Recent travels and wobbly knees

 

Wife and I were fortunate enough to get to spend a week in New England last week. 

It all started when I told her over the summer I would like to take a fall trip, and I would like it to include a state I have not visited. She came up with one scenario that would have included South Dakota and North Dakota, both of which would have been new states; and a New England jaunt that would knock off only one new one, Rhode Island. 

We decided on New England and while I would have loved to mark off two states instead of one, the thought of New England in the fall was attractive. I think we made the right choice. 

We flew into Boston Friday night, October 11th. On Saturday we rented a car and drove to Lenox, Massachusetts, where we stayed until Monday the 14th. There in the heart of the Berkshires, the fall foliage was beautiful, and we enjoyed some scenic drives as well as visits to the Norman Rockwell Museum and "The Mount," which was once the home of author Edith Wharton. 

That was especially enjoyable since my book club read one of her books, "The House of Mirth," this year. I can't wait to share with the group members in December, when we do a recap of the year, that I visited The Mount. 

From the Berkshires it was on to Cape Cod, where we (ourselves and our car) boarded a ferry for Martha's Vineyard where we stayed until Wednesday. We loved exploring the island, walking along the coastline and visiting lighthouses (like the one pictured here). 

From Martha's Vineyard it was on to Newport, Rhode Island and a new state for me. The coastline there is beautiful, as are the old mansions with coastal views. 

It was a great trip and once I again, I am grateful to Wife for making the plans. 

The only negative involved my knees, which have been slowly deteriorating over the last year due to osteoarthritis. Injections have helped tremendously, as have the stationary bike riding and physical therapy I have been doing. 

But the fact is I cannot walk any significant distance anymore. On a trip like this one, ordinarily I would have hiked among the beautiful trees and certainly would have taken a long stroll on the Cliff Walk in Newport that goes along the coastline and in the shadow of the mansions there. I can only make it about a half mile before the discomfort (tightness in my knees) starts. 

To remedy this unfortunate situation, I will have knee replacement surgery early next year. I'll start with my right knee and, if all goes well, eventually have the left one done. 

Not how I would choose to spend my time, but I want to walk normally again. I will endure the short-term pain to accomplish this. I am told by my orthopedic surgeon that I am a good candidate for the surgery and will do even better if I continue the physical therapy exercises and bike riding before the surgery. I certainly plan to do so. 

Right now, I am enjoying the effects of the most recent injections. It does not enable me to walk distances as I would like to do, but it helps a lot and other than the inability to walk very far, I get around just fine. The other time I had it, in May, it lasted about four months. 

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As to the states I have left to visit, they are Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Iowa (be on the lookout, Ed), Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota and Delaware. I have been all around Delaware but have never step foot inside its borders. I should make it to Washington next year, to go to my last MLB park in Seattle, and maybe I'll make it to Oregon in the same trip. 

I hope to hit the 50th state within the next couple of years. We'll see. 😉

Helene packs a punch

 Wife and I had a rather hectic week last week. 

She was scheduled to leave Wednesday for a girls' beach trip. She was headed down to the Fort Myers/Naples area where friends of ours have a home. The lady of the couple had invited Wife and another friend to visit for a few days. 

Monday morning, Wife hollered from the hallway into my office, asking if I had heard about the hurricane heading toward the Gulf Coast of Florida from the Caribbean. Knowing our oldest and his family (who live near Atlanta) were vacationing on the Florida panhandle for the week, I said yes, and I guess that could affect Daniel's family. 

"Uh, yeah, and remember my trip?" she asked.  

I had had a momentary lapse. 

During the day Tuesday, she received a text from Southwest Airlines saying her flight, which would have gone to Fort Myers, could be delayed or canceled. 

She spoke with her friend in Naples, and they decided to call it. Even if the storm passed them by (as it did), it would likely rain the entire time they would be there (Wednesday through Sunday).  Also, Wife did not relish the idea of flying into all of that. 

As it turned out, the storm did pass by that area for the most part, and Wife's friend reported not as much rain as she thought there might have been. You never know. But I think they made the right decision anyway. 

In another turn of events, a dear friend of ours in Little Rock passed away Monday.  She had an aneurysm burst and a stroke back in April. She was in our wedding (and Wife in hers), and she and her husband were part of our friend group during our single days and later as young marrieds back in the 80s and early 90s. He died of cancer two years ago. They had four beautiful daughters, roughly intersecting in age with our children. 

Much more to that story but suffice it to say it was and is a tremendous loss for us, and it was important for us to make it to Little Rock for the funeral Friday of last week, which we did. 

It's about a six-hour drive for us, five and a half f traffic is not terrible and we don't stop much, and we started out mid-afternoon Thursday as I finished work. We arrived at our friends' home where we were staying about 9 p.m. We came home Saturday. 

Daniel and his family cut their beach time short Thursday morning as Hurrican Helene was headed their direction. His class reunion was here this past weekend, so all along they had planned to leave the beach and come here for the weekend. Obviously, they came a little early and arrived not long after we had left. 

We were glad for them to stay here while we were gone, and happy to see them here when we got home. Of course, it was especially sweet to get time with those two grands, seven-year-old (in a week) Hank and four-year-old Ruthie. 

My point with all of this is that we were preoccupied during the time the storm was making landfall and making its way inland. With learning of our friend's passing, getting ready to go, driving over to Little Rock, attending the memorial service, visiting friends, driving back Saturday and arriving home to part of our family being here, we did not realize the extent of the damage and devastation until mid-day yesterday when we had time to catch up on current events. It's just unbelievable. 

Here where I live, just south of Nashville, we had substantial rains off and on for about three days and maybe a stray limb here and there from some wind. In other parts of the state, however, there was terrible flooding. Western North Carolina was hit hard, especially the beautiful mountain city of Asheville.  (Blog friend Jeff is in southwest Virginia; hoping Helene missed them.)

With damage affecting at least a half-dozen states, although I am sure it has happened, I don't remember a hurricane in my lifetime having such a wide path, and having effects as far inland as Helene has. 

Hoping things will calm down now. Blessings and peace to those who must deal with the aftermath. 

What's old might be new again

I have witnessed some evolutions in my lifetime. 

Take the telephone, for example. When I was a child, in the house in which I primarily grew up, we had a telephone attached to the wall in the kitchen. There was another one on my parents' bedside table, wired to the wall, and another in the upstairs hall with similar wiring between my brother's and my bedrooms.  

Because the upstairs phone was near the door to my brother's room, he could easily take it into his room and act as if he had his own phone in his own room. But I was quick to remind him he did not. Alas, I could not stretch either the wire from the phone into the wall outlet or the phone cord of the receiver far enough to get it into my room. It annoyed me to no end that he had his "own phone." (And again, he didn't.) 

