Rest in peace my friend Jeffrey Leighton Klotzbach. You are missed.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
The closing days of summer
This Sunday, I'm told, at approximately 3:45, the official end of summer will have arrived. Likewise at 3:46, presumably, the beginning of Autumn will have arrived; or fall, if you prefer. What does this mean for us? Probably it doesn't mean a heck of a lot, truth be told. However, it marks the 38th fall I'll have experienced to date. Granted, I took no notice of the first several autumns to happen in my life, but I notice them now. Fall, autumn, is probably my favorite time of year. I like them all, the seasons, for what each has to offer in their own way, but I have special place in my heart for the end of summer.
I suppose I like fall so much for all the usual cliche' reasons: the colors, the temperatures, the smells. Do I like it for any other reasons that aren't readily available to any other citizen? I don't know. I guess I should have prepared more for this entry, but I didn't. Instead I simply started typing my thoughts. Well, look how that turned out.
Of course that means winter is on the way and the start of a prolonged season of cold weather. I do tire of cold weather by the end of winter, but I enjoy it in the beginning. This post, however started out about the approaching fall, not the impending winter.
I'd like to write that I will have a symbolic end to my own summer and the arrival of fall will coincide with my own end of __________ (fill in the blank). I'd like to make some changes in my life and I need to decide what those changes will be. I have yet to settle upon what exactly to change. Perhaps the change will be that I pursue something, rather than doing something different. Perhaps it will be that I and my family will do new things without a drastic change to the old...things (for a lack of a better term).
As much as I'd like to institute a drastic change, I'm sure the wise thing to do would be to make small adjustments, so the changes will be effective and less traumatic. Then again, jumping in with both feet into some sort of drastic change might be much more fun and adventuresome.
Change, of course, is good. Change is also often a violent, painful experience. At any rate, I'll try to keep you abreast of anything that develops. Presuming, naturally, there is a change of some sort in which to report.
Adios for now. Enjoy the fall weather while it lasts. All of you have all my love and I pray God's blessings upon you and yours and all our enemies in Niagara proportions.
I suppose I like fall so much for all the usual cliche' reasons: the colors, the temperatures, the smells. Do I like it for any other reasons that aren't readily available to any other citizen? I don't know. I guess I should have prepared more for this entry, but I didn't. Instead I simply started typing my thoughts. Well, look how that turned out.
Of course that means winter is on the way and the start of a prolonged season of cold weather. I do tire of cold weather by the end of winter, but I enjoy it in the beginning. This post, however started out about the approaching fall, not the impending winter.
I'd like to write that I will have a symbolic end to my own summer and the arrival of fall will coincide with my own end of __________ (fill in the blank). I'd like to make some changes in my life and I need to decide what those changes will be. I have yet to settle upon what exactly to change. Perhaps the change will be that I pursue something, rather than doing something different. Perhaps it will be that I and my family will do new things without a drastic change to the old...things (for a lack of a better term).
As much as I'd like to institute a drastic change, I'm sure the wise thing to do would be to make small adjustments, so the changes will be effective and less traumatic. Then again, jumping in with both feet into some sort of drastic change might be much more fun and adventuresome.
Change, of course, is good. Change is also often a violent, painful experience. At any rate, I'll try to keep you abreast of anything that develops. Presuming, naturally, there is a change of some sort in which to report.
Adios for now. Enjoy the fall weather while it lasts. All of you have all my love and I pray God's blessings upon you and yours and all our enemies in Niagara proportions.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Long Saturdays and happy Sundays
Watching the high school football team win their first two home games is a strange and welcome experience. I've worked on the "chain crew" for all of the seven (?) years here and this is the first year in that time the team has done well. In fact, the first three football seasons I worked, I didn't see them score, let alone win. It was a double overtime victory, but a victory nonetheless.
Saturday, I was back at the high school to serve as scorekeeper for the home freshman volleyball tourney. That lasted from 7:30-7:00p.m. that's a whole mess of volleyball. Fortunately, the day went by quickly.
I regret missing my oldest son's first soccer game because of my scoring obligations. His team won and he even scored a goal! That's an auspicious start.
When I arrived home Sat. night, I had the two oldest boys help me to build a little campfire in our outdoor fireplace for us to sit around in the cool fall evening until bedtime. I watched the first hour of Saturday night live by myself and it was funny for a change.
