It’s been over a month since I wrote my last poem and that was a recap of our trip to Key West (See Post #1960). I haven’t spoken from the creative heart for some time (See #1934) and that was not of a rhyming nature. Today, I wrote two in an attempt to play catch-up from my goal of one a month. The first will be #258 on this blog under the category of poetry, and it is not to be interpreted as suicidal. In fact, I’m not really convinced their is a heaven, let alone a gate. This is called poetic license.
“Let’s Get This Over With” is a phrase I too often use jokingly with a mutual friend to show my general impatience or discomfort in an unfamiliar setting. I’m definitely not one to smell the roses and consequently miss the beauty of life. Every year on my resolutions, I promise myself to see the beauty in life, but I sadly live too much in a hurry.
The End
Let’s get this over,
Is my first thought.
I’m not sure when,
This notion was taught,
There must be a flaw
In my D-N-A.
That makes me rush,
My life away.
I prefer to look back,
Rarely forward.
To fill all the blanks,
On the scoreboard.
I have no patience,
Can’t wait till the end.
I need to see,
Around every bend.
If life was a book,
I’d read ahead.
I’d scan the last page,
To see what was said.
If instead a movie,
I’d cut to the quick.
Skip to the good parts,
And finish the flick.
Forget slow motion,
It takes too long.
Push fast forward.
And speed life along.
I can’t wait to start,
Now, where’s the conclusion?
Showing restraint,
For me, an Illusion.
I eat just as fast,
Always in a rush.
Never a trickle,
Give me a gush.
I like a short-cut,
To the Checkered flag.
To wait for Christmas,
Was always a drag.
No time to smell roses,
Or savor the flavor.
Get to the punch line,
Do me a favor.
Save all the details,
For someone who cares.
Don’t try to embellish,
Or attempt to split hairs.
I’m in a hurry,
Life is too short.
Give me the answers,
Not a boring report.
All that I want,
Is the FINALE.
Let’s get to the end,
No need to dally.
Get it over with,
I just can’t wait.
Show me what’s next,
At Heaven’s Gate.
Copyright 2022 johnstonwrites.com
A year ago this day was our last in Portland, Oregon with a farewell Chinese dinner at Ling’s Garden downstairs in our apartment building. We have yet to find a Chinese favorite here in Venice. Last night, we tried Burgundy Square downtown and made the short walk to Kilwin’s for pralines & cream ice cream. There was not a concert in the park as expected so we drove home.
Our neighbors are hosting a brunch this morning, but the rest of my day will probably be devoted to basketball. Two IU basketball recruits are playing in the high school nationals, followed by the Final Four from New Orleans. The Duke vs. North Carolina match-up is getting the most publicity with Coach K’s retirement and the fact that country artist, Eric Church, cancelled a concert to attend this historic game. It caused a lot of controversy with fans that don’t understand his allegiance to the Tar Heels, but he did agree to do a freebee as a make-good. If he we truly a basketball fan, he would have scheduled his tour the night of the Final Four, so in my opinion he didn’t have much faith in his team in the first place.
While we were headed for ice cream last night, I spotted a guy in an Indiana t-shirt, so I asked him where he was from. “Vacationing from Fort Wayne,” he indicated, but when I told him that I worked for WMEE Radio there years ago, the conversation abruptly ended. I guess they just wanted to enjoy their ice cream and didn’t really care to reciprocate. So much for Hoosier Hospitality.
The decade of the nineties has arrived, as I then approached 40-years of age. One hundred years before it was known as the “Gay 90’s,” a term that is no longer politically correct. (See Post #1890). “The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment,” according to a description in Wikipedia. However, it was the end of my first marriage that lasted for 27-years. In that timeframe, we had lived in Elkhart, IN; Edwardsburg, MI; Union, MI; Ft. Wayne, IN; and Indianapolis. We also bought a condominium on Siesta Key, FL, near where I live now.
As I look back through the years, it was often a struggle to make ends meet, living above our means. The divorce then cost me the home and condo, as we went our separate ways. As I now live a comfortable retirement life, it all has a happy ending, but everything I worked for fell apart in the 90s. Friendships ended and the only winners were the attorneys. I was running on and off at this time to relieve the stress, but “The Streak” had yet to start. As of this morning, it stands at 4,482 days (13.26 years). I was joined part way through my 3.1 mile route by a neighbor acquaintance who is younger and faster, so I pushed to keep up, or rather he slowed down for my benefit.
I went to another Braves Spring Training game yesterday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. A neighbor provided the tickets and drove me to the game on his golf cart. It was actually quite humorous when he ignored the commands of the police directing traffic, but he had forgotten his hearing aids and honestly didn’t hear. I yelled in his ear during the game, while a mentally challenged young man on my other side made fart noises by blowing on his arm and incessantly repeated the same unintelligible words over and over. It made me realize how lucky I was to have raised a healthy son, while admiring the father’s patience along with his willingness to get his child to a game despite the behavior.
