The Haasienda on Shroyer…

I took a midafternoon nap after feeding the dogs and slept hard for 90 minutes. I rose at 5 PM and decided to go to my Chinese buffet haunt in The Oregon District. 

It’s a beautiful night and the sky offered some perfect photographic moments. 

I purchased three shirts in the Goodwill store, grabbed a bucket of popcorn at The Neon Movies, and sauntered through Levitt Pavilion where a large crowd gathered for a terrific band, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. I sat one of the ledges along the walkway when this crazed woman wearing Purdue paraphernalia that nearly reduced my Ball State University nervous system to teeth, chattering idiocy.

It was my friend, Suzette Cochran, who was with her husband, Rusty!

Suzanne grew up in the north western part of Indiana in Delphi, and later Lafayette. Before moving to Beavercreek, Ohio, Suzanne and Rusty lived in Charlottesville, Virginia. With our mutual Hoosier and Virginia connections, we agreed at our first meeting, about 10 years ago, that we were really cousins.

The Cochrans and I always have the most unique, surprising meetings!

Colonel Deeds was such a trooper, today. He seems to accept the protective collar without effort to remove it and still finds ways to snuggle next to me. 

It’s 8:15 PM and I’m sitting on No. 17 S to depart of K-town. And the “let’s go” was just shouted from the covered walkway.

It has been a very smooth running day, but a tad more busy and active than what I am accustomed to.

The Colonel’s surgery was completed just after our lunch meal arrived at 12:10 PM.

Kim Lade and I headed up North Dixie Drive toward the intersection of Needmore Road, north of downtown Dayton. I suggested we eat at a little Mexican restaurant I have often spied while on No. 17 when I head up to Miller Lane. Taquitos Uruapan is located a few hundred feet north of Needmore Road and on the east side of North Dixie Drive. It was a terribly busy little establishment with many Hispanic clientele dining in or carrying meals out. I knew that with so many Hispanic diners, it would be good food, and it was exceptionally delicious with colossal portions.

We retrieved Colonel Deeds, a little loopy, but very cooperative and anxious to get home. The little fellow was neutered, chipped, and given a few shots all for the cost of $128.

Upon our arrival at The Haasienda, he was welcomed by the others with investigative sniffs and a mass plunge out the back door to potty.

When Colonel Deeds arrived on February 3, 2023, he weighed 11 lbs. Today his weight is 41.8 lbs. Whoa!

All is settled and The FabFive is napping, surrounding my chair in the study. It is 2:25 PM and I feel as though it should be 10 PM.

I truly appreciate Alex for driving Col. Deeds and me up to the Rascal Unit location early this morning, Kim for driving me back up there to retrieve The Colonel, and Laura for being on standby.

Taquito’s Uruapan is located at 5832 N. Dixie Drive, Dayton, OH, 45414. I strongly recommend this restraint.

6 AM, The Haasienda was grinding into daily action, 15 minutes ahead of our typical daily routine. I had already worked out how I would get the others fed without feeding The Colonel since he was not to have anything past midnight.

Well, that did not go as planned… somehow, everything got mixed up, and I somehow had excited dogs divided up with Chief and Harrigan eating while Deeds and Erma were still outside! That never happens! But, of course, it would happen today of all days. In the end, all four of the older dogs ate and Colonel Deeds, ready to begin playing with the others, seemed to forget all about eating breakfast!

7 AM, Alex Loree, a former student, now a revered friend, rolled into the drive to take Colonel Deeds and me to a little plaza near the intersection of Needmore Road and North Dixie Drive. The GPS took us mostly up Keowee Street and not on the very busy I-75N. We arrived at 7:31 AM, which was nice because it gave us some additional chat time sans the traffic stress. The 8 AM enrollment began, and I was the second to sign in. We were done by 8:06 AM! Rascals Unit is so good. After some heavier traffic on I-75 southbound, we were pulling into The Haasienda at 8:35 AM.

At 11 AM, my friend, Kim Lade, will pick me up for lunch and then we will retrieve Colonel Deeds when Rascals Unit texts me.

The former Quartet saw me leave with Colonel Deeds and return without him. Chief seems to be the most concerned. He sniffed me, looked up into my eyes, and just searched for something he could not figure out. I have everything set up to keep The Colonel confined and away from the others for the time being. I am sure there will be a lot of enthusiasm upon his return, and I’ve already put together a plan to hopefully get him into the house while the older ones are outside.

