A Brother's Letter

 

            Sam,

I have one hundred, eleven American dollars saved.  With that, I am boarding the ship that will take me to the new land.  There is nothing for me here.  Once there, I will write to let you know where I am.

Do not try to follow me.  Even if the ship should leave a wake, it may dwindle to nothing, leaving no trail for you to find and you will be left to float aimlessly at sea.  So, if you do follow, bring a sandwich or something for your journey.

Tell Mama I said good-bye.  I have left some rocks by the side door.  She can place them around her garden to keep the rabbits out.  It’s a lot of rocks.

PS
         If I change my mind I’ll be home by 6, so don’t eat all the corn.

 

Sweet Pickles

 

They’re not all successes

This was best described by saying,

 “Something has gone terribly wrong.”

I used all fresh ingredients.

2 Cucumbers  

1 Onion

I followed the directions as I always have.

2 large Cukes

1 onion

1 cup of sugar

½ cup white vinegar

½ teaspoon of celery seed

½ teaspoon of mustard seed

1 teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of turmeric

Blend in a large glass bowl.

Microwave for 3 minutes

stir then microwave two more times

3 minutes each time.

Put into a jar and refrigerate for 1 day.

 

Ordinarily 

these are amazing.  I don't know

what happened. 

We had to toss them out.

Yuck !

 

 

A sort-of close encounter

 

        Footprints are not always in the shape of a shoe.  The tracks we leave behind can take many forms.  Currently, there isn't a GPS that follows our path or could ever retrace it.

        We sometimes learn that our travels have crossed, or come close and maybe even several times, collided. 

        Situations and events can put us at a sporting stadium, or along the side of a road changing a tire.  It is all by chance.  Also, as we go through life we find that our interests change.   Everything stays in motion and as we move, we leave behind bits or footprints.

        The discovery of our paths is the fun part.

        Many years ago, Charles Grodin left two signed photographs at my front door.  Today, a lifetime later, he has set his signed book in my path.  

        What a pleasant discovery.

 

To Tell the Truth

 

I’m not sure if this is resourceful or cheap, but I saw listed on the menu, Burnt Ends.  I understand that controlling food costs is a constant battle for anyone in the restaurant business, but seriously?  Burnt ends?

What's next?  ...on a bed of wilted lettuce.

 

 

Choose wisely

 

There is a gap of time from when I’m sitting here writing this to when you are reading it.  That gap is different for everyone.  It can be as little as a few seconds to weeks later.  Neither you nor I can tell what transpires during that gap.

Maybe during that gap, a farmer has had time to feed his animals, or a teacher has spent it grading papers.  Perhaps some politician is standing in front of his mirror getting dressed, while he tries to convince himself that he’ll never get caught.

Whether or not I post my gibberish doesn’t change what people do.  They will fill that bit of time, no matter what is at the beginning or end of it.  It only becomes a gap when you decide to read what I’ve written.

The fate of the world is in your hands.

 

A Thought derailed

 

An 18-wheeler came down our street today.  There were stacks and stacks of sod piled along its length.  Someone’s lawn was being delivered.  I expect they paid for it by the yard.

It got me to thinking about the phrase, some assembly required.  Then I wondered, in what other aspects of life do we need to put things together?

I remember in school, one of my teaches would always say, “Get it together, Zobostic.” And I’ve heard the words, Keep it together, but that was usually during a high stress situation, like a bank robbery or something.  (It wasn’t me)

I remember Humpty Dumpty, but that was more of a re-assembly thing.  And detectives have to assemble clues.  I’m not sure that adding batteries to something constitutes assembly.

Then, of course, there is this train of thought.  It began with a simple piece, an 18-wheeler.  From there we sort of wandered all over the place.  From the looks of it, it doesn’t appear that going back to the beginning and reading the directions will help anything.  This is simply one of those posts that needs a little paint, has a touch of wood rot here and there and is best ignored.  Let’s move on.

 

 

We Childproofed the Planet

 

Neither an observer nor participant be

Whether trees or buildings you do see

Matters not on land or sea

Fate determines destiny

 

Long before there was ever you

Life was planned through and through

We let you think you had a choice

But never did you have a voice

 

We gave you science, math and speech

But kept your thinking within reach

The speed of light you’ll never pass

Think of it as safety glass