Another month has gone by as the calendar flips over to April. I sent a note to a friend that I hired 32-years ago on April Fool’s Day. It turned out to be a beneficial career move for both of us, as he now nears retirement. A year ago on this day we packed for our move from Portland, Oregon to our new home in Venice Florida, hoping for no pranks along the way. Unfortunately, my wife had to deal with kidney stone surgery in route and our furniture took seven weeks to get here, but we arrived safely and have been happy ever after. As is the tradition, before the day is done, I will also place an annual call to another friend to wish them a Happy April Fool’s Day.
As I conclude the decade of the 80s, I’m about to celebrate my 38th birthday while just having started my career at WISH-TV in Indianapolis. The team of Bush and Quayle were running our country in 1989 and the Exxon Valdez oil spill took place while Theodore Bundy was executed in a Florida electric chair. The year ended with the premiere of The Simpsons on FOX. Up until that point, FOX Television was barely a competitive factor when I was preparing proposals for clients. Cable was also in its infant stages of development. Both of these factors would soon impact the advertising business.
When we first moved to Indianapolis in 1985, the three of us first lived in temporary housing at Pickwick Farms but soon moved to a house in Castleton. After more than three years of sales work at WIBC radio, 1988 marked my move to LIN Television and WISH where I would stay in various positions for 13-years. The company promoted me to both Lafayette and eventually Decatur and sold the station I was running after twenty years of service. Moves to Austin and Portland with would follow as my wife’s career continued to blossom while I struggled into retirement. I had transitioned from newspaper to radio to TV and then back to newspaper and finally radio. TV was the peak of my career, serving various management roles.
I’m now enjoying my retirement from LIN on a generous pension. I got word this morning from a college fraternity brother in Tucson that he had met the guy who eventually replaced me in Decatur following the sale. He had come up through the ranks of Block Communications via their property in Boise who bought the station from LIN and must now be retired in Arizona. I knew him from corporate meetings prior to my termination but haven’t spoken since. The fact that these two long lost acquaintances of mine somehow coincidently met is just another example of how small a world it really is!
I was too busy to post anything yesterday with grandkids to entertain. Suddenly, it’s Wednesday and another episode of The Curse of Oak Island. I will also go to the chiropractor and return a defective propane tank. I did find time to watch Winning Time as well as Bird and Magic: A Courtship of Rivals on HBO once everyone had gone home last night and my wife took a call from her sister. Monday, I had indicated there might not be time for a movie, but my wife’s bridge club was cancelled so we went to see Uncharted before picking my grandson up from school. I’m trying to renew my Regal Unlimited movie passes for another year, but frustrated with the process that isn’t allowing me to speak with someone. You would think they would be doing everything possible to get my business, but in these Covid times it’s hard to get help. I think we were one of five people watching the movie on Monday in a theatre holding hundreds.
We were invited to a driveway party by one of our neighbors after we got home from the movies. It’s one thing after another in the quest to meet everyone and establish new friendships. We’ll hold another “Meet the Neighbors” event in May but in the meantime have a retirement party, brunch, and birthday party scheduled on our block, not to mention dealing with home warranty issues. I’ll be glad to get to Singer Island to rest from all the social obligations in our resort community. It will be good to be just another anonymous neighbor at a Marriott resort and away from all these get-togethers for a couple of weeks.
We continue to make plans for our summer drive to the Grand Hotel, another escape from the neighborhood. I don’t mean to present my home as prison-like with a need to break-out, but it gets to be a bit much familiarizing myself with 2500 neighbors. In the month of March alone, we’ve been invited to a dance-off, card games, spring training games, a book club, pool party, boys lunch, girls dinner, Hoosier dinner, “Meet the Neighbors” event, 2 concerts, a wine tasting, blues festival, eco-tour, dolphin cruise, harp performance, Beauty and the Beast, and several driveway happy hours. It probably would have been more but my wife was out of town for a week, after enjoying a visit from her daughter/spouse, while I had overnight guests for eight straight days. We also made drives to Ft. Myers, Punta Gorda, Bradenton, and Bonita Springs for lunch with friends, plus four stressful back-and-forth trips to the Tampa Airport. This does not include my wife’s daily ventures to the dog park, pickleball reservations, baby sitting, movies, shopping, tap, or aqua fit classes. It’s a very busy and active lifestyle that deserves a break, at least as far as I’m concerned. This is in sharp contrast to our last few months in Portland where everything was closed, we never got together with neighbors, and most of the day was spent in front of the TV. As a result, we’re both fulfilled but exhausted and looking forward to our April Anniversary escape plans.