These were telephones with rotary dials. Eventually there were the "touchtone" phones, which that house never had. When my dad died in 2006, the bedroom and upstairs rotary phones were still there. He had gotten a push-button phone in the kitchen, but it was still "pulse" and not touchtone, meaning even though it had the buttons, it still ran on a pulse system, however that worked. (My dad was anything but progressive, by the way. I am sure he decided it cost too much to upgrade to touchtone.)

I even remember when there was only one telephone company, some version of "Bell," depending on where you lived. And I believe that was, at the time, all part of AT&T. I'm way oversimplifying, but as I recall, the Justice Department broke up the conglomerate phone company via an antitrust lawsuit, which gave way to the various phone companies. 

That was plenty to transpire. But who in their wildest dreams would or could have predicted what eventually happened -- that those phones attached to walls would become obsolete? And that many of us would hold in our hands a telephone that is also a camera, a GPS and a personal computer (among many other things)? 

What I keep waiting for is for the "home phone" or landline to come back into vogue the way vinyl records have. We went from records to eight-track to cassette to digital to . . . what's that? Vinyl? Yep. Full circle. Many musical purists believe vinyl is, well, the purest way to listen to music again. 

And old stereo systems, once pieces of furniture with a turntable and built-in speakers, restored to their original woodgrain and with perhaps some tweaking to those speakers? Those are now collectors' items. 

So, if you have an old wall or desk telephone laying around awaiting disposal, wait a few years to see if it will also return to fashionableness as a retro must-have. You might already be ahead of your time. 

 

Good reading, good writing

I have mentioned in the past an excellent independent bookstore near me called Parnassus. 

It is co-owned by Nashville author Ann Patchett. In addition to having a selection of books that makes readers like yours truly salivate, there are frequent programs and events that feature authors. In the past I have seen and heard John Grisham, David Baldacci, Mitch Albom and Tom Hanks, to name a few. 

Sometimes it is a paid event (such as the one with Tom Hanks) that includes a book, but many times it's free, like the one I attended last night that featured authors William Kent Krueger and Marc Cameron. 

Krueger is a favorite of mine. His "bread and butter" has been the Cork O'Connor mystery series, all set in his home state of Minnesota. But he has also written several standalones, including one of my all-time favorites, Ordinary Grace. He just wrote number twenty in the O'Connor series, which stresses me out because I have only read three and I don't know when I will get to the rest of them. 

As an aside, that's what series books do to me. Because of my mild anal-retentiveness, I will only read them in order. And with so many books on my TBR, I am reluctant to stop everything and catch up on the series. I am about six behind on The No. One Ladies Detective Agency and have only read half of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series. 

Others include Greg Iles's Penn Cage series; Lee Child's Jack Reacher and Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti. I have to resign myself to the fact it is not likely I will ever read all of these in my lifetime. 

But I digress. 

Last night, as usual with these programs, was delightful. Krueger is an engaging speaker, and I loved hearing him talk about the evolution of the O'Connor series and how his standalones have come from his heart. 

I had never heard of the other author, Marc Cameron, a former U.S. Marshall who penned the Jack Ryan series that was part of the Clancy universe. He has numerous other works under his belt, including (incorporating the writing maxim, "write what you know") a series about a U.S. Marshall. I could get pretty stressed thinking I need to get started on this too. 

During Q and A, the authors were asked about plot and character development. Both said they have a good idea where the story is going as they write, but also said characters will often reveal themselves to them as the story progresses. 

Fascinating stuff. I left wondering about that novel I have thought for many years lies within me. 

Authors William Kent Krueger (left) and Marc Cameron (right) speaking at Parnassus Bookstore, Nashville

Some thoughts on the current political environment

I don't write much in this space about politics. I leave that for my Substack pieces, and even there I do it sparingly. 

People get riled up over the subject. I know when I offer an opinion, I run the risk of alienating or offending someone, even though that is not my intention. 

During the years I wrote my local column, there was a reader who just could not deal with my occasional opinions, which almost always differed from his. He called me a jerk. He said I was aligned with Chinese Communists. He told me he could not believe I had the nerve to write the things I wrote. Angry, he was. 

I responded to most of his emails (except when he called me a jerk; I don't believe name-calling is worthy of a response), thanking him for his thoughts and for taking the time to write. 

I think it blew him away that I responded in a polite manner. Over time, he even complimented me on a couple of things. 

When I started my Substack in October 2022, he was an early subscriber. I couldn't believe it. I was pleased because I thought he and I had made some headway in the area of civil discourse. 

Alas, the first time I offered an opinion on something political (this time a local issue), although he did not send a nasty email (I guess that is some progress), he removed his name from my subscriber list. Obviously, he didn't agree with what I had written and was not open to reading an opinion that opposed his. 

I learned from that experience how important it is to be informed and specifically to be informed from different points of view. In dealing with this guy, I remembered times from years ago when I was too much like him. I wanted to speak my mind, but I did not want to listen. It is not an attractive character trait, and I hope I did not offend people back then. But I probably did. 

So, as this election season begins to get going, I will put myself out there and tell you the following: 

I would describe myself as a right-leaning moderate. Over the years I have probably voted Republican more than Democrat (and my moderation has happened over time), but I am fiercely independent. I am not affiliated with either major political party. I don't look for that to change. 

In 2016 I voted Libertarian. In 2020, regretting my 2016 vote, I voted for Joe Biden. In November, assuming she is the Democratic nominee, I will vote for Kamala Harris. 

Biden and Harris both lean more to the left than I, but for many reasons, I am a Never Trumper.  I have never voted for him, and I never will. 

I believe Joe Biden has done a decent job as president, but I think he made the right decision dropping out of the presidential race. My more right-leaning friends believe the Dems and the media somehow  "covered up" his cognitive decline, but I don't buy that. It was there for all of us to see and, until the infamous debate on June 27th, I think Biden's Democratic brethren still believed he would be the best person to go up against Trump. 

But then the debate happened. Biden had to go. 

Again, Kamala is more progressive than I would prefer. My vote for her, like my vote for Biden in 2020, will not be an enthusiastic one. But by all indications she is a smart, prudent person and, in my view, the more capable of the two presidential candidates. 

You may call me a Pollyanna if you wish, but I still have enough confidence in our system of checks and balances to believe Congress can keep a president in check when he/she tends to get too focused in a particular direction. 

With Tennessee being a predominantly red state, my vote will not make a lot of difference. But I will cast it anyway. 

I do not have a gut feeling about the outcome of the election. I am afraid it will get nastier as we move toward November. 

I think it is going to be close. There just does not appear to be much Trump can do (e.g. encourage insurrection, continue to falsely claim the 2020 election results are bogus, become a convicted felon) to dissuade his followers. I have friends who look past his character flaws and will vote for him because they believe he aligns with their views on the issues. 