So, there’s my morning. Right now, the house is so quiet and less energy-filled without the little fellow’s presence.

Make it a great day!

A young man in a dressing gown with a light complexion face and long fluffy hair, illuminated by a beam of light penetrating from the window, spasmodically observes a spasmodically reproducing sphere, leaning on his desk.

The attention with which, just getting up from the chair, makes him rotate that cosmic map as if he could find a confirmation of his calculations, is that of the scientist who estranges himself from the surrounding reality in order to focus only on his research, with his lips soggy in a motorcycle at the same time of question and amazement.

Around him, scattered here and there in clutter, here are the tools of the job: books, a graphic, an astrolab, and a compass.

We don’t know his name, because Johannes Vermeer, the great Dutch master who portrayed him, wanted to celebrate with him all scientists and especially astronomers who in the 17th century, starting from our Galileo, with their extraordinary discoveries and inventions allowed the Netherlands To be the first in the production of lenses and lenses.

For an artist who always preferred female figures, portrayed in their domestic privacy, the depiction of a man in the clothes of an “Astronomer,” which is from a pendant to that of a “Geographer,” constitutes a singular exception, justified by the importance attributed by Vermeer to scientists in general, that is to those who have always the fates of humanity move in the direction of progress.

The Latin animates the scholarly facts “curiositas,” that is, by “care, attention” towards natural phenomena and things of the world, and certainly by “curiosity” in the detriment of the theme, which consists of wanting to hang on the facts of others.

Thanks to this healthy “curiositas”, in millennials Man came out of the caves, erected the Pyramids and the Colosseum, wrote the Odyssey and the Divine Comedy, brought forth the Renaissance, lit the lamps, defeated diseases and deadly viruses.

Just to highlight the symbolic importance of his painting Vermeer exceptionally signed it and gave it with the motto “IVMeerMDCLXVIII”.

Accompany this writing “the Astronomer,” by Johannes Vermeer, 1668, Louvre Museum, Paris.

(Lyrics by Anselmo Pagani)

Monday evening at The Schuster Center, 50+ employees had an incredible training session on how to deal with a mass shooter incident. When I began teaching, nearly forty years ago, this was not even a blip on our radar. April 1999, everything seemed to change with the massacre at Columbine High School. The trainer was one of Dayton Lives own security personnel and he was most excellent in his presentation.

Today is already off to a cooler, rainier morning as rain showers and potential thunderstorms pass through. The Miami Valley. 71 degrees is the expected high for the day with temperatures mostly remaining in the 60s.

I was in bed by 9:30 PM, having gotten precious few hours of sleep the two nights. Last night, being prepared for a nice, deep sleep, was not to be. I slept only 30 minutes of each of the eight hours. The approaching rain was bullying my body. Naps may be on my personal forecast for today. We shall see.

Tomorrow is Colonel Deed’s surgery. I have everything ready to go for his arrival at 8 AM, and another set of items prepared to go for his retrieval anytime after Noon.

It is time to move some of this day along. Make it a great day!

TODAY’S ART OFFERING:

By Claude Guillaubey

I accomplished a good deal of household errands Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon before it was time to teach.

At 3:30 PM, 30 minutes before teaching was to begin, I noticed one of my pups was not feeling well. I ended up canceling, all of my lessons after 7:30 PM. All night, I slept at the foot of my bed with one hand, hanging down to comfort the pooch. It’s now 11:30 AM and all seems much better.

I am hoping to catch at least two hours of sleep before heading uptown to the Schuster for additional house manager training. I’m also working on rescheduling lessons that were missed from last night. 

Colonel Deeds is really developing into the most attentive little pal. He has become my shadow and rarely let me out of his sight. I don’t believe it to be an attachment issue, but one of devotion and love. This past week, the little fellow has demonstrated a good deal of maturity, and I am rather impressed. The other four dogs are very attentive to me, but The Colonel has begun to take the lead in this arena. Wednesday morning we are scheduled for his surgery.

The day is bright and beautiful with an estimated 85° for the high. Tuesday and Wednesday will only get to 71° with some rain appearing at some point throughout the day on Tuesday.

Well, on with my day. I intend to make it a great day.

The evening has been mildly busy with just routine tasks before the curtain went up. Intermission offered no further excitement, and the audience members were in their seats before the allotted 15  minutes had finished.

