Is it bedtime yet?

Travis reading to Ander and bear.

Ever wish your kids would say that, instead of "I don't wanna go to bed"? I was reflecting on something of which my daughter Karen recently reminded me. She said she especially enjoyed the bedtime stories I used to tell her, with sound effects and most importantly, involving her in remembering what had happened the previous night and what was going to start the present night's story. All in all, a never ending story.

This leads me to ask what you, Dear Readers, remember of your childhood story times. Was there any favorite thing that really caught your attention and imagination? Or something that flopped badly? Except for my friend Terry, I don't suppose stories about monsters under the bed and in the closet would be very enjoyable. Ahem, I digress. But i would like to hear from you about your memories of story time when you were little by posting a comment.

Thanks,

Grandpa T

Lion or lamb?

March - it came in like a lion, let's hope for a lamb-like exit. This was a big month for me in a number of personal ways. First, I turned 60 years old. Yeah, I have officially entered my Old Codger phase of life. As a surprise, Mother presented us with snow on the morning of my birthday and wife Linda and daughter Karen managed to score tickets to Michael Feldman's PBS show, Whad 'ya know? which appeared on my birthday in the beautiful, historic and renovated Elsinore Theater in Salem, Oregon. Hot damn, what a hoot that was! I've listened to the show for many years on OPB Radio but had no idea of all the stuff that went on behind the mic, especially during station breaks! I thank Linda and Karen for putting this delightful evening together; I'll always treasure the memories of this evening.

Of course getting to see and play with Sol, my grandson, was another delightful activity. The little guy is really sharp, and at 2 years+ becoming quite the independent little tyke. He likes to ignore you when you call, either because he doesn't want to do what ever you want him to do, or it is a game he is playing to get your attention. Running off, then turning around to see if you are following him is a favorite ploy. But he is soooo cute - and he knows it!

I talked with Kathy, Travis and Ander earlier this month. They are quite busy fixing up their new house. That sounds like fun to me! Travis is career US Army an d getting ready to deploy soon to Afghanstan soon. I am so proud of Travis, and his service to his country! I thank Travis and all other men and women who have served, or are currently serving in our country's military forces. God bless them and keep them safe!

On a grimmer note, the recession has caught up with me, in the form of a throughly tanked retirement fund. To compensate Linda and I are cutting back on expenses as much as we can, even to the extent, for example, of getting rid of our new 2008 Ford Fusion. That will save several hundreds of dollars a month. Besides, with three vehicles and one driver something needed to change. We are keeping the 1995 F-150 pickup and the 2002 Mustang GT convertible so it isn't like we are without wheels. Hey, anyone want to assume the payments on the Fusion? It is like new and has about 5500 miles. Hey, drop me an email if you are interested in a good deal.

So here I am, age 60, and back looking for work. I've been looking in the East Oregonian jobs section, I've sent an application to a local tech company, I enrolled with the Oregon Department of Employment, and am scanning the web for ideas.

One idea that has always interested me, and now has become a challenge, is to see if I could earn a living of some sort as a writer. Wow! Now I've said it publically: I like to write; I want to write! I have several writing projects in mind so I'll experiment with each of them a little, to see which one seems to flow better as a first time effort. Writing is like dieting, an activity I have much experience with; you have to work at it each day, and you have to write down what you accomplish each day. I dont' know if I can manage to update this blog daily, but I'll try to be more frequent about it.