PAINTING PROJECT

I’ve seen those shows on HGTV where they make over a house in a day

They wear expensive clothes, finish in an hour, don’t get dirty and still have time to play.

So with that picture in our minds we woke up early whistling a happy tune

We decided to paint our living room and figured we’d be done by noon.

We started at 7:30 in the morning and it didn’t take us long to see

That painting is done much faster by those people on HGTV.

What slowed us up I wondered? Then the answer began to unfold.

It seems the two people painting our room had gotten a little old.

I’m not sure if all that bending and squatting was doing us any harm

But I haven’t heard that much grunting and groaning since we visited pigs down on the farm.

In truth we were working fairly quickly, we’re not that old after all

But it wasn’t until after noon that we started to roll out one wall.

By 12:30 we were looking so good that I was about to gloat

Until Deborah assessed the situation and said, “It’s going to need one more coat.”

It gave us a chance to take some Tylenol, eat some lunch and wonder why

Those people on HGTV never wait for their paint to dry.

“It must be magic paint,” Deborah surmised, “that dries immediately.”

I was starting to think they lied to us, those folks over at HGTV.

The second coat went on easily and it’s a good thing I had on old clothes

Because I had paint on my hands, on my arms, in my hair and a few drops fell on my nose.

It was 2:00 when the second coat dried, and I looked at my watch with restraint

As Deborah began taping off the baseboards that were waiting for their coat of paint.

At 5:30 Deborah’s was still finishing the project we thought would be done by noon

We were tired, we were hungry, we still hadn’t showered--it was like something out of a cartoon.

“It does look great.” I said when we finished and Deborah had to agree.

‘But I wonder,” I asked as I picked up the brushes- Who does the clean up on HGTV?

So the next time Deborah’s watching HGTV I’ll remind her to remember when

It took us 10 hours to paint one tiny room and I’ll switch it to ESPN.

THE BENEFITS OF BACON

The women’s Kansas State Basketball team is known as the Lady Wildcats

And it is to their resourceful ingenuity that we may all now take off our hats.

To beef up attendance for this Friday’s game..no, I am not at all mistaken

They decided to forego free shirts or hats and give away free bacon!

You can appeal to their love of sport, you can hope their school spirit is strong

But appealing to their bacon love is a promotion that can never go wrong.

You have to admit the aroma of bacon leaves one with a lasting impression

But in many people, and we know who we are, it has led to a bacon obsession.

When I awake in the morning sometimes I feel a little wobbly on my old legs

But I quickly get my energy back when I pair bacon with my fried eggs.

At lunch if I’m craving bacon I might do something quite insane

Like taking some eggs, cheese, bacon and dough and making a quiche lorraine. 

At dinner a bacon cheeseburger will always make me cheer

Especially when I wash it down with a cold pint of bacon beer.

But the uses for bacon do not stop with 3 square meals...no way!

There are many more creative and ingenious ways to fit bacon into your day.

Sure it may sound a little crazy or maybe it’s just a wild phase

But my favorite food enhancer is something called Baconnaise!

Bacon now comes is chocolate bars, or brownies or ice cream

And chicken fried bacon or a bacon bouquet will make for some pleasant dreams.

It comes in strips or little bits; in a BLT it’s the first letter

Because everyone knows that bacon makes any food taste better.

I’m not sure of bacon’s place in the science of taxonomy

But bacon as far as I’m concerned is the duct tape of gastronomy.

I bet Republicans and Democrats would agree on any law they’er makin’

If they negotiated while sharing a pile of crispy, fried bacon!

Doctor’s tell us that bacon’s unhealthy, a fact all bacon lovers know

But if bacon’s going to kill me...then what a way to go!

If that tasty treat does contribute to ending my life one day

Then line my coffin with bacon and send me on my way

For if there is a heaven above and I am part of some divine celestial plan

Then God will meet me at the gates of heaven with bacon fried up in a pan.

So good luck Lady Wildcats, I hope you win Friday night and win big

Because we all know bacon is wonderful...as long as your not a pig.

A SHORT POEM

Today’s rhyme is a short one filled with humor, filled with wit

Because when you’re finished reading this line you’re finished reading it.

THE SPEED LIMIT

When Deborah and I drive long distances there is never any debate

We love to take to the back roads and stay off of the interstate.

We decided when the children were little, it doesn’t matter how near or how far

The start of our vacation was always the minute we got in the car.

It usually made the trip a little longer but none of us seemed to care

Our goal was to arrive at the place we were going as well as have fun getting there.

Coming back from North Carolina this time we took the back roads and it was great

Even so there are times whether we like it or not when we can’t avoid the old interstate.

We set our cruise control on the speed limit because from speeding we also abstain

We happily drive the posted speed as we cruise down the middle lane.

But I’ll pose this question to the masses, can somebody please tell me why

If I am going the speed limit, everyone else keeps passing me by?

I don’t think I am an old fogey, it’s just for safety and serenity I strive

For not only do I want to get where I’m going...I want to get there alive.

So many vehicles passed us with drivers using gestures meant to malign

That I assumed they were from other countries and couldn’t read the speed limit signs.

For instance a big truck pulling a long trailer filled with horses went by us in such a blur.

I couldn’t tell what state they came from or count how many horses there were.

A van with a ‘Safety is our Business’ sign must have been going at least 95

He was speeding so fast to show how safe he was I just hope that he got there alive.