Earlier today, I was kicking myself for not trying to find another house manager who might want to take my shift at the Loft Theatre. My body just did not feel like cooperating. The schedule read to be there from 6 PM to 9:30 PM. However, the volunteers received the message, but I did not, that the event went until 10:30 PM. I was a tad aggravated as I had not scheduled any Canine Crew for potty breaks. Instead of getting home by 10:15, now it will be almost midnight. Fortunately, it’s a very comfortable evening to be out and about.

THIS IS TOM JONES is a new musical playing at Dayton’s Loft Theatre. While I stayed in the lobby to complete paperwork, and to be in a central location should any of our volunteer ushers need me, I watched the show from the monitor. I really love the music to this show and I’m trying to figure out a way to hopefully see it this next weekend.

Tomorrow will be mostly downtime until it is time to teach at 4 PM. It will be a straight eight hour shot of teaching in person and via Zoom. My goal for Monday is to complete much writing and researching prior to leaving for a training session. Wednesday will be a list day as it will mostly be consumed with Colonel Deeds’ surgery and early recovery.

The city workers were already on the move at 4:45 AM, making their last-minute preparations for the Holiday At Home festival and parade. I did not mind being awakened 90 minutes before my alarm sounded as they had work to do.

The sky to the east is finally beginning to offer a glow. The weather is comfortable now, but it will be rising to the 90s, today. A few days ago I wrote we would be having temperatures in the 90s through Wednesday, but that has already changed.

I will not attend the parade today. It’s the first time in 33 years that I will not be on Far Hills Avenue as either a spectator or participant. By 4 PM, students will begin arriving for lessons and I look forward to seeing these hard workers.

It is just now 6:40 AM and Col. Deeds is trying his best to engage Chief into some play time. The older four dogs are lounging in my study or bedroom, and Deeds is eager to share some of his energy.

Today, my dog, Flyer, would have celebrated her twenty-third birthday. She was the best of dogs and her legacy lives on through those who have followed, as though her spirit is guiding them. Chief was nearing three years old when Flyer passed away in July 2013, so he’s the only current pooch who knew her.

I need to move on with my day. I am currently watching a documentary on Watergate, “Dark Days at the White House.” It’s all very familiar to me, but still so very interesting.

Make it a great day!

The deck is delightfully comfortable this morning. Although there is no visible sign of a breeze, you can still feel the air moving.

Both the front yard and the backyard have a lot of fallen leaves scattered about. Fortunately, there has been no rain for the past week and I’m glad I won’t have to mow the yard for a while.

My grocery delivery from Walmart was supposed to arrive Wednesday night between 8 PM and 9 PM. It got delayed for two hours. Finally, at 10:30 PM, I rescheduled the delivery for 8 AM this morning. At 8:30 AM, I was finally bringing in my groceries from the front porch to be put away.

My laptop is on the deck’s table and here I hope to spend several enjoyable hours. This evening, I have an online event, hosted by my friend, Donna McCreary, who will be discussing and answering questions about her most recent book, MARY LINCOLN DEMYSTIFIED.

Other than that, there is precious little else happening.

Make it a great day.

Labor Day Monday was hot as hell.

Tuesday morning was already a soup-fest of humidity by 10 AM and remained so until later in the evening. I had already hit my limit with the humidity smashing through my comfort zone by 7 AM and it just kept going.

It’s Wednesday evening and it is a bit more comfortable.  Rain was proposed for the afternoon and evening, but that has passed. It is always a guessing game.

Last night, at 6 PM, it looked as though we were going to get soaked due to the dark, heavy clouds, but not a drop. I do love watching the weather patterns without delving into the scientific components. Until the past twenty years, or so, I was never interested in science. One of my former adult students, Sue Branson, is a science teacher and superb practical jokester, and she always made discussions of science more interesting and fascinating. Now, I find myself watching various science programs. I love HENRY FORD’S INVATION NATION and other entertaining science programs.

Yesterday began as a semi-quiet morning but progressed into more activity than I anticipated. While I am not in adding anything firm to my docket for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I still have high hopes of being productive. Productive, but not busy.

There is really precious little else to report.

It’s evening but still time to make it a great day!

TODAY’S ART OFFERING…

“Clearing up – Coast of Sicily” by Nineteenth Century artist Andreas Achenbach.

