We’ve now officially passed the post number of the year I was born – 1951. From this point on, I will relate both historical and personal perspectives in my daily ramblings as we move towards the Twenty-First century and beyond. Eisenhower was elected President in 1952 over Adlai Stevenson, ending a string of Democratic Party wins dating back to 1932 and the term of President Harry S. Truman. As I came kicking and screaming into the world, America was changing. My adopted parents had settled into a bungalow in Elkhart, Indiana where they were required to provide me my own room. Social services personnel were required to check on my well being. Obviously, I was being raised as a spoiled brat, while my parents were undoubtedly scared that they agency might take me back. Knowing the kind of people they were, there was no need to be paranoid, while I was the beneficiary of this coddling. 

I’m starting to get things positioned in my new office cabinets. Lots of stuff was stored in the closets and our garage that now have a home on these shelves. It has accent lights that change color and glass storage enclosures at the top, similar to what I had back in our Portland home. I have notebooks full of baseball cards, sports memorabilia, binders filled with poems, personal documents, pictures, and documents to situate. Some of these can be hidden behind cabinet doors. All my autographed books can now be properly displayed, along with signed baseball, footballs, and basketballs. The racing helmet, cash register, and ukulele will also soon have prominent places of honor. Plus, my wife’s piano music, photos, Broadway playbills, and other keepsakes will finally have a suitable home. It’s time to get organized!

We had a nice Valentine’s dinner at Rosebuds last night, along with the company of my brother-in-law and wife’s sister. It was not as interesting as our visit to Snook Haven in the afternoon while the wives napped in the sunshine. I was surprised at how busy they were on a chilly Monday. Groups dined at picnic tables while listening to Steve Arvey sing and play guitar. There were no boat tours on the Myakka River happening or motorcycle activity that surely a bar of this nature attracts off the nearby highway. Yet, it was a good people watching crowd – some danced or sang along. Spanish moss hung from the trees, reminding me of a Bayou setting.

Fifty years ago today I was in New Orleans for the start of Mardi Gras. This year the date is February 16th – tomorrow. I’ve long lost track of the college roommate that accompanied me on the drive from the Bloomington campus. He was from Boonville, Indiana and a fast talker. I hooked up with a woman that would become my first wife and the mother of my son. We don’t communicate any more during my new marriage of soon to be 21 years. However, my son lives nearby and this morning I’m babysitting for my granddaughter for a few hours.

Instead of New Orleans, we’re headed to another party city this weekend – Key West. A high speed ferry runs from Ft. Myers to our Marriott resort. We’re looking forward to seeing the nightlife, Hemmingway home, Butterfly Conservatory, and Hoosier-born Mel Fisher Museum that houses some of the treasures found in the 1622 wreck of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha.

My home office is under construction, so I’m writing this on my phone at my son’s home. New cabinets and shelves are being installed around my sole office window, and I’m glad to be away from the dust and noise. Once my duties are done here, I will stop on my way back home for a carwash, Diet Coke, and a haircut. It will be nice to once again have the house to ourselves, despite enjoying the company.

The Soviet Union exploded its own atomic bomb in 1949 and this shocked the U.S. because now both nations could destroy each other. The expectation that this weapon technology would remain our exclusive property was inconceivable. It was also the modern beginnings of a rivalry between the two world superpowers that would escalate into the Cuban Missile Crisis a dozen years later. The race to the moon would come next, as the early years of my life made me both hate and fear the Russians. 

I’m glad the number of these posts are moving towards the years I can begin to remember. As I look back upon the events that began to have an immediate impact on my life, it’s certainly more impactful than those that occurred prior to my birth in 1951. And now, seventy years later, I begin to reflect back on my childhood, education, career, and retirement. 

Today, I’m appreciating the “Me Time” that I’ve grown accustomed to enjoying. We’ve had house guests these past few days and while I enjoy the company, it’s been a distraction from the daily routine. We’ve had to find things to keep them busy while also entertaining their friends. In the process, they’ve had to live in unfamiliar surroundings and work around our existing appointments. Bottom line is it can be stressful and I miss my time alone. This morning on my run, I felt the exhilarating freedom of just me and the road, with no outside interference. Pure Me Time!

I’m glad it’s Friday and company is coming. My wife’s sister, her husband, and two of their long standing friends that their kids call Aunt and Uncle have arrived in Florida. They will split their time with us and other friends down in the Ft. Myers and Siesta Key areas. My brother-and-law and I may also drive down there for a moto-cross race tomorrow. The girls will, of course, go shopping and our schnauzer Tally will have full access to my comfy office chair that she fights me for every day. Dinner will be at our house tonight and we’ll go out together for Valentine’s Day on Monday. 

I bought two dozen pricy, red roses for my valentine at Florida prices. They were nearly a tenth of the cost in Texas and Oregon, so she’s used to getting more. One year I bought twelve dozen and arranged them in a huge plastic storage container for fun. It was quite the bouquet – Texas style, but has spoiled her for life. I did read, however, that the price of a dozen roses was up 22% from last year,  but it’s still possible to get a $15 bouquet on the street corner with “shorter stems, inferior quality, and a shorter time upright.”

Texas is known for the Yellow Rose in song, while Portland, Oregon does an annual rose festival and has since 1907. The “Rose City” gardens were also a popular tourist spot. However, of the 200 million roses produced for Valentine’s Day, about 80 percent came from South America, according to the Society of American Florists. The rest were mostly grown in California. Shipping costs had to have been a big factor in getting them to Florida and accounted for the higher costs this year. To quote an unknown author, “the world is a rose; smell it and pass it to your friends.”

In the year 1946, the War Crimes Tribunal was formed in Nuremberg, and the War Crimes Trials were held in Tokyo. 

These were the 11 Crimes against humanity under international law that were addressed:

1945 was the final year of World War II, following the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, nearly 77-years ago. The scars still exist but our freedom endures – and never free! 

A lot of activity on the home front today, including insulation work on the garage door, shelving for all the closets and pantry, plus installation of overhead lights and lanai fans. We’re hopefully getting towards the end of getting settled in our new Florida home. An electric fireplace and outdoor kitchen are also in the plans for this year. The custom master closet will have to wait another year or two, because nothing is ever free. 

My wife and I honor our Eddiversary tonight with dinner at Captain Eddies in Nokomis. The original date was at Eddy’s in Indianapolis while we were still working together at Channel 8.  We celebrate every 8th in some fashion to remember the beginning of our relationship. The original plan tonight was to watch the sunset from the beach but with rain, overcast skies, and chilly temperatures that probably won’t happen. There is an I.U. basketball game later tonight at Northwestern, but we should be home in time for the tip-off. By the way, today’s trivia question on my desk calendar was “how far is the free throw line from the hoop?” The answer is 15 feet  from the front of the backboard, but for this Hoosier squad it often seems further away and never free.