run on sentences

We all like to stay in our own comfort zone and yes I know I am generalizing.  Staying in my safety zone involves doing nothing that will risk my life, any of my limbs, my dignity, and can be done with both of my feet touching the ground.  Like running.  It did seem pretty safe until I broke my leg last year in my driveway, but that's different.  It is something I have to do to keep sane, so I will risk it.  And usually one of my feet is on the ground. When Sue, my college roommate from Northern Michigan University (class of 1975, and proud of it), posted something on Facebook about Pictured Rocks National Shoreline   http://www.paddlingmichigan.com on Lake Superior, and suggested a girl kayaking trip about a year ago, I said "I'm in" even though I am not a big water person or swimmer.  There were a few reasons that compelled me to do this risky thing that could result in my death, knowing that  "Superior they said, never gives up her dead" (Gordon Lightf

I have never had to frequent a guy store.  Ever.  OK once I had to go to Ernst Home Center (now defunct) to buy some wire to hook up our new oven.  Bruce and our friend Lee were wiring our kitchen and were busy working on that,  and sent me off in search of the needed wire.  By the time I got there, I forgot what I needed - there were numbers involved like 15/2 (sort of like cribbage) or something.  I told the guy store guy this and right away he knew what I needed, but not after giving me a smirk.  I took out my brick cell phone and called home to verify that it was a 6:3 or whatever it actually was.  He ended up giving me twice as much as we needed (at the single price) and I thought it served him right for smirking at me so I didn't return it. old brick cell phone - it would never fit in my purse! Up until this point, I have been protected from visiting guy stores solo, because I have a guy and that is what guys do - they go to guy stores.  As Dave Berry said, they wander

On Thursday, as I prepared to run at 5:45 with my friend Becky and Jack the dog, I thought how crappy I felt.  This thought alone violated one of my first rules of the road which is to "never comment, or let yourself think,  about how good or bad you feel for the first 30 minutes or three miles of a run, whichever comes first".  And here I was already thinking negative thoughts BEFORE I even was on the road. It really didn't get any better on the road.  I felt nauseated.  My legs felt like lead.  My head hurt, my feet stank and I didn't love Jesus (Old Jimmy Buffet song) and I hadn't even had any drinks the evening before.   Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) Becky felt tired and out of sorts too.  We ended up walking much of the run which in my earlier running years, I never would have done because that was unforgivable.  We also complained a lot minor irritations that, in the general scheme of things, were of little importance being that we are both fit, and

Exactly one year ago today our first grandson, Desmond John, arrived - "he came to the world in the usual way" as Harry Chapin put it.  Desmond - less than one hour old - contemplating what's ahead for him Bill and Scarlett - Des was less than an hour old Me and Des - one day old Grandpa and Desmond I still remember how much (as weird as this sounds) I enjoyed sitting in the dirty little waiting room by myself, waiting for updates.  Billy would come in every few hours or so and give me reports on how Scarlett was doing - she was one tough woman in labor, that's for sure.  I went home for a few hours to sleep and he called me back when Scarlett was ready to push.  Desmond was born 30 minutes or so after I got there. When Billy came in to tell me "It's a little boy", I won't forget the look on his face - he my second born, once my own newborn,  now a father.   I got to see Desmond all fresh and somewhat startled by his abr

Today my son Bill started grad school, working towards his Masters degree in business or MBA.  He sent me this picture in an email titled "first day of 17th grade". I smiled at his thoughtfulness in remembering how I always made he and his sister and brother line up together or separately, for a picture on the first day of school.    I did this every year and even asked them to send me one when they went away to college. My mom did this when I was a kid and it drove us nuts.  Like me though, my mom wasn't that great about putting pictures in albums, which I think is okay. There's nothing wrong with looking at boxes full of pictures with your family, maybe sipping on an adult beverage while reminiscing.  My brother and I on just before leaving for school - not a first day I don't think. The older my kids got, the harder it was to get them to stop for a moment to so I could take a picture.  Of course I planned to put everything in nice photo albums but all of