Huh? What's Up With That?

oddities, observations, & ?'s...#12                                                     Summertime is here and it is a perfect time to take a road trip in Red Thunder .  I have wanted to drive to  California in my Thunderbird convertible for several years, but, I can't find a sidekick for the adventure.    I suspect the lack of interest by others in such a journey may have something to do with my needing to take a break from driving every 45 minutes to an hour.  That doesn't include sightseeing.     Only my wife, Regina, can put up with my travel routine and she doesn't want to drive as far as the west coast because she has her limits too.    My son and daughter each told me they would drive out west with me, but, fly back home.  That means I would be driving back to Louisville by myself and I don't ...

life's poker game...                                                             I woke up several weeks ago with an enlarged right index finger that was very painful.  It was Memorial Day, so, I waited 24 hours to seek medical attention.    The next day, my Primary Care Physician referred me to Kleinert Kutz Hand Center, one of the nation's premier group of hand surgeons.  Fortunately, they are located right here in Louisville   and she got me an appointment for that afternoon.   The specialist took one look at my finger and pronounced me a victim of Gout Tophi.   He  said surgery would be required to determine the amount of damage the crystals had done to the joint in my finger.     The doctor spelled out the chance of the joint being saved, but, he wouldn't know what he would...

a road trip...                                                                 It is doubtful if  Ben and Erin Napier have membership dues or require name tags to bring their HGTV   show, Home-Town , into our family room, but, if they did, Regina would be a card carrying member.    HUH ?  What's up with that ?   The show takes place in Laurel, Mississippi, a small southern town of about 13 thousand people a couple hours north of New Orleans.  Each week of the season, the Napiers remodel a dilapidated home or business in an effort to make their community a better place to live.     Ben is a skilled artisan adept at building furniture from scratch or any other task having to do with wood, while his wife is the decorator, designer and imagination.  They are both ...

pos #7...                                    Regina and I were in Laurel, Mississippi walking up the wooden steps to Ben and Erin Napier's General Store when I spotted a couple sitting on a bench outside the main entrance to the famous HGTV landmark.      Fans flock to this southern town as if it is Graceland or even a national park on a perfect spring day.  They arrive by the busload, car, motorcycle or any other motorized buggy or cart.  And, it is all to pay homage to a man with a hammer and his wife who is an incredible designer.     Regina and I were just two people in the crowd.      Ben and Erin  host Home-Town on HGTV .  Each episode takes place in Laurel and features a home or business remodeled by the creative team.     Regina went into the store as I approached the twosome sitting peacefully as they wat...

pan this...                                                                   There are times when a simple task can become a jumble of mass confusion.    HUH ?  What's up with that ?     Last October, I went to Macy's,  Dillard's, Target and Kohl's Department Stores  to check out a wide range of cookware and it turned into a futile exercise that defies logic.   It wasn't my intent to purchase pots and pans, merely to look into the approximate cost.  I was serving as an advance scout for Regina.    A few days after that pointless excursion, we were in Indianapolis attending a birthday celebration held at Hollyhock Hill on north College Avenue.     Before the platters of chicken, bowls of mashed potatoes, corn, beans and salad with a vinegary dressin...

social media...                          According to Dictionary.com , the definition of social media:   websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts   Four or five media specialists, most of them with AOL, claim the first use of the phrase, Social Media, back in the mid 1990s.  Today, the two words are so integrated into our society, we can't ignore the pros and cons.     Aside from assuming everyone under the age of 30 uses it, I don't have a clue how a 25 year old thinks of social media, but, I found the perfect laboratory.  Among others, my branch bank employs four people under the age of 31 and one in her early 40s.  The five agreed to be interviewed.     My subjects could be more conservative or liberal in their use of social media compared to the...

oddities, observations, & ?'s...#11                                                                 24      Regina and I ventured south to see our grandson, Leo, play the part of the Scarecrow as never before portrayed in the classic,  The Wizard of Oz .  Of course, he was the star of the show.  But, there were a lot of grandparents in the audience, so, I imagine Leo was not a unanimous choice for  Best Actor .      Driving south, we stopped at a McDonald's for a cup of coffee in Calhoun, Georgia. A large sign on the cash stand said, Please order at the kiosk.      I wanted to pay cash, so, we stood at the cash register waiting for service.  Several workers standing at the drive up window looked at us, looked away, looked at us once more, then, dispers...