A truck filled with new cars and vans passed me so fast it should be a crime

For a humongous truck with 6 vehicles on top to all pass me at the same time.

Finally a white haired woman from California with a bumper sticker from the Rose Bowl

Went by me so fast I had to wonder if her car was out of control.

When a little old lady from Pasadena passes you (I believe she called me a bad name)

You have to remember as you’re driving the speed limit not to feel embarrassment or shame.

I could go on and on with my tribulations but I promise not to bore you anymore

I’ll leave you with one thought as you’re driving...What the hell is the speed limit for?

So the next time you approach a blue Honda Fit on the highway as I have no doubt that someday you will

And you wonder if he’s going the speed limit as you pass him like he’s standing still

Don’t concern yourself with how slow he’s going, you don’t have to wonder why.

Just smile and wave to the driver...and I’ll wave back as you quickly whiz by.

CHANGING OF THE LEAVES

We came to the mountains in October after retirement we achieved

To start our new adventure and witness the changing of the leaves.

As we headed up the road to our cabin, immediately we slowed

Our attention focused on the fallen leaves that were beginning to carpet the road.

Stepping out we noticed the trees seemed much brighter than before

As if hinting at the coming miracles and wonders they had in store.

Each morning we were greeted by the sun and a cool October breeze

Our eyes darted from one color to the next ‘neath the changing kaleidoscope of trees

We found it nearly impossible to focus on one particular hue

From the oranges, yellows and reds of the trees to the heavens dressed in blue.

We were honored to be a witness at the season of Autumn’s birth.

Then quickly we felt the evanescence as one leaf drifted down to the Earth.

The constant falling of colors put this vacation and our life into context

For as Autumn slowly gives way to the winter, one adventure gives way to the next.

It was wonderful to travel to the mountains and among the leaves to roam

But time, as she moves ever onward was calling us back home

We left the mountains with smiles on our faces and memories fresh in our heads

Still wondering where this new adventure will take us and feeling like newlyweds.

It seems to me we live our life in moments that are continuously rearranging

And it’s up to us to find our happiness as the world around is changing.

Yes, life is one transformation after another…that’s what i perceive

Seems to me we have a lot in common with the changing of the leaves.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE

Deborah and I spent October in the mountains, enjoying the Autumnal views

We were going to leave on the 31st but Bryan made us and offer we couldn’t refuse.

He asked if we wanted to see the Biltmore House Christmas tree when it arrives November 1^st

Then we remembered, “Hey, we’re retired!”, so our plans we immediately reversed.

The Biltmore Estate Christmas tree (we got our information from reliable sources)

Is 35 feet tall and enters the grounds on a carriage drawn by two horses.

As if seeing the tree wasn’t enough then let me offer more proof

Bryan said we could watch the festivities from atop the Biltmore House roof.

So from a balcony up on the roof with the colors of fall all around

We watched the Christmas season enter through a gate on the Biltmore House grounds.

We felt blessed to watch the merging of the seasons, as the sky cleared and out came the sun

But the biggest blessing of the day was sharing it all with our son.

A month surrounded by the colors of fall, is enough to warm any heart

But standing on the roof with Deborah and Bryan got this season off to a great start.

As I stood up there marveling at Bryan, our son, and smiling at Deborah, my wife

I thought what a special moment…then I wondered about these moments in my life.

What is it that makes them so special?  Let me now help unravel this myth.

What makes the moments in one’s life special are the ones we share those moments with.

100 PAPER CRANES

When we dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima back in 1945

80,000 people died instantly the rest thought they were lucky to be alive.

But, after the bomb, radiation rained like it had never rained before.

And it took 10 years for that black rain’s effects to kill 200,000 more.

Sadako Sasaki was only two years old when we dropped the bomb that day

And she was 12 when the black rain’s cancer took her life away.

While Sadako and many others were losing strength they would never regain

Strangers sent them the gift of senbazuru- 1000 paper cranes.

The crane in Japan and other cultures is a symbol of long life

They were sent to ease the suffering, the sickness and the strife.

Tradition states folding 1000 origami cranes will make one’s life enchanted

When completed they’re given one wish to the crane and that wish will be granted.

Sadako, whose 12 year old heart was so innocent and pure

Immediately started folding paper cranes…her one wish would be a cure.

She reached 1000 origami cranes then made a wish to stay alive

But alas, her wish was never granted, she died in 1955.

Sadako’s friends and classmates thought Sadako would be thrilled

If they could find a way to remember every child the atom bombs killed.

Their excitement was infectious, soon many people would lend a hand

And before they knew it the movement had spread across the land.

2 ½ years after Sadako’s death with the money her story created

The Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima was finally dedicated.

On a giant pedestal sit’s a bronze statue of Sadako, no longer in any pain

A sweet smile forever crosses her face as she holds a paper crane.

But the story doesn’t end there because if you listen you will hear

The silent voices of the 10 tons of cranes the monument receives each year.

And today as war and enmity continue to show the worst part of mankind

Look closely in their aftermath at the cranes that are left behind.

You see, I believe a majority of people in this world pray desperately for peace

Perhaps that’s why the number of cranes continues to increase

So today I’ve started folding cranes for all children and Sadako’s sake

You see, when I reach 1000, I have a wish to make.

My wish will be that peace will come from a simple origami crane

Then Sodako and all the children killed in wars would not have died in vain.