February 11, 2010 - Bits and pieces...

It's been a few days since I last updated the blog, so here goes...

Not much to report. Did go see "Dear John". Personally, I liked it. However, I was the only guy there. The other 50 or so people were all women... at least, they looked like women. Didn't matter to me.

I am approaching page 800 in Don Quixote! Almost finished. Next will be "The Count of Monte Christo" (Spelling? - I'll check on it and correct if necessary)

I have been very busy attempting to move my mother from the hospital bed she now occupies into a rehab facility, which will be followed by a move to a nursing home. It has not been an easy task. I do not have contact with her for many varied reasons, and as a result, being her only living child, there are certain things that I have to do that would have been easier if she had allowed us to set everything up before she reached the stage she has with dementia.

As a result, I now have to attempt to clean out her apartment after I find out what legal authority I have to do it, if any, and it has to be completed by early March. We have gone over and emptied out the refrigerator so that the food would not spoil, and then took all the canned goods that had not passed their expiration dates to the Foodbank. While at it, my wife cleaned up the kitchen in order not to draw any undesired critters.

But, that's as far as we can go until I can get some clarification from someone on how much leeway do I have to clean it out... If I had Power of Attorney, there would not be a problem. In order to get that, it can take quite a bit of time, and I do not have it.

Warning to all parents who have any respect for their children and grandchildren... set all this up before it becomes necessary! We are going to find a lawyer to handle these things and have all this drawn up, and copies passed out to all our children in the very near future. They should not be punished because their parents were too lazy to have this completed. And believe me, it is punishment!

February 6, 2010 - Be careful what you wish for!

That is the truth. Just a little over a week ago I was wishing that it would snow during the day so I could watch it. Well, I watched it last Saturday as it dumped a foot plus on us; I watched it yesterday as it dumped a measly 4 inches on us even though it snowed most of the day (the temperature was above freezing, so a lot melted as it fell); and, I watched it snow all day today as it dumped at least another 8 plus inches on us. And, they say it may snow again Wednesday, that after a little "lite" freezing rain on Tuesday. Just what we need!

Today, however, the first time I shoveled, the snow was still slushy and heavy. I didn't go out again until it stopped around 5pm today, and that was a very light snow, kinda like the one last week, so it was not too difficult to shovel.

I'm getting quite good at cleaning the can off. I try and do it while it's cold to keep the ice from forming on it. I use the shovel on the top, and since the shovel is plastic, I don't scratch it up too badly. Easier than using something else, like a broom or something.

My wife hates this; my sons hate this; but me, I finally feel like we have had a winter's winter!

Tomorrow - Starbucks! More headway on Don Quixote! Past page 700. Only about 190 pages to go!

Didn't sleep too good last night. Hope I do tonight.

February 4, 2010 - New storm, memories of things past

Well, here we go again! Third time this winter, no less. Today and tomorrow will bring us a mixture, or not, or snow, sleet, and rain. It started to snow around 8:am, and is to continue through tomorrow, with a total accumulation of between 6 - 18 inches, depending on where one lives. The last time we had a storm that started like this, a very fine snow building over time to the big heavy stuff, we ended up with 18 inches, with the top four being sleet. It was almost impossible to shovel.

For the future, they are calling for some freezing rain followed by more snow come Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. It's funny to hear people blaming global warming for this. I wonder what they will blame next year when it repeats the snow...

Saw "When in Rome" a few nights ago. Predictable, but we knew that already. We went mostly for the scenes of Rome. The last time we were in Rome was the year 2000. That year we also visited Florence, Venice, and the Cinque Terre, five little villages along the northwest coast of Italy.

While in Venice we were enticed, or hijacked if you prefer, by a sales job about visiting an island not far away call Murano. Murano is the world capital for glass blowing. So, we decided to go, and hopped on one of the many speedboats that take you there, free of charge, as they expect to sell you some glass once there.

As we hopped on, yours truly hopped a little too late and proceeded to drive his head down into his shoulders, creating a nasty headache in the process. It was one of those jams where you can hear the bones in your neck crunch, and your head feels like it is being flattened, literally.

