... etc, and he went in for the major surgery. He still has the scar from where they cut ... from the middle of his stomach area to around his back near and above the kidney. A gigantic scar! In order to do the surgery they actually sawed through a rib, ... it was major. Nowadays they proabably take about a 2 inch scar to do the same procedure. Anyway, that helped quite a bit, no more reguritation, but Dad did continue to have more stomach problems.
In fact, for years Dad complained about stomach problems and when one day he went in to have the "pain in his side" checked out, it was discovered that he had cancer. It was renal carcinoma, or kidney cancer. This is many years later, and I was at my first full-time teaching position as Assistant Professor at UNC - Greensboro. I flew back right away for Dad's surgery. He came out fine, they removed the kidney and he recovered fairly fast.
A quick medical summary of the next decade for Dad: Well, Dad had been through a lot. And of course if you know Mom and Dad, you know my Mom is a worrier. But, Dad gave her more things to worry about. After all of this, one of Dad's medical check-ups at the VA Hospital revealed melanoma - the most deadly skin cancer. It was an odd shaped and colored mole on my Dad's abdomen. The surgery was simple and Dad recovered very fast. But, melanoma's really have to be watched, if un-diagnosed they spread extremely quickly and are very deadly.
After this, the next big problem I believe was prostate cancer. This was diagnosed quickly as Dad goes in for lots of medical check-ups, and at this age at the time, ... 73-75? maybe, he had a few options. They, Mom and Dad, opted for surgery. However, during the surgery it was discovered that Dad had too much scar tissue in this area .... I had left out that Dad had previous prostate surgery (the benign, prostatic hyperplasia?, or enlarged prostate), so they had to close him back up and go to plan B. Plan B was radiation on the specific area. However, the doctors aren't perfect, and in my Dad's case it ended up that the radiation penetrated my Dad's colon. He was left with radiation coloitos (that's a good candidate for spell checker), ... but what that means is he had small holes and damage in his colon, which led to a case of permanent bleeding and problems going to the bathroom.
A few years back, after the radiation problems, Mary and I and my sister Diane were in town for Thanksgiving. In the middle of the night, we'll never forget my Mom yelling - "Ed!" I went running into their bedroom and Dad was - twitching and almost convulsing, was it a heart attack!? His eyes were sort of rolled back in his head, he was twitching or moving and shaking, but I checked his heart and it was beating rapidly. Diane called 911 and within 15 minutes or so the paramedics arrived. In just a matter of moments there was suddenly about 6 or 7 people, strangers, paramedics and firemen in my parents bedroom. They shouted at Dad to wake up, ... and when he "came out of it" he started screaming. It was a wild scene!
Anyway, at the hosptial an hour or so later, perhaps at 4am, who knows, the doctors determined that it wasn't a heart attack, but they didn't know what happened. The best the doctors could say is - he didn't have a heart attack, but we think he had a brain seizure. (The brain sort of gets overloaded, and afterwords the person doesn't really know what happened to them).
Dad was later released from the hospital, and we finished our Thanksgiving visit, and we were all very, very thankful that Dad was ok.
Despite all of these problems, Mom and Dad still are the friendliest, warmest, nicest people. Dad never says - "why me?" Dad always has a good outlook on life.
Dad's medical Part 2: I remember walking to class at Lyons Hall. There's a tv set in the hallway, and what made this day different was, 10 minutes before class, all of the students are gathered in the hallway watching tv and talking. I was a little perturbed, and perplexed, ... "I'm thinking what's going on?" The 1st jet had slammed into the Twin Towers already and there were reports about a plane hitting the Pentagon." I watched the 1st Tower collapse and didn't believe it. Some students said it came down, and I remember saying, "No, it couldn't have. I think that's just the smoke and debris from some of it. It couldn't all come down."
Later that evening I called my parents to discuss the day's events. That's when they told me that Dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Summer Days, Spending Time, and Family
I love summer. Living in Buffalo means getting out of the house (igloos) enjoying the outdoors ... nature, golf, and of course for me, as a college professor who isn't teaching summer school it means working on research papers instead of teaching, working on my golf game, working on the yard and landscaping and watergarden (I will write a short blog story on our watergarden, as soon as my latest film photos are developed), ... and all the other hobbies that you don't have time for during the academic year.
Actually, if you read my last run-on sentence very closely you will notice the action verb is "work." Now, this may seem contradictory to most people - "working on my golf game." Come on. But, wait, to non-golfers let me explain. Golf is not quite a sport. It is most aptly described as an addiction. I think Dennis Hopper once said that there is a natural progression: marijuanna, cocaine, heroine, and then golf. (Dennis Hopper knows about these things).
The problem with a hobby like golf is this ... if you play well on Tuesday, you really, really want to play again on Wednesday becuase you played so well, it was fun. Great. If you play really awful on Wednesday, you really, really, really, want to play again on Thursday because you know how to correct your latest faults (because you spent Wednesday night thinking about your swing). Now when the addiction starts to take hold, a cyclical process begins where all of the "really" from the previous sentence is replaced with "really, really, really." Getting a golf fix can take hold of your life.
Of course there is much, much more to golf than what I just described. If you consider that golf also means spending time with friends (socializing), exercise (it's a nice walk), being out in nature, and all of the extras (tv, magazines, shopping for golf equipment, ... etc) ... then you can maybe, start seeing the tip of the iceberg.