Sunday I made a bit of a hodge-podge breakfast that would have made my dad proud. I browned and seasoned about a half pound of leftover ground beef, then made cream gravy of it to pour on top of toast. It was good. It must have been for the boys to eat some of it. It reminded me of what my dad's dad said they served in the Navy far too often. The sailors had a name for it, though it was chipped beef gravy, or corned beef gravy; something besides ground beef in other words, but still served on toast. He called it "shit on a shingle"! That's not how I sold it to my family, though. I called it something like cowboy toast to make it sound legit.
Once the kitchen was cleaned up, we all attended the Antique Engine and Tractor Show at the park. It was the final day of the three day event and we were told three quarters of the tractors were gone. Still, there were probably 250 or so tractors of varying brand, condition, and purpose. I particularly enjoy watching the demonstrations of the old, old machines which relied upon the belt drive system: a separate implement is parked at a distance from a parked tractor and the two are connected to the parked tractor by a big flat belt, and the spinning flywheel on the tractor, when engaged, serves to power the additional implement. Even though they were no doubt huge labor saving devices at the time, it is apparent operating them required a great deal of work in and of itself. They also look fairly hazardous; most machines are missing guards and have exposed moving parts which threaten to catch loose articles of clothing and pull a person into them where a limb could become mangled or amputated or cause death. If you like crusty old men in overalls and work boots, pliers, and restored old, obsolete tractors, then you might attend next year's event. It's a pretty good deal. Admission is two dollars apiece for adults and allows entrance for all three days.
Little bit of moisture today, but probably not enough to help the farmers.
That's about it for today. As always, you are in my prayers and I speak blessings in huge measure on all of you and yours and all our enemies, too.
Saturday, I was back at the high school to serve as scorekeeper for the home freshman volleyball tourney. That lasted from 7:30-7:00p.m. that's a whole mess of volleyball. Fortunately, the day went by quickly.
I regret missing my oldest son's first soccer game because of my scoring obligations. His team won and he even scored a goal! That's an auspicious start.
When I arrived home Sat. night, I had the two oldest boys help me to build a little campfire in our outdoor fireplace for us to sit around in the cool fall evening until bedtime. I watched the first hour of Saturday night live by myself and it was funny for a change.
Sunday I made a bit of a hodge-podge breakfast that would have made my dad proud. I browned and seasoned about a half pound of leftover ground beef, then made cream gravy of it to pour on top of toast. It was good. It must have been for the boys to eat some of it. It reminded me of what my dad's dad said they served in the Navy far too often. The sailors had a name for it, though it was chipped beef gravy, or corned beef gravy; something besides ground beef in other words, but still served on toast. He called it "shit on a shingle"! That's not how I sold it to my family, though. I called it something like cowboy toast to make it sound legit.
Once the kitchen was cleaned up, we all attended the Antique Engine and Tractor Show at the park. It was the final day of the three day event and we were told three quarters of the tractors were gone. Still, there were probably 250 or so tractors of varying brand, condition, and purpose. I particularly enjoy watching the demonstrations of the old, old machines which relied upon the belt drive system: a separate implement is parked at a distance from a parked tractor and the two are connected to the parked tractor by a big flat belt, and the spinning flywheel on the tractor, when engaged, serves to power the additional implement. Even though they were no doubt huge labor saving devices at the time, it is apparent operating them required a great deal of work in and of itself. They also look fairly hazardous; most machines are missing guards and have exposed moving parts which threaten to catch loose articles of clothing and pull a person into them where a limb could become mangled or amputated or cause death. If you like crusty old men in overalls and work boots, pliers, and restored old, obsolete tractors, then you might attend next year's event. It's a pretty good deal. Admission is two dollars apiece for adults and allows entrance for all three days.
Little bit of moisture today, but probably not enough to help the farmers.
That's about it for today. As always, you are in my prayers and I speak blessings in huge measure on all of you and yours and all our enemies, too.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number 13 and avoidance to use it; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia
Well, no I do not fear the number thirteen, nor do I fear Friday the 13th. Mare and I were married on the 13th and every seven years, in theory, our anniversary falls upon Friday the 13th. Jack was born on the 13th, too. We planned it that way. Just kidding, we did not plan Jack's birth for the 13th. It would have so much more cool if we had, though.
