I Never Want To Look At Paint Chips Again!

Pat and I are going to paint our house, hopefully in the next five years. Any married man will tell you this can be one of the most frustrating procedures of all time. It is bad enough when we paint the inside rooms. At current count, my beautiful wife  had me paint the kitchen, three times in a month. The entry was done twice. The den twice. The dining room twice. The spare bathroom twice. The spare bedroom twice. I lucked out on the Master bedroom and bath and the family room. The laundry room is still white. However if you add all the rooms I have painted 10 rooms a grand total of 17 times, meaning I could have painted a house twice as big. Now I am not being critical of Pat. Those little squares of paint we get at the paint stores are very hard to visualise until they are on the walls. The problem is that for each room we looked at approximately eighty five thousand little paint swatches. Half the time I could not tell the difference between them. Also we have to take into account the Community of Hunters Creek, which I love, has community standards and painting the outside of your home is under this guideline. Just when we thought we had the color, the paint was not approved. Back to the drawing board. I can honestly say that I could have picked the color, months ago. It may not have been the right color, but I would have made a choice. I believe that tonight we have a winner. I just hope that by daybreak, Pat will not have a new revelation, in color selection, and God knows I hope that the color is the right one, because if it isn't, guess who will be out repainting it, the month after the painters leave.

Star Trek Captain!

I grew up watching William Shattner and Star Trek, so when I bought my new phone the other day, I also got a blue tooth devise. I love this thing. I do not even have to touch my phone to answer it, I can give it commands to call someone or answer the phone. Once I understand it better I will even be able to retrieve my text messages by voice command. You have to love technology, Jayden, Pat and I all survived, Jayden's first week back to school. He likes his new teacher. One problem though. As the week progressed it became harder to get him moving in the morning. I remember when I was a kid. My parents would call for me to get up. I jumped straight out of bed, made it, took my bath or shower, ate breakfast and was ready at least one hour before time to go to school. At least that is how I remember it happening. One of the advantages of writing your own blog, you can change the facts about your childhood to what ever  you want. One thing that was true when I was a kid. The first day of school you would wear one of your best outfits. You would then start out to school with either your lunch money or your packed lunch. Today we have to take all of the school supplies, for the kids, to school several days before, so they are not overloaded their first day back. We keep cutting money for the schools and cannot understand why they struggle to educate our children. Last item for today. I cannot believe how much technology has changed the way we do things. I remember when cell phone first came out I said, "Who in Gods name needs a phone with them all of the time." Now as I get in the car I check to see if I have mine with me. I was one of those people that thought nobody needed a computer in their homes and now I am not sure how we ever survived without them. We have TVs in every room. Dvrs are the normal. We use them to record shows and watch them when we can, and we even get to skip the commercials. I don't know  about you, but I can't wait to see the next new item that will make our lives easier or better. Maybe a devise that will get kids to clean up their rooms without being asked. Now I am just being ridiculous.

The Trauma of Buying a New Phone!

Today is a day that most Americans have faced but nobody really talks about. The new cell phone purchase. We are inundated with terms like 4-G, 3-G, Android, IPhone and endless other technical terms that had my mind swimming, by the time I arrived at the phone stores. My first stop was Verizon and was immediately greeted by a very pleasant young lady. She asked about my phone usage and when I told her I had a Motorola Razor phone she remained composed on the outside, but I am sure that in her mind she wondered if I had parked my horse and buggy at the far side of the building. Armed with a array of phone prices and plans I headed for AT&T. We have been with them for 12 years and I felt I should at least hear what they had to say.  I was met by a very pleasant gentleman. This time to avoid the humiliation of my razor, I started with the fact that Pat had an IPhone and was less then enamored with it. I also stated that I wanted to have a smart phone and the plans that would allow me to join the 21st century. He hid his contempt well and showed me the latest and greatest phones. I was soon convinced that the Motorola Atrix 4G was just the ticket for Pat and myself. An hour later I was on my way, but then a terrifying thought hit me. Pat had not seen or approved of the phones, I had chosen. My wonderful daughter, Jessica, heightened my anxiety, when she exclaimed, "Dad, you didn't buy those phones without Mom. Well I hope you have fun returning them tomorrow!" Her and Wes, her husband, had a good laugh at my discomfort. Well the joke was on them. Pat was perfectly happy with my choice and we are now in the two years process of learning how to use them. I am sure by the time our new plan expires, I will have learned to at least turn the phone on and off with considerable proficiency. I will let you all know my progress and if you could, please pray to the cell phone Gods, that they will grant me some small amount of knowledge, in phone usage.

Out of The Mouth of a Seven Year Old Boy! Priceless!

A short while ago Jayden was laying on the couch with his head on his grandmothers lap. He looked up at us and announced the reason he did not like girls. "When ever something goes wrong, they always blame us, boys." Sorry but all I could do was howl with laughter and point out he has now, at only seven figured out the secret of life. Pat of course faked disdain of his pronouncement, but she had a huge grin across her face. I only know that  I have to  convince him the smartest thing he can do, is admit to the wrong doing and move on. This may be difficult, but one thing I have learned living with my wonderful bride for 36 years and raising two daughters, the best part of valor is to just accept the inevitable and lay low. Wow at seven years old and already starting to understand the meaning of survival. How lucky can he get!

First Day of School. Never Easy.