I started golf lessons when I was 6 years old. Due to tremendous self control, I keep away from actually playing about 3 or 4 times a week. (Fortunately, I have not become addicted yet.)
At my Freshmen Advisement seminar last week,
Girish asked about my summer. I said that golf was getting in the way of work and other activities. Girish and others countered - "Oh, what you mean is work is getting in the way of golf! Ha, ha." No, guys, I meant what I said.
Coming attraction Blogs, Next: (1) reports on my upcoming family reunion, (2) the pond story, (3) finding some time to pursue my other, new hobby, sketching, and (4) The actual family reunion report.
All Things in Moderation
I just read in Google News the latest research - long-term use of painkillers and aspirin promote breast cancer. Prior to this, researchers were promoting the use of aspirin to reduce the risk of colon cancer among other benefits. Well, what's the deal?
First, as my Great Uncle Martin (Great Aunt Ena's brother) used to say, "all things in moderation." Uncle Martin would also enjoy a beer or a drink now and again, and he even smoked moderately. But, Uncle Martin and Aunt Ena never went overboard. I never saw either of them overconsume, overdrink, or take anything to extremes. Uncle Martin was a fine example of a good, hard-working man ... he worked as an accountant for about 50 years, not retiring until well past his 70's. In fact, he was mainly responsible for bringing over much of his family (including Aunt Ena) from Ireland by sponsoring them - putting up money and a place to stay, so they could emigrate.
I subscribe to the University of Berkeley Wellness letter. It's a good way to keep up with the conventional wisdom of the medical community. Often what you read in newspaper is medical information that will "make a story." Often times journalists will take a single medical research study, and present the results as if this is the latest truth. However, as many of us who do research know, it's a long road from research study to research study until the community of scholars is willing to make a claim regarding "x leads to y." Look how long it took for the government to eventually place the warning label on cigarettes that smoking causes lung cancer.
At any rate, the best advise for a good life, and a long life ... is - "all things in moderation." Hey, that's what you learn when you get a good Jesuit, undergraduate education.
My Great Aunt Ena
Earlier this year my Great Aunt Ena, who came to America about 50 years ago from Ireland when she was in her 40's (so she still has her Irish accent), was coming home from the hairdressers, opening the door to her apartment building, when she slipped on ice and snow and fell backwards ... just barely missing the hard, concrete sidewalk, and somewhat gently landed on a somewhat softer snowbank behind her. She braced her fall with her right hand, and somehow came out ok ... but wow, what a black and blue hand, wrist and arm! She really took a fall!
So, when Mary and I went to visit with her, we called ahead of time and asked if we could bring anything. The first thing she wanted was a litre of Canadian Club Whiskey. She likes to take a drink before her dinner every evening, and it's hard for her to get out of the apartment as much as she used to, so we were glad to stop off at the liquor store on the way for our visit. We also stopped at the drug store and bought her a wrist splint, so she could immobilize the wrist and hand as much as possible.
Well, we had a nice visit, we had our 2 drinks (Canadian High balls: Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Canadian Club, ice). We were amazed at how bad her arm looked, very black and blue, but otherwise she was in good shape.
About 2 months later, when we were back in town, I called Aunt Ena prior to our visit and I once again asked her if there was anything that we could bring. She said, "yes, could you pick me up a litre of Canadian Club?" I thought, wow, Aunt Ena is getting forgetfull. I was a little concerned. How could she forget that we had just seen her and brought her a bottle? When I told her we were just there, she said, "well, I've used it up already." So, we stopped at the liquor store, but this time we bought the big 2 litre, it was on-sale anyway.
A number of months have passed by now, and it's once again time for a visit back home. We called Aunt Ena on the phone from Buffalo. She's been feeling tired lately and she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it over to my Mom and Dad's this month to celebrate the birthdays. She seemed a little down, which for my Aunt Ena, is quite alarming. This is because, of all the people I have ever known, only Aunt Ena keeps the best attitude about everything and acts as excited and enthusiatic as a kid. When you meet her, you are struck by the fact that she is just "jumping out of her skin" with enthusiasm, warmth and good will. I always walk away from our visits as a new and re-energized soul. So, when she seemed a little down for this last phone call, I was a little concerned about her. Thankfully, at the end of the call, she added - "If you do stop by and visit me, could you please stop at the liquor store and pick me up a litre of Canadian Club?" I was happy.
Now, Mom and Dad called me today to wish me a happy birthday (I did say this was the birthday time in my family). At the end of the call my Mom added, - "Oh, by the way, Aunt Ena mentioned that she might come over for dinner after all!" Yes! ... I am so pleased. Every chance you get to spend with Aunt Ena is a blessing. You always walk away inspired, laughing, and just altered in many deep ways. It's like a great attitude adjustment. Just spend some time with her and you can't help be transformed by her enthusiasm for life.
Maybe that's why she's been able to stay so healthy for so long, I don't really know. But, I'll pick up the 2 litre Canadian Club Whiskey on my way to pick her up again. I'll have a big smile on my face when I greet her, and an even bigger one while we visit. I will be content for many days after too. It's great to hang out with Great Aunt Ena, talking, drinking whiskey, and celebrating her 99th birthday.
Next, I'll have more to say about other members of my family. I'm looking forward to the next visit, and also to seeing my Mom, Dad, Aunt Martha, and my cousins. I'll have to wait a little longer to see my sister Diane and her husband Mac.
