Tuesday March 31, 2009...Watch out for the worm

What's the matter with me?

I sit up and notice that days and days have gone by since last I posted my thoughts. It isn't that I've been devoid of thoughts - maybe it's just that I'm thoughtless?
Anyway, I know that all of you out there are just hanging on by a thread, waiting for my next thrilling installment of the adventures of Bob. Maybe "hanging on" isn't the proper thought - maybe barely surviving or patiently waiting, or hadn't even noticed?

In any event the days slip by faster now than they used to and I have been busy revising the video show I'm preparing for my high school reunion. I've had to overhaul it several times so that it would accept additional photos and let me install a menu, etc. Now that I have it ready to finalize they tell me that there is a WORM out there ready to destroy all the computers in the world, so I have to back up all data to sources that can't be corrupted.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it's really been great having younger members of the family around to help handle the heavy loads and such. By sharing the chores, it makes life easier for all of us. It's been a real pleasure sharing our home. The only thing I have to watch out for is to avoid being the parent. I'm the grand parent and don't have the responsibility for my grandson. It's my job to help spoil him whenever I get the chance and to leave all the upbringing to his parents. Sometimes it's hard to swallow your tongue and keep silent as they choose different methods than you might choose - but that is their right and responsibility. All those years of wisdom that you've accumulated aren't always appreciated, so you have to keep quiet and let people find their own way. I imagine my folks did much the same as I was stumbling my way through parenthood. Such is life. Other than that, I highly recommend the melding of generations withing one household. We can all learn and share with each other and make life much smoother.

Remember tomorrow is my day! I suppose I've always been an April Fool and probably always will be. Believe me when I say it's okay to be foolish every once in a while.

Sunday March 22, 2009...Runza weekend

It's been a Runza weekend.

I'm not sure if you know what a Runza is.

It is a sweet yeast dough bread pocket with a filling. I usually make a Kraut Runza which has steamed cabbage, onion and hamburger as a filling, along with worcestershire sauce and mustard. The Runzas are usually fried in vegetable oil and are very tasty. This weekend, I made a whole bunch of dough and made some Kraut Runzas and then decided that I would try some new things. The next thing I knew, I was making hot dog Runzas and then ham and cheese Runzas and runza dough donuts and runza dough cinnamon rolls. I went through the first batch of Runza dough and had to make another batch. Now I have to make more Kraut Runzas. My daughter suggested italian meatball runzas and hamburger/onion/pickle runzas. I guess there is no end to the list of Runzas that you can think of. Maybe a pepperoni and cheese Runza?

Anybody want a Runza?

Wednesday March 18, 2009...Nine year olds?

It's been a long time, a really long, long time, since I had small children around me much. My children were small about 35-40 years ago and have since grown up to be understanding, caring, loving, reasoning, logical adults.

Now I have my nine year old grandson living with me and I find that I need to adjust my thinking.

For one thing, you can't always rely on logic when attempting to communicate with a young man. You can't always count on being able to reason and understand their way of thinking. It seems to be more of a faith kind of thing. What makes perfect sense to a nine year old may not make any sense to a full fledged adult, but then they live in a completely different world. A nine year old isn't bound by complete knowledge and understanding of how the world is made up. His world may have a bit more magic and a bit more wonder in it.

Another thing is that nine year olds care deeply about immediate points of interest that fluctuate wildly by the moment. What may hold true now won't always hold true later. What is of primary interest or concern now won't necessarily be of any interest tomorrow. You have to be very flexible.

Nine year olds have uneven temperament. Their emotions vary like the flames of a fire. One moment they hold you in the highest regard and love you immensely, but the very next day you may be the object of disdain and ridicule. They need a emotional dial or a sensor that tells you where their thoughts and emotions are at the moment.

It's been a learning experience. Once I get older and wiser, I'm sure that I will come to completely understand the mind of a nine year old boy. Or maybe not. It may be a Mom thing, because his mother has no problem whatsoever completely understanding and dealing with him. I seem to be more like a third foot, not knowing when or where to step.

I love my grandson and can't wait till he grows up to be an understanding, caring, loving, reasoning, logical adult. For now, he's a wonderment.

Sunday March 1, 2009...Snow again

I guess Winter isn't over quite yet. Here in western Missouri, it's been a warm winter. Just this last week it got to 70 degrees. I saw people out in their tee shirts and shorts. It was just too nice. Yesterday it snowed about 4 inches and today it got down to 10 degrees. Later this week it's supposed to get back up in the 50s or 60s. It's hard to know just how to dress. I got out the snow blower yesterday, but couldn't get it started. It will probably start just fine once the weather turns nice. I really hadn't thought about shoveling snow again - thought maybe spring would come early. Oh well. At least Spring is just around the corner and daylight savings starts next week - whoopee!

Looking back over previous years notes, I see that I was so angry about the stupid war in Iraq. Now we find it must wind down over the next 18 months, but at least the end is in sight. I hope we don't have to maintain any kind of large force over there after we officially turn it over to the Iraqis. Now it sounds like Afghanistan is going to get the attention it should have been done with years ago. I know we need to get rid of the Al-Qaida, but I sure hate to waste any more lives than necessary in doing so. Think about Afghanistan - Russia tried to conquer that area and failed. What are our chances of taming the beast? I guess time will tell.

It's enough to just forget about the economy and the wars and just think about spring for right now. Except for the stupid snow!