Kamala Harris's nomination is interesting from a historical perspective. She likely would never have been the Democratic nominee outside the current circumstance of Biden stepping down and her ascending because of her position as vice president. 

Remember, she offered herself as a candidate in the 2020 primaries, even standing on the debate stage with Biden as an opponent. She was not a strong candidate at that time. 

But with her already being the VP, it made sense to now make her the nominee. 

There are those who believe a more formal nominating process should have taken place. There were some cries for, at the very least, a "mini-primary" or letting it go to the convention for debate. 

In some ways, it seems that would have been a fairer process, but of course the main objective is to defeat Trump. With all the infrastructure in place with the former Biden-Harris ticket, it made sense for her to take it and get the campaign started rather than wait until the convention. 

I have friends from both sides who are fretting over all of this. They worry the world as we know it will not be the same if (choose your candidate) is not elected. One of the candidates even says that. 

But I have been around a long time, and I have witnessed a few presidents come and go. I have told you how I will vote, but when I awake the morning after the election (or, if it's a razor-thin margin, once the votes are finally tabulated), I have it on pretty good authority (based on precedent) the sun will rise in the east and life will go on. 

Believe me, I don't relish another Trump presidency but if that's what happens, it's what happens. I can live through it. 

Happy to discuss this with anyone, so long as we remain calm. 

They're back

To say the least, I have had my ups and downs with birdfeeders over the years. 

To sum it up, several years ago I gave in to the squirrels. I simply cannot keep birdfeeders because the squirrels take them over before most birds can even get close. 

The only exception has been with my hummingbird feeder. It hangs from a piece of fishing line right outside the picture window in our kitchen, and the squirrels can't touch it. 

I hung this year's version a few weeks ago, and while it took a couple weeks before they found it, the hummingbirds are back. 

Thus far, there has generally been one at a time and we seem to see one of them more often than others. In past years, I observed that, when more than one of them would arrive at the feeder, it was not uncommon for one of them to chase another way. Maybe this guy we're seeing this year has spread the word he is not sharing! 

Whatever the case, I am happy to see the fluttering little guys back, and I hope they will keep coming! 

Good news

Because I shared in this space about my son-in-law, I wanted to report that his six-hour robotic surgery this past week was successful. The doc reported to my daughter he "got the cancer" and the bag is temporary. 

It was a long day, and there are bumpy days ahead as he recovers. As I write this, he is still in the hospital, and my daughter is staying with him most of the time. We are here in Huntsville staying with our grands, although today (Sunday) some friends are giving us a break. They are three adorable children, but they ARE children and I think God's design of having them when we are young is a good one! 

But all indications are of a good prognosis, and we have every reason to be optimistic. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and support. 

Something personal

It's hard to believe I started this blog 16 years ago. I am not sure the title I came up with, "Mid-Life Thoughts from Bob," provides an accurate description of the blog owner anymore. 

But given the various quirks of Blogger, I am not going to try and change the name, even though I no longer fit the definition of "mid-life."

I started the blog as an outlet for writing, a longtime passion. A few years later I got a gig writing a weekly (mostly) column for a local publication. That became the main focus for my writing, although I continued my presence here. A couple of years ago, the column ended but I moved that effort to the Substack platform and was fortunate enough to take many of my column readers with me and gain some new ones. 

That is my main focus for writing today, but I still keep this blog. I do so because I made some friends here, and even though I know you only online (except for Kelly, who I have known my entire life and who urged me to start this blog), I feel a connection with the handful of you whose blogs are listed at the right. 

People have come and gone from here through the years. Some have left the blog world, and some have made their blogs invitation only. For the few of you who remain, as I said, I feel a connection and it keeps me writing here and checking in on your blogs. 

Because of that connection, I wanted to share something personal with you today.

As regular readers know, I have three adult children -- two sons and a daughter, with the daughter in the middle. My older son lives just outside Atlanta with his wife and two children; my daughter is in Huntsville, AL with her husband and three children; and my younger son lives in Birmingham, AL with his wife and two-month-old son. We are just south of Nashville, and everyone is within easy driving distance. 

I am a family man to the core, and those folks I just listed, along with my sweet wife, bring me far more joy than I deserve.

That brings me to the personal matter I want to share. Last November, the Monday before Thanksgiving to be precise, my son-in-law in Huntsville was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was 37 at the time, and 38 now. As you can figure out from what I wrote above, he is the father of three (adorable) children. They are 6, 4 and 2 years old. 

I can't adequately describe the kick in the gut I felt when our daughter called to give us this news. Sorrow, denial and anger are among the emotions I experienced. How is it fair that this awesome young husband and dad would be struck with a life-threatening disease? 

He was given a good prognosis. The cancer was detected early and had not spread. He soon started radiation and oral chemotherapy, and in early February he began periodic infusion chemotherapy. For the most part, he tolerated all of this well, with his most significant side effect being extreme fatigue the few days following infusion. 

My daughter has been incredible, caring for him and educating herself about his form of cancer and treatments. She is his biggest advocate. And oh yeah, she has maintained her job and taking care of the three children I described above. 

Through the generosity of friends, Wife and I were provided a guest house in Huntsville to use during the infusion weeks so we can be there to help with daily life while our son-in-law rests from the treatments. It's about 12 minutes from their house, so it's easy to get there and also nice to have our own place. 

His last infusion was May 14th. A couple of weeks later, their family headed to the beach for a week for some much-needed R&R, and a break from cancer and cancer talk for that brief period of time. 

He had an MRI and a scope in early June, which showed while the tumor has shrunk, it is still there. He will have colon resection surgery June 27th. Cancer is still confined to the colon and the medical team is confident the surgery will take care of it. 

In the midst of all of this, there have been blessings. I will share more later. 

For now, I would like to humbly ask my little community here for your best thoughts and prayers for the surgery next week and through his recovery time. Wife and I plan to be in Huntsville for about ten days and will make adjustments to that plan if needed. 

I will keep you posted. Thank you. 

Out west

Wife and I were home from our quick beach trip about three days before boarding a plane for California for a vacation we had planned before we even knew about the beach wedding. 

Some background is in order. 

As I have previously shared, Older Son and I set out on a quest in 1994, when he was eight years old, to visit every Major League Baseball home venue. This was after our first visit to see the Atlanta Braves play, at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, two ballparks ago for the Braves. 

There are 30 MLB parks and we have been gradually closing in on them, with much joy in the journey. As of last summer, when we visited Los Angeles and saw the Dodgers play at their home field Dodger Stadium, Older Son had made it to 29, lacking only Seattle. I was a little bit behind him, also lacking Seattle but also Oakland and San Francisco, which Older Son visited during a trip to that area a few years back. 

