The dogs took me walking the other day as we usually do and along the way we passed not one but three young men each running separately setting a trend as they moved gracefully forward striding along in effortless movement covering the ground with graceful ease and moving at a respectable speed I looked at the dogs as they dragged me along cursing under my breath with each furlong suffering agonies with each step that we took wishing I was at home with a book instead of getting pulled here and there as the dogs could smell the scent in the air of others dogs that had passed before we had even got out of the door actually this is not close to true Sandy does drag as we continue to walk along at a pretty fast pace at least for me although it’s no race especially when compared to the men who have just run on by and then back again in the time that it takes us a few yards they have galloped along without any regards to the effort it takes but oh to be young and join with them and their run alas my running days are long gone and I am content to carry on with Sandy always taking the lead pulling Mikey and me along like a steed and that is the way that it will be as old age has taken its toll on me I hope these young men through the years will continue to run through the gears staying healthy and fit as long as they can for running is cheap since time began and do not let life get in the way of staying healthy and fit or have any say doing it as fast as they can with thousands of runners throughout the land.
I have this friend who called to say that he is ready to work away at replacing the stone out in the front and would I come to show him how it should be done.
I asked him “Why do you want it gone. What is wrong with it that it needs to be changed”? He thought for a bit and then replied, “My girlfriend doesn’t like it there and as it’s her house, what can I do except as she really wants me to”.
I answered him and said,” Well, if that’s the case who am I to stand in the way. I’ll be round tomorrow and then we can start, removing the old stone and stacking it high into my trailer better I say, I’ll help with your project and show how it’s done and you can be the number one man with the shovel and do the hard work and I will plan and make sure you don’t shirk any of the stuff she wants you to do”.
So I showed up with BMW X5, towing my trailer behind and George had a friend helping him work. He said “I’m Abel and I’m helping George level the sand and place the new bricks into place to fix it up and make it look good just the way we know we should”.
I said, “How do you do, we can do with your help. Here, let’s lay out the square using this metal edge and then when we’re through you and George can help load my trailer this day as back to my house where I will stop to unload the rock”.
But first I had to get close to the pile of rock that I wanted them to load. They both helped direct me to where I should drive the car and the trailer with one on each side. One would say”Left” and wiggle his hands The other said “Right” with all of his might I knew that between them we were not going far so I ignored them both and used all of my skill to back that trailer back up the hill until I had it where it needed to be.
It took longer to back the trailer between the trees and bushes that were in the way not counting the poor directions I had than it did to load out the trailer that day.
I bid them goodbye as they started to work on leveling sand and replacing the dirt for the base must be level, no hollows or hills in order to lay stone without using fill.
For not only do they want the stone to look good not Abel or I want George to feel sad with the wrath of his girlfriend for he is the one that will suffer this day if it’s not done the way she envisions, straight and true to enhance her house so she too can feel proud.
Contemporary resort geometric stone tile walkway with repeating pattern 2 (Photo credit: Brian Reynolds)
Tomorrow I plan on going back to reload my trailer with more of the rock and take a look at the work they have done and to cast my very experienced eye with suggestions to make if it doesn’t fly in the eyes of the boss-lady with the final word as she is the one that we need to please if George is to live in any kind of peace.
She knows that I’m kidding or I hope that she does because unreasonable she is not and she knows how hard it can be working out in the heat of 90 plus degrees. At a job where the workers are doing their best in conditions and work that has put us all to the test.
BeBe in the middle of the jungle that is my garden.
One of my little dogs got sick and was moping around and not herself so for a couple of days I checked and waited in the hope that a trip to the Vet’s would not a necessity be in order to bring her back to health.
Alas for it was not to be as she did not improve with time if anything her condition got worse and out of bed she refused to climb eating she stopped which is not her way as one thing she always did a lot was to finish her food and look for more even though in the end I stopped giving her extra as weight she was adding to her little body it did not look good so like Weight Watchers, my little dog on a diet was placed and her treats were rationed and replaced with more exercise of which she enjoyed as she would chase after her toys.
This was done some time ago so I knew it had nothing to do with her currently not feeling well so something else was the problem here. I picked up the phone and called my Vet and Cyndi recognized my name “How are you today” she politely asked “and what is it we can do for you?”
