New Shoes in the Rain

Just a brief but heartfelt message to all of you today: I want to wish everyone who visits this space the very happiest of holiday seasons, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukah or Kwanzaa or even Festivus (note:  every time our president comments about one of his many objects of scorn, I'm compelled to think of the Festivus airing of grievances...). I hope that the weather allows you to see those you love during this season, and that if you're traveling, or they are, that their travels are smooth and uneventful. I hope that we can all reflect on the good things we have in our lives, and can toast each other's good fortune in the process. I hope that 2020 brings you health and prosperity, however you happen to define it. And I hope to see you again in the new year!  

Good morning to all.  Hope it's not too cold where you are! No particular subject or theme today, so here goes... I had a pretty strange experience over the weekend, so I'll see if I can outline this in brief but still convey the entire situation: - My wife offered to run an errand for me Saturday afternoon, dropping off dry cleaning - She returned to the house a short time later and told me she had a flat tire, which she drove on from the cleaners to the house - She took my car on her next trip and I moved the car into the garage - Her temporary spare was also flat, so later in the evening we took it to inflate it - I located tires at Costco and set an appointment for noon Sunday to buy and install them - When I left the house Sunday the temporary spare was still inflated, but within a few miles it lost its air and was flat again - I called three places before finding a towing company that could come to get the car - I called Costco and they told me they would hol

Happy Thanksgiving to all! What am I thankful for today, on this national day of thanksgiving?  Here are a few things: I am eternally grateful to have a wonderful family, where all of us are healthy and happy and support each other. I am equally thankful for my many friends who are always there for me, no matter what. I am appreciative that I live in a country where I can be who I am, to say what I feel, and to live as I prefer. I am grateful for the lessons I've learned, both personally and professionally, as often we receive a particularly difficult set of circumstances to navigate.  It's my sincere hope that the sum of these experiences will help make me a better person. I appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts on, well, whatever comes to mind in this space, where we're able to exchange ideas safely and without hesitation. I am thankful to live in a country where the majority of us have what we need, and more, and would be even more appreciative of

Happy pre-Thanksgiving Monday to everyone.  I hope that you'll all have the chance to spend some quality time with those you love this week. My wife and I will be on our own again this year, and plan to duplicate last year's plan, when we were in the same situation, by going to Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill for a lovely, traditional Thanksgiving dinner served in their historic Trustees' House. But I digress.  Came here today to talk about auto maintenance, one of our least favorite subjects. Once upon a time I followed the example set by my father, who was terrible at remembering to do even the most routine of car maintenance.  So he traded cars every couple or three years, but, back then, buying a car wasn't such a major investment. I know how poorly he did the routine stuff, because I bought a car of his and paid the price, having to replace an engine block because it had run too long on less motor oil than required.  So, yes, I do what's necessary to ke

Good morning, all.  It snowed here in Kentucky last night, and this is most likely the earliest instance of visible snowfall that I can remember here in the area. Not complaining, mind you, as parts west and north of here got and are getting a lot more than that... For those of you keeping score, you'll recall that I was suddenly displaced from a job to which I was heavily recruited last spring, around the first of May.  At that time I had embarked on a pretty broad career search, and, given my age, a very frustrating process, as I was rapidly rejected for so many positions for which I would have been perfect, and had many near misses as the runner-up in a selection process and in once case where I was the finalist the company elected not to fill the position after conducting a search process that lasted about two months. Anyway, after about four months I accepted a job with a company in an extremely narrow niche of the healthcare industry, starting in late August.  I travele

Friends, it appears that we've been victimized by porch pirates! I ordered an item from Colonel Littleton when I visited their shop last week (see my most recent blog post) and it was to be delivered yesterday.  For some reason I had forgotten about it but ran across the e-mailed shipping confirmation and clicked the tracking and the system indicated it had been delivered. Since we don't enter the house through the front door, using the garage entry door instead, this happens, where we may not know that there's a package on the front porch.  So I stepped outside and looked on the welcome mat--nothing.  Checked behind the topiary we have out there--nothing there, either.  Looked on, under and around the bench that is positioned right next to the porch--not there either. So I contacted FedEx, the shipping company that Colonel Littleton used, and, long story short, their system indicated it was delivered and placed by the front door several hours earlier.  I then worked