Along the way, Younger Son and my son-in-law started joining the trips. They still have to gain some ground to cover all the parks. 

Anyway, after last summer's visit to L.A., Older Son urged me to somehow knock out Oakland and San Franciso, so he and I could be set up for the grand finale in Seattle this summer. It has been 30 years since we made the first trip -- 30 parks in 30 years if we mark off Seattle's T-Mobile Park this year. 

When I floated the idea of a California trip to Wife, it was not long before she had a weeklong (plus a couple of days) adventure planned that would include, in addition to the baseball games, the wine country, and Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. 

We flew out of Nashville Friday night, May 24th. We arrived in Oakland late and saw the A's play the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon the 25h. The ballpark, Oakland Coliseum, is old and, unlike the classics like Fenway and Wrigley, has not been kept well and very little updating has taken place.

The team has been fighting with the city for years, and after this season they will pack up and move. Their eventual home will be Las Vegas, but they'll have at least two seasons in Sacramento as they await construction of their Vegas home field. But, as the saying goes, they're getting the H out of Dodge! 

It certainly ranks near the bottom for me, but we still had a great time. There is simply never a bad day at a live MLB game. And getting to see Houston play was a big bonus for me. 

From Oakland we drove to just outside Sonoma in the heart of the wine country. We spent the next day, Sunday, enjoying the scenery, visiting wineries and sampling wines from the region. Monday morning, we drove down Highway 1 and across the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, and that afternoon saw the Giants play the Philadelphia Phillies. 

It was at the San Francisco game, at Oracle Park, that I had my best meal of the trip -- a crab sandwich on buttered sourdough that was, well, to die for! A Coors Light came with the "meal deal." Certainly not my beer of choice, but still a good accompaniment to the delicious sandwich. Later in the day I tried one of the local favorites that was much better. 

The setting of Oracle Park is breathtaking, right on the water, with home runs sometimes making a splash -- both literally and figuratively. 

From San Franciso, it was on to Yosemite. I think we hit it at the perfect time, before the huge summer crowds. Yosemite is one of the most visited national parks in the country and while there were certainly plenty of folks there, it was manageable. 

The mountains and rock formations in Yosemite are beautiful, with stunning vistas and waterfalls. We spent a couple of days exploring on our own and went on a guided tour one day, which was well worth it. There were 15 of us on a small bus. All the other people were great, and the guide was informative and personable. 

Two highlights of the day with the guide were watching climbers scale El Capitan, the 3,000 wall of granite that's an icon of the park; and seeing a bear! 

On Friday morning we drove to Sequoia National Park, where the trademark sequoia trees were stunning! We spent the night in nearby Three Rivers. Saturday morning, we drove over to beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea for lunch and drove the famous 17-mile drive along the Pacific Highway 1, which includes the Pebble Beach Golf Links. 

We spent the night in San Jose Saturday night, June 1st, and caught a plane home early Sunday morning the 2nd. 

Another trip, another great time, and MLB #28 and #29 are now in the books. The stage is set for Seattle. 

Oakland baseball

Oracle Park, home of the SF Giants

Looking over the outfield wall at Oracle Park

Welcome to Yosemite

Tenaya Lodge, where we stayed near Yosemite

Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite

Yosemite 

Yosemite

"Tunnel tree" at Sequoia Nat Park: can't go around it, gotta go through it! 

Sherman tree, world's biggest by volume, in Sequoia NP

Pebble Beach

The beach

 Wife loves the beach. Just about any time of year, if there is an opportunity, she will go. 

I am OK with it, but with lots of qualifications. The two most important: I don't like being hot. I don't like crowds. So, I don't want to go in summer when it is blazing hot, and the crowds are at peak level. 

About two months ago, a good friend from my law school days called and said his daughter would be getting married Monday, May 20th in Seaside, which is on Florida's Gulf Coast in an area called "30-A," so named because it is, in fact a beachfront road called Highway 30-A. Little communities, e.g. Seaside, Grayton, Blue Mountain, Alys Beach, Seagrove, Seacrest and Rosemary, have sprung up along this stretch of beach highway over the past couple of decades or so. 

We have gone there a number of times over the years, both with our family and just the two of us. 

But even in what used to be the offseason, it has become congested and crowded, so it violates my rules on crowds. 

When my buddy called, he said it would be a small wedding, only close friends and family, maybe 50 people at most. I offered him my congratulations. Then he said he had two questions: 

"First, will you come?" 

"Of course I will," I told him. He is one of my best friends and if he wanted me there, I needed to be here. 

"Second, will you play the piano?"

Different answer to this question. It has been a very long time since I have played for any type of public event, and I told him it would be far too stressful for me to do that. He said he would find someone else. 

Wife and I drove to 30-A last Friday, to Seagrove, a couple of miles from Seaside where the wedding would be, with a stop on the way in Birmingham to see our new grandson. (Who is quite perfect, by the way.)

We drove through horrendous weather to get there, with both of our phones giving us storm warnings. I thought of pulling over a couple of times, but we pretty much outran it and that was not necessary. 

It rained all day Saturday, so we did a lot of reading and watching the rain fall on the ocean from our beachfront condo. 

Sunday was beautiful, so we spent the entire day on the beach under an umbrella. The weather was perfect -- not too hot and a nice breeze -- so it was a good day for me. 

Wife went back to the beach Monday, but I stayed in and worked. (I managed to do this little trip without taking any time off, thanks to the miracle of modern technology. Even in the car, I could log in via hotspot. Because we are about to go on another longer trip that was scheduled before I knew about this wedding, I did not want to take vacation time if I could help it.) 

The wedding was at 4 p.m. Due to the crowds (and lack of parking places) we had already observed, we took an Uber both ways 

It was lovely, and my friend appreciated my being there. It was good to see him and be with him at this important event. 

Best of all for Wife, she got a beach trip out of it. 

I've done my beachgoing for the year, thank you. 

Sunset

Sunday

Saturday:  washout

They're everywhere!

We had been warned that we would see cicadas this year in Middle Tennessee. (Maybe where you live, you call them locusts.)

Well, they have arrived with a vengeance. They are attached to our trees and plants and as you walk outside, you are likely to have to bat them away. They are harmless, but they are annoying. They are also noisy, like crickets, but amplified. And while we generally hear crickets and frogs at dusk or at night, the cicadas serenade us during the day. 

I remember years ago, not long after we moved here and our children were young, we were told to expect the little creatures that periodically pay visits to the unsuspecting. 

Our youngest was terrified, and cried as he anticipated their arrival. 

Apparently, we are getting a double dose this year -- the ones that emerge every 13 years along with the ones that come around every 17 years. 

They are looking for love, if you know what I mean. And I have no idea if the 17-year ones get together with the 13-year ones, or if they stay with their own kind. 

There is plenty of information out there if you are interested. 