9:50 PM was an early Friday night for bedtime, but I was tired and afraid I would fall asleep on the deck. I believe I slept well and rejoiced each time I woke for a nature break to discover I had more time remaining before my alarm sounded at 6:15 AM. Col. Deeds snuggled and spooned my chest until after midnight and then returned at 5 AM until the last call for snoozing.

The day promises to be beautiful with a high of 87 degrees. I miss the mornings of opening and securing the deck door for dogs to come and go with the sun already up and offering a clear view of the yard.

Fall is moving in. It’s 6:52 AM and the sun is just beginning to glow on the other side of the house. I shall miss the summer days when fall is secure in its arrival.

Today in history:

• On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.
• On this date 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.
• In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

On with a full day of research and plotting.

Make it a great day!

At 6:45 AM, there is finally a glow appearing in the eastern sky but it has not yet begun to filter to the backside of the house and yard.

Sleep came easy last night and was deeply lasting throughout the night. In fact, I only required one nature break and that came at 5:30 AM. Due to the late bathroom call, I could not wrestle myself back to sleep. By this time, Deeds was snuggling with me.

As I swung my legs from the bed, the dogs were excited and clobbered the hell out of my legs. It was a good five minutes before I could move from the pain. This has ignited a grumpiness that I wish would subside. It was not their fault, but I find my daily patience chipping away.

I have much I hope to accomplish before teaching begins this afternoon. The Holiday at Home festival will be up and running today through tomorrow and the vehicle and foot traffic will increase.

Today in history, our 1783, representatives from the United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris that officially ended the Revolutionary War.

Make it a great day!

Art by William Kay Blacklock

It was a good day and I feel much was accomplished. The deck was steamy, but still comfortable beneath the tree that grows between two slats of the deck’s rail. It now expands over most of the deck and offers relief from the sun. It also serves as a swishing musical accompaniment to the wind chimes that surround the deck.

My body has not been cooperating all day, and I find it a tremendous struggle to remain positive and upbeat. I’m  miserable and less pleasant.

I seldom have the energy and comfort to just sit on the floor to love on the dogs. In fact, it’s becoming more cumbersome to do much with them. When they are excited, their wagging tails feel like ball bats smashing against my legs.

Poor Colonel Deeds, though extremely loving and devoted as his older four siblings are to me, does not receive the proper training he should be receiving. Even with his ability to mimic the other dogs in his abilities, I physically cannot manage all that I wish to accomplish with him. I feel like I am failing him from becoming an even more incredible pooch. A week from this Wednesday, he will have his special surgery.

Sunday’s weather is the return to the 90s which will remain with us for the next several days. Of course, with Ohio weather that could change within a matter of minutes, even seconds.

Tomorrow, I will have three days of teaching, and will be meeting four new students. I am impressed and encouraged by their eagerness to learn and improve. Next week, I will begin spending a little more time at the Schuster Center and Victoria Theater with house‎ management responsibilities. 

The signs of Kettering‘s big Labor Day festival are falling into place around the neighborhood. “Do not park” signs are sprouting along many of the side streets that will be utilized by the organization for the “Holiday at Home” parade. Barricades are set aside until time for their Monday morning placements. Porta potties dot the landscape up and down Far Hills Avenue. I love the fresh energy this festival brings to the neighborhood.

It’s moving on to the 10 o’clock hour and I am ready for sleep. Long gone are the days where I could go easily on 4 to 5 hours of sleep each night. Mother required little sleep, and I was just like her. Because of our syncopated sleep pattern, I learned how to read and write by the time I was four years old, and loved watching Johnny Carson’s THE TONIGHT SHOW with Mother. None of my classmates at Washington Elementary School had even heard of Johnny Carson or the cavalcade of celebrities that crossed his stage. I clearly remember the wedding of Tiny Tim to Miss Vicky. I do miss the additional hours that were once apart of my daily world.

I am hoping that tonight’s rest will be beneficial and strengthening.

The Saturday morning sky with the waning blue moon.

It is the first day of September. In twenty-four days, I enter my sixtieth year as I turn fifty-nine. It’s odd to think that the 50s are almost a thing of my past.

After several cooler days, we are actually expected to hit a high of 83 degrees today. Sunday, the 90s return and remain with us through Thursday when they drop to the mid-80s. I prefer the warmer weather over the kind that requires sweaters, jackets, and pumpkin spice drinks.