For those of you who have followed my tales will remember when I wrote about another of my pets, Mini who unfortunately was beyond our help and sadly we had to say goodbye and I took her home and buried her deep as she sleeps her everlasting sleep next to her friend Manley.
Both are buried in the yard out in the garden so peaceful and still with small statues of their breed above to watch over them until others will join them for that is the way I like to remember all of my pets who over the years have been faithful to me so that we do not forget.
BeBe
An appointment I made with Cyndi that day and Be Be and I went on our way to visit  our friends at the Veterinary Clinic so that Dr Vargas could check and see what he thought was wrong with Be Be.
Diagnosing an illness in a pet is a lot more difficult that one would expect as animals have no way to help and it’s the skill of the Doctor that will find out what is troubling the animal and given the signs in this case teeth cleaning was top of the list followed by an ultrasound of her tummy to see if her gall bladder was infected as the Doctor suspected that in all probability that’s what the problem would be.
So with heavy heart my little friend I did leave in the hopes that everything would turn out OK as complications have been known to set in any time that surgery is performed.
Dr. Vargas diagnosis proved correct as her gall bladder was a terrible mess all cloudy and messy where it should be clean and clear for the Doctor to see that it’s removal was needed in order for Be Be to start to feel better and her old self to be.
Later that day Dr. Vargas did call to give me the news that Be Be was fine and that overnight she would need to stay in order to recover from the way her small body would take the shock of losing a part whether needed or not.
The next day to the Office happily I did drive because my friend was very much alive and waiting for me to pick her up and take her home so that she could be back with her extended family who at the door did welcome her back and sniffed around as if to say “Glad your here, do you plan to stay?”
Keeping the critters out
Be Be is her old self again, trucking around the yard and sniffing the ground recognizing the smells of her special places as she runs with Richie as the two of them go, hunting for rats but settling instead on lizards and frogs on their short legs just acting like dogs and guarding the place as the sign says.
One week later we had to return so a check of Be Be’s health could be made. This time Dr. Hurwitz checked her and declared that she was recovering just as he said.
Dr Hurwitz and I go back  a long way as my Vet he has been for many years even when I was still married then he treated our pets although different ones and that was almost 20 years ago as time marches and does not go slow.
My friends at the Vets have come through again working their magic for those who I care making them feel better and helping me through the difficult times Dr’s. Hurwitz, Donop, Varga have all been involved in some special way with my group of pets, helped by others who in no particular order Jillian and Shannon, Cyndi and Trish, Pam and Jeremy are who I can name, there may be more of this I am not sure but my thanks goes out to one and all.
With recognition and thanks to Austin Veterinary Diagnostic Hospital at Oak Springs in Austin, Texas
I opened up a can of worms for daring to suggest that women would the masters be somewhere that is best left for time to decide but one thing I am sure that men regardless of the fight will masters be no more.
For those of you who do not believe you only need to look at what is happening in your home your maleness that you took for granted is in doubt as your wife is finding you out and is questioning things more and more, things that were never questioned before as in the early days of marital bliss there was nothing that was amiss but now the honeymoon has gone and with it the strengths that you relied on.
All over the world this fight goes on, women are demanding more and yet some men without a doubt do not intend for women to flout anything they may have won in their fight for it is not done nor is it finished just barely begun.
In countries that more modern be the fight is about equality equal pay for equal work advancement that is earned in kind by the brilliance of her mind and not because a number she to fill a quota or worse yet to satisfy some other cause that in the end will prove too difficult for her to tend.
Equal pay for equal work:Â
Some men want things to remain the same as second class citizens every one their place is at home babies to mind, they should not be out where others can find that they have views and opinions too and in many cases speak the truth of what women can give in this masculine world as they advance with flags unfurled.
Those men fear the thing I wrote that women sometime eventually will be the leaders in society and those same men fear the worst as no longer control they will have in the lives of these women who are their wives.
Rise up you men and take your place and decide where you are in this race are you satisfied the way things are, do you wish less aggressive your wife to be would you like her to act more romantically and forget this nonsense she has in her mind to take over the world and be one of a kind or would you prefer that a leader she be to take over from you in eternity as the head of the house, Queen of her throne as she is the leader of you and your home.