I won't bore you with details, but I'll share a glimpse of life in my backyard these days. Look closely and you'll see a few flying around, and listen to the constant hum. 

Check that

Someday, after I am retired, I will write more about my job and career -- when it is all past tense. I think it's best now to be vague about it. 

No, I don't work for the CIA or anything top secret! But I have colleagues who have apparently put all kinds of information about my/their employer on their social media pages, which sometimes results in warnings to them of compromising the integrity of the brand, logo, etc. We have a "social media policy," so rather than risk running afoul of that, I'll not be calling my employer by name or telling you much about them. And I maintain a certain amount of privacy in the cyberworld anyway, or as much as is possible. 

I am a lawyer and I work in banking. I've worked for banks since 1998 and prior to that, when I practiced law in a firm, I represented banks. How's that for being benign and vague? 

This week I read in a banking publication an interesting piece about the decline of check writing. Those in my age group will remember getting their first checkbooks and learning how to write a check. And we learned how, hopefully, to record check expenditures in a check register and deduct that amount from our balance. And every month when we received our bank statement, we would reconcile it so the amount of money we thought we had was consistent with what the bank said we had. 

If we were running low and/or happened to make an addition or subtraction error and write a check for more money than what we had in our account (or maybe we played "the float" and underestimated the time between writing the check and the check clearing, not that I would know anything about that), the bank would either pay it and charge us an overdraft fee or return the check and perhaps charge us an insufficient funds fee. That could get expensive. 

It's still that way today, for the most part, and I have a fair amount of knowledge of how that all works, but I won't go into those details. Maybe another time. I can tell you, because of electronic check clearing, there is hardly any float anymore, so I would caution you against counting on it. It was never a good idea, anyway. 

Back to the subject at hand. According to the article I read this week, only 9 percent of any types of payments are now made by paper check. 

Each of my offspring were given a checkbook when they came of age and got their own bank accounts, but by the time they were conducting real business, online banking had become the norm. They rarely write checks and since they can verify their bank balance online on an up-to-the minute basis, I am fairly certain they don't go through the exercise of reconciling their bank statements, because they don't have to. 

Wife, who handles all of our financial matters, pretty much conducts herself the same way. 

There may be some out there, but I am unaware of any employers who distribute paychecks to their employees. It is all done by direct deposit. I remember years ago when the law firm where I worked started doing that, and I objected strenuously. I wanted to see that check and walk across the street to the bank and deposit it myself. It's funny to think about now. 

And given that I represented banks, it's ironic I felt that way. And my employer could not have cared less regarding my thoughts on the subject. 

Wife and I still write occasional checks. Just yesterday, the HVAC guys were here to service our units and gave me the option of paying by check or by card. Paying by card would have been easy and I could have accumulated a few airline points. 

But here's the thing. If I had paid them by card, they were going to charge me three percent extra to cover their costs. There are all kinds of fees and charges among the card issuers, electronic rail providers, and the service providers themselves. The service provider, especially a smaller one, wants to recoup that. 

As for me, I will write them a check every day of the week before I tack on three percent to what I am paying. I suspect, however, some of the younger folks would not even have a check on hand and would have no choice but to use a card. 

I assure you the big retailers are recouping their costs for card usage by building it into their prices. Over the years, I have done extensive research regarding who gets what (bank, retailers, electronic rail providers) when a card transaction takes place. All parties concerned push for legislation and regulations to protect their cut. 

Even though check writing has lessened considerably, a big part of bank fraud happens with checks -- checks being stolen out of mailboxes; fraudulent payees and endorsements; washing away the amount written to make it appear to be a larger amount. I wrote a few months ago about fraud being rampant, and I assure you it is, and that there is a whole underworld trying to figure out how to steal directly from you and/or the bank. 

You might be familiar with the personal electronic payment platforms Venmo and Zelle, where you can make easy payments to friends, family and even businesses. My friend who owns a handyman business does virtually all of his billing through Venmo. 

It's certainly convenient. I don't use it myself, but Wife and the rest of my family do. Since Wife handles our banking, it is rare I will make or accept a payment to/from someone, but when I do, I give them Wife's Venmo contact information. 

In our church small group, we sometimes collect money for making group contributions, buying books or sending memorials for someone who has lost a family member. One person can take charge of handling the payment and everyone else can easily pay that person by Venmo. We have one couple, out of six, who still pays by check. 

And of course, believe it or not, you can still pay for things with cash. What a novel concept!

Showtime!

As I posted a few weeks ago, I joined a choir in January.

It is a community chorus, sponsored by our county parks and recreation department. We practice Tuesday nights, and we have been working on music to perform in a spring concert that was held this past Sunday afternoon. 

Let me say how much I have enjoyed being a part of this organization. I grew up singing in choirs and ensembles, and even the occasional solo, and did so into my adult life until we moved here in 1997. 

The church we became a part of has never had a choir that sings on a regular basis. There were some occasions some years ago in which an impromptu choir or ensemble was formed, but I did not care for the music.  Now there is always a worship team that generally does contemporary music. Perfectly fine, but I have sorely missed hearing a choir sing, and singing in a choir. 

As I wrote in the previous post, I thought about going to another church, one that had a choir, but never did so. 

But in January, the long drought was over when I got to audition for the community chorus and was invited to join their tenor section. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It has taken me back to the days of school and church choirs -- the vocal exercises, the harmonies in my ears and even the black folders with a pencil pouch and a pencil! And of course, the end result after working laboriously over the music, segments at a time, following the director's instructions on sounds and harmonies, is the best part. 

And the director has also taken me back. I never once sang in a choir in which the director did not freak out about two weeks before a scheduled performance. This director, true to form, sent a scolding email to all of us two and a half weeks out from the concert, expressing her concern
we did not adequately know the music. 

But her strategy worked, as I believe we peaked at just the right time Sunday. 

We did a total of 11 songs at the concert, mostly traditional -- and some sacred -- choral music, with a couple of pop numbers, including "We are the World" which we ended with! 

The men wore black tuxedoes or suits with pastel bowties, and the ladies wore black dresses or pants with pastel scarves -- a very springy look! 

We break for the summer, then start back up in last August, preparing for another concert in December. I look forward to going back. 

                    

What's that you say?

In another acknowledgment of senior citizenship, I got hearing aids last week. 

I remember when I was in college, I did not understand why the writing on white boards in classes looked fuzzy. Also, road signs were blurry, and I could not read them until it was almost too late. 

It finally dawned on me one day that it probably had something to do with my eyesight. A visit to an optometrist confirmed my nearsightedness, and I was fitted for glasses.

Over time my vision has not significantly deteriorated, other than farsightedness that comes with age. About 10 years ago I started wearing progressive lenses (bifocals), so my "readers" are built in. I wore contacts back in my 20s, but eventually grew tired of the maintenance (and less vain about my appearance) and went back to glasses. 