We've made it through to the end of another week of school teaching 10th graders. I've counted all my fingers and I'm not missing any, so I guess this week must be considered a success.
Tonight, I'll be a member of the "chain crew" on the opposing team's sideline for the varsity football game. I'm steeling myself to face tomorrow's chore where I'll be working all day at scoring freshman volleyball. That's a heck of a lot of volleyball. I'm certain at some point tomorrow I'll determine the money I'm being paid is just not worth it, but it's too late to back out now.
That leaves Sunday to grade papers and prepare for next week. I hope I'll find the time to chill with my boys and Mare. Actually, I know I'll make time for that; student assignments be damned!
Sorry for the strong language.
Temperatures have gone down some, so now it feels more like fall and I've already noticed some trees beginning to turn colors and soon we'll have 10 cubic yards of leaves in our yard with which I'll need to do something.
Our house has finally been infiltrated by mice. Not cool. We've been catching them every night in traps. I'll need to go on full seek and destroy and preventative measures in order to stem this unwelcome pest. For seven years we've lived there, and just this year we've gotten mice. Perhaps their presence is in part due to our jungle of a backyard garden we grew this summer.We're careful to keep the counters and floor clean of bits of food and such, but there are other rooms and we have three kids who like to snack on the go and leave behind their Hansel and Gretel trails, which the mice, no doubt, have found.
I've read about some architects numbering their floors without the 13th. Isn't that interesting?
Take care. All blessings to you and yours and all our mutual enemies, too.
Well, no I do not fear the number thirteen, nor do I fear Friday the 13th. Mare and I were married on the 13th and every seven years, in theory, our anniversary falls upon Friday the 13th. Jack was born on the 13th, too. We planned it that way. Just kidding, we did not plan Jack's birth for the 13th. It would have so much more cool if we had, though.
We've made it through to the end of another week of school teaching 10th graders. I've counted all my fingers and I'm not missing any, so I guess this week must be considered a success.
Tonight, I'll be a member of the "chain crew" on the opposing team's sideline for the varsity football game. I'm steeling myself to face tomorrow's chore where I'll be working all day at scoring freshman volleyball. That's a heck of a lot of volleyball. I'm certain at some point tomorrow I'll determine the money I'm being paid is just not worth it, but it's too late to back out now.
That leaves Sunday to grade papers and prepare for next week. I hope I'll find the time to chill with my boys and Mare. Actually, I know I'll make time for that; student assignments be damned!
Sorry for the strong language.
Temperatures have gone down some, so now it feels more like fall and I've already noticed some trees beginning to turn colors and soon we'll have 10 cubic yards of leaves in our yard with which I'll need to do something.
Our house has finally been infiltrated by mice. Not cool. We've been catching them every night in traps. I'll need to go on full seek and destroy and preventative measures in order to stem this unwelcome pest. For seven years we've lived there, and just this year we've gotten mice. Perhaps their presence is in part due to our jungle of a backyard garden we grew this summer.We're careful to keep the counters and floor clean of bits of food and such, but there are other rooms and we have three kids who like to snack on the go and leave behind their Hansel and Gretel trails, which the mice, no doubt, have found.
I've read about some architects numbering their floors without the 13th. Isn't that interesting?
Take care. All blessings to you and yours and all our mutual enemies, too.
Friday, September 6, 2013
I've successfully made it through the third week of school. Notice I didn't mention "full" week of school. That's because this was a four day school week due to the Labor Day Holiday on Monday. Somehow, and this will anger and frustrate those of you who are obligated to work on Labor Day or feel that perhaps teachers "don't really work"; somehow, a four day school week often feels more taxing than a five day school week. I don't know; it's probably just me. At any rate I survived another week.
Tonight is the first home football game for the Cyclones, at which I'll be working on the chain crew.Yesterday evening was the first volleyball games I had to score. I was placed in the old gym for the freshmen games.
Jack has been enjoying the 1st grade. He attended his first soccer practice Wednesday evening. He did not attend the first practice last week due to illness. It was a 24 hour bug, I guess, which caused stomach pains and vomiting. It came and went and he only missed one day of school.