Whatever you want it matters not as women will take their place in this world and regardless of any fight you may have the women will win and you will become, the second class citizen to their number one.
The outcome of such a stupendous event of women in charge is that men will relent in their claim to be masters and in fact will be nothing more than servants and chattels and at the same time their bidding will do without complaint or malice as only too glad are they to be included in this new day.
I woke up at 9:00 am and lay there for a bit thinking about the previous night when we had all woken up with it being too warm in Miss Daisy. I remembered that I had turned the thermostat up last evening and had forgotten to turn it back to around 72 degrees, our usual night time setting. Sandy, in the meantime had gotten too hot and I found her in her dog basket on the floor of the RV. Then I also remembered that yesterday it was 10:00 am at this same time and that probably, the dogs interior clocks had not yet adjusted. I crawled out somewhat reluctantly and showered before heading out of the door for the first walk of the day. We covered a bit under a half mile for the walk around the park meeting a couple of our tethered doggy friends along the way with mutual barking from both sides. Back in Miss Daisy and after breakfast, I cleaned up a bit although that doesn’t take too long by my standards. Not sure if it would satisfy a consciences housewife though as my version of clean is a quick pass over with a dust cloth, vacuum the floor and put things out of sight in the cabinets where usually, I can never remember where I put the stuff when I need it and have to go searching for whatever it is. As the RV is so small with not a great deal of cabinet and drawer space to lose things in, they eventually reappear.
With breakfast out of the way, I settled down to write. I realized that I had already written a couple of short poems that needed posting so decided that I should start posting on Saturdays and that will be Poetry Day. I am a bit late making this announcement as I went backwards with the posting and three Saturday’s worth of poems have already been posted. Better late than never, as it is, I am posted through the end of November with the regular blogs and most of them cover two days at a time.
It was time to go grocery shopping at Walmart’s in Livingstone, a short trip of about 12 miles with absolutely beautiful scenery on the drive. I passed Livingstone Dam but could only get a glimpse as there was nowhere to pull off the road. I am going to visit that State Park, hopefully this week but definitely before we leave here. We do have a little time yet. Like I said before, this Walmart store is huge and had almost everything that I wanted. The exception was a skin cream that contains a sunblock and for some reason, out of the many brands they carried, I could not find what I wanted. While I was at the register, the lady behind me had a whole cartful of green apples and I had to ask her why so many. Something to do with Green Apple Day at the school. I got everything else on my list and rewarded myself with a Grande Latte from the Starbucks next door. Another good reason to go grocery shopping. The drive back was uneventful and again, very pleasant except for some object that I managed to run over not seeing it until the last minute. Hopefully, the Jeep has not sustained any damage.
The dogs were overjoyed at my return and it was already getting dark so I put away only the groceries that needed to go into the freezer, left the rest in the bags inside of Miss Daisy and we set off around the park. Altogether, we covered 2.3 miles for the day, 1.2 of that was me walking around Walmart’s. On the way, Sandy made friends with a very young puppy who was just a month old according to his Mom. Mikey, not so much but at least he didn’t try to eat it. Mikey is a funny little dog and is as timid as they come and then all of a sudden, he lunges at whatever is in front of him. I don’t know what would happen if he actually made contact but I suspect that he would chicken out again as he usually does. We put the rest of the groceries away and then I fed the dogs and settled down to finish this blog before feeding myself and watching the television for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday 11/09/2021
The Beauty of Nature
We managed to get up around 9:00 am which is not surprising as my on board clock still is working an hour ahead having not yet adjusted to the change. We went for a stroll around the park and met a couple of other dogs and their owners. Not very many people about and we only walked for about a half mile before heading back to Miss Daisy for breakfast. I talked to the Super who happened to be driving by and asked him about the one Tiny House that he has located here. He told me that he rents it out and when I asked, replied that he is glad he only has one as it doesn’t get used that much. Interesting. I tidied up Miss Daisy before settling down to write and work on the couple of pictures I took yesterday on the trail. Apart from the skull that I showed in a previous blog, I also found another whimsy.
Not sure what it is other than a decoration.
