Motorcycle

I started to write this blog about days gone by, but I decided to think about the future. The days ahead, if all goes as expected, includes a big ol' Harley Davidson. This time around a motorcycle will NOT be a means for transportation. It will be for pleasure, pure pleasure! I have plans for Spring mornings on the Trace, at Land between the Lakes, early Summer evenings tooling around the big city of Paris, and romps around Henry county in the fall. I remember the feeling of exhilaration, the crisp feeling of fall, the feeling of speed and power between your legs. The freedom, the excitement, the oneness you feel with your motorcycle is indescribable. It is a feeling I want to recapture, and recapture before I get much older!

Labor

This weeks word evokes strong memories and powerful thoughts race through my mind. Being a Journeyman Wireman in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, for thirty one years now, after serving a four year apprenticeship, I have learned the value of labor. Labor organizations have played a huge role in the United States even having a middle class. Collective bargaining agreements have given voice to the men & women who labor. Standards of living have continued to rise.

Our forefathers fought long and hard for the eight hour workday, for the forty hour work week. They bargained for good health insurance, a decent retirement plan, a safe jobsite, a clean place to have lunch, and dignity and respect on the job and in the community. My debt of gratitude for the men & women of labor cannot be overstated. The sacrifices made so that I may enjoy this American way of life astounds me. I want to do my part to continue this tradition.

Teacup

Well, I have been stumped! For over a year now I have expressed my thoughts on 'the word of the week'. This weeks word is teacup, and for the life of me, I am speechless. Had the word been coffee cup I might have had a thought. The expression 'cup of tea' invokes some thoughts. Teacup gives me no inspiration at all!

Maybe this week we could hear from others. Maybe travelers from around the United States, or from around the world might write of their teacup collection. Maybe people used to using their teacups during their tea time could tell us about it. Me, I just draw a blank!

Spelunker

Spelunker is a word hidden deeply in my vocabulary, but one I cannot remember the last time I used. When I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9, F.M. Dixon had a series of books called The Hardy Boys. In those books, Frank & Joe Hardy were mystery solvers and crime fighters and one of their stories involved caves. Spelunkers explore caves so that word was used extensively in their story. Were it not for those books, I probably would have no idea what spelunker meant.

I was a pretty adventurous young man, but caves never interested me at all. They always seemed too dangerous, a lot of work, and would have many cramped locations. Spelunking has its own set of rules, and a second chance just might not come your way. I guess another reason might be because I grew up a loner. A spelunker needs a buddy to watch out for you while you watch out for him. From the early 70's to the mid 80's I thought nothing of hiking up in to the woods 7 or 8 miles setting up camp and doing the same thing the next day. Being by myself was the way to go, so that would have been a very bad fit, spelunking.

Boys

The word boys has, in my mind, several connotations. 'Good morning, boys!' is the way I greet my crew members at work each morning. 'Boys will be boys', an explanation for not so nice behavior, is an axiom I have heard all my life. 'The boys against the girls', the way all games of Rook or Spades seem to wind up. The 'boys of summer', referring to professional baseball players, back in my day.

I enjoy, to this day, watching boys play baseball. I think the most fun I have is watching five and six year old boys learning to play T-ball. I admire the coaches. The only place some boys learn discipline and teamwork is on the baseball field, so the pressure is really on the manager to teach these boys the right way to do things. When I was a boy I think the most important thing taught to me was “it does not matter if you win or lose, it is how you play the game!” I believe the boys, on every team, everywhere, would profit in life, if they were taught that truism.

Spray

The word this week is spray and it brings to mind all the cleaners, degreasers, pesticides, cooking sprays, paint, WD40, & hair sprays we use on a daily basis. It is amazing to me that at any given time the Owens family, Jean & I, will have 15 different spray cans in our cabinet under the kitchen sink, and under the bathroom sink.

We are trying to go “green” & that means all the aerosol sprays, with their fluorocarbons were the first to go. The propellants used today in all kinds of sprays seem to work just fine & do not hurt the ozone layer. That is very important as we strive to be better stewards of this great land.

Bonanza

Ben Cartwright always knew the right thing to do. I never liked Adam Cartwright, but I liked the way he looked. I related to Hoss Cartwright the most, that bear of a man, that always knew how to laugh at himself. I liked Little Joe the best. He, forever, was getting himself into trouble, but if he didn't get out of it himself, his ol' man, or his two brothers would help! Hop Sing sure kept the house looking good, and kept the meals on the table.

I don't know for sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the kids of today have no clue who the men mentioned in the above paragraph are. The Cartwright family was the subject of a television show, back in the sixties, called Bonanza. Set outside Carson City, Nevada, the Cartwrights owned a big cattle ranch in the 1880s and were always going through the trials and tribulations that make you a stronger person when you meet them head on, and work your way through them. As I near 55 years of age I realize success does not come near as easily nor near as often as it did on Bonanza. I also realize what a good influence shows like Bonanza, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffeth Show, even The Lawrence Welk Show(oh, how I hated that show) had on my upbringing.

I have often said 'if everyone lived their life exactly as I live mine, oh what a dull world we would live in'. That being said, I will say that if everyone had the same values I have, believed in the God I believe in, had the attributes of self esteem, courteousness, willingness to help our neighbors, my what a better world we would have!

I would not say that that I learned all of these things by watching shows like Bonanza. I learned many, many good things from having great parents. Back in those days lessons were taught on television, and Bonanza taught me many!