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Hope you had a good weekend, and enjoyed Halloween, whenever your area conducted Trick or Treat! I write that knowing that here in central Kentucky most cities and towns postponed from Halloween night to the following Saturday afternoon, due to an extreme drop in temperature on Thursday followed by high winds.  Locally I'd say they made the right decision. I had to travel south for a business function on Saturday, so headed through Tennessee Friday afternoon after conducting some business closer to home.  When I realized what time it was and that I didn't have to be anywhere by a certain time Friday evening, I did what any right-thinking admirer would do--I paid another visit to Lynnville, Tennessee to visit the retail location of Colonel Littleton, Ltd.! If you'll recall, I did the same on my way back from Birmingham a couple of months ago, and successfully restrained myself, buying only a coffee mug. Not this time.  Not only did I treat my

...and neither do I. In reference to several people and events in the news recently, I've been thinking about a song by the late, great Tom Petty, entitled "You Don't Know How it Feels."  Suppose there's some truth in that, but it all depends on perspective, and when it comes to the rich and famous, we really DON'T know how it feels. Take all of the celebrities who've been swept up in the college admission scandal of the past few months.  Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to her role in this (her offense was that she paid a proctor to change answers for her daughter's college entrance exam) and was sentenced to 14 days in federal prison, a fine and a specified amount of community service. Huffman went off to prison recently and was photographed while there, and was released last Friday, a couple of days early, because the end of her sentence fell on a weekend.  I think this qualifies as a "you don't know how it feels" scenario

It's Friday.  Finally.  I have a friend with whom I exchange TGIF messages each week.  You know who you are! I think we're in a remarkable period of what will eventually be our country's history from this time period, in which we're witnessing all manner of strange and previously unbelievable events unfolding right before our eyes. Yesterday's announcement heralding a cease-fire between the Turkish military and the Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria is a great example of this.  This is a conflict that arose almost entirely because our President agreed to move American military forces out of the region to allow a Turkish incursion into the area. I won't pretend to fully understand all of the nuances of the vast number of faith-based groups throughout the Middle East, but it's clear that the Kurdish rebels involved here have been great allies to American and other coalition forces in their efforts to fight back against ISIS in recent years.  And our co

It's Friday, folks.  Hope you have a big weekend planned, and are not under the effect of severe weather where you live. Ruminating this morning on the subject of name brand merchandise versus generic or store brand stuff.  How do you shop?  Are you a name-brand-or-else shopper or are you at least open to alternatives? This started when I ran across a video on YouTube that discussed the wildly popular Yeti Rambler drink tumbler with a similar item sold at Walmart for about 1/4 the price.  The video's author did some relatively good testing and determined that there's not a whole lot of difference between the two, in terms of insulation, capacity and the like. So that started me thinking about what makes that decision to buy the name brand item in any category.  Here's a little info on how we go about it. First and foremost, on major stuff like appliances, we go with known and reputable name brands.  Why?  Well, I always have believed that if you need to have any

Happy middle-of-the-week to you.  Thanks for stopping by. Recently I was prompted to remember a couple of things from way back when, and began to think of more such items that fit that description.  Glance through the list and see which of these YOU remember (bearing in mind that we're not all in the same age range), listed in no particular order: A mail truck that was essentially a slow three-wheeled go-kart that would only hold the driver Superhero TV shows that sought to capitalize on the popularity of "Batman," like "Captain Nice" and "Mr. Terrific" Speedy, the Alka-Seltzer mascot/commercial character Johnson Smith, a novelty company Columbia House, seller of recorded music by mail Trading stamps (in my part of the world we had both S&H Green Stamps and Top Value Stamps) The Osmond Brothers appearing on the "Andy Williams Show" Nancy Sinatra singing a duet with her father Frank called "Something Stupid"

