New Shoes in the Rain

This 50th birthday thing has been pretty interesting.  My wife engineered a celebration well in advance back during the weekend of July 3-4, because our daughter and her family were in town for a visit.  So we had a cake, I received some cards and even a gift!  Nice, right? Then last weekend, in advance of the grand occasion (which occurred on Tuesday), my wife and I went to Cincinnati for a weekend of R&R.  We had originally planned to go to Chicago, which would have been great fun, but given the distance and travel cost, we were probably better off visiting some of our favorite dining and shopping spots in the Cincinnati area.  Our argument has always been that you can be there in just a couple of hours from Lexington, and since we visit regularly we know what's there, what we like, etc.  We both got shoes at a store in West Chester that specializes in those with foot problems (which unfortunately includes me and my wife), had some nice meals out, d...

....and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. I'm talking about my 50th birthday, which will occur next Tuesday.  Ironically, I'll be on a plane to Charlotte that morning, as I have business there that day and in Columbia, SC the following day.  Great way to celebrate. But I'm not depressed, at least I don't think I am.  Mostly, I'm grateful to still be here, after a major heart attack at 32 and a coronary bypass at 34.  I'm grateful to have a family who loves me and tolerates me, in that order most of the time!  And I'm most grateful to my wife of now 24 years (I must remember to change my profile), for being there always. And like so many people, my first 50 years have been marked with challenges, triumphs and setbacks, but I wouldn't trade any of it.  Well, I might trade the last few days, when I've been slowed by what I think was a case of food poisoning that is still hanging on four days on.  Just about out of the woods, so to spea...

If you recall from my last post our daughter, her husband and their two kids had just arrived at our home for a ten day stay.  They all just returned home yesterday afternoon, and I must say that our house seems awfully large and awfully quiet today, as I've also returned to work after vacation. Our grandson was an absolute delight, as he's now at the age where he recognizes people more readily and was lots of fun for all.  Perhaps the most enjoyable occasions were when he and our local granddaughter, who's exactly two weeks older than he, were together, as it's always fun to watch babies try to figure each other out! We did some rather touristy things while our visitors were here, but all were enjoyable and we caught a break on the weather, as it was probably about fifteen degrees cooler for parts of last week than it is now or will be during this week. And, as planned, both he and our younger granddaughter were baptized in a joint ceremony last Saturday.  That o...

I'm not quite to "geezer" status, but I'll be hitting a pretty big milestone in about a month when I turn 50.  And some events of the last week have me thinking about that and what it means.... I spent most of last week traveling to and from and attending some organizational meetings in Florida for my employer.  Not exciting stuff, but a chance to see a few people I like and enjoy, coupled with the dreaded all-day meeting scenario.  I can honestly say I didn't learn a great deal from these meetings that I did not already know, but I think a few people learned some things about me. I continued to make the point with almost everyone who asked (and many who didn't) that, at the conclusion of the trip I would be starting a ten day vacation and that my wife and I would be joined for nearly all of that time by our daughter and her family, visiting from Colorado!  The enthusiasm for this visit was etched on my face, I suppose, because nearly everyone could not he...

Now that I've finally completed a start-and-stop project for work I have a little time to post here and regale you with what's been happening on my end of the connection.  The answer, simply, is "not much." But what will be happening next week should be something great.....I return from a business trip and about twenty minutes after my plane lands in Louisville (not my home airport of Lexington) our daughter and her family should also arrive, and I'll be bringing them back home with me for a visit that will last through July 5! And we're going to have a huge DOUBLE baptism on July 3, so we should have a lot of fun with the little ones here (oh, and their parents, too).  Can't wait to see our Kentucky granddaughter and our Colorado grandson crawling all over the place! But we have lots and lots of work to do to prepare, since I have to leave on that business trip on Monday.  Shopping, cleaning (carpets cleaned Wednesday, and just in the nick of time!)...

Well, well, well....the Smith manse is looking a bit spiffier these days, with the addition of new countertops in our galley kitchen! The genesis of this started, oh, years ago, from our obsessive viewing of HGTV (and it's not just my wife, as I like many of the design and real estate programs) and the desire to update our kitchen.  You see, we attempted to sell and relocate a couple of years ago (a story I'll tell at length at some point in the future), and while our kitchen contained a new-ish fridge, range and microwave, the countertops, primary lighting and wallpaper were original equipment from our home's construction in 1987.  And at the suggestion of our realtors, we did nothing to it except clean thoroughly, as our realtors felt that most homebuyers could look beyond any dated decor and foresee placing their own stamp on the space. So we were unsuccessful in selling.  Then, in the early part of 2009 we decided to strip dated wallpaper from our downstairs bathr...

A few sports observations in today's post.... First, farewell and congratulations to Ken Griffey, Jr.  He announced very quietly and very indirectly this week that he was retiring from major league baseball after 22 seasons, eight of which were spent with my Cincinnati Reds.  Now, let's be fair...Junior got a lot of flak from fans and the media while he was with the Reds, because his contract was so large that it prevented the Reds from acquiring other players, and he began to physically break down and experience major injuries for the first time in his career.  But when he was healthy, my, he was something to see.  Even after he had lost a step he was still capable of producing thrills on the field, smashing majestic home runs with that oh-so-sweet swing of his and robbing opposing batters of home runs with electrifying catches at or even over the outfield fence!  He was a quiet, private guy, from all reports, but loved and respected the game and his teammate...