However, once there, we enjoyed the trip around the island, and being abel to watch a demonstration of glass blowing by a master. While I cannot remember the man's name, I do remember that he was the one hired to replace all the glass that was destroyed in a fire in the Windsor Castle. (I think it was the Windsor). He had to create the glass for the chandeliers so they looked exactly like they did before the fire. So, we figured he must be pretty good at this.

We have pictures, and someday when I figure out how to add them to my blog, I will do so. Of course, back then, they were actual photographs, not the digital kind, so I need to learn to use the scanner I have as well. Always something!

While there, we did purchase 6 wine glasses. They were shipped to us, and we received them several weeks after we had returned to the states. The place where we bought them keeps records of everything that was ever sold there, and to whom. This is because if one of the glasses were to be broken, it could be replaced. One can tell the quality of the work, because the glasses sing out when tapped.

One of the other things we chanced upon while in Venice was a shop where we found an artist's set up in miniature, complete with easel, tiny brushes, tubes of paint, a seat for the artist, etc., It was amazing detail, and even though it was not in our budget we had to purchase it. As delicate as it was, we managed to carry it around with us for the rest of our trip and return home with it without damaging one single thing! Amazing!

We also saw two homeless men in Italy. The homeless in this country, the US, while not having an easy go of it, seem to have it better in many cases than these men. They were literally filthy, covered in rags - and by rags, I mean clothes that were ragged, shoes with no soles. They had long stringy hair and beards, all matted down with filth. Their eyes, what one could see of them behind all the hair, were watery and bloodshot. I do not know how they lived, if they ever had enough to eat. I had never, nor have I since then, seen two human beings as destitute as they were, although I know there are plenty of them, especially now during the depression.

February 1, 2010 - Bits, pieces, and more snow... maybe

All dug out. Temps about 48 today, so a lot of melting went on. But, tomorrow, possibility of maybe another inch of snow. And then, they are now saying that we face yet another snowstorm Friday and Saturday of this week. I guess this is the peak time for snow in Virginia. Maybe, for once, this year, they will be correct. We have already had over 40 inches of snow within the last year. This, of course counts the one we had late last February, the 13 inch one. Frankly, as much as I will be stoned for this, I love it! This, to me, is what winter should be! And we haven't had to live in Vermont to enjoy it.

The thing I love more than anything about the young children is the beautiful innocence one see in their expressions, and their eyes. At least, the ones who are loved, and live in a home where there is love, warmth, and food. One of the saddest things is knowing that not all children have the opportunity to possess that innocence.

Our granddaughters went sledding! The youngest had to call us as soon as they returned home to tell us how awesome it was! They will be with us tomorrow. If it does snow instead of rain, then we will find a hill someplace so they can do more sledding. We might even go out into the back yard and build a snowman!

I am now on page 625 of Don Quixote. Only 270 more to go! Then, on to "The Three Musketeers", or "The Count of Monte Cristo", or "The idiot" - that last one is also a book, not someone I know. I'm about halfway through "To Serve Them All My Days", and am really enjoying "Americans in Paris During the Occupation". I also purchased a magazine called "France" because it has a long article on Renoir.

I read some time back about an instance where Renoir and Manet were visiting Monet at his house in Giverny. Monet and his family were the models, Manet and Renoir the artists. It seems that Manet would walk around behind Renoir every once in a while to see what he was painting. After a bit, he went up to Manet and whispered in his ear..."He's your friend (meaning Renoir). You need to tell him he should give up painting as he's not any good."

We are now investing n Powerball as well as Mega Millions. I call it an investment because it sounds better than "we're not only throwing our money away on"...

We ate lunch at Firehouse Subs today. They are the best subs I have eaten around here. I like Subway, but Firehouse is the place to go if you want a big, thick, well prepared sub. I guess I'll not lose any weight today. I know, I'll leave one foot off the scale!

January 30, 2010 - Snow, sleds, and digging out...

FINALLY! I got to watch it snow, and I didn't have to stay up all night to do it! Amazing!

Ginny hates it. I think it's great! it never got above 20 degrees all day, and it snowed, and snowed, and snowed! Loved every minute of it.

