Today's thoughts

Category: CREATURE FEATURES (Page 33 of 38)

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! (Plus dogs and cats)

Creature Features: The Nose Knows #314

Whenever we pack our suitcases for a getaway, we have to be careful about upsetting the dogs.  We don’t want them to get overexcited about a potential road trip, and we especially don’t want them to worry about us leaving them behind.  Both dogs have a bit of separation anxiety, so we hide our bags in the closet, so they don’t know we’re leaving – or so we once thought.  Our one schnauzer, Tinker, who we think is part poodle, has a sixth-sense about her, and I now don’t think that we’re getting away with anything.  I wrote this poem to honor her superior intelligence, knowing that she probably relays her intuitions to our other schnauzer, her sister Tally.

The Nose Knows 2

There’s something in the air,
You can sense it all around.
Whatever it is?
It will be found.
.
A sniff here and there,
She breathes it in.
Tilts her head back,
Puts her chin in the air.
.
It’s not dinner time,
Or time to go out.
But the look on her face,
Resembles a pout.
.
Whatever your plan,
Tinker knows
Nothing gets by,
Tinker’s nose.
.
Is that another dog.
That smell on you?
Her radar nose,
Picked up that clue.
.
When it’s time to eat,
She always knows.
Like Pinocchio,
Her nose- it grows.
.
And when we walk,
Her nostrils flare.
So many smells,
No time to spare.
.
Resisting your tug,
This spot so sweet.
It must reminder her,
Of a special treat.

Something smells wrong,
You can see it in her eyes.
You’re leaving her behind?
She sees through any disguise.

She’s very smart,
Her nose – it knows.
Wherever you proceed,
Her hope – she Goes.

Your bags are packed,
Her nose starts to twitch.
At first you think,
Just another itch.

But her nose,
Has a brain.
Her intuition,
Senses pain.

She’s staying home,
You say good-bye.
In her eyes,
She’s asking why?
.
Her nose suspects,
Any separation.
She too deserves,
To join the vacation.

If there’s indication,
That you will stray.
Her stink detector,
Gets in the way.

Whatever thought,
Tinker knows.
Nothing gets by,
Tinker’s nose.

.

Copyright 2017 johnstonwrites.com

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Creature Features: Revenge #312

Frankie is the name of our female cat that we bought together just before we got married.  She was the first pet that I ever had an investment in owning. She’s a beautiful, white-haired Burmese with bright blue eyes – hence the “Old Blue Eyes” moniker. Frankie is “Sweet Sixteen,” but has found some “Evil Ways.” Whenever we travel, we always hire someone to stay with her and the dogs, and when we return, revenge seems to be on her mind.

She’s been especially bad this past week, and we’re hoping that it’s not a kidney condition. When I got up the other morning, she promptly peed on the sheets. We then scrambled to get all the bed covers in the washer and treated the mattress. She also left a turd in my wife’s bathtub to let us know that it wasn’t just me she was after. However, the next day, she went into my office and peed on the chair. Once again, it was Spot Shot to the rescue.  I can deal with her hair-balls, and an occasional dried turd that gets matted in her hair, but revengeful urine stains are not acceptable. Bad Kitty!

I took Frankie to the Vet yesterday. Hopefully, she doesn’t think that it was revenge on my part and cause for further retaliation on her part. She’s a fluffy twenty-five pounds, barely fits in her kitty carrier, and cries non-stop whenever she’s trapped in there, including some lengthy cross-country moves. Frankie has now lived in Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and Oregon, so she’s well traveled but clearly upset when she’s on the go. You would hardly know that she’s around most days, hidden comfortably under our bed, but becomes quite vocal, like clockwork, when it’s feeding time.

Our “Fat Cat” has earned the respect of our similar-sized dogs, even though Tally still tries to taunt her. Frankie has a pretty good right-cross punch, and bats our dogs away with ease. She’s very comfortable with Tinker, but initially joined our household with only one bigger dog named Belle and several other kitties that she has since outlived. Frankie no longer is part of a kitty committee, and now a solo act, but managed to tolerate two cousin kitties that stayed with us for awhile.

