On the Road Again . . .

The Kay has been busy with assorted nonsense -- my days have been consumed with bureaucratic baloney, trying to organize some things, politics, and packing. I am heading up to Toledo on Tuesday to visit my stepmother. I always enjoy my trips to the city I call home. I play cards with Barb and her buddies and take her shopping, etc. because she doesn't drive anymore. One thing she always wants to do is visit my dad's grave. I'm not into that much because I think Dad is somewhere else -- only his bones are there. Still, I say a prayer and I think he knows we're there and glad to see us.

The best part is wandering the neighborhood where I grew up. I don't think I appreciated how extraordinary it was in my youth. I did enjoy being able to ride my bike anywhere safely and visit my friends safely. It's weird because it still feels like home despite my being away from there for decades. What really strikes me as weird is driving by our house. There were probably a dozen and a half houses on our block and living in those homes were probably 75 kids -- most of whom were always outside playing whatever the season -- often in the street. Today that doesn't appear to happen and I rarely see a soul when I visit and that makes me sad. We lived in the middle of the block and our house was often the site of games like tag or hide and seek after dark in which my dad often participated along with 20 or 30 kids. We mostly got along because we were taught to play well with others and bullying was huge no-no. It was a nice place to grow up and I appreciate that I had that blessing.

Here's a prayer that I think is very timely for our world today. A tip of my Thinking Cap to Blue Gal for reminding me of it.

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

I'm going to put up a few things I've gathered so I won't be totally absent here. I'll be back on Friday or Saturday. Here's the song for this week!!!!



Hope y'all are having a great day!!!! AND don't forget that you can go to your local Board of Elections and vote early if you wish.

Happy Blogging!!!!!

Kay

Some Good Advice for Elders

In case no one noticed, May is Senior Citizens month (while I'd like that changed to Elders Month, I'm not going to war . . . yet.) so I'm going to do a few posts on aging now and then.

I receive a newsletter via email twice each month from the Ohio Department of Aging called "Aging Issues". It always is interesting and informative and relevant for elders and it keeps me informed of programs and services available to Ohio elders. They also have an excellent website. I enjoy both so much that I wonder if other states do something similar or if they even have a Department of Aging like we do. What does your state do for elders?

I think that most of us find driving a bigger hassle as we get older. Our days of playing Mario Andretti are over. "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" that Jan & Dean made famous in our youth is a rarity. Heck! I bet Jan & Dean have slowed down a lot, too. I think I'm happier in little Miss Ruby than I ever was in the 383 4-barrel convertible of my misspent youth and I'd rather dawdle along city streets or country roads than join the terrors of the Ohio Turnpike or the Interstate highway system. I swear they try to eat Miss Ruby and I alive.

In fact, I'm exploring an alternate route for my trip to Toledo to avoid the latter. I like seeing the little burgs and stopping at Mom & Pop restaurants for coffee or lunch. I don't think that faster is always better. Getting there is half the fun for me. And not having a big fat semi on my bumper lowers the stress. 'Sides all you see on the Turnpike are signs about the next service plaza while you're doing what I call the "orange barrel polka". Unfortunately, I haven't figured out a way around the huge new bridge across the Maumee River so it will be "white knuckle" time.

This trip I plan to take pictures of the house where I grew up -- I might even knock on the door and talk to the people who live there now -- and I'm going to stop in Greenwich (pronounced 'green-witch' not 'grenitch') where we lived when I was born and look around and take photos. I'll probably also wander around the Point and see what's changed. I've promised Barb that we will go visit my dad's grave and take flowers -- she doesn't drive anymore. I'm going to have to be stoic -- I didn't cry through the whole thing when Dad died until the honor guard fired their salute at the cemetery -- and then I fell apart and sobbed uncontrollably. On another level, I think I know why that happened but I'm not going to go there.

All that said, I'm looking forward to my 'sentimental journey' and here's Doris Day with her first #1 hit when she sang with Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Enjoy!!!! My dad used to sing this song to me.



Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kay