Leo and Henry are both good boys, of course. Henry is trying so hard to talk. He talks a lot, actually. So, I should say he is trying so hard to be understood. We still haven't cut his hair. He's highly mobile and a cheerful boy. Leo is also pleasant and is looking forward to preschool. He knows how to have fun and likes to be helpful around the house to Mare and me.
Tomorrow is the citywide garage sale, and Mare is looking forward to hitting up some of them on her own in the morning. She seems to think me and three boys will slow her down, or something.
The dog I used to have, Shelby Melinda (her "family" name, as opposed to her given name by the humane society: Sugar) had to be put down. I had her from 1998 until 2011, I think. I gave her to my grandmother for our convenience and because she enjoyed keeping Shelby when our family was out of town. She was a good dog. I understand she was buried beside Suzy Wong, my grandmother and grandfather's dog, in grandma's garden. I think that's a good place for her to rest. As grandma and I agreed upon, she is most likely eating a heap of sausage, bacon and waffles with my grandpa.
That's all for this week. Please, leave a comment for me below. I'm thinking about all of you and wishing you well, and a pleasant weekend.
Tonight is the first home football game for the Cyclones, at which I'll be working on the chain crew.Yesterday evening was the first volleyball games I had to score. I was placed in the old gym for the freshmen games.
Jack has been enjoying the 1st grade. He attended his first soccer practice Wednesday evening. He did not attend the first practice last week due to illness. It was a 24 hour bug, I guess, which caused stomach pains and vomiting. It came and went and he only missed one day of school.
Leo and Henry are both good boys, of course. Henry is trying so hard to talk. He talks a lot, actually. So, I should say he is trying so hard to be understood. We still haven't cut his hair. He's highly mobile and a cheerful boy. Leo is also pleasant and is looking forward to preschool. He knows how to have fun and likes to be helpful around the house to Mare and me.
Tomorrow is the citywide garage sale, and Mare is looking forward to hitting up some of them on her own in the morning. She seems to think me and three boys will slow her down, or something.
The dog I used to have, Shelby Melinda (her "family" name, as opposed to her given name by the humane society: Sugar) had to be put down. I had her from 1998 until 2011, I think. I gave her to my grandmother for our convenience and because she enjoyed keeping Shelby when our family was out of town. She was a good dog. I understand she was buried beside Suzy Wong, my grandmother and grandfather's dog, in grandma's garden. I think that's a good place for her to rest. As grandma and I agreed upon, she is most likely eating a heap of sausage, bacon and waffles with my grandpa.
That's all for this week. Please, leave a comment for me below. I'm thinking about all of you and wishing you well, and a pleasant weekend.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
A long overdue return
I avoided looking at and therefore learning of the date of my last update on this blog. I know the knowledge of how long it has been will be cause for shame and regret. Shame that I did not tend to my responsibility (as far as a blog can be considered a responsibility); and regret that I did't just take a few moments every so often to just post something for crying out loud! I am fully aware of the throngs which follow this blog and who hang upon its every word and their anticipation for another post is similar to the fans of a music act during an extended period between albums.
Listen to me; albums. As if! Is that even the proper/correct/accurate term for musicians these days? Do musicians continue to produce "albums"? Someone let the rest of us know in the comment section at the conclusion of this post, after they've conducted a quick Wikipedia check. Thanks.
What I can tell you about my hiatus from blogging could take up pages and pages and pages of writing, but I'm not sure there is a payoff for reader nor writer. Marian knows I can write. I mean that quite literally. She knows I am capable of putting words and sentences and paragraphs upon page after page, be it yellow legal paper, college ruled notebook paper (loose or spiral), Microsoft Word pages, blog pages, backs of paper sacks from the hardware store and lumber yard, sticky notes, index cards, stationary, receipts and just about anything other writing surface. Except wide ruled notebook paper. I can't write on that stuff.
There's been school in our family. Me teaching English at the High School; Jack attending first grade at Lincoln Elementary. Leo will begin attending a part time preschool. Henry enjoys looking at books a lot, if that counts as school. We've still not cut Henry's hair, so people often mistake him for a girl, though he clearly is dressed in boys clothes.
