Sorry for being away so long.
Apologies for being away so long, but the winter doldrums set in. The world turned slate gray day after day, and I couldn't seem able to conjure up an original thought.

My wife has kept herself busy cleaning out the attic. It's amazing how much 'stuff' we carry along with us from place to place for no reason. At first I think maybe we believe we will need the stuff sometime or another, well that didn't happen. Then I think we just keep it because it is a part of our past and it seems cold to just pitch it in the trash and/or we think we should keep it for our children to peruse when we are gone to fill in gaps of our history. Well those reasons don't pan out and it just becomes junk taking up needed room even in an attic. But there seems to come a time when we start to become detached in certain ways to our past and the pitching out becomes easier. We have reached that stage.

We have one of these large plastic storage units filled with photographs that we say we will neatly put into albums, marked with who is who and dates as close as we can figure. Doubt is setting in about that also. But those we won't throw away. Those will be left for the kids to throw away eventually.

The sun is shining today. It seems an ersatz kind of sun but I think soon it will contain some warmth and we will all feel better. Later gang.

work savers
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: work savers
I think I must be a slow learner. I live in Ohio and that means snow in the winter, sometimes plenty of it. One of the two outdoor things I dislike about homeowning is shoveling snow. It's very hard work for even the youngest and strongest among us. People die from doing it for crying out loud. Well I am not one of youngest or the strongest anymore. That sort of sounds like I used to like doing it..WRONG. The other outdoor thing I dislike doing is bagging leaves in the fall. But to my point, I now have purchased worksavers that help me cut both of those tasks down to manageable size. The leaf problem was eradicated by a mulching mower. That baby chops those leaves as they fall into little pieces that is actually good for the yard I'm told; so no more raking for me. The snow problem was just this week cut down to size when I purchased a snow blower. What a good thing, as Ms. Martha Stewart says. It is easy to handle, lightweight, powerful enough, 5 HP and all I have to do is guide it down the driveway and back again. Oh, I do have to change the directional thingee that throws the snow where you want it to go. I can manage that. Now if I could just figure out how I would not have to go out in the cold to do it. One help I discovered a couple years ago is a watch cap. Pull it down as low as you can and still be able to see. It doesn't look pretty, but whose looking?

No Power
The new year is starting out 'not so good'. We had a very large snow storm amounting to 23 plus inches, followed the last week by a mamouth ice storm that brought down power lines and left everyone in darkness and COLD. Have you ever sat in a dark house in 39 degree inside temperatures. You cannot believe how cold that is. It's like being inside a meat locker in the dark. We piled on layer after layer of clothing. I wore a coat, muffler around my neck, watchcap down to my eyes, and gloves. We put up with this for three days until we could stand it no longer. But deciding to bail out was not quite so easy, as this whole year has been, because all the hotels, motels, etc. were occupied. I got lucky thought and tried a brand new hotel in town and of course everything was taken, except she told us, a room that was a suite. We snapped it up. Everyone else must have been waiting for a cheaper model, but necessity to enter the living world again set aside all the worries of economics at this point. It was heaven. It had a burning fireplace in the lobby and the room had all the amenities, including two televisions. We had to stay there for two more days, until finally our power was restored, and we could return home. Home sweet home, I should say home sweet warm home.

Retirement: A Poem
Now Playing: Found this on Frank Keiser's SUDDENLY SENIOR site. Check him out.
Retirement

I worked forty-five years
for someone else
So that I could retire.

I dreamed of sleeping late
And sitting by the fire.
I dreamed of long vacations,
Enjoying stage and song.
But, let me set you straight
on that concept,
It is simply wrong.

I did junk my safety glasses
And the work boots that
cramped my toes.
But, the rest of it had
a mind of it's own
And this is how it goes.

My wife had been
thinking of retirement
And had plans of her own.
She had spent much time with the kids
But, now they are grown and gone.

We sold our cattle and horses
So we wouldn't have that chore.
I poured concrete over my alarm clock
But, I still wake up at four.

I get my eyes checked on Monday.
Ann gets hers checked the next day.
I go for a colon check on Wednesday
And pass my wife going the other way.
I have a dental appointment on Thursday.
Ann goes for a test on her heart.
Friday we go get prescriptions filled
And browse a while at Wal-Mart.
Saturdays we just stay home
And try to get the paper work right.
We can't take any overnight trips
'Cause we can't see to drive at night.
Restroom confusion keeps us out of
church on Sunday.
And we really do hate that.
There's nothing wrong
with the restrooms,
We just can't remember where
they're at.

We don't need to plan next week,
Just make sure we can drive.
And not forget where the
hospitals and clinics are.
We'll need them to survive.

So, don't build your castles
too high, my friend,
While strolling through the clover.
This is a typical week in retirement
And on Monday we start all over!