We’ve been racking up some Vet bills of late. Tinker alone takes two liquid doses of antibiotics, two tablets for allergies, an eye salve, and bacteria swabs daily, not to mention a monthly heartworm preventative. It’s a good thing that Tinker isn’t revengeful, especially after several weeks of trying to cram tablets down her throat that she would somehow hide and spit out later.  We eventually paid to have these pills liquefied, so they were more tolerable to ingest.  I made the mistake of trying to hide them in her food, and now she won’t eat without carefully inspecting each kibble to make sure it’s not a disguised bitter pill.  Needless to say, I’ve made too many trips to the Vets and our credit card is getting worn out.  Tally usually goes along for the ride, but so far she’s remained healthy, happy, and drug free.  Tally runs and hides when it’s time for her heartworm medication and fights to keep it out of her mouth.  As the low-cost pet, she’s now the “Good Dog.”

We have a bedtime tradition called “Ham Time,” although it’s really healthier turkey that we now feed them.  It accelerates the last outing for the dogs each night in anticipation of their special nightcap.  They do their business outside quickly and then stand by the refrigerator, waiting for their meat treat.  Frankie is also impatiently pacing as I bring the pups in from their final walk of the day, waiting for her portion of turkey goodness.  You would think it’s Thanksgiving every night at our house – if only the pills went down as easy.

Extra loads of wash, dry cleaning bills, grooming, stain remover, walks, trips to the Vets, medication, turkey slices, chews, treats, doggy bags, kitty litter, and food are the price we pay for our pets.  However, even though I complain about it, these pets are well worth it.  They are now my only co-workers, and retirement life would be lonely without them.  The get all excited when they hear my wife’s car coming up the driveway, and sit by the garage door anxiously waiting to see her.  I’m happy to see her, too, although not always as expressive as they are.

Retirement is not without Hassles: Origin #309

“Where do we come from? Where are we going?” These are the questions posed in the new Dan Brown thriller, Origin.  I enjoy his books because they incorporate mystery, treasure, history, religion, literature, symbolism, cryptography, and travel.  At least three of his novels have been made into movies, including Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and Inferno, exploring landmarks in Rome, Paris, London, and Washington D.C. – all cities where I have already traveled, as seen through the eyes of his Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon.  Langdon also appears in the Lost Symbol that also takes place in our nation’s capital, but has yet to be made into a film.  His first novels, Digital Fortress that takes place in Seville with main character Susan Fletcher, NSA’s Head Cryptographer, and Deception Point that explores extraterrestrial life along the Milne Ice Shelf failed to sell.  However, Origin, his newest creation,  takes Robert Langdon to Barcelona, Spain and focuses on the works of architect Antoni Gaudi is at the top of the best sellers.  I was not familiar with Gaudi’s bizarre style and have not been to Barcelona or any other part of Spain, so I’ve added a couple of lines to my always growing bucket list.

I especially love how Brown blends together fiction and carefully researched history.  All of his books are great stories, but I also leave with a sense of learning about the past. He makes history interesting just like Bill O’Reilly, who surprisingly does not incorporate his politics into his stories. Killing England, that I read just prior to Originwas an eye-opening perspective on the Revolutionary War.  They are both books that make you think, and motivate you to learn more.  The free time associated with retirement has given me an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the past, through books and documentaries.  Unfortunately, my mind doesn’t seem to retain this information for long, just another reason to write things down.  I next hope to finish the Civil War documentary from Ken Burns.  I’ve started watching it on Netflix, but it’s another major time commitment.

On a totally different subject, the fall colors seem especially beautiful this year, reminiscent of the Midwest.  Is this just because I didn’t take the time to notice it during those working years?  Maybe the rain hasn’t been heavy enough to strip the trees of their leaves yet?  Or, maybe I just see a little more daylight now, since I’m not involved in a dark work commute, or working in an area without windows?  Could it be that I’m learning to smell the roses?  I give myself credit for noticing the beauty of Fall in the Northwest, despite the rain.   We’ll be back from New York in time to greet the trick-or-treaters.  As I think of costumes, I fondly recall my last attempt to dress-up for a Halloween party.  My wife’s neighbor back in Indianapolis invited us to a party, while we were just dating.  She posed as Betty Crocker, dressed in an apron and carried a rolling pin, while I wore a chef’s hat, dressed completely in white, including white-face and scarf.  Then I stuffed a pillow under my chef’s jacket to magically transform myself into fat-tummied, Poppin’ Fresh, the Pillsbury Dough Boy.  I might have even taunted a few of the other guests by saying, “Go ahead – Poke Me!  Or are you afraid I’m Casper the Friendly Ghost?  Hoo-Hoo!”  We’ve never been invited to another costume party, so it’s not “where we are going.”