I am not one of those people that wait until the last minute for anything, however no matter how hard we try, or how prepared we are the first day of school is aways stress. In years gone by I have helped prepare our daughters and had them ready and out the door on time. After the first few years it became some what routine to accomplish this. Today it was getting my seven year old grandson, Jayden, prepared and off to second grade. Last month Pat and I got all of his school supplies and clothes bought and stored for the big day. Last week Pat and Nicole attended, meet your teacher night and safely placed his supplies in Jayden's new classroom. Last night we packed the paperwork, remaining supplies, laid out clothes and were completely ready. This morning was  approached with military precision and out the door Jayden and I went. The walk to his school takes about two minutes and we left a full thirty minutes ahead of time. As we approached the school Jayden announced he had, "No idea what he was supposed to do!" I showed no outward emotion, but inside I was saying "Shit, neither do I." I quickly pulled it together as we got beside the school. He only wanted me to walk him to the bike rack and then turn and go home. When we arrived at the "jump off " point I asked if he was O.K. Then he spotted some classmates. My apprehension was somewhat relieved, so I let him go and went home. The luck part for me was, number one, he wore a bright, yellow, Shawn White shirt. The second is I can look out the back of our house and see the school. I spotted him right away, and was able to keep an eye on him as the teachers moved them along the way to their rooms. He will never know, how his paranoid Grandfather watched him. I am sure the moment he saw his friend his apprehension disappeared, mine lasted for a while longer. I guess releasing our children to others never gets easy.

Being A Grandparent Is The Greatest And The Hardest Job.

When ever I get to see any of my Five grandchildren it is both fantastic and difficult at the same time. The one side of me just wants to spoil and play. The other side is the part of me that wants everything in order. With children all under the age of seven, order is seldom the word used. I have to fight the urge to be a parent, with the urge to just enjoy them. Some days I struggle and sometime I succeed and just have fun. Jayden, our first grandchild, is now seven and for most of those years he has and still does live with us. He causes the most consternation in that, I do at times have to be a parent and teach him the responsibilities of growing up. Pat, is always there to remind me that he is only seven and helps me lighten up. He is a great kid. I know what else would a grandparent say, but he really is. he is extremely polite, always, please and thank you. He will say excuse me if he inadvertently walks in front of someone. He works hard in school and he plays hard when out. Probably the thing I like best of all is how caring and loving he is. He always has a hug and kiss, followed by, " I love you". Having him with us is work at times and I will admit I loose my patience, but each and everyday I am grateful for having him here and could not imagine it any other way. I love him so much.  I will be writing about each of my grand kids and introducing them over the next few weeks. They will be part of the stories I share and hope you will do the same.  

Kindle Vs. The Newspaper

About one year ago I bought the Kindle. First off, I love this fantastic invention. When I want a new book, I go onto Amazon and buy it. Within seconds I am reading the book. What can be better then, that for a book reader, like myself? I have bought several books and am completely happy with this. My problem came from the fact that I ordered the Orlando Sentinel on the Kindle. At best it was O.K. I say alright because after 40 plus years of holding a regular newspaper in my hands, I could not get used to having a tablet sized news sheet. The grand experiment ended a couple of weeks ago when I started home delivery again. I almost cried as I held those sacred sheets of newsprint in my hands. There it was the comics, the ads and most importantly the full expanse of paper. I shook with excitement as I poured a cup of coffee, sat down in my favorite chair and opened the paper. I was in heaven again. The smell of newsprint and the paper they use. The thrill of actually having the paper in my hands. There is no other feeling like it. As good as that Saturday edition was, the next morning when I retrieved the bulky Sunday edition, was pure ecstasy. Ads in color, comics in color and the coupons. As I brushed away the tears I reminded myself that saving a few dollars may have been nice, but tradition was so much better. Keep your electronic news and information. As for me when I die, please remember to place the days newspaper in that casket with me. I want to be able to read, "Peanuts", as I go on my voyage into eternity.

Where Do I Begin, Maybe The Name?

Now maybe to some, the idea that choosing a name for a blog would be a very simple thing to do. For someone like me it was a long and thoughtful process. My first idea was, "Mature Adult", the idea came from what I told my grandson, Jayden, how he had to address me concerning age. One time he was joking and said I was old. I immediately corrected him and stated people like Pop Pop were not old, we were mature adults. That has become our phrase. The problem with that idea, was if you put mature adults on the web search, several porno sites come up, no pun intended, on the browser. Next came a series of ideas like, John, thinks he knows best, Pop Pop thinks he knows best, the Emperor of Estrella Dr, and the Emperor knows best. When I asked the Empress of Estrella Dr, also known as my lovely wife, Pat, what she thought I quickly received, the look. For those of you wondering what the look is, most husbands are very familiar with it. If you ever watched the TV show, "Everybody Loves Raymond," it is the look Deborah always gave Ray along with the comment, "You're an idiot." So this is the look I received from the Empress and with her help I decided on the above title.
    Anyone that knows me, knows that first of all, I always have an opinion and I am not shy about sharing it. Secondly I have this, "small," tendency to believe that I am always correct. Even if I suspect that what I just said is not correct I will debate and try to convince everyone that it most certainly is right.
     During the months and years ahead I will share stories about what has shaped my thought process, what I have learned along the way and what I believe will come in the future. My hope is that it will be humorous and funny. I also hope that each of my readers will share their stories. This is meant to be lighthearted and quirky. Irreverent, silly ( which I am very good at) and just plain fun. This will be a contrast to the more serious political blog that I write. So come on in, take you shoes and anything else you want off, get comfortable and stay a while.