It's Monday, unfortunately.  Hope you enjoyed a great weekend.  It was my wife's birthday on Saturday so we had a nice weekend here. Today's thoughts concern things that have made me cry, even at my advanced age!  I've always been an emotional guy, perhaps even moreso now that I'm at my current station in life.  And, no, it's not always just movies that break me up, but they're a big part of it. And since I brought it up, I'll mention a few films that always affect me.  The all-time tearjerker for me has to be "Field of Dreams."  My wife and I saw it when it came out thirty years ago, and I believe that I cried for the last ten or so minutes of the movie.  To this day I have difficulty watching it without beginning to cloud up a bit, because I know what's coming.  Even as I write this, thinking of James Earl Jones' character's soliloquy about how "people will come" and "the one constant in all the years has been b

Happy Hump Day to everyone.  Hope your week is going well! I think I've offered this opinion in the past, but I have trouble understanding the fascination with pumpkin spice EVERYTHING this time of year.  As I recall, this phenomenon used to come somewhere around October, but it's gotten earlier each year, it seems. My impression is that Starbucks was the original culprit, but now I see everything from doughnuts to pancakes offered by restaurants, and in a recent visit to Target I saw an entire display built of processed food products that featured pumpkin spice flavor, including Cheerios, Oreos, Pop-Tarts and a host of other items. Confession--I don't even care much for pumpkin pie.  It's not the flavor, but, rather, the texture that does it for me.  The taste is something I don't necessarily object to, but I don't really seek it out, either. I have no ill will toward those who enjoy it.  My wife is one of them, albeit in measured doses.  For example, s

Happy Monday---here in my neck of the woods, we're about to experience a return to the harsh and humid conditions that we momentarily left behind last week.  Oh, boy. I don't think I've ever mentioned it here, but I've worn glasses since 1987.  My mom wore glasses from the time I could remember, and my dad did, too, although he only had one prescription pair, relying on "cheaters," or simple reading glasses that one can buy at a drug store.  And my older brother started wearing glasses in high school. I was in my late twenties when I found that I needed corrective lenses, largely because I started getting headaches.  And because I hate to have anything in my eye, like dust or a speck or other foreign materials, I've never considered contact lenses. I also have never been interested in surgery to correct my vision (which I believe you would classify as "presbyopic," since I wear progressive lenses), as I've heard and read of too many ins

Happy Thursday-before-a-Monday-holiday.  Looking forward to spending some time with family and friends over the weekend, as I'm sure you are, too. I had occasion to travel south this week, as I undertook a new work project on Monday with a company based in Alabama.  So I had to travel south through Nashville, Tennessee to get there. If you've not had the pleasure of driving in Nashville traffic, take it from me that it's quite something. I've driven in larger cities that offered fewer traffic challenges than Music City, and I've never been quite sure why that is.  I do know that the positioning of the city in and around the Cumberland River has a bit to do with it, but I also think that their road system is just not designed to accommodate the large volume of cars driving on it each day. Luckily for me, I was passing through southbound on Sunday afternoon, so sailed through and around the center of town "without touching my brake," as I told my wife

I don't know about you, but I've taken note of the phrase "do something," signifying the public's disappointment with the lack of action by our political leaders on the issue of gun control and prevention of mass shootings (and I know, they're two different issues).  This is the mantra now, much as "we call BS" became the rallying cry of the Parkland kids and those who worked directly with them.  And I have just one thing to say about it: It's about time. I didn't watch much of it, but there was a multipart documentary on MSNBC over the past several Sundays called "American Swamp," and it detailed various aspects of why and how our political system has become what it is today.  While I viewed about twenty minutes of the first episode, I saw promotional messages for each succeeding episode.  The final one apparently dealt with infrastructure, and how our crumbling roads and bridges are unfortunate but that we probably shouldn

Good Tuesday morning to you.....hope things are cool and lush in your part of the world.  They're not here in central Kentucky, as most of us homeowners are breathlessly awaiting the rain that's due to fall in a couple of segments today. I'm closing in on a new job opportunity (more on that once everything is finalized) but today I have some thoughts about the Internet, particularly since I've been using it more and more during my period of unemployment. And I've had more time to reflect on the negative aspects of the web as well, and that reflection has been punctuated by what we've learned about the alleged perpetrator in the recent mass shootings in El Paso. First, this spot and Twitter are about the only places where I express much of my opinions on anything of weight.  I don't have a Facebook account (never have, never will, so sorry, not sorry, Zuck) and while I have an Instagram account, I use it to post photos that I like or view those of other