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Old Fashioned #308

This afternoon’s “Leadership Meeting” went well. We’re not really sure how many participants it takes to form a “Leadership Convention,” but the most that have attended at one meeting has been six. I’m the self-proclaimed leader of organizing these weekly leadership meetings. Most of the attendees are former business leaders, but we do include a couple of current workplace leaders to remind us how good it is to be retired.  It also keeps us up to date on the state of the current work environment, so we don’t get completely out of touch with the business world. We often talk about comings and goings, which include those who unfortunately pass away, as we enter the obituary stage of life – where we check the daily obituaries to make sure that we’re not in there. I mentioned to the other attendees today that a former Indianapolis business leader, a former radio station General Manager, lost his battle with cancer earlier this week at the disturbing age of 66 – my age. It makes you feel very vulnerable, and you can only joke about it, while feeling fortunate to still be alive.

I still having trouble remembering to use only one space between sentences, having the old-fashioned way of including two spaces exposed in a recent article.  My wife also pointed out that I was wasting paper, shelf space, and binders to print copies of this blog.  My old fashioned way of thinking does not allow me to trust the cloud, preferring to have a printed record of each of my blog posts. I’m probably also a bit vain, thinking that my son might someday want a copy of my musings.  I would love to have a written diary or a record from my mom and dad, even though they did leave me an overabundance of family and personal photos. My sister has my dad’s war diary somewhere in her possession, but has yet to find it. Even though these hand-me-downs weren’t meaningful a few years ago, I’m glad I didn’t dispose of them. I feel that part of retirement is taking the time to organize family history, and to write about personal experiences, hoping they just might be interesting to others.

The Cubs have been eliminated, so that gives me less to write about.  It was a great season, filled with hope about back-to-back good fortune, The Dodgers put an end to that pipe dream, but gave themselves a chance to end their own 29-year drought of not winning a World Series. The Houston Astros are currently avoiding potential elimination by the Yankees as I write.  Watching baseball provides a great opportunity to multi-task, not having to totally focus on the screen.  You can even many times take a nap and not miss a thing.

My wife came home and took a nap after a long week of work.  It reminded me that the weekend is here. It’s still hard to believe that I no longer have to look forward to them, with the exception of spending more time with her. I didn’t even know it was Friday today until I had to dodge some neighborhood trash containers during my run this morning.  Hopefully, the rain will hold off and the dogs will get a little more exercise this weekend.  They are not as content as I am to hang around the house all day, and look forward to their weekend jaunts through the nearby park. Happy weekend everyone who’s not retired!

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Game Day #305

I am watching television, wishing for a Cubs rally.  I yelled out loud in the first inning and the poor dogs scattered, thinking I was “barking” at them.  Temper…temper!  Tinker already had a tough day, fighting an infection that led to another $750 vet bill.  I’m not sure she understands that I’m retired and on a fixed income.

I’m nearly finished watching five seasons of Longmire on Netflix.  I haven’t been as hooked on a TV series since Walter White and  Breaking Bad.  It was about a 50 hour commitment, but what the heck- I’m retired.  I didn’t think I would like a western, but he’s a cool sheriff, also named Walt, with a little bit of Clint Eastwood and a touch of Harrison Ford.  I’ll be anxious for Season 6 and move on to Justified, another made-for-television recommendation from a friend.

I have a paperback copy of Stephen King’s It sitting on my desk.  It’s about 2 1/2” thick with small print. For indoor reading, I’ve selected Dan Brown’ Origin on my I-pad.  Clowns, religion, and macho sheriffs make an odd combination of topics.

I just read an article that claims that I no longer need to use two spaces when typing a new sentence.  Apparently, it identifies me as an “old school author,” dating back to typewriter spacing. I will hopefully stop that habit, beginning with this sentence.

Date Nights have now shifted to Thursdays on my wife’s calendar, further confusing my ability to know what day it is. I was cooking on Thursday nights, that had recently been moved from Tuesday. This is all to accommodate my wife’s shifting Yoga classes and hair appointments. It keeps me on my toes.

