TOWN

Saturday, March 31, 2007

I love malls. We have some great ones in Scottsdale and the greater Phoenix area. And they are planning for and building more. People come from all over the country to shop here. Even more will come when the newer models of the upscale shopping areas are built.

I still love the old concept called town. When I was in elementary school we lived in town. Mother had no fears about allowing me to roam the streets. I went to the drug stores to look over the comic books; to the theaters to look at what was “showing” and what would be coming next, and to the Kress store to look at the toys in the bins.

In my early teens, and before I started working, every Saturday my sister-in-law would say “let’s go to town.” She would drive us to town and find a good parking place on a main street—there were two. A “good” parking place was one where the most people were going by. We were people watchers. Most of the time we sat inside the car but sometime the guys sat on the front fenders. We stayed for hours. We had a great time. We knew just about everybody that passed by. My sister-in-law always left the car for awhile to go shopping. Occasionally the rest of us would go “window shopping” or just wander in and out of the stores messing around.

Town was a good place to go. I hope you had a chance to do it. (Young people reading this are saying, “Yea, like I’m going to waste my time sitting for hours watching people go by. When I “go to town” I mean something entirely different.)

NOT GOING—GONE!

Friday, March 30, 2007

“The world is going to hell in a hand basket.” How many times have you heard that statement?

My opinion: We are not going—we have arrived!

Some of my proof: Just three examples out of hundreds of things that should have people outraged but instead most people see no problem.

THE VIEWS OF ROSIE O’DONNELL.

THE CHOCOLATE JESUS.

THE PEDAPHILE WHO HAS A WEDSITE TEACHING MEN HOW TO FIND AND HAVE SEX WITH LITTLE CHILDREN.

(If you don’t know about the above things you are better off. I don’t have the time or space to say all that would need to be said to explain them.)

If this kind of stuff had gone on when I was growing up, some angry mother would have found these people and beat the crap out of them.

CELL PHONE INVASIVENESS

Thursday, March 29, 2007

A cell phone is a good thing to have. They come in handy on many occasions.

We should own a cell phone but it shouldn’t own us.

We should not allow our cell phone use to invade other people’s privacy.

We have a lot of things we don’t jut whip out in public—a phone should be one of those things.

You may just love the tricky little tune your phone plays when someone calls but most people don’t want to hear it—especially at church or any kind of assembly. We all can name a number of times and places when the ring of a phone is unappreciated.

Let’s learn some phone etiquette. “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

TODAY, KIDS DON’T KNOW HOW TO PLAY

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

P L A Y! You know, have fun. Kids today don’t know how to play.

Long ago and far away—when I was a kid, we knew how to play with a capitol P. In the summer we were out all day. Of course, kids living in the country were out all day working not playing. But us city kids—we played. When school was in session we came through the front door and out the back. We played until time for supper and then it was back out until time for bed. We dropped into bed exhausted but smiling. What about homework you ask. My friends and I never cared much for homework but we sure enjoyed playing.

Now that I am retired I have become an observer. The kids on our cul-de-sac do not know how to play. They only talk about it. They bring out the bats, balls and bases. They get everything ready to play but they never get around to it. They discuss the rules over and over and over. But the rules don’t matter because they never get around to playing. They take the bats, balls and bases in and bring out a soccer ball. They discuss the rules, kick the ball a few times and then change to a football. They fuss, argue (and they may even cuss a little) debate and stop just short of fighting.

After awhile they are nowhere to be seen. I guess they are watching T.V., playing with the computer, eating snacks and getting fat. You say, “They may be doing homework, becoming brilliant and getting ready to lead the world to a better day.”

HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!

STOP IT. YOU’RE KILLING ME!

THE WINTER OF DISCONTENT

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

One of the coldest winters in history blew through the valley this year. It left a lot of devastation in its path. The calendar says it is spring and that means warmer weather. Al Gore is also running around saying the globe is warming. I don’t believe a thing Al Gore says but I do sit up and listen when the preacher says it will be warmer for some people, some day. But right now it’s still a little cool and there are still a lot of brown trees and bushes. But I’m happy to say that almost all of the bushes are starting to show some green. Wow! Green is good! Green means hope!

A friend in California asked, “Are you still talking to your ficus tree and how is it doing?” Yes, I’m still talking to the tree but like an uncooperative child the tree is not responding to my gentle voice. So I have started raising my voice an octave or two and last week while running the chain saw I strolled over to the tree and just stood by it for a few minutes reviving up the engine. Today, I noticed a few (very few) little green buds on the trunk.

SPRING BREAK IS BROKEN

Monday, March 26, 2007

Sean Hannity asked two lovely young ladies he works with if they would allow their children to go on “Spring Break.” One said she went when she was young but that it is vastly different today and that she won’t let her son go when he gets old enough. The other lady said, “Everybody deserves a break and there is nothing wrong with it” (meaning there is nothing wrong with “Spring Break.” However, just moments before they all had listed the bad things that go on there like, rape, drunkenness, nakedness, drugs, and the list went on. And then after all of that, she said, “…there is nothing wrong with it.”

GIVE ME A BREAK!

Everybody deserves a “break” from the routine—even small children, mothers and fathers. We all need time for rest, reflection and renewal. But we do not need to be involved in and encouraging anything that has to do with over indulging in sex, drugs, drinking, or anything else. She listed all the bad things that happen at “Spring Break” and then said, “…there is nothing wrong with it.”

GIVE ME A BREAK!