I'm sure that many of you were as horrified and upset by the shootings this weekend in El Paso and Dayton.  I've visited both cities repeatedly (El Paso was part of a large sales territory I managed some years ago) and have always been welcomed warmly by people in each. I have a friend with whom I used to work in El Paso.  She, in turn, has children and grandchildren in the area, so Saturday evening I sent a message to her to make sure that she and her family members were all OK, and was relieved to hear that they were. I won't go into all of the political, social, medical and other ramifications of these heinous acts, except to say that none of it is simple, or clear-cut, or that there are obvious solutions that will prevent these things from happening again, regardless of whether these shootings occur in the workplace or elsewhere. I honestly don't know what else to say, but welcome your comments and to know what your thoughts might be.

Actually, in truth, there's no debate that these made-for-TV events that are CALLED debates are about anything but. I was involved in speech and drama in high school, but we didn't have a debate team.  I met people in college who came from high schools that had them, and I always envied them for their experience.  What we're seeing on TV in these group shouting matches is less a debate and more of a free-for-all, where the less-known candidates are vying for air time and the better-known ones are trying to hold or expand their lead over others. Once we get down to the actual candidates from each major party, then we can consider these events to be "debates," but I suppose the television networks who compete to televise them have to call them something. My wife and I watched last night, and while we're pretty well informed on most issues, it's easy to see how the back-and-forth on many of these issues would be confusing to the point of putting people

If you watched any of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's testimony before two House committees yesterday, you would be right to view his appearances as something of a non-event. The point of all of this is that Mueller had said as much when he made a very brief public statement when he officially closed the Office of the Special Counsel, saying that he did not wish to testify, and that the report he and his team compiled IS his testimony. Nevertheless, House Democrats pushed ahead in order to get Mueller in front of cameras and on the record, postponing his appearance in response to a subpoena by a week.  The best way to get a feel for his testimony is to watch one of the supercuts that's available online, showing highlights.  In many cases, extensive, detailed questions were met with brief, sometimes even single word, responses from Mueller. But the primary takeaways, for me, at least, were confirmation of some of what's in the actual report. No, the counsel a

Greetings from central Kentucky.  It's gonna be hot here today, but not nearly as hot as it will be both west and east of here this weekend.  We customarily have high humidity and heat, but not like what will be experienced in something like 40 states over the weekend. Looks like President Trump has found a new enemy, or in this case, SET of enemies, in the form of the "Squad" of four freshman Congresswomen of color.  He's apparently been looking for a new foil for all of his negativity to replace former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary "Lock Her Up" Clinton.  Thus far he's received ample resistance to his distasteful comments about how these women hate America and how they should simply "go back where they came from," to use his words. I won't even attempt to trace how we reached this point in our national discourse, but we can only hope that this won't be long-lasting. Major League Baseball has started its season's sec

Hot here in central Kentucky, friends, but, then again, it's the second week of July.  Of course it's hot! Today's 24-hour news cycle certainly is really something.  There are so many channels to feed--on television, online and elsewhere--that the effort to find the latest news just keeps on coming.  And at breakneck speed as well. Unless you've been living without media contact, you know that the sordid story of Jeffrey Epstein and his association with scores of girls and young women is THE story right now.  It became so just a few days ago.  Before that it was the U.S. women's soccer team winning the Women's World Cup, and before that....well, gee, that was a long time ago, almost a week. See what I mean?  The doings of our current administration would not have been tolerated twenty or more years ago, because there wouldn't have been something worse or more noteworthy to push those deeds from the front page or the top of the feed or the lead story on

It's Monday, July 1.  Hope you'll get to spend some time with those you care about on the Independence Day holiday. That day will also be my 33rd wedding anniversary, so I know where I'll be.... I recently added some music to my collection, from a familiar name but it's music that you would be unlikely to associate with that name.  I'm referring to Bruce Springsteen's 19th and most recent studio album, a collection of songs entitled "Western Stars." I read about this album sometime about a year ago, but as is often the case with showbiz news, sometimes what's publicized never actually occurs, such as casting news of a movie that's never made.  But this time the news items were accurate, that Springsteen has for some time been taken by the orchestral pop sounds that emanated from southern California in the late 60s and early 70s.  Not the Eagles or Buffalo Springfield or their ilk.  Think a little harder, if you're of the right age, an