What was once Date Night is Game Night tonight, and my Cubs are in a must-win situation. If they don’t, at least college basketball tips-off this weekend.  It’s also looking favorable for a New York City World Series, while I happen to be there.  Unfortunately, the odds are against the Cubs joining me. I’ve promised the dogs I’ll try not to yell again if they are eliminated tonight. Single space- get in the habit “old man.”

Retirement is not without Hassles: All I Want To Do #302

I may still be hungover from Friday night’s dinner at Ivy on the Shore here in Santa Monica.  I’m not getting any younger, so starting with Happy Hour at five with two martinis, then drinking two more at the restaurant after accepting a glass of “welcome-in” champagne, adding a couple of glasses from my wife’s bottle of wine, and capping off the evening with a generous pour of Limoncello for dessert, turned me into a  stumbling, bumbling drunk.

I woke up Saturday morning with a headache, and the Sheryl Crow hit, “All I Want to Do,” playing on my wife’s phone.  Coincidentally, it was the background music as part of a friend’s Smilebox tribute to their recently departed dog.  It was late morning, long after when “the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard.”  After I finally got my nauseous self out of bed, a run on the beach was predictably painful.  As a result, I remained abstinent from alcohol until after the Cubs’ loss.  We did finish off the to-go bottle as a nightcap late last night after getting back from Dodger Stadium, but it’s been strictly diet colas  ever since.   One big negative about Marriott Hotels is that they only serve Pepsi products.

Saturday evening my wife and I were “bleacher bums,” as Yasiel Puig and the Dodgers easily outscored the Cubs.  The unexpected “all-you-can-eat” Right Field Pavilion deal took away some of the discomfort of the hard, wooden seats, but did little to settle the obnoxious fans in our section.  I’ve been making a big deal out of Birthday 66, having posed for a picture in front of the “Trail Ends Here” Route 66 sign on Santa Monica Pier. A similar picture of me was taken at Pier 66 in Seattle, peering through the symbolic numbers.  Puig’s uniform #66 took away any buzz that was left from Friday night.  He hit a double for his first RBI, and followed with a solo Home Run against the Cubs vulnerable pitching staff.  He was indeed Muscle Beach strong in leading the Dodgers to victory in Game 1!

During my 66 Birthday celebration in Seattle, I had my picture taken in front of Pier 66.  We also went to see Tom Petty, who died a month later at age 66. Today I’m flying out of Alaska gate #66, so the number continues to be a reoccurring “sign of the times.”  I should probably get my next tank of gas at Phillips 66 (See Post #234), and go to Vegas and bet on  rolling Double Sixes – Boxcars.  Maybe the Cubs can score 6 in the 6th tonight?

The bottom line of this past weekend in Santa Monica – “All I want(ed) to do is have some fun.”

My Hangover’s Hungover.

Too many drinks,
With little to eat.
This morning I’m lucky,
To stand on two feet.
.
Yesterdays breakfast,
Is on the front lawn.
I seem to ache more,
As the day goes on.
.
Hung at my hang out,
And drank until drunk.
Last night is a blur,
And I’m still in a funk.
.
My Hangover’s hungover,
Longer than should be.
I have a headache,
Of the worst degree.
.
It’s no wonder my friends,
Have left me alone.
All night paying homage,
To the porcelain throne.
.
My Hangover’s hungover,
Much longer than fair.
I’m feeling so bad,
And need nursing care.
.
What’s the recipe,
To cure this malady?
Hair of the Dog,
Is just not for me.
.
Run down and ragged,
My head could crack.
Shouldn’t have chugged,
That first six pack.
.
Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz,
I need a quick cure.
How much pain,
Can one man endure?

.

Wrung out, strung out,
And in no condition.
I hurt everywhere,
And have no ambition.

.

I can’t remember,
What happened last night.
My eyes just can’t take it,
Turn off that damn light.

.

I had foolish thoughts,
After drinking alot.
That’s when I ordered,
A second, last shot.

.

My hangover’s hungover,
I drank until drunk.
I must have imbibed in,
More drink than I thunk.

.