Fun fact: the only time I ever lost a contact lens was the day I got married. With a contact in only one eye, I looked as if I were winking at my bride as she strolled down the aisle to join her life with mine. 

When I learned I needed glasses, I could not get them fast enough. It was a great day when I could stop squinting. I remember being amazed at seeing individual leaves on trees! 

But for whatever reason, when I started having some hearing problems at least five years ago, I resisted hearing aids. One reason was the cost, and knowing health insurance does not cover them. 

But I had some other misgivings. I remember my mother getting them when she was about my age, and she hated them. She was constantly adjusting them because she could never seem to achieve a level between not loud enough and too loud. 

And it's another thing to maintain, taking them off and on every night, being careful not to get them wet, etc. 

But I finally gave in, and much like when I got glasses all those years ago and could suddenly see things I did not know were there, I now hear previously unheard sounds. A few days ago, while driving, I thought something was wrong with my car due to a sound I was hearing. It was a Styrofoam cup vibrating in the cupholder. That is just one example. 

Maintenance is simple. I put them in a charger every night. All the controls are accessible via an app on my phone, and they have Bluetooth technology. Best of all, they are non-intrusive and virtually invisible. 

I hope, just as it has been with my vision, my hearing will not get much worse. But should I need to turn up the volume, I can do so. 

And if there are things I would still rather not hear ("sorry, I couldn't hear that, Honey"), I can also take them out. 

New arrival

Our new grandson entered the world Thursday, April 18^th at 7:26 a.m., weighing in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces. Baby, Mom, Dad and grandparents are all doing well.

Since he was born by a scheduled C-section, we awaited his birth in a hospital waiting room with our daughter-in-law’s parents. We knew she was going into the OR at 7 a.m. At 7:45 a.m. we were starting to get a little anxious, when through a window in the waiting room we saw a gurney being rolled into two double doors and taken down a hallway.

A split second after seeing the gurney whish by, we realized it could very well have been – and probably was –the mother of our new grandson! We all four jumped up, but by this time she was long gone.

For about 20 minutes, we debated whether or not that had been her, when finally, Younger Son appeared through the same window and then stepped into the waiting room to confirm the arrival of his new son. All had gone well, he said, and Mom and baby were resting comfortably.

We asked him if that had been his wife rolled into the hallway, and he said he assumed that it had been, but apparently he had been brought through another door, because we had not seen him with her.

It was a couple of hours before we got to see the new little bundle of joy.

This is grand #6 for Wife and me, but his arrival is no less thrilling than the other five.

We are already over the moon – and in love – with this little guy.

Fun facts awaiting the birth of grand #6

My youngest, sometimes referred to in this space as "Younger Son" will become a father in a couple of days. 

This will be his first, and our sixth grand. Once it started happening nearly seven years ago, there has been steady growth for our family. 

This one will be a boy, making a total of four grandsons and two granddaughters for Wife and me. 

My side of the family is heavy on boys. My parents had two boys (my late older brother and me). My brother and his wife had three boys, who had a total of five boys. I have two sons and, as of this Thursday, four grandsons. 

So, from my parents' union, there have been 16 boys (my brother, his three boys and their five boys) and three girls (my daughter and two granddaughters). 

Who knows why that happens, whether it's strange happenstance or some scientific reason for the tendency to produce male offspring? 

My newest grandson is breech, and not inclined to turn, so he will arrive by C-section this Thursday morning, April 18th. Wife and I will drive down to Birmingham, where the expectant parents live, tomorrow (the 17th) and be there for the arrival Thursday morning.  

He will have my middle name, which is the middle name of his father (Younger Son), his grandfather (me), his great-grandfather (my father) and his great-great grandfather (my grandfather). I never particularly cared for the name as I was growing up, but it eventually grew on me, and I am honored that Younger Son wants to have it continue. 

The Psalmist wrote "children are a gift of the Lord" and "How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." 

Here is one blessed man who could not be happier to add to the quiver. 

Check back later this week for an update! 

Exceeding expectations

Front of Lincoln Presidential Museum

Wax figures in front of Lincoln White House exhibit

My visit to Springfield, Illinois this past weekend exceeded my expectations! 

I expected to enjoy the Lincoln Presidential Museum, but not nearly as much as I did. I also did not expect to enjoy the town of Springfield as much as I did. So, the little weekend jaunt was a success. 

The only slightly unpleasant part was the drive to get there Friday. I left about 3 p.m. I am south of Nashville, and getting around downtown and then north of Nashville was slow, with afternoon traffic being heavy. I think it's even heavier on a Friday. 

Not long after dark fell, it began to rain, and it rained on me the rest of the way. What my maps app told me would take five hours and 45 minutes took about seven hours. The return trip was much easier. The weather was beautiful Sunday, and it took just under six hours. 

The time in Springfield was delightful. The Lincoln Museum is very well done, with just enough artifacts and exhibits to keep me interested, as well as some interactive exhibits and films. 

The museum is divided into three parts: Lincoln's childhood and time up until he was elected president; the White House years; and "treasures" which includes historical artifacts and additional information on the Lincoln family. 

I came away an even bigger fan than I was of Lincoln and his presidency. His genius was in making his enemies his allies, as Doris Kearns Goodwin described in her excellent book Team of Rivals, which I read a few years ago. I don't doubt that politics was nasty and polarizing then, as it is today, but I believe our current presidential candidates could take some lessons in civility from our 16th president. 

I spent the morning at the museum, taking my time and reading almost every word-narrative that went with the exhibits. I also spent some time talking to volunteers who were placed strategically throughout the building. It was a rather slow day there (which I loved, because I did not have to navigate through crowds), so they were eager to talk and share interesting information. 

I had looked up places I might have lunch, and found a great local brewpub. I went in, saw one stool available at the bar and took it. I ordered one of the local beers and told the bartender I would shortly order food. 

Being introverted by nature, I am not one to always strike up conversations with strangers. But the guy sitting next to me on my right looked to be about my age, so I took a breath and asked him if he lived in Springfield. Turns out he was born and raised there. He told me he was an architect and was working a few hours on this Saturday, so decided to come over to this establishment for lunch. A very interesting conversation ensued, and I am so glad I spoke to him. 

He gave me all types of information on what I should see the rest of my time in Springfield, and being an architect, had an abundance of knowledge of buildings in the area. He was tremendously interesting to talk to, and I consider it a great stroke of luck to be able to talk about a place that was new to me, over beers with a local. The lunch -- a turkey burger with potato salad -- was great, too. 

I spent the afternoon going to Lincoln's home and the surrounding area, which is a national park. I went to the visitors' center, saw another film and walked around the neighborhood. 