We spent a couple of hours working on this blog and on a few pictures that I had taken before heading out for our afternoon walk. We have had to re-adjust our timing a little bit now that the clocks have changed and get out a bit earlier as their is no reason to walk in the dark. It is taking a little bit of getting used to as it getting dark so early. I stopped to talk to Ron, the camper on my left who has the two little Chihuahuas and another small dog of uncertain breed. He told me that one of his dogs is now probably pregnant as she was jumped by the other Chihuahua. I don’t know why he hasn’t got them spayed as he doesn’t need more dogs. Now he has another problem to deal with, or will have soon. Maybe, he can’t afford to have them “fixed”. We met several people on our walk around and stopped to chat with a couple of them before continuing on back to Miss Daisy where we went about preparing the evening meal and then watched the television before retiring around 11:00 pm.
I walked out in the yard today and took a look around Mother Nature has busy been as plants grow from the ground. Most are small buds so tender yet and require more time to grow But its a start and we all know that Nature can get it wrong. As frosts may still be lurking, damage to create we hope this is not so and it’s too late to spoil the growth that’s started here to give us a good start to have a yard so beautiful a pleasure for all to see with flowers and growth so lush and green makes it all worthwhile to me and others who come to take a look with no yard of their own the pleasure they get from seeing mine brings joy and happiness to define their love of all things green and fresh and Mother Nature at her best.
My friends took me to lunchtoday for your birthday, they did say. Pat and Fran led the way for they are the friends who did say come, let us take you to lunch today. With two beautiful ladies for company why would I want to say I can’t go to lunch today.
Where I was expecting a birthday cake fish and chips instead for we did take our lunch at Catfish Parlor where birthday cake is not served there
No matter, the fish and chips were good taking me back to my childhood and beyond for thirty years or so before to America I did go and fish and chips of the English kind the meal today did bring to mind.
Thank you, my friends for it was kind of you to take me to lunch and find a dish that I could really enjoy and even though we did not have cake it matters not the food for the sake of friendship to dinner we did partake and the birthday was just an excuse for good friends to share time together.
Another birthday has come and gone this one no different from the rest like the others just a card or two a birthday call from my friends who wished me all the very best to be another year older.
Those that called all said the same. You look good not changed a bit just like you always have but with a little less hair, a wrinkle or two an extra pound to carry around another year older.
This year is different as it seems messages received by electronic means on Facebook, Twitter and my blog too all wishing Many Happy Returns and for all of my years, not left behind messages of the electronic kind but the fact remains for all of my skill IÂ cannot change nor have the will another year older
The messages all did say Happy Birthday, enjoy the day we are sure you will in your own way we know that you are happy to celebrate this life with the view of another year older.
One of these days The Lord will come knocking my soul to take and my body to rotting in my grave when the time comes around the time when is normally found my Birthday to celebrate here on earth no longer will happen for I will be to all of my friends just a memory and no longer will my friends say another year older.
With heartfelt Thanks to all of those that remembered my Birthday. I love you all…
Today will be my birthday, again Seventy Six this makes and all have been most welcome for at no time did I find no longer a birthday I wanted this time this birthday no different from the previous five will be spent at home with my dogs and my cats and the fish too as they do splash happy birthday they say all with one mind to make it the best for we are here and to us you are more precious, more dear. Happy Birthday dear friend they all do recite even though you don’t hear us we see the light of one more birthday as it comes your way from us, your friends, have a wonderful day.
The last twenty years alone have I been no mate to share how I spend my life no one, it’s true, to give me strife but no one to love unless animals do count as endless of them have I shared as I mount the stairway of life as on it goes when it will end only God knows but one thing is certain that in this life birthdays do count even with the strife they may bring as without them it’s true life as we know it does not renew.
Every life has a purpose of this we are sure what it is may not always be an open door but unless suffering in body or in mind with open arms each birthday we find through one more year not shedding a tear of all of life’s troubles whatever you hear with that in mind we have nothing to fear except fear itself as we march bravely on looking for the next verse in this song of life as its inevitable end we must mind and no more birthdays we’ll have of the earthly kind.
The little boys are back and say teach us more on how to play this game that we think is fun not just us but everyone who has ever kicked a ball they, like the boys, come back for more.
Yesterday, the first training we had in more than a month, it’s too bad that our coach had us running laps which is nothing new but he surprised us all and with sprints we did run against the other team and fun and games was had by all as one team was better by far and left the other team behind left them eating their dust and grime.