Today is Marian's birthday. Yesterday we had her parents over for lunch. Marian baked her own cake and iced it and she aided the boys as they sprinkled sprinkles upon it and decorated it with other methods. I taped up red, blue, and yellow streamers in the kitchen and the back porch. I also used the pump to inflate a handful of long squiggly balloons and lit the correct number of sparkle candles upon her birthday cake. I grilled out a couple dozen chicken legs that was sort of a spicy barbecue, 8 or so ears of corn (just put them in on the top tier of the grill, above the chicken; don't remove the silk or husks, either one), heated up canned baked beans on the stove top and served the pasta salad Sharon brought to share. I also forced Marian to wear her "happy birthday" tiara and "birthday girl" pink button ribbon. We played dominoes and Sharon won that. Of course we had her chocolate birthday cake with white frosting along with our choice of french vanilla or Bordeaux cherry chocolate ice cream.
Today we're probably going out to eat lunch for Marian's birthday and we may find another little activity to go and do as a family since the morning's clouds and sprinkles seems to have gone away and is being replaced by the bright yellow sun and thick humidity of one of the hottest weekends of the summer.
In an attempt to force myself to show up here and update it more frequently, I'll try to enforce a limit on my verbosity, for your sake as a reader who values time, and myself who also values time and needs the practice of knowing when to bring things to a close and to just leave some stuff out! Along those lines I bring this long overdue blog post to a close. It should go without saying, but I will write these words so as to remind you each of your importance to me and to direct God's blessings upon each of you whom are either friends or family or both, and upon all of those whom are important to you, as well as upon all our enemies as well, in heaping, overflowing, pressed down, and shaken measures!
Absence has certainly made the heart grow fonder.
Listen to me; albums. As if! Is that even the proper/correct/accurate term for musicians these days? Do musicians continue to produce "albums"? Someone let the rest of us know in the comment section at the conclusion of this post, after they've conducted a quick Wikipedia check. Thanks.
What I can tell you about my hiatus from blogging could take up pages and pages and pages of writing, but I'm not sure there is a payoff for reader nor writer. Marian knows I can write. I mean that quite literally. She knows I am capable of putting words and sentences and paragraphs upon page after page, be it yellow legal paper, college ruled notebook paper (loose or spiral), Microsoft Word pages, blog pages, backs of paper sacks from the hardware store and lumber yard, sticky notes, index cards, stationary, receipts and just about anything other writing surface. Except wide ruled notebook paper. I can't write on that stuff.
There's been school in our family. Me teaching English at the High School; Jack attending first grade at Lincoln Elementary. Leo will begin attending a part time preschool. Henry enjoys looking at books a lot, if that counts as school. We've still not cut Henry's hair, so people often mistake him for a girl, though he clearly is dressed in boys clothes.
Today is Marian's birthday. Yesterday we had her parents over for lunch. Marian baked her own cake and iced it and she aided the boys as they sprinkled sprinkles upon it and decorated it with other methods. I taped up red, blue, and yellow streamers in the kitchen and the back porch. I also used the pump to inflate a handful of long squiggly balloons and lit the correct number of sparkle candles upon her birthday cake. I grilled out a couple dozen chicken legs that was sort of a spicy barbecue, 8 or so ears of corn (just put them in on the top tier of the grill, above the chicken; don't remove the silk or husks, either one), heated up canned baked beans on the stove top and served the pasta salad Sharon brought to share. I also forced Marian to wear her "happy birthday" tiara and "birthday girl" pink button ribbon. We played dominoes and Sharon won that. Of course we had her chocolate birthday cake with white frosting along with our choice of french vanilla or Bordeaux cherry chocolate ice cream.
Today we're probably going out to eat lunch for Marian's birthday and we may find another little activity to go and do as a family since the morning's clouds and sprinkles seems to have gone away and is being replaced by the bright yellow sun and thick humidity of one of the hottest weekends of the summer.
In an attempt to force myself to show up here and update it more frequently, I'll try to enforce a limit on my verbosity, for your sake as a reader who values time, and myself who also values time and needs the practice of knowing when to bring things to a close and to just leave some stuff out! Along those lines I bring this long overdue blog post to a close. It should go without saying, but I will write these words so as to remind you each of your importance to me and to direct God's blessings upon each of you whom are either friends or family or both, and upon all of those whom are important to you, as well as upon all our enemies as well, in heaping, overflowing, pressed down, and shaken measures!
Absence has certainly made the heart grow fonder.
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