From there I went to the state capitol, which my new friend from lunch had told me was must-see. Like so many buildings of its kind, it had a beautiful dome and I walked up three flights, just below the dome's top, to look up and down. I was too late for a tour that day, but enjoyed what I could see for myself. 

From there it was to Lincoln's tomb, where he, his wife and three of his sons are buried. 

It would not be inaccurate, with me as the only traveler, to say a good time was had by all! 

Traveling solo

Anyone who stops by here with any regularity knows I enjoy travel. Most of the time, I am accompanied by Wife, who not only is a good planner, but has a keen sense of direction. 

That is not one of my gifts. So, when we are traveling, I depend on her. 

Like so many, we rely on the GPS built into our phones. She also uses the one in her car. My car has one, but I have never used it. 

She and I are, of course, old enough to remember when we depended on maps. We even remember when gas stations had them. 

And I remember, when traveling with my family, how hard they were to refold after they had been unfolded. And as someone mildly anal-retentive, that just didn't work for me. I would fold and refold until it was back to its original configuration. 

We still love to look at maps and atlases. Before we go on a trip in the U.S., we'll look at the atlas to see where we're going. And often, I'll look at it again when we return home to look back at where I went. I'm odd like that. 

I think my affinity for maps is one of the reasons I so enjoyed the book "The Cartographers" last year, even though it has a fantastical element that is usually a turnoff for me. All the maps information piqued my interest.

But I digress. I started his post not to tell you about maps, but what I am doing this weekend. 

Tomorrow afternoon, I will drive to Springfield, Illinois, and Saturday I will visit the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. I have wanted to go for years, and with Wife otherwise occupied this weekend, I decided this would be a good time to do it.  It looks like it will take about 5.5. hours for me to drive there.  

I will be relying on my GPS to get there, and to get around once I arrive. I've glanced at a map, and I'm sure I will look at it again when I return to once again look back at where I went.  

I thought about asking a friend to go with me, but I decided it would not be fair to either the friend or me. I really enjoy museums, and, unlike many folks, I like to take my time and read the narratives that go along with the exhibits. The person going with me might not want to do that, and the both of us could end up frustrated. 

So, this is a solo trip, and I am 100 percent comfortable with that. I will take my time, meandering not only through the museum and library, but the streets of Springfield as well. I plan to walk around the neighborhood where the Lincoln home is located (apparently, the only home he ever owned), a nearby park and anything else I see that looks interesting. I don't know that I will have time to visit the state capitol, but I will at least go by it. 

I will drive home Sunday. It will be a short trip, and I would not want to be gone much longer than a weekend traveling on my own, but I am excited. Look for a report and pictures next week! 

Eat with Eight

Our church has started a new ministry for we older folks. It's called, simply, "Boomers," borrowing from the term used for the period of life in which we were born. 

That would be the post-World War II "baby boom." "Boomers" has caught on as our label. Sometimes the term is not used in a complimentary way, so I did not necessarily agree with the name given to this initiative. But nobody asked me, and I don't feel that strongly about it, so I'll keep my opinions to myself, except for this one time mentioning it here. 

One of the purposes is to give people in our age group an opportunity to meet other people in our age group. Because our church is what is commonly defined as a mega-church, with several thousand attendees and multiple services on two different campuses, there are many church members we do not know.

So, one of the offerings of the Boomer ministry is "Eat with Eight" dinners. Eight people, composed of couples, singles or both, gather in someone's home, have a meal and get to know each other. In theory, you don't know these people until this meeting. 

We do, in fact, know a lot of folks at church, and we are involved in a small group that meets regularly. But, still, there are many we do not know. 

Wife volunteered to host one of these "Eat with Eight" dinners in our home last Friday night. 

She had been given the names of three other couples who wished to participate. She contacted each of them and gave them assignments of what to bring. 

As I wrote in my last piece here, I am an introvert. I love people, but for whatever reason, they make me tired and sometimes anxious. And in a new situation where I do not know the people, I can become particularly uncomfortable. 

But I also believe God made us for relationships. Although because of my personality I keep events such as this to a minimum, I can rise above my comfort level from time to time.

It helps to prepare myself well. I tell myself there will be a starting and an ending, and I know we also gather for a common purpose. I also take cues from a book I recently read (How to Know a Person by David Brooks) in which the author contends all people, at some level, want to be seen and heard. All of this helps. 

Wife knows me and my personality, so she agreed to take the leadership role. In addition to being in charge of getting everyone here, she had a mental list of conversation topics and kept things going throughout the evening. I think she also had some type of game in mind in the event of a lull, but it turned out she did not need it. 

For us, Eat with Eight became Eat with Six. The husband from one of the couples who was supposed to come got sick, so that couple canceled. 

It ended up being enjoyable, and I did fine. Guests arrived at 6:30. We had appetizers for about 30 minutes, then sat down to dinner. We sat at the table until about 9:30. I finally had to get up and stretch because my legs get stiff after sitting that long. (After all, I'm a Boomer.) 

I was not in any way signaling that people needed to leave, but that kind of gave rise to departures. By the time everyone gathered up their dishes and coats, it was 10 p.m. 

The people were very kind. I was the only one who still has a day job (not retired) and I was also the youngest one. (I did not hate that.) I did not ask for the age information -- they volunteered it. 

I think we are supposed to have a couple more of these, so I will await Wife's further instructions. As long as they are appropriately spaced, I'll be a willing participant. 

Branching out

I am in the sunset of my working life. I will find myself retired in about 18 months, perhaps sooner. 

I have all kinds of feelings about my working life coming to an end. Wife and I believe we are prepared financially, but it will be strange not to have an employer that deposits money into my bank account every other Friday. It will now be the government and pension plans making the deposits on a monthly basis.  

That, however, is not my main concern. What I mostly think about for the time I'll not be employed is how I will fill my time. 

And that's really not the main concern, either. What I most fret over is how I will establish a routine. 

Today my weekdays revolve around what I do between the hours of 8-ish a.m. and 6-ish p.m. My mornings before I start work generally consist of exercise, some reading and devotions, and making a quick morning run to Sonic. (Don't judge me for that). 

I think working exclusively from home has prepared me for not getting up and going somewhere. That' has been the case for four years now, and before that I did it a couple of days a week. So, I have that part well established and I like it. 

But will I have the discipline to still get up and have some type of routine? I will definitely need to do that as I am a creature of habit, and you know what they say about idle hands. 

I've joined a couple of groups lately that, even though I am not yet retired, should be a nice addition to my schedule when that day comes. 

First, I joined a community chorus. I grew up singing in choirs, both at church and school. I love choral music and I had some wonderful choir directors. In my adult life, when I lived in Little Rock, I continued to sing in church -- in the choir, ensembles and even the occasional solo. 

