Down Time With me

Life is Better Laughing

Mon, 17 May 2021 09:50:00 GMT

July 2021

Well, it looks like we are going to need a whole lot more laughs going forward. Covid is mutating and the fear now is that the Delta variant is a super contagious virus. Some thoughts on trying to look at the brighter side of things — stay off crazy social media, don’t watch cable news that gets you riled up-especially at bedtime. If you are in the mood – try to find some of my old favorite comedians — Bob Newhart, Robin Williams and so many more. Listen to them, or better yet find them on TV, U-Tube, or one of your streaming sources. If you like George Carlin you will note that many of his routines are very similar to the problems and controversies we face today. Remember: For the most part we have been through most of theses challenges before.

June 2021

It is amazing how each person perceives things differently. All of us react to things in our own way. One person’s joke is taken as offensive as seen by another. Especially with our own relatives and friends, we have learned “just not to go there” especially with political views and jokes. It feels like things have calmed down a little – the vaccine and decline of covid 19 has helped. But who knows what the future holds for our communication skills; But we can agree: WE ALL NEED TO LAUGH! Even in my book of Pandemic Poetry, I was surprised that so many people reported a different poem as their “best poem”. My favorite was “My Wife’s a Barber!” because having my wife, Anita, cut my hair for a year was a fun experience and I loved getting it into a poem. What is your favorite? Let me know. Maybe I will keep tabs, and do a poll to see which one ends up as #1 at the end of the year — that might be fun. You can let me know by clicking the Contact button at the top of the website. I know one thing is certain: It is very doubtful we will all agree — but that’s ok, its part of being human, and ability to think for ourselves.

May 2021

Some may remember Comedian Red Skelton. He was funny in a new type of slapstick comedy during the early days of television – a guy we could all love — and I used one of his quotes in my book: “NO MATTER WHT YOUR HEARTACHE MAY BE LAUGHING HELPS YOU FORGET IT FOR A FEW SECONDS.” That’s why I wrote humorous poems in the depths of our 2020 Covid Pandemic. Think of something funny each day? once a week? let me hear from you about it, and let’s share it with others.

I Love To Travel

Mon, 10 May 2021 15:25:00 GMT

All of us are ready to hit the road and begin to find some normalcy,as things begin to reopen. I love traveling. Dosen’t matter how or where. By car, train, plane, ship — you name it and I am there. Traveling with our loved ones — wives, children, and especially grandkids — is even more special. In the coming weeks I am going to update this “I Love Travel” section to give you some insight on some really great trips that I have done over the years. Let me give you one tip right now: WRITE A JOURNAL! I have about 30 trip journals, and its going to help me remember some of the details I will share.

Here is my TRAVEL TIP #1: [May 2021]

How to write a journal: WRITE SOMETHING EVERY NIGHT OF THE TRIP – don’t try to wait until later, there are so many memories each day its best to just spend a little time every day to keep it fresh and up to date.

Here is my TRAVEL TIP #2: [June 2021]

“MAKE SURE YOU GET A GOOD TOUR GUIDE!” This may be my best advice.

I have traveled the world – really far and wide – and there have been one day lectures

by a guide at a historic battlefield (Antietam, Gettysburg, Custer’s Last Stand and more) and weeks on the road (Belgium/France WW I, DDay Normandy) and many pleasure trips from Morocco to Norway and beyond. The best trips are with guides who enjoy what they do, and show pride and knowledge in their subject, country, and subject matter. Always try to find out before you go something about the guide — and check any and all available reviews. I will be telling you about some of the best guides; those that I felt it was an honor to be with them, and listen to them. If you read Tip #1 you learned that I can remember all about the guide from each trip BECAUSE I KEPT A JOURNAL!

Here is my TRAVEL TIP #3: [July 2021]

This month my Travel Tip is: If you aren’t Covid vaccinated DON’T GO! Soon you won’t be able to travel outside the U. S. again – some countries will either not admit you, or will impose expensive or cumbersome restrictions on your travel plans. Everything from Cruises, to Disney, to sports venues will impose restrictions on the unvaccinated. If things continue to worsen with the Delta virus mutations we will see individual states beginning to shut down, and put NO ADMITTANCE signs up for the unvaccinated. If you travel and you are vaccinated be careful and MASK UP!

The Future Is Yours!

Mon, 03 May 2021 15:21:00 GMT

I hope all of us need to “look forward” to try hard to see “WHAT’S NEXT” given all we have been through in 2020 — a year we would all like to forget! I have gradually come to understand that time really is precious, and it goes by so fast! Let’s use it wisely, and work hard learning not to waste a minute, an hour, or a day!

Being an “ODD” Bird Is Ok

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:18:00 GMT

Fresh ideas, a new and creative way to solve a problem, coming up with a novel approach — sometimes the odd bird is the one that catches the worm! One thing is for sure to solve the problems we face from climate change, to plastic pollution, we need some odd birds these days giving us some creative solutions. Perhaps some of our biggest creators and achievers were a bit “odd” — as in Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, Alexander Graham Bell, and on and on and on!

This Just In

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 13:25:00 GMT

July 2021

Uh oh, I am afraid that the whole Covid recovery scene has changed, so that by the end of this month numbers of new cases and deaths in “hot-spots” around the U.S show significant increases. Most of the new cases are people who have not gotten the Covid vaccine. In order to beat any virus there must be a significant majority of vaccinated people. Things are getting worse for the unvaccinated with employers, the Federal and State Governements, cruise lines, and others tightening the rules if you aren’t vaccinated. Masks are now back even for the vaccinated. If there is anyone reading this that hasn’t gotten vaccinated that doesn’t have a bona fide medical/religious reason for not getting it —STOP READING AND GO GET VACCINATED! NO MORE EXCUSES! WE DON’T WANT TO BE IN THIS TOGETHER ANYMORE. WE DON’T WANT TO BE IN IT AT ALL, ESPECIALLY WITH UNVACCINATED PEOPLE!

June 2021

IT ALMOST FEELS NORMAL!? Wow, this is the first month that feels like

we are coming back from the depths of the pandemic — things are opening, travel is booming, and ANITA AND I ARE HITTING THE ROAD for our first road trip in 18 months. We will be heading to North Carolina for some time outside Asheville, in the Great Smokey Mountains. From there to Anita’s Stanley Family gathering in West Virginia, then to my sister, Gail in Leesburg, Virginia. But wait — there is more! Its on to Maryland to see Grandkids Max (16) and Maya, and so many family members and friends we haven’t seen for much too long. Every month is special and June has birthdays for Grandson Brandon (turning 22!) and Maya (turning 18!) and Maya’s graduation from high school. Being able to travel this month feels like a new fresh start out of the restrictions we have all faced during the pandemic. We are blessed!

May 2021

LETS ALL TRY TO PUT POLITICS ASIDE AND FACE UP TO THE FACT THAT WE SHOULD GET THE COVID VACCINE. Unless there is a medical reason not to get vaccinated – WE NEED YOU TO DO IT! There is no way this virus (and its mutations) are going to go away, and NO WAY WE GET BACK TO “NORMAL” unless the vast majority of Americans get the vaccine shot(s). Some of you may remember the Salk Vaccine, and the volunteer effort to vaccinate every first and second grade child in the country back in 1953/54. There were no computers, and TV was just beginning, and yet with paper and pen records it was a success all across the country. There was fear of the vaccine, but there was also a greater fear of that dreaded disease and what it did primarily to the most at risk group — young children. If you have a chance to talk to someone who is not too ke on getting the vaccine – talk to them, calmly and tell them h high the stakes are for our Country and the world to get ba to normal.