Yesterday in preparation of the snow, we decided to find out if our two youngest granddaughters had sleds yet. They didn't. They missed out on sledding in December, and I didn't want them to miss out this time. They had never been sledding, and that is something all young people should do.

So, we called all over, and drove all over, and found out that Pleasants Hardware was going to be getting a shipment of sleds and shovels in sometime between 1pm and 5pm. So, we made sure we were there around that time. The saleslady said they would be there sometime during the afternoon, but we should have time to grab some lunch before they arrived. Seems they had a shipment in the morning, and those were gone in an hour.

We left the store and spotted a restaurant across the street called "The Republic" and made our way over there. Ginny had a steak sandwich and fries, both really tasty. I had, and this is not on the list of preferred foods for dieting, but I didn't care, as it was friggin cold out and I was hungry - anyway, I had chili cheese mac! Spicy; great; made my head sweat and my nose run!

Went back to the hardware store and I stood around trying to look like I was looking for something, just waiting for the things to come in. I got there right around 2:30pm. The truck arrived at 4:15... By then there were around 15 people waiting. Ginny grabbed two "SnoBoogy" boards, I paid, and we left to take them to their house.

I told Ginny now that they had sleds they had better go sledding! The reason I said that was because their father, our youngest son, when he was coming up on his ninth birthday, all he talked about was getting a basketball goal for his birthday. So, yours truly went to Sears, and then the hardware for the cement, and spent the greater part of his birthday putting up a basketball goal. I had to stand on the back end of my Pontiac station wagon in order to push the backboard up, hold it with one hand while the other had to place the pin in the pole to hold the thing where it belonged. By the time I finished, I was soaked in sweat, my hands were filthy and bleeding from all the little cuts I had earned while doing this great thing for my son's birthday. I stood back and looked at it, thinking how happy he was going to be.

With that in mind, I almost skipped up the walk and entered the house. Out comes my nine year old son running up to me, and as I waited to hear the words of gratitude flowing from his lips, he said.... "Dad... I want a badminton set!" Amazingly, he lived!

Digging out of the snow was not bad. It was very light, and did not take long. I think I will probably have to do a little more tomorrow, as it seems to be still snowing here and there. They are saying we may have a bit more come Tuesday, and there is a chance for another storm through here next weekend. If that does happen, I guess we'll have to finally admit that it really is winter here! First time in a long time.

This is the first winter I can remember here where we have had two good sized snowstorms in the same winter, but spread out with 6 weeks in between. In the past, we would have one, and another about a week or so later, and that would be it. Not so this year.

Tomorrow, if they re open, we head to Starbucks!

January 28, 2010 - Paintings in the Living Room

I was sitting in "my"chair in our living room looking at all the things hanging on our walls, things we have collected over the years during our travels here and there, and from the art shows we have attended or participated in.

One of the pieces is a pair of cherubs holding one of those air plants. This we picked up one weekend when we upped and went to New York city's Greenwich Village for a few days. We were just walking down the street and noticed some activity in a school playground. There was a flea market of sorts going on there, so we looked around. We spotted the cherubs lying on a table with other plaster items, many of them not fully dried yet. We asked how much they were, and the man said $10, so we bought them! We handled them very carefully, as we did not want to damage them as we brought them home. Once home, and after they had dried thoroughly, Ginny took a small knife and scraped off the excess plaster. They have been hanging in our living room ever since.

Another piece of art is a small watercolour painting done by a man named C. Booth Farcus. C. Booth was 90 years old when we first met him at a local outdoor art show. He painted these wonderful landscapes of different places, all small paintings, all framed, ready to hang. All of his paintings sold for $35 or less, but, there was a catch. Every woman who purchased one of his paintings had to give him a hug as well.

C. Booth was an interesting man. I wish I had been able to spend more time with him and learn some of the history behind his life. He had an artist friend by the name of Cliff Satterwhite, also an artist, who suffered from a mental disability. Cliff was younger than C. Booth, but C. Booth took care of Cliff. In all the art shows they participated in, it was C. Booth who made sure that Cliff got there safely, was able to put his display stand up, and hang his paintings. Then, of course, C. Booth had to do the same for his own work.