Copyright 2010 johnstonwrites.com

 

 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Ah-choo #255

Ah-choo…ah-choo….My wife sometimes suffers from allergies, a trait she shares with our oldest schnauzer, Tinker.  While my wife sneezes and sniffles, the dog scratches and licks her paws.  I, of course, have my share of flaws, so I try to be more than tolerant.  Last night, as I was snoring, the sneezing and itching got everyone everyone stirred up.  I ran to the bathroom for Kleenex and Vicks between an empathetic “Bless You,” and just as things were settling down, the cat decided to have a hairball.  That’s when my wife discovered a couple of other surprises that the cat had left behind, and reluctantly got up to clean up the mess.  Fortunately, I did not get tossed out of the bed like the cat, and rolled over with no trouble getting back to sleep, while she remained wide awake and alone with her thoughts.

I dreamed about a hilarious story that absolutely had to be captured in this blog first thing this morning.  However, there is no story because it was only a dream.  Instead, I have to take a blanket to the dry cleaners, unplug a toilet, remove some cobwebs, buy an SSL certificate for this site, and deal with my sleep-deprived wife.  I woke up to an e-mail cancelling the Pints to Pasta half-marathon that I was going to run next week, and an unexpected change in flight plans to Los Angeles next month.  My breakfast egg, however, was a double-yoker, so my luck was about to change.

The dogs are due for haircuts today, and I should do some house cleaning.  I think the sneezes were an indication that I’ve neglected some dusting responsibilities.  Also, all the ash and smoke in the air from the nearby forest fires, that caused the cancellation of my run, is now settling on the surfaces of our furniture.  I know our dog is allergic to grass, house flies, egg, and wheat, among other things.  I doubt that she was tested for ash, although that’s one of the areas of her body that constantly itches.   With my wife, it’s typically cheap perfume and dust particles that make her sneeze.  She’s also dealing with a pinched nerve in her back and the daily stress of work.  Did I mention that I’m retired?  She threw in a couple of sarcastic barbs about that as she trudged out the door for the office.

I’m cooking dinner tonight, so she doesn’t have to bother with that after work.  It’s a flank steak done under the broiler, with mashed potatoes and creamed corn.  She was worried about her business trip to Washington D.C. tomorrow, and how Irma will affect her flight and meeting schedules.  I’ll be home with the freshly groomed and bathed dogs.  At least, she’ll get to have dinner with her daughter.  She also expressed concern about the expected rainy weather here in Portland, and how that will interfere with our plans to entertain her visiting niece this weekend .  In between worries and concerns, she urged me to resolve any financial needs for my son and his family down in Florida.   She obviously has a lot on her mind, and had been thinking about it most of the night.

I’m obviously not faced with that level of stress any more.  I think that overall she’s happy for me to be retired, but is occasionally envious of my status.  She still enjoys her career, but not necessarily after a sleepless night of restless animals, a snoring spouse, and dust in the air.  Gesundheit!

Retirement is not without Hassles: What a relief #254

What a relief!  I’m glad that only the clean-up remains, as Irma finishes its pass through Florida.  As a father, it’s a hopeless feeling being thousands of miles away from a son threatened with losing his home or worse.  In my mind, all of Florida would be under water today, and my son would be sorting through the remnants of his home.  In reality, he’s simply facing power outages, as he removes the plywood from his windows.  When I look at a satellite view of his neighborhood on Google Earth, I don’t see any flooding.  The family is safe and they have access to plenty of food.  Florida’s Governor feels like his state received only a “glancing blow” from Irma rather than the “direct hit to the face” that he was expecting.

Most of what I worry about doesn’t happen, and most of the hassles that I imagine never materialize.  Some might say that I’m lucky. but it’s all by design.  I live my life with what I call “cautious pessimism,” worrying about everything that could go wrong, so it won’t happen.  I liken it to buying insurance so you don’t need it.  Even if a tragedy does occur, it will never be to the extent that I envisioned.  For me, it’s mental damage control.  (See Post #68)

The residents of Florida had over a week to prepare for one of nature’s biggest challenges.  It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, as the storm cut a path across the state. Fortunately the death toll was low, as those affected  had time to evacuate and/or seek safe shelter.  My son and his family were secure at a nearby High School, as Irma passed through his neighborhood. This was not the case 16 years ago today, as terrorists attacked the World Trade Center.  Everyone was caught by total surprise, and the 2,996 deaths reflect the inability to prepare.  I’m glued to the television today, just as I was back then.   Both events took place in areas where we frequently visited.  We had stood on top of the observation deck two years before the buildings were destroyed, just as we’ve recently walked the Gulf Coast beaches of Florida.   Two entirely different situations, one generated by hatred and the other by Mother Nature, but both affected me personally.  Today I reflect on the loss of lives from 9/11, while feeling the relief of dodging a bullet from Irma.