I now have a streak of 10 in Wordle, my latest word game challenge. It was just a matter of time before peer pressure drove me to try it. I barely solved this morning’s puzzle with a choice of three letters that could have each been correct. I FOUND the right one, a last second gasp similar to a game winning tourney shot. Speaking of basketball, I’ve still alive in the fantasy pool with Kansas – or will my small investment end up being “dust in the wind?” It’s been 35-years now since IU won the NCAA Championship in 1987 on Keith Smart’s buzzer beater. It’s also been twenty years since they reached the final game. Anymore, we’re just lucky to get into the Big Dance. It was also the year that Reagan and Gorbachev met in Washington.
We drove to Anna Marie Island and had lunch with Indy friends at the Beach House Restaurant. On the way there, a rock hit the windshield of my wife’s Lexus and cracked the glass. It’s just another hassle to deal with as I call the insurance company about my homeowners policy, as well. Mondays are probably a busy day in that business following a weekend of mishaps. In addition, I will call my sister about our plans to visit our cousins tomorrow in Bonita Springs. With a damaged car, a son who is now separated from his wife, and an unvaccinated sister, I’m not really in the mood for another drive. I do have to pick up my grandson this afternoon, also disrupting what might normally be “Matinee Monday,” It’s the last few days of our annual passes that will hopefully get renewed.
We did attend a rather pleasant concert last night with acoustic guitarist Cliff Erickson. It was a free show in our neighborhood events center. He was a good entertainer who got us old folks singing along to country and rock hits from the past, and ended with a couple original numbers. I took a call from my son in the middle of the show to make plans for a discussion about his future plans and to arrange a steak dinner with the grandkids tomorrow night. He also needs to help me hang three overhead light fixtures. Other than his marital ordeal, we have about three weeks of routine home life before we head to Singer Island. My wife is back to bridge club, while Tally spent the morning with her at the Dog Park. I’ll watch another episode of Winning Time this morning and a new season of Yellowstone starting tonight. Peace!
It’s Final Four Sunday and two of those last standing were determined yesterday evening – Duke and Villanova. Today, Kansas plays Miami and North Carolina faces Cinderella St. Peter’s. We’ll be on the road this morning, headed for Bradenton and lunch with Indianapolis friends. We last saw them in Portland several years ago, where we renewed our acquaintance. They are in Florida on a vacation that is about to end while we continue the retirement dream. Although, that dream is becoming a nightmare, as my son announced separation from his wife, disrupting the lives of my grandchildren. His wife has aspirations of completing medical school, so she has decided to move on. This was not totally a surprise, but we thought she would wait at least until the oldest graduated from high school, since she goes to school full time and has very little income. At least, her work was a stepping stone in the path of becoming an optometrist. This decision will put some pressure on grandparents like us to help in the transition.
It’s a big mystery as to how she will handle this all on her own. Her mother and father are both remarried and living in this area. They have taken on the bulk of the child care when necessary, while my wife and I fill in on occasion. Having lived so far away all these years, we are not the favored baby sitters. To complicate matters, my grandson lives part time with his mother in Sarasota where he is in his first year of high school. Her grandparents, who she just visited and perhaps conspired with, are in Chicago, one of her choices for schooling. The other option is Ohio State where she apparently has free housing. She has yet to be accepted for scholarships in either program. Originally, they were all going to move to Columbus together in a few years. With this in mind, my wife and I had the feeling that she was using him for both support and child care while she continued her classes. Once she had her own source of income as a doctor, then she would pull the plug on the marriage.
I’m heartbroken for my son who is in a bit of shock. He certainly can’t afford a lawyer that could fight to restrict her from taking the kids out of state. It is our understanding that Florida tends to favor the father in these matters, although my son has been restricted in the past from taking his son to another location by his former girlfriend and mother of his child. Fortunately, they have a good relationship now, so she will probably be somewhat helpful in this dilemma.
My son’s wife apparently does have access to an attorney. She threatened to leave him years ago while having an affair, but came to her senses financially. She is about 10-years younger, and wanted another baby, so my son took her back and gave her that wish. The youngest is currently going on four and her sister is about to be thirteen, while the son is fifteen. Their lives are now up in the air while she pursues her dream. I think it’s a bit selfish. A decision has to be made soon on their only asset, the house, that will need some repairs to be marketable. All of the bills are in his name, including two cars, one of which she’ll need to get to and from school and her part-time job at the eye clinic. It’s a Marital Mess!