C. Booth would sell every single painting he brought with him, whereas Cliff would never sell a thing. It was not that Cliff's paintings weren't good, because they were excellent, it was because Cliff would not let go of one of his "family". Cliff's paintings were amazing! The man could take a photograph in black and white and create a beautiful painting using little dots of colour, somewhat like pointillism, colours that made one think they were looking at reality instead of a painting. But, Cliff only entered art shows where there were monetary prizes. He just did not want to sell any of his paintings.

There was a man who came by his display stand one show, and saw a painting he really liked. The price was $2200. The conversation went as follows:

"How much is that painting?"

"You don't want that painting," Cliff replied.

"Yes, I do," said the man. He walked over and looked at the price, took out his checkbook and wrote a check. After tearing it out, he went back to Cliff.

"Here," said the man. "I want that painting."

Cliff shook his head. "You don't want that painting."

The man held out his check to Cliff, whereupon Cliff took it, and tore it up while repeating, "You don't want that painting."

The man gave up and walked away.

C. Booth told us that Cliff's mother had left a trust fund for Cliff to live off of, and it was administered by his brother. He said if you ever went into his house you would find paintings stacked against the walls of every room in the house.

I felt back then that once Cliff passed away, he and his art would become very well known. I do not know if Cliff is still alive. I can't believe C. Booth is, as he was 90 when we met him, and that has been many, many years ago. I do, however, cherish the memories of both of them and their ability to make others lives richer simply by being who they were, and giving to us who were fortunate to know them beautiful memories of themselves and their paintings.

January 26, 2010 - Books for teens and other irritations

First, the weather. Supposedly there is a snowstorm headed our way. It is supposed to start Friday and go into Saturday. No one knows how much snow we may get, if any, so we'll see if they are accurate or not. The last time a storm took a similar path as this one, we had almost two feet of snow. But, in the world of weather, as in other things, they predict based on what they think will happen. Personally, I hope they're correct, but, only if it snows during the day so I can watch it!

Tomorrow is Starbucks day! Can't wait!

Now to my topic subject.

How many of you have teenage children or grandchildren? Do they read much? I mean things like books, not text messages, or twitters. There is a section in most book stores that house books for teens. There needs to be a classification on books the same as there is for movies. Why? Because there is some real hard core porn in these books labeled for teens.

I am not one to call for preventing books full of porn being kept from anyone, if that's what they want to read. However, I do draw the line when young teens are being fed books by some authors who start out writing provocative stories for young teens, hook them in with characters that appeal to them, and then start writing hard core porn under the same classification.

I ran into this situation years ago when perusing a book for young ladies written by a well known female author that young girls really liked. She had written books that were supposed to help teens deal with situations they might encounter as they grew up. All well and good. Until I picked up her latest book at the time and began to read.

I couldn't believe what I read. Within its pages was hard core porn, using words to describe in detail acts that belonged in Hustler, or Penthouse. The only thing missing were the photos. Fortunately, I had no young girls to worry about. As I stood there, a girl of about ten saw the new book, and immediately ran to her mother wanting to know if she could buy it for her to read. I didn't stick around to see the outcome. I only hoped that the mother would pick up the book and read some of it before she bought it.

Now, do I believe that young people are not aware of these things? Nope! They undoubtedly are. However, they also know about garbage cans, and we wouldn't allow our children to dig around garbage cans just because they might be curious would we? I wouldn't.

Anyone who thinks it okay for they're children to read books that have things in them like a teenage girl who takes drugs and really likes the way they make her feel, and therefore is more than willing to have sex with anyone who her drug supplying boy friend brings around, and to display herself doing certain things in front of a webcam while high, as she puts it, have at it! Then you can sit around and wonder why your kid needs to go to drug rehab over and over, or enjoy the fact that certain things show up on the internet with your naked daughters performing for the cameras...

And to all the moms who allow their 11 and 12 year old daughters to dress like hookers, stop getting mad when some disgusting old pervert ogles her, or for that matter, abducts her. If you do not want this to happen, then it's up to you to stop it before it starts.

I am going to speak to the manager of the B&N Store when I go next time and tell them what I think of them selling porn to teenagers, and suggest someone read the books for young teens and put a warning label on them. And no, I do not believe anything will come of it since no one cares anymore.