Maybe I was rewarded by the restless nights and constant worry over Irma with a happy ending?   It was, however, not a happy ending for many property owners in Florida.  What I envisioned in my son’s neighborhood became reality in other parts of the state.  Trees are down, homes torn-apart and flooded, cars totally submerged, jobs and lives threatened, and animals in danger, as is also the case in Houston thanks to Harvey.   I sit here warm and dry in Portland, threatened only by smoke from area fires.  It doesn’t seem fair!

Today is also day number 254 of my retirement.  As was my goal, this is also Post #254, having finally achieved my plan of writing one article a day for this blog.  I got off to a very slow start in January and February, but have slowly caught-up to my one-a-day plan.  As I think back to 9/11, it was about this time in the morning that I walked into my office and saw the second plane do its damage.  I had about an hour commute to work, and heard some reports on the radio, but it wasn’t until I saw the scene on television that it really hit home.  I think we all remember where we were that day, and over the next week we were all seeking answers for what had happened.  As I watch Today’s coverage of Irma, I’m actually surprised that the damage wasn’t more.  I still wonder why some people suffer more than others when these tragedies occur?  I was prepared for the worst, and got the best.  What a relief!

Retirement is not without Hassles: Chopped #244

It snuck up on me – or is it sneaked? – it’s my night to cook.  This is exactly what I have been writing about – how retirees lose track of the traditional days of the week.  With my working wife’s three-day weekend, I realized this morning that it was already her Tuesday and my day to be the chef.  As she went off to the office, I was starting to marinate some pork chops for dinner tonight.  The recipe is Pan Roasted Brined Pork Chop, a dish that I have already once prepared.  The bone-in chops will sit in an icy mixture of sugar, salt, garlic, peppercorns, and juniper berries for about 10 hours before I bake them in the oven.  As I was digging for the ingredients, I had a flashback to Saturday night’s Bite of Oregon fundraiser that we attended. As the Led Zeppelin cover-band Valhalla finished their set, the Chopped competition began on stage.   Coincidentally, we had just watched the television version before our drive to the Rose Garden to attend this event, so I was picturing myself and this pork shop dish under scrutiny by the judges.  “What a mess,” I’m sure they’d say, “hope it tastes better than it looks!” My wife, of course, will be the final judge, as she returns from another hard day at the office.

I signed up for the Pints to Pasta half-marathon that will take place later this month.  At a Rose Festival fundraiser last year, I bought a certificate that I thought was a Hood to Coast Relay team entry.  It was only a hundred bucks, and I remember thinking how lucky I was to get such a bargain.  That was before I actually got the certificate and realized that it was instead entry into the Hood to Coast Racing Series, five other running races around the Portland area.  Fortunately, it was the buyers remorse that I showed that night to my wife’s co-workers that planted the seed that eventually allowed me to join their Hood to Coast Relay team.  With that race now out of the way, I decided to continue challenging my body by getting some use out of that certificate. The entry fee for Pints to Pasta would have been about $70, so that narrows my loss (for a good cause).  If I’m still motivated, I can then do the “Run Like Hell” and/or “Holiday Half” at my own expense later this year.  I just felt that after the Hood to Coast Relay training miles that I put in, I would be ready for the 13.1 mile distance with a few more weeks of work.

Pints to Pasta sounds like a great motivator.  The race used to start and finish at the Old Spaghetti Factory and this year passes by Full Sail Brewing, so there will be delicious pasta and refreshing beer at the finish line.  The new start is at the Hood River County Fairgrounds with a Columbia River finish line.  My step-daughter and I tried to run this race a few years ago, but the long lines to the shuttle buses failed to get us to the starting line, and we did not get to run.  I hope the changes this year will solve those problems, as the buses will take us back to our parked cars at the start line.  This at least means I won’t miss the start again this year, but will plan to leave a little earlier just in case.