The coach promised that even we’ll get at training on Thursday, for it’s a safe bet that the team that won on Tuesday will find that they too will be left behind and it will be there turn to say we didn’t run very well today.
The year is now twenty twelve Is that significant you may ask only to those whose age extends beyond that when the tasks of running and jumping and being young and loving and laughing has long passed. Until all that is left in this shell of a man are desires and thoughts and memories when all of those things he was able to do he does through others unbeknownst to them he lives off their youth and absorbs their hunger for life even though they haven’t a clue that by his teaching, sharing and playing too is yet another way for him to hide growing old before his time.
Young and old and in between we are all living the impossible dream of that day when our maker must face and we can say that in our place we did run and jump and play with the best and when the time came we did not rest but passed on what we had learned in our life that others may learn and without strife our place to take in this world of life.
I am glad in this world I have lived all these years The things I have seen and the stories I have heard All the good and the bad and the regular things All the hoping and wishing and impossible dreams The things that between them make up this life The good stuff and bad stuff and stuff that makes strife
Where would we be if we didn’t have stuff What would we do if life was enough With our dreams and our hopes and our thoughts of the same Moments of glory, of wealth and of fame
And along this road that we tread as we go we pile on more stuff to add to the load of the already burden of doubt and of fear as we add to the stuff that life brings each year.
As if stuff was not just the mind burdening kind we add to it with the physical find of all of the things that our world can supply Stuff we must have if just for the day
After that, we can throw it away as no longer will it of interest be as it joins the other stuff we have hidden in attics and closets, garages and sheds in boxes and cases and other places too anywhere to add to the unwanted stuff one day we find, “Look at this, Look what I found. Didn’t know that I still had this around. This is something I need. Boy, what a day. glad that I kept all this stuff”. we do say.
And to the stores we eagerly seek more stuff of the kind when our resolve is weak and we bring it home and use it one time maybe twice if it was a real find then into the closet, spare bedroom or shed does it go to join the rest of the stuff.
Oh! what a beautiful day, I stand outside in the sun and say “Where else would I want to be today”? The truth of the matter is that I can think of no better place to be than in Austin in Texas in January. The temperature is so sublime, the sun is warm, the weather is fine, this evening the temperature colder will feel and it might go down to 30 degrees but even with this little freeze will not dampen the spirits raised during the day when the sun feels so warm to make us say “Oh what a beautiful day”.
It used to be six months ago when I was sitting around and things were slow trying to find something to do, something useful, something new.
Generally, I would find something of the physical kind as that is what I have always done when I am of the mind that something I need to do today in the yard that I can say, “Look at this, look what I have done, different from I did before” as I view my work and feel so fine that I was not wasting my time.
Now, I am much older and know that physical things no longer show as top of the list when things are slow as they used to years ago.
My thoughts turn to the writing thing, a story or poem anything is better to fill my time instead of things of the physical kind.
It’s not that I am a lazy man, far be it for I have found that I enjoy working hard and things I take to put together, something to make or a garden to shape so that things will grow, flowers will bloom and people will know that it did not happen all by itself, it took a little work from me and Nature and God and between we three we have turned what we have for all to see into this thing of lasting beauty.
I walked around the garden today To see what Nature had to say Being winter this time of year Brings frosts that can be very severe So far we have but a couple of light freezes Enough to kill the tenderest of greenery The hardiest plants have withstood the touch Of Mother Natures icy fingers and such Are the sights that today I see As I walk around the garden for me A chance to see what remains to be found Now that Nature has levelled all growth to the ground
After the frosts their havoc did wreak I busied myself in the garden to keep The worst of the frozen material at bay And cut and raked and collected it up And placed it on the pile of dead stuff To rot and to turn into compost so fine That on the garden be placed to complete the rhyme Things grow, things die, things rot and return Back to the soil from whence they began.
After the frost
The garden so green and so fine with lush growth Will return when Spring with the sun and her warmth Decide that Winter has now long gone And time for the cycle to renew again Once more to fill the garden with hope And growth will begin where today there is none All it takes is rain and a lot of sun And the loving care of folks just like me Who believe that Nature can use some help To shape itself and with its growth Renew itself again and again. The only help that folks like me Are to the garden, it’s plain to see That some sort of order of which there is none The way Nature grows it she lets it become A wild and somewhat unruly beast But that’s only because in our orderly minds Things have to be in some sort of lines Whereas Nature is happy to have things grow Any which way its true as long as a show Of beauty she puts on for all to see Mother Nature is here for eternity
It will grow back
And when we are gone and that we must face In this World is Nature with her beauty and grace No more will mankind with their orderly minds Disturb what is now Mother Nature’s kind.