It's not raining here in Lexington today.  That's big news, given what we've experienced around here of late! I continue to explore the job market for the next great opportunity.  And as I told a friend who's also looking for a new position yesterday, it seems we have to kiss a LOT of frogs before finding our prince(ss). My due diligence appears to be producing some prospects, as I'm actively interviewing with several companies right now.  And they're a pretty diverse group of companies, of varying size, industry and position.  Overall I think that's a good thing, as it's all too easy to say "I've been X for a certain length of time and that's what I want to do."  I could do that, but since leaving a certain segment of business after approximately 18 years of experience a few years ago, I've not had a great deal of continuity in my career. But I work hard to remain true to my moral compass in terms of how we should treat other

Friends, it rained earlier today in Lexington.  At one time that would have been big news, as in years past, rain pretty much stopped in our area by the latter half of June. But in today's climate, off-and-on rain is pretty common, and we're having yet another day of exactly that. But I digress.  I've come today to share a couple of stories about good fellas, nice guys all, who've done well and defied the old "nice guys finish last" credo of the late, great Leo (The Lip) Durocher, the combative former baseball player and manager. Exhibit A for my premise is professional golfer Gary Woodland, who won the United States Open golf championship over the weekend at Pebble Beach in northern California. Woodland is one of those guys who golf fans sort of know and recognize when he's shown playing, but not the type who's a perennial favorite of fans and experts of the sport.  This is especially true when there's a major championship to be played.

It's Tuesday here in Lexington, and, thankfully, the rain has stopped for a few days. We've had late spring rain in the past, but not to the degree we're seeing it lately.  My wife and I took a trip west to see my mother-in-law Saturday and drove back through some of the heaviest rain I've seen in many years. If you visit here even semi-regularly, you know that I was displaced from my job at the end of April.  And while I'm looking dilligently for a new position, there's only so much one can do each day toward that goal. So, as before, I'm using my newly open schedule to get a few things taken care of around here.  Redid the mulch in our backyard shrub beds.  Cleaned the brick wall and patio back there as well.  Cleaned windows, and discovered that we need to replace the one at the front of our home.  Broke down our gas grill to clean it thoroughly.  And so on. Along the way, I've taken on a few repair jobs as well.  Some of them have been pretty

Happy Hump Day, everyone.  Here's hoping you're having a good week. Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Europe in Normandy, France.  Our President and countless members of the media will be on hand to commemorate the occasion.  As has been pointed out repeatedly in recent days, those who were present for this monumental event are fewer and fewer as the years pass, but we in this country should stop and think of the gravity of this event and those that followed. If you're anything close to a history buff, as I am, "Band of Brothers" should be something you've read or watched.  I have done the latter, viewing the HBO miniseries more than once (I have a copy of it on disc) and feeling a little sheepish that I've never done anything for anyone that compares to the contributions and sacrifices of those members of Easy Company depicted in the series.  Thank goodness for what they did, as it ensured that our way of life could continue,

It's Thursday and I hope that wherever you live there have not been adverse weather conditions affecting you and yours.... Yesterday I was in the middle of some yard work when I saw the news flash on my watch--Special Counsel Robert Mueller was to address the media, with the actual subject unknown. After finishing what I needed to complete, I watched some excerpts and analysis and must say, that's how one has the last word.  He spoke directly, factually and definitively.  I'm paraphrasing, but at some point he indicated that this would be the last and only time he would speak publicly about the investigation he led for approximately two years. And then the pundits returned to reading the tea leaves, as they've done for, well, two years. What happens next?  Hard to say, since the Democrats who control the House could easily bring impeachment proceedings against the President, but they would do so knowing full well that the Republicans who control the Senate (wher