I have no specific plans for the Labor Day weekend as the community of Kettering prepares for its annual Holiday at Home celebration. I do love the energy that surrounds the neighborhood with the preparations and then, the event itself. I try to get over to the festival in Lincoln Park, one block away from The Haasienda, to grab a few goodies I enjoy.

Today, my maternal great-grandfather, Virgil Brewer Barmes, who was born June 15, 1902, to Jesse Delmar Barmes and Emily Laura Brewer Barmes, died on September 1, 1971. It’s hard to believe he has been gone fifty-two years. By the time I was born in 1964, he was living at Dewart Lake in Indiana’s Kosciusko County near North Webster and other lake towns. A few years before his passing, he built a house north of Lapel, Indiana in southern Madison County and I got to spend more time with him. Grandpa Virgil was, like my other maternal Clary and Jones lines, filled with laughter and the love of practical jokes.

On with my day.

Make it a great day!

It’s a beautiful, bright, sunny day, with beautiful clusters of white clouds, battened against a healthy blue sky. It’s currently 64° with an expected high of 75°, a little cooler than I would prefer, but very manageable.

I placed a grocery order for my Walmart delivery with the plan to head to Kroger for some of the smaller items, particularly fresh vegetables and sugar, free ice cream. 

The expansion, I’m quite certain, will be very nice. As I was preparing to enter Kroger, I got a peek inside the former CVS drugstore in and it’s amazing to see just how much more space will be added to the west end of the Kroger store.

While there is much display disarray and rearrangements already in place, I still find the store to be organized and the associates to be helpful and courteous. I did not require any assistance, but I observed instances where associates were offering personal personal attendance to others. And then there are those customers who continually have their heads shoved up their own asses or are reduced to teeth shattering idiocy. I’m sure that for several of these customers their behaviors and reactions were in place long before this makeover.

I was in and out of the store within 30 minutes, allowing me 20 minutes of downtime before the next No. 17 bus approaches. I should be back home by 11 AM with some writing time available before my Walmart delivery at 1 PM.

And now, I continue on with making it a great day.

I just completed my audiobook, DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC: A TALE OF MADNESS, MEDICINE, & MURDER OF A PRESIDENT, by Candice Millard. It’s an excellent read/listen of the events surrounding the shooting of President James A. Garfield. 

The book is an intersection of various individuals coming together: the 20th United States president, James A. Garfield; his assassin, Charles Guiteau,; renowned inventor, Alexander Graham Bell; leading Republican stalwart, Roscoe Conkling; and other well-known persons from this time. 

Even while being led to the gallows for his execution, Charles Guiteau claimed he did not kill President Garfield, but it was due to the poor handling of the physicians. The team of doctors, led by physician Doctor Willard Bliss, ignored the current leading evidence regarding infections and sterilization established by Dr. Joseph Lister. The doctors probed the wounds with bare, unsterilized hands and other objects. Dr. Bliss, who forced himself upon the scene, was accused by some leading voices of his malpractice in treating the wounded president, earning him the moniker, “Ignorance is Bliss,” a familiar quote coined by Thomas Gray in his 1742, “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College.”

It’s a quick, easy read/listen, and packed with fascinating history, and I give this book two thumbs up.

I posted a meme of wicker paper plate holders on social media, and it reminded me of something pretty funny.

In 1993, I moved into a condominium in Centerville, Ohio. It was a pretty spacious townhouse, and I loved living there.

The kitchen was spacious and had enough room for a kitchen table and chairs. It also had a nice size dining room.

 The kitchen had a stove and oven, and above it was a matching cooling cabinet with a rack inside. I had never seen a cooling cabinet and thought it was pretty, well cool, despite the fact I would probably never use it. Instead, I stored my wicker paper plate holders and quite a few wicker baskets.

Since cooking has never been one of my loves, I seldom used any of the kitchen appliances. One day, I was preparing to go to someone’s house for dinner, and decided I would bring a Jell-O cake. I turned on the oven as I prepared the recipe for the cake. When I got ready to put the cake into the oven I noticed it was still cool inside, but I could feel heat in the kitchen. For several minutes, I attempted to rectify the problem but the oven would not heat up.

I called maintenance to let them know. They were there within a matter of minutes. At the same time, my friend, Susan Cook, arrived. The maintenance man said, “oh, I see the problem. You’ve got your upper oven on.“

 Upper oven? I don’t have an upper….