Poems from my Archives. Originally Published 10/05/2011
It came on to rain at my house today the dogs who had all gone out to play came rushing back in with fear in their eyes and it took me a while to realize they had not seen rain for months and months and for them, this strange phenomenon this wet stuff falling from the skies was hard for them to realize that Mother Nature, after all this time was showing them the way it should be and that one hundred degree days are now history and with one stroke of her brush, one wave of her wand we may be making up for lost time and more, much more of this wet stuff we’ll see as this summer goes down in history as the hottest on record since records were kept and that humans who for losses had wept that now it is Fall and with any luck much more of the wet stuff will come our way to make up for the small amount today.
We humans think we are so smart with our historical resources and our art our technical skills and our flight to the moon and all the other things that soon makes us top dog on this planet called Earth and yet, we do not have the final say when it comes to things not going our way Mother Nature is the controlling force using her might as a resource to bring on the rain and other things too, thunder, lightning all the bad stuff as if to say, “Rain is not enough wait and see what I have in store” before you start asking for more.
We humans are so feeble and puny when Mother Nature vents her fury we are but pawns in this great game of life as we struggle and strain to manage the strife that Mother Nature can bring and we have little control over what it is she decides for us all but wait, life is so very sweet and with this in mind we keep getting ready to face insurmountable odds what each day brings, whatever the cost we can do it, we can, we will not live in fear as with nature, we have learned life is dear and we will live each day on this earth, without strife as though it’s the first day of the rest of our life.
For tomorrow brings another day and hopefully rain will come our way.
Poems from my Archives. Originally Published 11/08/2011
The old man lay in his bed not moving much except in his head. His thoughts were whirling round and round as he remembered things and places, thoughts of oh so long ago when he was young and all the faces of those he had known he tried to recall but alas his memory could not relate to all of those whose fate he did not know or those of him as between them many years had passed and for this old man would soon be the last. For most of his friends were already gone to that distant place beyond where old men go when they are through with this life here on earth.
The old man lay in his bed thinking of all of the pets he had over the years they came in all sizes, dogs and cats, horses with bridles, saddles for riding and then there was Zippo, his faithful old horse who was just like a dog, would follow him around and nuzzle him looking for goodies and hand outs of the kind that only horses find, good enough to eat. Zippo lived to be thirty six years old and right at the end his spirit was strong and only the ravages of time slowed him down and he died in the arms of his long time friend.
The old man lay in his bed and wondered of the wives he had had when he was much younger, of the good times and bad, their beauty and grace, the way they moved that caused him to ponder and think of them then not just as women but of someone who he would like to be living for the rest of his life but as it turns out, he is alone in his bed with his thoughts as things did not go as planned and each of them left for a different life no more to be his wife and not here to comfort him as he lay die-ing on the bed.
The old man lay in his bed and his thoughts turned to the life he had led when he was younger much younger and his skill on the fields with a soccer ball that to him meant more than work or women or any of those things that make living on earth a part of the dreams of success but to him his greatest wish that was not forthcoming was to be a player with skills so outstanding that everyone knew his name.So he did what he knew he could do and that was to share a part of him to coach little kids in the arts of playing that wonderful game that had given him pleasure and was so much of his leisure. He hoped that this part of his journey was not wasted and that the kids he taught would go on to greatness not necessarily with a ball at their feet but life in general as they get to meet all of things that life throws at them and as they grow into men, somewhere in their memories are thoughts of the old man who lay die-ing whose race was run and who handed the baton to them.
The old man lay in his bed and remembered when he was a lad how irresistible were members of the opposite sex and how good or bad were his encounters with so many of them over the years. It has to be said that all were most willing and captivated by the charm he had then and even if a husband they had were ready to a take a chance to spend some time with this interesting man who it has to be said faced the wrath of of the man, the husband of this particular wife who for whatever reason was out and about and looking to seize on any man who gave them a glance and who was willing to take the chance.