Good Thursday morning to you.... First and foremost, I hope that if you're in one of the areas being hard hit by tornados and other violent weather that you and yours are safe. Here in central Kentucky we've had some pretty drastic swings in temperature and conditions.  The first two mornings of this week we had almost cool mornings followed by very mild days and evenings.  Yesterday, though it was very hot and humid and today seems to be somewhere in between.  As they say in many places, if you don't like today's weather, wait a little while and it will change! My wife and I recently delved into the massive movie selection on Netflix and found several items that we enjoyed, and most of them are very family friendly.  The lone exception was "Olympus has Fallen," a non-stop action picture that outlines what would happen if well-organized terrorists decided to incapacitate the American government by taking over the White House.  "Die Hard" in Was

Greetings, friends.  Hope you're not in one of the larger parts of the country anticipating some challenging weather over the next few days. Just back from a trip west for a family occasion.  I won't bore you with travel stories, except to say (mostly for those who know me) that I deliberately placed myself in the middle seat on both flights.  You may talk amongst yourselves about this rare occurrence as you like. However, since it's not available here in my home area, I will offer that my wife and I joined our daughter one morning for a spectacular breakfast at a place called Snooze.  Kudos to our vigilant, patient and generous server J'Dinkalige for a wonderful experience. The 24-hour news cycle certainly makes for some interesting and maddening headlines and stories, and our current White House administration appears to adhere to the "all media is good media" mentality.  So that means that there are going to be stories that are of little value except

I'm sure you've read, heard or seen the news of the latest school shooting, at the STEM Schools in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, a Denver suburb.  One student died, others wounded and some injured seriously. And this comes on the heels of another campus shooting, this one at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on their last day of classes. And America shrugs, knowing that no one in authority will do anything to prevent this from happening again.  And again and again and again. I honestly don't know the answer to this.  I've written in this space that I thought Newtown would be the breaking point.  Then I remember saying the outdoor concert shooting in Las Vegas would prompt some action, or the Pulse nightclub shootings in central Florida.  Or the events at Parkland, Florida. No.  Nothing's been done, and nothing will likely BE done. Bravo to the retailers who have taken matters into their own hands and discontinued certain styles of weapons that are

Friends, there's no good way to say this....yesterday I was unexpectedly and suddenly separated from my job. Again. I began this particular venture just over two months ago, with high hopes and confidence in my ability to make a difference.  But in the end, my contribution wasn't enough to override the senior management that entered the situation between my acceptance of this position and my first day on the job. I was told that "senior management" had determined that locations the size of the one I worked for in Lexington could not financially support positions like mine, so the positions were being eliminated. Immediately. Here we go again. So once again I reenter the career search process, the networking, the chasing down of leads of varying quality and validity, the indifference of employers who advertise their openings but yet don't want to invest any time in the candidate contact necessary to responsibly manage the process. But I'll do it,

Greetings to all.  I hope that you had a great weekend, whether you celebrate Easter or Passover or neither. My wife and I went on a somewhat unusual (for us) trip over the weekend.  We went to Chicago, but had a very good reason. Our eldest granddaughter is a volleyball player, and she's pretty good, we hear.  Played initially for her school team but was invited to try out for a more select team, made up of kids from her entire geographic area.  This is her second year on this club team, and we'd never had the chance to see her play in person. Until this weekend. Through a quirk in scheduling her team participated in the Windy City National Qualifier, which was a massive event staged in the Chicago convention center known as McCormick Place.  Try to imagine, if you can, an indoor space approximately a football field and a third in size.  Volleyball courts as far as you can see in all directions.  Each team of about ten players (all teenaged girls, of course) and a coac

Good morning, all.  Our temperatures have been, well, all over the place in the past few days.  Yesterday we reached the high 70s here in Lexington and this morning it's in the 30s, with a high projected in the upper 50s.  Welcome to springtime in Kentucky! Are you a sports fan?  Even a casual one?  Then you most likely know that Tiger Woods completed something that was so improbable not long ago by winning the 2019 Masters golf tournament yesterday. Yes, he made mistakes, and, yes, he had some help by having some of his fellow competitors run into problems.  If you watch the Masters annually as I generally do, you know that most of the time the player who wins is the one who avoids problems.  Tiger Woods was that player yesterday. But if you've forgotten or never knew this, Woods has had a pretty large amount of adversity to deal with, and some of it was pretty severe. Woods kept his distance from his fellow golf pros for a long time, having only a few friendships amon