I opened the door to what I thought was my cooling cabinet only to discover ashes, the remnants of my wicker paper plate holders, and baskets.

The maintenance man, Susan, and I stood there laughing so hard that each of us had tears streaming down our faces.

Since we were going to Susan’s grandparents for dinner, she suggested we stop at the Washington Township’s Dorothy Lane Market to select a dessert. 

A cooling cabinet….

It’s moving in on 12:30 PM and I have been sitting on the deck for the past 20 minutes enjoying a terrific breeze and watching the pooches play on the deck.

At 10:30 AM, I started trimming the yard and finished mowing it by noon. The front yard always takes a little longer due to the fact, I always stop for oncoming traffic when I am mowing the easement next to a Shroyer Road. I also had to pause for several runners, a couple of walkers, and five dogs dragging people behind them.  I do not care to chat with the people who pass by as much as I do their furry companions.

Yesterday afternoon, the van that is always parked on the wrong side of Rockhill Avenue pulled out in front of a truck turning off of Shroyer Road and nearly got broadsided. Today, the van is parked illegally in front of the second house on Rockhill. Even if they did have a handicap parking sticker, which they don’t, they certainly do not need a wheelchair ramp as the van is parked directly in front of a tree on the easement, and I don’t even know how they got out of the driver’s side because the van is parked so close to the tree.

As for now, I believe I will enjoy some time on the deck, and I am contemplating heading downtown for a Chinese dinner and a movie.

I took some photos of the pooches. While I was trying to photograph Erma, Colonel kept photo bombing her shots.

Tuesday could’ve been a bit more productive, but I am pleased with what was accomplished. I spent a large part of the day, working from the deck, and enjoying the very comfortable weather.

Mama Kay, Mary, and I dined at El Toro for a Mexican meal at lunchtime.

I am hoping to make this day as productive as I can. today’s high is only expected to be 72°. The morning is cool, but I am comfortable on the deck.

Last night, I observed several different sleeping patterns by the dogs. The one that struck me the most was seeing Erma and Bailey snuggling together. While they are cordial to one another, they are not necessarily endearing pals. Col. Deeds was all over the place to sleep next to Harrigan and Chief. 

It’s time to begin my day. 

Make it a great day!

Tuesday morning… August is almost complete. In a few days, it will be September, my birth month, and the official start of fall. Friday, I will be posting “September Song” to Facebook as I do every year. I first heard “September Song” in 1985 when my directing mentor, Joshua Logan, and I sat in his study, a tall Manhattan apartment in the luxurious River House that overlooked the East River and some of Roosevelt Island. Mr. Logan was particularly reminiscent that afternoon and began recounting his directing of KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY, a 1938 Broadway hit by composer, Kurt Weill.

As Mr. Logan gazed out the window, he began speaking Maxwell Anderson’s lyrics, slowly, methodically. Then, a few tones of the melody began to worm in. Finally, he was bellowing the chorus.

“The lyrics will mean precious little to you, now.” Mr. Logan turned away from the window and chuckled. “You’re what – twenty-five or six?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

“Geez. That’s right. I always keep thinking you’re…” Another chuckle. “You, my young friend, are an old soul.”

I had grown up hearing the phrase associated with descriptions of myself, but it never made sense.

“These lyrics will mean more in thirty years… maybe even twenty years.”

Mr. Logan asked me to pull down a songbook from one of his several bookcases. I opened the book to “September Song.” As I accompanied his boisterous voice – yes, even on the most tender ballad, he sang it like a college fight song – I heard a wistfulness in his tone and in the lyrics.

Years later, I connected with his granddaughter, Kate Harrigan, and it has become an annual tradition to post “September Song” every first day of September, just as we each post “The Lusty Month of May” the first day of Spring.  Kate was in the movie, CAMELOT, directed by her grandfather, and is featured in the song as she received a kiss from a young man. Ironically, it was not only Kate’s first on-screen kiss but her first real-life kiss!