The old man lay in his bed and lifted the covers so that he could see his body and how wasted it was no muscles not much more than skin and bone and he remembered when his body was a beautiful sight with muscles that were taut and tight that rippled at the slightest movement of the time when he could run like a deer and jump so high that he felt he was flying in the sky. He remembers that as time moved on, how much harder he worked to keep the shape he used to be in. Muscles turned to fat where before the muscles rippled under his skin. Alas no more would this old man be a thing of beauty for all to see instead the covers on the bed were pulled up high as far as his head so that the shrunken body soon would be and a thing of history.
The old man lay on the bed his thoughts turned to what would happen when eventually he would breath his last breath and he hoped that in the end, his passing would be no more than a formality and people would mourn at his funeral and say he was a good man and boy could he play for it has to be said that this old man now dead would be remembered most for the life he had led on the soccer fields daring to create strife with those around him both good and bad and all the friends he had would say he tried hard to make others see the way, the difference between the night and the day and the wonderful life that he had.
The old man lay on the bed and thought, what time is it I need to be up. I have things to do people to see a life to live and more memories to create as this is another wonderful day and look it’s raining now that’s a switch, that’s good that’s great as we could use the rain to make things grow, make things green was that a horrible dream I just had or a premonition of things to come. Who cares, todays just begun and I intend to enjoy it as though it’s my last to hell with things that are in my past. When the day comes that I am due to meet my maker and hope its true that he looks kindly at an old sinner like me.
Poems from my Archives. Originally Published 11/07/2011
Can I play?Put me in coach.
It was a very windy day when the little boys came out to play their last league game of the season and though the wind was part of the reason that we managed to lose to a team, who, like us do dream of playing well and having a good time and hoping that their coach tells them that they played fine and it was a good game today.
These are the things that I said to the boys when after the game we sat around and talked of the joys of winning but better yet, and something we should not forget, the fun we had when we played today, the things that we did and in their own way, make up for losing four goals to two.
The two goals we scored were a joy to watch as Ian Shaw got on his horse and running hard and fleet of foot did place the ball beyond the reach of the other team’s goalie and in the net to bring us back from two nothing down to even the score and we thought we had a found a way to beat this other team today.
Alas it was not to be and although the boys tried mightily to tie the game up and playing hard, put shots on goal and defended well but at three to two, the score it seems was within in our reach but the impossible dream was shattered when in a desperate moment with the ball rebounding all over the place, did hit one of our players in the face and into the empty net it flew to let the other team win by four goals to two.
We talked about it after the game and we all agreed that as a team we played as well as we possibly could and that we should have played better but that it really didn’t matter because as a team we had fun today, we played with our team mates, our buddies and friends which makes it all worthwhile and better yet, lets see what goodies we have today, before we wend on our merry way home with our families, our Moms and Dads, our sisters and brothers, our dog and our cat and all the good things that go with that and having friends on our soccer team is a bonus in life as it should be.
Poems from my Archives. Originally Published 10/17/2011
We had another game today, a game we won, I’m happy to say, The boys all played so very well, they gave their Parents quite a thrill, The score itself was four to two, goals scored by different players who, all worked so hard and played as a team, in order to keep up the dream, Of one day a really good player to be, while trying to please their family, Families of which there are two, one at home of the regular kind, who with a Mom and Dad and maybe you’ll find, a brother and sister, a siblings or two, while the other are the boys who make up the team, who play together with the improbable dream, of one day seeing their name in lights, and climbing the most impossible heights, but for now satisfied they will be, to record a win for both families, The one at home comfortable and warm, and the one at the soccer field, noisy and loud, a bunch of young boys, team mates and proud, to be, a member of this soccer family.
Poems from my Archives. Originally Published 10/10/2011
I sat around at home today, wondering what I need do and say, as I know there is no way, as its hard to imagine that caught up I may be, or who is it that I need to call, or e-mail or blog, I’m counting them all and yet, there is something troubling me, what it is I cannot yet recall. Darn this forgetful memory.
If I wait long enough it will return, or a walk to the other room, my doubts to affirm, that something, just something needs to be done. There is no way that it could possibly be, that I am caught up and my time is free, to pursue whatever it is that strikes me.
