New Shoes in the Rain

It's quiet this morning here at the Smith ranch, but only in anticipation of what's to come. Our daughter and her family should be arriving here later today.  And, no, they won't be brandishing bullhorns or sirens, but a family of four added to our little empty nest certainly makes a difference. They'll be here with us until sometime late next week, when they'll start their trek back to Colorado.  They drove east last Thursday, stopping in western Kentucky to see my wife's mother and some other relatives there, then moved eastward past Lexington and on to northeastern Kentucky for two family reunions held on successive days by our son-in-law's family. So we've been preparing for their arrival, and, ready or not, today's the day! And because I work at home when I'm not traveling, we have an understanding that I almost always have to travel the first few days they're here.  I'm not comfortable taking two full weeks off from work con...

I just saw something online that was essentially a plea for our music-loving society not to forget its roots and go back to vinyl records.  The teaser read something like this: The real genius of vinyl recrods is the way that they help us actually feel our favorite music. That connection should not be lost. Excuse me, but when was the last time that you attempted to play a record somewhere other than at home.  Oh, never?  Why not? Kidding aside, when I was a young pup and feeling pretty good about the quasi-audiophile turntable (we record snobs would NEVER have referred to this device as a "record player") that I had added to my component system, I remember reading about the over-the-road trucker who loved music so much that he had found a way to suspend a turntable to make it unaffected by bumps in the road and such, allowing him to listen to his favorite records while driving. Turns out he could have bought an iPod and accomplished the same. Same lin...

This post is devoted to the items I've seen in the news recently that prompted the title reaction from me.  And from many others, I'd wager.  Let's get started. Four Cincinnati teens were denied their diplomas at a recent high school graduation ceremony.  No, they weren't under suspension or punishment for bad behavior, poor grades, failure to turn in classwork, etc.  No, the kids' families cheered too loudly at the ceremony and the superintendent elected to punish them for their families being too disruptive.  They're being asked to perform 20 hours of community service before the diplomas will be released. You're reading this correctly. In a related matter, all of the diplomas handed out in Prince George's County, Maryland last week contained a misspelling of the word "program." Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/06/07/2215858/word-misspelled-on-md-high-schools.html#storylink=cpy Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has been r...

I'll bet that title got your attention..... In the interests of full disclosure, I'm not always an early adopter of new technology.  We had an "electric" toothbrush when I was a kid, but it felt more like a gimmick than a useful device. My wife and I have always been interested in good dental hygiene, and have always taken steps in that direction.  We had first tried better manual toothbrushes (angled, different length bristles, etc.), and that helped, to be sure.  Then we added anti-plaque rinse to our twice-daily brushing and flossing, and that helped, too.  Then we began using Listerine, and that REALLY helped (although it doesn't taste good, I don't care what flavor you use).  But the dental cleanings were still indicating that we needed to do more. Enter the Philips Sonicare. Both of our dentists recommended this to us, but we only took the plunge last week.  Simply put, each time I use this device, my teeth and gums feel like I just left the d...