AND SO IT BEGINS – MAYBE

The Afghan War is ramping up.
That war is b.o.’s war.
Afghanistan is where he said we ought to be fighting.
Well, we are fighting there. We are not winning there.
He said he knows what to do.
We’ll see.

He said he was going to close Gitmo.
It is going to be hell finding a place to put the inmates.
He said he knows what to do.
We’ll see.

He said he was going to release the photos.
Now he says he is not going to do so.
He is on quite a learning curve.

He said he knows how to fix the economy.
Chrysler announced dealership closings today.
The UAW and the Government take greater control.
GM will announce dealer closings very soon.
The UAW and the Government will take greater control.
We’ll see what we’ll see, as my Gramma used to say.

We used to think the deficit was a big one.
The libs told us it was unsustainable.
And then came the spending of b.o.

He has renamed the War on Drugs.
He has renamed the War on Terror.
All will be well.
b.o. is in charge.

b.o. gets a degree from Notre Dame.
The invitation to speak is bad enough. But it can be defended.
The awarding of the degree is disgusting.
It cannot be defended.

The libs excoriate the Bush Administration for any number of lawless acts whilst condemning the former VP for speaking in defense of the policies he and the Administration followed.
There is no gag order in effect on VPs.
It is the tradition that former Presidents not criticize their successors, a tradition not followed, incidentally, by carter and clinton.
Dick Cheney is saying what should be said and he would be derelict to remain silent.

The lib left is a little less happy with their b.o.
Let's give 'em a few months and check how they feel then.

LONDON CALLING

The BBC is reporting that average, man/woman-in-the-street Britons are disillusioned with the EU of Continental Europe.

We think of the BBC as generally touting the lib line and it is good to occasionally hear a politically incorrect or at least an unbiased commentary issuing forth from Broadcast House or whatever they call it.

I know that sounds harsh but my goodness, such nonsense is often the rule.

At any rate, I have had misgivings about the viability of the EU since the early 1960’s and I must confess to a certain degree of satisfaction when I see a few of our humble reservations apparently being quite the thing.

We at The Study love the tongue-in-cheek newspaper headline:

CHANNEL FOG BOUND!
CONTINENT ISOLATED!

We believe that the day the Continentals [not the American Revolutionaries] find that they can really pull together will be the day that ice cubes do well in hell.

THE DONALD AND MISS CALIFORNIA

The Anchoress expresses a valuable, interesting perspective on the situation involving The Donald and Miss California and other folks who are quick to judge others.
Good stuff.

http://www.firstthings.com/theanchoress/2009/05/12/prejean-cautionary-tale-for-christians/

LOONS

Writing of loons the other day has caused me to consult the archives of The Study.

A few loon facts:

Loons can fly at speeds of 60-90 miles per hour.
Whew!

Flight altitude can be anywhere between a foot or two off the water to as much as 1500 feet.

Loons can remain under water for as long as three minutes.
They can dive as deep as 150 feet.

This last fact reminds me of a conversation I had with a diver some years ago in Copper Harbor, Michigan.
He told us that he was diving on a wreck off Isle Royale (sp?) and all of a sudden, looking up from his rummaging with whatever he was investigating, a diving loom swam rapidly by him.
Imagine!

One of our favorite pastimes in Copper H. was to pack our food and camp stools and binoculars and coffee out to a promontory on Lake Manganese in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and spend a few hours watching for the critters.

We were rarely disappointed.

But we never saw two pairs at once as we did a few days ago.

And that reminds me that a favorite store in town is The Laughing Loon, a delightful shop operated by a naturalist and his wife.

Have not been up there in years – too many years.

Perhaps this could be the year for a visit.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Sunday night of Mothers’ Day and it is late.
Once again it is late.
Late is becoming our favorite time to write.

I just realized that I am not sure where the ‘ goes in the adjective of the Day.

Today Daughter and Son-in-Law hosted a dinner for Dear Wife and Dear Mom of Son-in-Law, spouses included.
I hope that makes sense.

And in early afternoon, Gramma and Himself repeated what has become a tradition: attendance at the annual Detroit English Bulldog Puppy Show.

For a paltry sum, attendees and club members are treated to lunch and bulldog puppy show competition.

Lots of fun for all.

We go and help out with whatever needs to be done.

Our Sohpie Matilda participated when she was a puppy.

Saturday Gramma and Grandkids attended a theater performance of Charlotte’s Web.
The kids loved it.
So did Gramma.
Ice cream after.

It has been a good Mothers’ Day.

I hope all Moms have a child or children who think of them.

Moms deserve it.

IN CAMP – WEDNESDAY NIGHT

It is Wednesday night and it is late and I have been celebrating.
We have opened our Northern Camp over the course of the last few days and we have been busy.

And I am tired.

Our Northern Camp is opened, successfully as far as we can tell.
And today whilst looking over our little garden out back, a bird landed on my shoulder and looked right into my face.

And at lunch today Dear Wife and I were privileged to watch two pairs of loons swimming, diving, fishing, taking off and landing for the hour and a half we devoted to lunch on a bay off Lake Michigan just a short drive from our camp.

We have reconnected with neighbors; walked Sophie more than we ever do at home; and just breathed in the Northern Air.

But a few other things should be said, should be shared.

Firstly, sincerest thanks go to Cathy and Joel for most kind comments regarding my 50th Reunion. The event was superb!

There was nostalgia; joy; tears, unexpected and instant; floods of memories; and endless and rapid sharing of stories of past and present.

A faculty member who was very important to me 50 years ago was present, and the opportunity to share with him was an overwhelming experience.
Really, overwhelming and I am not ashamed to say one of the most moving moments of my life.
I said important to me fifty years ago.
I should have said important then and important now.
I think of him, if not weekly, then every week or so for the example he set for his students and football players, fifty years ago.

And the two aforementioned ‘comments’ by my two readers were most welcome as I rehearsed the day’s doings after the fact.

Thank you for contributing to the success of my Reunion.

But now it is early Thursday.
We return home tomorrow and I have Lenten Study reading to do for our workshop on Friday AM.

Life goes on.

Thank the Good Lord.

50th

What does one think about on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his graduation from high school?
What things?
How many things?

It is early morning on the day of most of the festivities and we have a lot to do.

May is a busy month at The Study anyway: getting ready to open the Northern Camp; yard work with the coming of spring; and all the birthdays and other anniversaries which take place annually.

And this year, a 50th.

Thoughts, memories, bits of poetry.

I once stood behind Robert Frost as he read his poetry. I think of that occasionally, and now his poem about the roads diverging in a yellow wood comes to mind.

Or that line in Saving Private Ryan, where the character, Private Ryan, says something like… “Was it worth it [saving him] ?

We like to think that our life has been worth it; that it may still ‘be worth it’; that we will have worthwhile contributions to make.

You get one 50th.

We won’t go around again, not this lifetime anyway.

50 years have gone by quickly.

It occurred to me two days ago that in 1959, as I was getting to graduate and go on to college, that if a 50-year ‘boy’ had returned to visit us at the school, that the old timer would have graduated in 1909.

And I remember thinking in my late teen years that the early 1900’s was one hell of a long time ago, dark ages even, compared to the enlightened 1950’s.

And now here we/I am… one of the ‘old boys’, emerging out of the dark ages as it were, for the current members of the Class of 2009.

50 years is a long time. But they go by so quickly – or seem to have done so as you look back.

Regrets?
Satisfactions?
Successes?
Failures?

Gotta go and fry up some eggs.

Life goes on and there is a lot to do.

As the prayer says:

This is the day the Lord hath made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.