“September Song”
English source: James Maxwell Anderson

When I was a young man courting the girls
I played me a waiting game
If a maid refused me with tossing curls
I’d let the old Earth take a couple of whirls
While I plied her with tears in place of pearls
And as time came around she came my way
As time came around she came

But it’s a long, long while from May to December
And the days grow short when you reach September
And the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
And I haven’t got time for waiting game

And the wine dwindles down to a precious brew
September, November,
And these few vintage years I’d share with you
Those vintage years I’d share with you

But it’s a long, long while from May to December
And the days grow short when you reach September
And I have lost one tooth and I walk a little lame
And I haven’t got time for waiting game

And the days turn to gold as they grow few
September, November
And these few golden days I’d spend with you
These golden days I’d spend with you

When you meet with the young men early in Spring
They court you in song and rhyme
They woo you with words and a clover ring
But if you examine the goods they bring
They have little to offer, but the songs they sing
And a plentiful waste of time of day
A plentiful waste of time

But it’s a long, long while from May to December
Will the clover ring last till you reach September
And I’m not quite equipped for the waiting game
But I have a little money and I have a little fame

And the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I’d spend with you
These precious days I’d spend with you

Sunday, until it was time to teach, was basically a washout of accomplishing little, other than some laundry, sweeping, and napping. I did enjoy some sugar-free vanilla ice cream with delicious coffee cake made by my friend and colleague, Carol Chatfield.

The seven-hour teaching stretch was excellent. The students are coming in strong, prepared, and ready to work. It was such a refreshing feeling. Monday’s and Tuesday’s lineup will undoubtedly follow suit.

This week seems to have a different attitude regarding the weather than last week’s highs in the nineties. However, we will be dipping down into the 50s during the nights. Sunday night’s sleep was sound and replenishing, but I am still feeling the drags. The Colonel snuggled with me nearly all night, as did The Sisters, Bailey and Harrigan.

I put aside the audiobook on the relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. It was exciting but felt somewhat dry. I pulled up another book, DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC, by Candice Millard, which deals with the assassination of President James A. Garfield and the madness of medical practice at that time. It’s a great read.

It is on with my day.

Make it a great day!

TODAY’S ART OFFERING:

“The Summer Poppy Fields” by Claude Monet

I set an alarm this morning since I need to step onto the 7:25 AM bus for downtown to house manage an event at 8 AM. It was to be a double-header that would not return me to Kettering until after 5 PM; however, the Noon-4 PM event was altered, and I am done by 1 PM. Relief.

Last night, I spent several hours downtown at the Levitt Pavilion with Dayton Live colleagues, and I had the best time. Dayton Live provided a nice buffet. We dined on the elevated patio and watched the Blues concert, and it could not have been improved upon. The weather cooperated and though while still warm, it was quite comfortable, and the breeze kept it so.

This morning, while breakfasting, I am listening to a documentary on Golda Mier. I was not aware she lived her formative years in the United States. I am twenty minutes into the biography and I am finding it interesting.

It is time to shower, dress, and prepare for my morning downtown.

Make it a great day!

TODAY’S ART OFFERING:

“Prisoners Exercising” is an 1890 painting by Vincent van Gogh. In 1888, van Gogh faced severe depression and cut off his own ear, which he later presented to a prostitute named Rachel as a gesture of love. Some believe it was Gauguin who cut off van Gogh’s ear during a dispute. After this incident, van Gogh admitted himself to an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he experienced suffering and moments of deep insight.

During his time at the asylum, van Gogh’s access to the outside world was restricted, leading him to recreate other artists’ works, including Gustave Dore’s portrayal of the Newgate prison yard in London. In his painting, prisoners can be seen marching in a circle within a small, brick-walled prison yard, passing by the guards to be remembered. Some observers speculate that the figure at the center, gazing outward, may represent van Gogh himself.

Hot. Melting. Almost no breeze.

The deck feels like an oven. I have finished lunch and have been trying to complete something, anything, for the past sixty minutes. When a breeze does pass through, I seem to halt so I can savor it. I thought about bringing a fan to the deck as I have done in previous years, but even that motivation rapidly dwindles.

Nature beckoned me from my bed at 2:30 AM. I decided to cool off on the deck, allowing the pooches some additional potty time and a chance to lounge about the deck. Of course, “lounging” means nothing to Col. Deeds to attempted to rouse the other four in games of chase. By 4:30 AM, sleep was still not in the cards, so I returned to my bed and watched the numbers five-three-zero appear on my clock.

At 7:00 AM, forty-five minutes past my typical time to rise and fade up into my day, I looked around the bed and floor to amazingly see The FabFive still sleeping. Normally, every morning at 5:45 AM, on the dot, Col. Deeds, if not already sleeping beside me, springs onto the bed, ignoring the fact that Dad’s body is not a landing zone, and snuggles for the remaining thirty minutes. This morning, the little fellow was out cold.