Author Unknown

Resolutions
I did something I have not done for a long time, I made a New Years Resolution. If you look at my writings you are probably included with me in the not very desirable, but inevitable class known as senior citizenry. Of the myriad of health programs that can pop up as we age, one of the most common is weight gain. In and of itself it does not pose much of a problem, you can be overweight and healthy. But extra weight will agravate back problems, breathing problems, leg problems; problems that can be diminished somewhat by taking off some of those excess pounds we carry around on us. In my case those excess pounds now amount to twenty five. I doubt if I can rid myself of all of that, but I will try hard. In my case it is a little easier. I love desserts of all kinds and partake generously of all that are graciously offered. If I knock off all desserts, that alone will help. I also love bread with my meals, that can be stopped. Those two things, if I can keep my resolve for ninety days might work for me. Fortunatly for me this does not reqire a change of life style. I will just have to develop better eating habits, and not forever, just ninety days. I WILL DO IT.

SNOW
Now Playing: BRRR COLD
Topic: Observations of a old guy
Yesterday and today for a while, we got a lot of snow. I mean a lot of snow. It is up to our knees once you break through the hard crust on top. In addition to the snow we are going to have cold, repeat cold temps. Tonight one below and tomorrow night maybe ten below. The wife and I went out to use the shovels to make a path for the mailman to get to the box if he makes it today. It is now about seven P.M. and he still has not. What ever happened to that 'in all kinds of weather etc."? But they do good work, It will get here sooner or later.

I remember in my youth, in the forties, I would go out in the snow and play all day, sled riding, snowballing, or whatever and I would not come home until my mother would call for me to eat supper, or lunch. I remember standing on the register which shot up a lot of hot air from the coal furnace until my limbs started to thaw out. I was not unique for those days, and it's a wonder we didn't get frostbite, but we survived. Now, as they say, everything has a time under heaven, and old guy time is not the time to want to be out in the snow too long.

Mood:  silly

A bad joke:



How did Hitler tie his shoesies? With little knottsies.

Sins and omissions of our male past
I recently received an e-mail from an old Air Force friend that said he found this poem I wrote and sent it to his grown boys. Others have mentioned the subject. Obviously it is a man thing, among males of my generation and before, and more prevelant than I would hope. Today's males are less gender conscious I believe and better able to convey their inner feelings than we males of the past. Now the test will be if the new generation has a sense of understanding or desire to understand their predecesssors.





Fathers, Sons and Grandsons
By Jim Kittelberger





If only, when I was young
I could have shown the love
I felt, as easily as I can now.


But some of us store our feelings
Deep down inside.
Then only too late do we understand,
The selfishness of such an act.


It seems especially important for a boy
To hear the words, "I love you", from a father,
And much more likely he won't.


It's so few words to say and seems so easy.
"Yeah, right."
The voyage of feelings from heart to mouth
Is a difficult journey for men to take,
But if you are lucky, life will give you another chance.


The sons of my son fill me with love.
I talk to them, I listen to them, I play with them,
I squeeze them and they respond with love right
Back at you.


I savor it, I feel free and open with my love for them,
But each time, I feel a pang of guilt.
I felt the same love for my sons, so why couldn't I show it?


The journey from heart to mouth for my grown sons is not as long
A journey as mine was.
Their mother probably taught them that.
As for me, I tell all fathers who have the same
Problem I had, "What the heck are you waiting for? Your
Sons want to hear it and you want to say it.


It's a journey you will be so glad you took.



Copyright 2001 Jim Kittelberger. All Rights Reserved.

the familiar is hard to break out of
Topic: Observations of a old guy
We decided that we needed a new computer desk. The room we have the computer in was once a breakfast nook off the kitchen, so it isn't very big. What we wanted was a corner desk so that's what we got. We got more room in the former breakfast nook but lost some in the storage devices in the new desk. I am having a little trouble getting myself familiarized with its limitations, but I am sure I will get the hang of it. One of the things that always amazes me is the miles of cables, plugs, and all that stuff that resides behind the computer down there on the floor. Luckily this desk also hides the mess. I really like the advertisements in the papers showing computer desks and how neat it all looks. But they don't show the linkages needed to get it all on the road. But it's all done now and I am sure I will soon get my body into a groove with my new environment.

The Circle, a poem
Topic: Poetry
THE CIRCLE
By Hazel Kittelberger

The infant's soft sweet warmth
Against my cheek....
Overwhelming love and contentment.

The small boy's scraped knee...a hug
And soft touch...back to play...
Tears forgotten.

The boy now leans over to hug...
Still gentle and warm...his rough
Man's cheek against my own...
He goes to serve his country...
Goodbye.

The groom and his bride...their
Warm breath against my cheek...
So much joy to come.

Their infant's soft sweet warmth
Against my cheek...overwhelming
Love and contentment.