My half-marathon training did not get off to a start this morning.  With all the smoke in the air, I nearly gagged as I walked outside, and elected to get my three miles on the treadmill.  It was not the workout that I wanted, but I did get to read some of my new book, Seeing Red, while I jogged along.  News of the nearby fires,that were apparently started by errant fireworks, was more than disturbing.  According to reporters, breathing the air outside this morning was the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes.  The dogs were not happy campers either, as I drug them reluctantly along to do their business.  I think that natural disasters like the forest fires here and the flooding in Houston should just get together and cancel each other out. Meanwhile, my son who lives in Florida, is concerned about Hurricane Irma, while I’m just worried about getting Chopped!

 

 

Retirement is not without Hassles: Route 66 #235

On many retirement bucket lists is a drive down Route 66, starting from Chicago to Los Angeles.  The 2,451 mile trek down the “Main Street of America” is surely every R,V. owner’s dream.  I do not own an R.V. and never will, so unless there’s a Marriott within easy access to the highway, it’s not likely that it will be on my must-do list.  I’ve seen its starting point in Chicago, Illinois near Grant Park, and its ending point in Santa Monica, California on US 101 Alt.  The original route was removed from the US Highway System in 1985, so only historic signage now marks the way.

I’ve already written about how Route 66 got its name (Post #220).  Also, in yesterday’s paragraphs of pontification,  I offered a little poem as a tribute to the adoption of the song as my official retirement theme this year, having reached the golden age of 66 (Post #234).  Although I will probably never make the complete start-to-finish drive, I have been exposed to several sections of Route 66 including the Illinois cities of Chicago, Bloomington, Normal, Lincoln, Springfield, and Edwardsville, linking Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River in East St. Louis.  In 2006, I had some birthday frozen custard at Ted Drewes in St. Louis, one of many classic drive-in restaurants along the “Mother Route.”  Yes, I also got my “licks” on Route 66.

Memories of Abraham Lincoln occupy several notable sites along the original Illinois route of Route 66.  We spent some time in Oklahoma City, another major city along the “Will Rogers Highway,” when my wife’s daughter moved there in 2006 to work for Dell.  We also accidentally went to Tulsa, after a flight cancellation on our way into St. Louis.  We spent a short night without luggage in May of 2013, and identified Route 66 historic signage on our way to and from the airport.  We did eventually make it into St. Louis, drove to Decatur to finally close on a property that we owned there, traveled into Indiana to visit family, and tried to catch a game at Busch Stadium on the way back.  Unfortunately, tornadoes  cancelled that Cards vs. Giants game, so we returned to our home in Austin, Texas. Even though we lived in Texas for five years, we never crossed Route 66 until my wife was transferred to Portland.  On the three-day drive north we passed through Amarillo and made the Texas Panhandle connection to Route 66.  My last sighting of a Route 66 historic sign was in Los Angeles a few months ago along Sunset Boulevard.

77 Sunset Strip and Route 66 were two of my favorite black-and-white television shows.  77 Sunset Strip was on ABC from 1958 to 1964, starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as private eye Stu Bailey.  The name of the show came from his office address on Sunset Strip.  Ed Byrnes was the popular hair-combing character, “Kookie.”  The unforgettable opening included two finger snaps after each actor was introduced, as part of the catchy theme song.  It’s network rival, Route 66, aired on CBS from 1960-1964, starring Martin Milner as Tod Stiles.  Nelson Riddle composed the instrumental theme song that was used to avoid paying royalties for Bobby Troup’s 1946 hit song,  Got my Kicks on Route 66, that was originally recorded by Nat King Cole. Other versions have been released by  Chuck Berry, John Mayer, and even The Rolling Stones.

 

If you ever plan to motor West,

Travel my way, take the highway that’s best

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six

.

It winds from Chicago to LA,

More than two thousand miles all the way.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

.

Now you go through Saint Louis,

Joplin, Missouri,

and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.

You’ll see Amarillo,

Gallup, New Mexico

Flagstaff, Arizona.

Don’ to forget Winona,

Kingsman, Barstow, San Bernandino.

.

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip:

When you make that California trip,

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

.

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip:

When you make that California trip,

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six

 

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