Alfred E Newman and my boy

Back in the seventies, my son (the one pictured on the right) was having great difficulty learning to read. The school placed him in a special class to increase his skills but the poor kid still struggled. However, he always pestered me to buy him every new issue of Mad Magazine when it came out.

In a moment of insight, I made a deal with him. I told him I'd order a subscription to the magazine for him if he promised to read every word.

Well, he hasn't stopped reading since. He reads cereal boxes and instruction manuals, catalogs and movie reviews--literally everything he gets his hands on. As a result he can talk at length on almost any subject.

In addition, he has innate mechanical ability. I know he was born with it because of an incident when he was just four years old. His dad had taken this thing out of the car and removed the old

brushes that were worn to a nubbin. He had disassembled the thing on the driveway in front of the garage and laid the old brushes aside. The boy and I came outside to watch. We sat down by Dad and the little fella looked it over, took the new brushes (pictured above) out of the box, picked up a screwdriver and began installing them on the posts where they belonged.

I was totally blown away! To this day I find it utterly amazing.

Needless to say, with that talent and intellect, he can fix anything. He now owns a violin shop where he restores and rebuilds fine old violins and other stringed instruments.

Thanks to Alfred E Newman and talent, my boy has grown up to be a great guy and respected craftsman. I am thankful that he is my son!

Recycling is great for us all

St Paul now has a recycling company that sorts everything. All we have to do is separate the paper from everything else. The glass, plastic and cans all go into the same container. According to the Star Tribune, recycling has greatly increased under this new policy.

I'm so thankful that I no longer have to feel guilty about adding to the stuff going into landfills. I'm thankful that we are becoming more enlightened about our trash and castoffs. I'm also glad that it has added dignity to jobs of the folks who handle the collection of trash and recyclables.

This is just a Win-Win-Win for everybody!

Long live the Star Tribune!

I have been reading the Minneapolis Tribune since I was a kid--that's probably 60 years. Admittedly, it was only the Sunday funnies at first but I progressed to the news and editorials over time.

The Star and the Tribune consolidated many years ago and became one newspaper that's delivered statewide and even into Wisconsin. Like most other papers, it has fallen on hard times and struggles to keep publishing. However, they recently emerged from bankruptcy and seem to be doing OK.

I would really suffer the loss if they ceased publication. The morning paper is such an important part of my day. The news that I get from TV and online could not begin to fill the void.

So, again I say, may the Star Tribune live long and prosper!

Thinking about Thankfulness

These are my three little great-granddaughters in a pile of leaves. They live 200 miles away but thankfully, I get to see them fairly often.

It's such a delight when they come to visit and they all run and tumble through the door giggling as they rush to give hugs.

Wow! I am so blessed!

I need trees!

Years ago when I moved to the Twin Cities, I lived in a highrise apartment building next to the freeway. It was surrounded by a huge parking lot. The area was full of other buildings surrounded by parking lots.

In order to see trees, I would have to peer out the 18th story window at the trees blocks away on the other side of the freeway. I lived in that place for the first year I was in college. It was incredibly stressful being in such an alien environment. No trees, no greenery, no beauty to embrace the senses.

After that experience, I realized that trees are vital to my mental health and well-being.

I am so grateful that I now live in a place where I am literally surrounded by trees! The area was a gravel pit in the early 20th century. Many years later, my building was erected at the base of the slope thus created. The slope rises over 100 feet and is covered with mature trees for its full length of half a mile. (The area is called Hidden Valley.) In addition, there is a wooded lot on the other side of the building outside my bedroom window.

These wonderful trees provide joy and beauty in every season. The provide peace, quiet, shade and oxygen. So, I find myself cuddled in the embrace of hundreds of trees. And I absolutely love it!

25 Things I'm thankful for

Several fellow bloggers have challenged me to blogging about something I'm thankful for every day until Thanksgiving. At first thought, that seemed like it would easy. But then, I realized it would be hard to avoid being redundant. Plus, it will be really hard not to be boring or schmaltzy.

Well, so be it!

I worked for 17 years for a large insurance company before I retired. The job had it's ups and downs, but the thing I'm most grateful for is all the computer training I received. If I hadn't had the experience and confidence gained from that, I never would have become a blogger.

It's hard to conceive of life without my computer! Each morning I get up, feed the four cats, make coffee, read the newspaper and then sign on to my computer. That's when my day really begins. I check my emails, my Facebook page and then, my blog. I read all the updated blogs and worry a little over those that haven't been updated for a while.

I spend my morning at my computer leaving comments on the delightful blogs I follow and then writing my own blog. If I'm feeling down, I might just post something silly or blow it off altogether. My confidence comes and goes and so does the quality of my posts. But I tell myself there's nothing wrong with being eclectic or eccentric!

Fellow bloggers understand that, and that's why I love them!

Toddler Property Laws

You may have seen these before, but they are so laughably accurate it makes me smile.

1) If I like it, it's mine.
2) If it's in my hand, it's mine.
3) If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4) If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5) If it's mine, it must never appear in any way to be yours.
6) If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
7) If it looks like mine, it's mine.
8) If I saw it first, it's mine.
9) If you play with it and put it down, it's mine.
10) If it's broken, it's yours.