ANIMAL CRACKERS. Sorry to be so paranoid, but until recently I thought I was being followed by a sneaky pack of bluebirds.
At first my observation was that there sure were a lot of bluebirds flitting around my neighborhood.
Then, I wondered if it was the same three or four bluebirds, ‘shadowing’ me during my daily walk. Maybe they were hoping that my swift passage would stir up some insects.
But, noooooooo. Our John Balch, who is the ‘News-Leader’ in-shop bird expert, says that I was seeing scouts. At least it means they’re coming back. One thing that caught my attention was that all of the bluebirds I noticed were males. There were probably some female scouts, but they were doing a far better job of staying out of sight.
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TO HELL IN A handbasket. I have no idea what that old saying means or where the saying came from, but I’m pretty sure it describes where our nation is going right now.
Some examples:
1. Last week, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resigned. As well she should, even though she’s only been on the job for a few months. Her responsibilities include regulating Big Tobacco. But it was revealed that she bought stock in Big Tobacco since her appointment. That’s immoral and illegal, at least in my book. This is a perfect example of ‘conflict of interest.’
2. A company has announced that it is coming out with a personal flamethrower. In fact, they’ve already sold out the first batch of 2,000. They’re giving away a free fire extinguisher with each purchase. I AM NOT JOKING. How long before some nut deepfries a kindergarten class?
3. I ’m pretty sure I believe the FBI and the CIA and the Department of Justice even though none of them have personal flamethrowers.
4. The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl with a substitute quarterback.
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THINGS CHANGE. Not always for the better.
The late, great Mike McCann used to say that he and his wife, Jean, were at first puzzled — and later were delighted — at the way people here waved at each other from passing vehicles.
“I have no idea who this person is, but he is waving at me like we are long lost cousins,” is how he once explained this new pleasure. After only a few years Mike and Jean finally learned to wave back.
Let me back up because some unfortunate people will not remember Mike and Jean.
Mike was the Big Dog of industry here. He ran what is now Husqvarna, and he made it into a big footprint, not just one small plant. He was a Big Dog in the town, too. His ‘can do’ attitude carried over into many areas.
He liked to cuss and he was rumored to occasionally take a drink. Despite those shortcomings he was alright in my book. TeeHee.
Jean was also delighted when people waved. She served on the City Park Commission where she was an active and valued member. She did not cuss or imbibe. They were solid people who had a positive influence in our community.
But they were both from Kentucky, and they had folks back there, and so ……
After he retired and they moved back to Kentucky, he told me on the phone that people there didn’t wave to strangers.
Neither do we, anymore.
If it is your habit to cheerfully wave at EVERYONE in oncoming vehicles, nowadays you probably won’t get a wave back.
The other drivers are likely holding a cell phone to one ear, and their attention is on the phone conversation and (hopefully) the road ahead, not on returning your friendly wave.
I’ll be so glad when this cell phone fad goes away. Even if means I don’t get to talk to Amanda in the warranty department every morning.
Coincidentally, she always calls at the same time each day.
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DID YOU MISS the annual 4-H BBQ Bowl? In years past you could call the extension office and buy leftover slabs of ribs or Cornish hens. Not this year. Mmmmmmm!
And my tummy’s thanks to the members of Lifeline Ministry COGIC of Nashville who served up free soup and cornbread on Super Bowl Saturday for the third year. Mmmmmm!
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THINGS I LEARNED from opening email: Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.
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WORD GAMES. The twins: Love and Affection. No explanation needed.
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HE SAID: “How far that little candle throws its beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.” William Shakespeare, English playwright
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SHE SAID: “Social media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.” Brene Brown, researcher and author
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SWEET DREAMS, Baby