The forecast last evening demonstrated a wide band of thunderstorms moving southeasterly across the Miami Valley but by 4 AM, everything was changed.  The morning, now remaining dark until 7 AM, indicated rain might join us but that, too, was to pass. The morning was a mix of napping, making notes, and listening to podcasts. Col. Deeds had Chief up on his feet for some minor exercise and play, and at one point had enticed Chief off the deck to chase one another in the yard. Chief is mostly sedentary unless roused by suspicious activity in the backyard to which he will hurry to investigate. Mostly, he allows the others to search to make sure it’s something worth employing much physical energy.

The skies are cloudy and a welcome breeze creates a stir of rustling leaves and clanging wind chimes.

Tonight, I plan on joining other house managers and Dayton Live personnel in some food, beverage, and entertainment. I am always hesitant to emerge for social gatherings but I will make a sincere effort to attend this event. In the meantime, I have some work I can hopefully accomplish before it is time to ready myself.

Make it a great day!

TODAY’S ART OFFERING:

The Beach at Trouville (1870) by Claude Monet.

When I stepped out of the air conditioned movie theater, a warm August breeze attacked me. It reminded me of a time, 49 years ago, when my parents and I were on vacation in Myrtle Beach. We dined quite late in the evening at a restaurant that was heavily, air-conditioned, causing me to shiver. When we left the restaurant, we were greeted by blasts of very warm sea air. I don’t know why, but that memory always accompanies a blast of warm summer air several times each season.

I had hoped for renewed energy throughout the afternoon, but it never surfaced. At 5:25 PM, I boarded bus No  17 for downtown where I dined at my favorite Chinese buffet. Although the food was quite good, it did not satisfy me. I hopped aboard bus No. 12 to ride a few blocks to Neon movie theater where I was prepared to enjoy Helen Mirren in the movie, GOLDA. 

I don’t know why I found it interesting but horribly dry and uninteresting. The Yom Kippur War is not an entertaining vehicle but the movie just did not reach me as I had anticipated for the past several weeks. Ms. Mirren is undoubtedly incredible. I am chalking it up to my exhausted attitude as I hope others might find it riveting. 

I barely remember this Mideastern episode; however, my attention was focused on Watergate at age nine. I barely recall knowing about Golda Meir when this occurred in 1973. When the Camp David peace talks were negotiated by President Carter in 1978, I do remember reading about the former prime minister at the Elwood Public Library. 

The bus stop is fairly busy, and the constant breeze comforting. Several young folks are engaged in animated conversation while the gentleman on the seat across from me insists on playing his Gangsta Rap louder than I can appreciate.  Hopefully, an RTA attendant will move through to remind him devices must be used with appropriate heating equipment. 

Thirteen minutes and the southbound No. 17 will arrive. The pooches will be happy to see me and we might enjoy some deck time together.

As dawn greeted the Miami Valley, I had high misgivings that the temperature would achieve its high of 96 degrees. The early morning thunderstorm cooled off our world immensely and offered some relief from the muggy air. When I went to bed at 10:30 PM, Wednesday night, I saw no rain on the radar until next week. The rest of the day’s forecast only has us reaching 90 degrees.

At midnight I was awakened by excruciating pain and discomfort in all four limbs. I had no idea what was happening and could not even crawl from bed to grab some ibuprofen. I feared my yelling might reach Mama Kay. I guess the impending thunderstorm was letting me know it was on its way. The last numbers I recall seeing on the clock were 2, 3, and 7 (2:37 AM). The next thing I remember was trying to figure out the sound on the deck. It sounded like rain but… it was rain! A very much welcome rain in the form of a thunderstorm.

When I fed the dogs at 6:40 AM, the rain had ceased but the thunder was rumbling. I fell back into my bed with the ever-faithful Harrigan in attendance.

I spent my morning napping, watching documentaries, and welcoming snuggles and kisses from The Colonel.

I finished my omelet with the remaining toppings from El Toro and some jellied whole-grain toast. There is no plan for the remainder of the day except for working on my writing project and hoping to complete some plotting and outlining.

On with the remnants of my day!

Make it a great day!

TODAY’S ART OFFERING:

The Well
By: Édouard Toudouze (1848–1907), French painter