Some people refer to p-mail as “materials such as letters and packages delivered by a postal system; conventional mail.” In this case, the “p” is for physical. We humans, of course, check our e-mail regularly for business and friendly correspondence. As a result, we’re constantly on our phones or computers to keep up with our clients, acquaintances, and collogues. However, how do animals communicate? They leave secret messages in the bushes and grass. Our schnauzer, Tally, gravitates to the same spots every morning to catch up with her network of neighborhood buddies. She sniffs and scratches away to check her p-mail.
These dog-to-dog communications might also be called pee mail, but just like humans they know exactly where to check for incoming notes to each other. There is a look of satisfaction on Tally’s face after she finally gets to the right spot and reads what is going on in her world. The decoding process is found in her nostrils, inaccessible to human interference. What goes on with dogs, stay with dogs, since they can only talk to each other. Then, they pretend they can’t understand what we are saying and ignore our commands. “Beware of the dog” takes on new meaning.
Yesterday, we took Tally to the dog beach. It was very windy so we prepared a covered area specifically for her with a towel, shade, and water. She was immediately restless and would wander off into the weeds where predictors like alligators might lurk. We would chase after her and lure her back to the shaded area with treats. The tall sea grass was obviously the site of the best smells were, despite the dangers, and where all the important messages were hidden. Every time we’d turn our backs to her or check our e-mail she was gone again, headed to the grassy post office where she could check her p-mail.
1984 was the tale written by George Orwell and the term “Big Brother” became a big deal, as the government controls every aspect of peoples’ lives. It was written 40-years prior, as now it is 40-years later and still relevant. The actual year “saw the launch of a number of movie franchises still going strong today, with Ghostbusters, The Terminator, and The Karate Kid all debuting in 1984.” All have seen recent recent releases including Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), the Karate Kid television series, Cobra Kai, and Ghostbusters Afterlife that we just recently saw at the theatre.
We did get back to the movies on “Matinee Monday” with the modern remake of Death of the Nile. It was very boring with accents difficult to make out but the scenery was magnificent as we look forward to our journey down the Nile next May. It started our week of following a normal busy routine with no houseguests to feed. We got another break this morning when we found out my wife’s brother is not coming today as expected, but rather in April. I also didn’t have to babysit this morning for the second day in a row, but may end up taking my granddaughter to a fairy and unicorn festival tomorrow. It was a busy week with a harpist that we went to see on Tuesday night after my Borrego Boyz “Leadership Luncheon,” another warranty inspection, a doctor’s appointment, dinner with some new Indiana friends, an afternoon at the dog beach with Tally, who will then need to visit the groomer, Sweet 16 Purdue basketball, and the 7th monthly “Meet the Neighbors” event on Saturday night. Sunday we drive up to the Tampa area for lunch with friends from Indianapolis followed by an evening guitar performance at the neighborhood community center.
Next week could be equally eventful with another “Matinee Monday,” cousins to visit down in Bonita Springs, a confrontation with my sister on immunization, the next installment of Yellowstone episodes, construction work, overhead lighting installation, the usual weekly Chiropractor appointment, air conditioning service, the Final Four games on TV, a Braves Spring Training game against the Rays, and last but not least, April Fool’s Day.
I was baby sitting for my nearly 4-year old granddaughter this morning, as will be the case tomorrow. I finally got to sit down at the keyboard late this afternoon, after a doctor’s appointment and several errands. With the rain and responsibilities, there was also no time for the usual 5k, but at least I got in the minimum mile, extending my streak to 4,834 consecutive days. As I drove around town, I also picked up our remaining light fixtures for the front entry and great room, so my son can get to work on the wiring. One was in a huge box that barely fit in my back seat with the convertible top down. The 2007 Solara served as a pick-up truck once again, as it approaches 150,000 miles.
The first mobile phones were introduced by Motorola in 1983. It’s hard to believe that we lived without them and the Internet all those years. I used a CB radio for communication back in my early days of radio. Pay phones also played an important role in keeping up with client demands. A bag phone soon followed before I got my first flip phone that I could carry on a regular basis. A Palm Pilot served as my organizer once I abandoned Daytimers. Nowadays, everything is on my phone and I’m never without it.
I’m watching the Cubs play the Angels on TV as Spring Training finally gets into full swing. I’ve already been to one game at the neighborhood Cool Today Stadium, the Spring Training headquarters for the World Champion Atlanta Braves. I have tickets for two more games against the Rays, with Grapefruit League activities extended thru April 5th. I just turned down tickets for the Yankees at Cardinals in August, and plan to go to Tampa in June for the Rays/White Sox series. We also made plans for Cactus League Spring Training in Phoenix next March that may be the next opportunity to see the Cubs live. I doubt that we get to Wrigley Field in 2022, let alone Chicago. I will keep an eye out if the boys plan another Cardinal baseball trip at some point during the season, but I’m sure that we will be exhausted from all our already planned cool travel activities.