But when we moved to the Nashville area in 1997, we joined a church that does not have a choir. Our music is contemporary, and it is fine, but there is simply not a place for me. Over the years I have thought of going to another church just to sing in their choir, but Wife and I have always loved our church here and it's a big part of our life, so not having a choir, or music I like, was certainly not a reason to join another church. 

I have thought of asking one of the denominational churches nearby if I could sing in their choir without being a member. I am guessing they would have let me do that, but to date, I have never gotten around to pursuing it. 

Recently I learned that our county parks and recreation department has a community band AND a community chorus! An audition is required, so on January 4th I showed up to try out. I was candid with the director, telling her it had been a very long time since I had sung, and I would understand if, after listening to me, she told me I simply didn't have it anymore. 

After all, I'm no spring chicken and vocal cords age like any other part of the body. And I was woefully out of practice. 

She looked at me rather skeptically but let me proceed with the audition. She had me sing a familiar song ("My Country Tis of Thee") acapella. She had me sing several lines of music I did not know (sight reading) to assess my ability to read music. She had me go through vocal exercises, singing up and down the scale. She had me match pitches with her. 

"Well, I think you still have it," she said after going through the aforementioned. She then proceeded to tell me she had only six openings for the spring semester, and at that time she was not sure where those openings were. In other words, I might have to wait until a spot opened up. 

I told her that was fine, and I appreciated her letting me audition. Someday, I thought to myself. I had at least put myself out there. 

The next week I received an email with an invitation to join! I have been to three rehearsals, and I love it. Even though it has been well over 25 years, it all seems very familiar -- the black folder of music that has my name on it, with a pencil pouch and pencil; the vocal and breathing exercises; and, most significantly, hearing the beautiful harmonies and blends of my fellow choristers all around me. It is as if something that lay dormant in me has been reawakened. 

The music is challenging, but not overly difficult. I seem to be picking it up fairly well. 

I did not know one person in the chorus (there are a total of 96), but everyone, especially those in my section (tenors) has been kind and welcoming. We will perform in concert May 5th, then will be off for the summer. 

So, there is that. 

In addition, in January I attended the first meeting of a monthly book club that meets at my favorite brewery. Like the choir, I didn't know anyone there. There were about 20 of us, from various walks of life, and it was great. We discussed Beartown by Fredrik Backman and I thoroughly enjoyed it (both the book and the discussion).

I am an introvert by nature, and walking into a group where I don't know anyone is way outside my comfort zone. These two groups, however, are perfect for me, because there is a purpose, meaning something that takes place other than small talk. I don't have to worry about going and standing around and thinking of something to say. There is a beginning and an ending. 

In both cases, I have ended up talking briefly to people, but again, since we are all there due to a common interest, it is not uncomfortable. 

Wife says I am branching out. I guess you can call it that. 

And hopefully I'll be prepared when retirement comes. 

Life change

 The title of this post is intentionally misleading, and definitely with tongue planted firmly in cheek. 

What I am writing about is most certainly not life-changing, not in the truest sense of how that term should be taken, something that alters the course of one's life in a permanent or semi-permanent way, whether for good or bad. 

Getting married or having a child? Definitely life-changing and hopefully for good. Sustaining an injury can be life-changing in a not-so-good way.

So, with that out of the way, I will tell you what has happened with yours truly that I have laughingly called life changing. 

I am no longer carrying a wallet. 

Months ago, I noticed a friend whose phone case opened up to reveal his driver's license and a couple of pay cards. I told Wife I might like something like that for Christmas. It's the only thing I asked for and the only thing she got me, and she hit it out of the park. 

If you are a Seinfeld fan, you might remember an episode in which George Castanza catches grief for the thickness of his wallet. Well, I might not have been as bad as George, but until recently one could almost always detect a bulge in my backside from the little leather holder in which I would carry my valuables. 

I have now made the change. If there are any downsides, they are (a) I can't get as much cash in this, but I don't carry much cash these days anyway, so it's not a deal breaker; and (b) I always feel like I'm missing something because I figure I have carried a wallet about 55 years. I find myself reaching for it and, at first, I had some mild nanoseconds of panic thinking I had lost it! 

But so far, I like the new arrangement and it's certainly less to keep up with. That is progress, I suppose. 

Not what we are accustomed to

We have been blanketed with snow here in Middle Tennessee for the past several days, and with temperatures barely rising above freezing for only a few hours, it has largely remained. The photo below was taken out my front door this morning. 

We get snow only occasionally, so it's a big deal. This was a good one, with about six inches of accumulation at our house.

Schools and many businesses close when it snows here. When it is in the forecast, grocery stores are overrun with folks buying provisions as if there will be food shortages and they'll never get out of the house again, with bread and milk being the biggest sellers. I have no empirical data, but I suspect beer and wine don't do too badly either. 

As it so happened, Wife and I flew to Naples, Florida last Friday night to visit friends who are renting a place there for a month, seeing how they might like the snowbird life. We have other friends from here who have bought places in that area (already snowbirds), and we all got together for dinner Saturday and Sunday nights. 

They were saying how lucky they felt to be there when we would be having this Arctic blast in Nashville. 

Me? Not so much. While I enjoyed our trip and being on the beach in January, I was disappointed to miss a good a snowfall. 

We were supposed to fly home Tuesday, but received notice late Monday afternoon our flight had been canceled. Seems the winter storm had a ripple effect at airports across the country. We were rebooked for late Wednesday afternoon. 

Our friends we were visiting were kind and understanding, and since we were staying with them, it did not cost us anything extra. Since I still have my day job, and I did not take my laptop with me, I had to spend some time on the phone during the day Wednesday. 

It was a nice trip, and I am still getting to enjoy the snow. I only missed the anticipation and the fun of watching it fall. 

Belated Merry Christmas . . . from Korea

This year's international Christmas Eve for our family was Korean. 

Shortly after Thanksgiving, Wife and I went to a local Korean restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed the food, so much so that we decided they could do it better than we could, so we would get it from them! We talked to a nice lady there who told us to call a few hours before we would like it, and she would have it ready for us. Let me tell you, this made preparation and cleanup much easier. 

We did the usual of drinks and apps in the entry hall, with steamed and fried dumplings, and a seafood pancake which may sound strange, but was awesome. We made a couple of cocktails from Jinro, a Korean spirit, and I bought some Korean, rice-based beer, most of which is still in the beer fridge in the garage if that tells you anything. 

The main course food included bibimbap, Korean barbecue and bulgogi, all served with rice (bibimbap actually has rice incorporated into it and mixed in a bowl) and sides of kimchi. 

As usual, it was a fun evening as we expanded our knowledge of cuisine and culture. Some pictures below, as well as a video I hope you can open. 

Korean cuisine

Drinks and apps in the entry hall