Walking Around

     There was the Alvarado reunion at Hawk Island in July with below average attendance but it was a nice sunny day.  We all got new shoes at Playmakers sale and I had new brakes put on the Malibu.  Jane and I took walks often and went to Hunter's Orchard and Hawk Meadows parks.  Jane started seeing a counsellor about her family and has enjoyed finally do it.  We saw the James Brown movie and went to Folk Fest in East Lansing and saw Thornetta Davis sing.  We had the K of C haul away all the old lawnmowers,  air conditioners and metal before leaving to Grand Haven for a week.  Jane and I spent the whole week together undisturbed and she did shopping and I did breweries. WE went to Holland, White Lake and Muskegon.  When we got home we left to Canton Ohio the next morning to help Phillip move back, about 900 miles in 36 hours.  Phillip started work and classes at MSU the next 2 days. Lukas graduated from MSU with a History degree and is stilling working there.  Jon sold his house and he and Sharon bought a home near Valparaiso. Sharon began her new job as an assistant professor at U of Indiana, Gary.  I've been subbing some and was not invited to proctor at Cooley last term as they are cutting back due to decreased enrollment.  I could have taken a long term at Winan's again but this time it was for an open Specials class due to their losing the Spanish teachers because they cut them back to .4.  I also would have had to go to Colt in the afternoons and there was no definite date as to how long the job would be and to what was going to be taught.  I attended the funereal of Dan Phillips at Resurrection and Bobby Lee Richardson who I worked with at GM and shared the same birth day and year, died.  This summer we did not have a high in the 90's and it never dried out so everything stayed green and the flowers all did well. A very nice summer that went quickly as the cooler days are now beginning. Phillip got his offer from Marathon and will wait to find his destination next spring.  Time is always moving on with us or without, walking our trails.

Poetic Prose

   Some write poetry naturally and everything they do is prosaic. Last night my mind was filled with thoughts stopping me from sleeping. A dog kept barking hauntingly echoing fear in the solitude.After writing down a poem that demanded action, I read Dylan's Chronicles for an hour. But sleep would not come and more words filled my restlessness until sirens pulled me from the bed into the near full moon daynight. The next three full moons are Supermoons or perigee moon, when it is closest to Earth making it appear 30% brighter and 14% bigger. Orange was entering through the fence gate and I called him to come in. He took his time finally crying on the fencepost that he was ready. Back in bed I found Jane fighting off a millipede that had entangled itself in her hair and brought her into my mania. When dreams came they were the replay of the night's events demanding I recount these strange happenings. Was it the three movies we saw this week for $2 at Regal Cinemas opening or the majestic July nightsky that was like a luminescent highlighted painting?  I finished Graham Nash's Wild Tales and have been staying busy with some local concerts during the week. With all the rain everything is growing and very green. Yet we haven't had too many muggy hot unbearable days. Strange days, strange nights, isn't life strange when you're the stranger?

Father's Day 2014

   Basil, my father-in-law passed away Sunday June 8th at around 6:35 at Sparrow Hospital. He entered emergency May 27th while Jane and I were at Black Lake with the UAW retirees. We had beautiful weather there and had great food and presentations that included Bob King. We left Thursday afternoon after lunch and the final speakers to be with Basil who had water drained from around his heart earlier. We got there at 6 and he was back in his room recovering but very alert. We found out he had multiple organ failures and was still physically ailing. Over the course of the next week he made little progress and the doctors indicated he may have cancer. It was finally decided on Saturday to keep him on comfort only care and move him to a bigger room which may be a transition to Hospice if needed. His visitation was at Tiffany's Thursday and Friday the funeral mass at Cristo Rey with burial at St. Joseph's on a cool windy day. John and Sharon were here and stayed for Mandy's open house on Saturday. Phillip had to stay in Canton for his job as there was a job fair at The U. of Ohio Friday that he and the other interns were in charge of. We moved him down there May 17th and returned the 18th after getting him acclimated to getting to his job at Marathon and grocery stores. Luke is finishing his classes at MSU this summer and working each morning at 7 there. I have at least one more half day of school before I'm off for the summer. Jane is handling Basil's death well and now the future with Grandma living with Mark and how much Petra demands will be the challenge. Wiley died May 22nd after being sick a day and passing away during the night in Phillip's room. He was cremated and we have his ashes and paw prints in the living room after his 14 1/2 years as our dog. It has been rainy this spring and only a few hot days so far has made it quite comfortable and everything green and growing.

Filed Taxes Online

Today I filed my federal taxes online for the first time. I had done them on paper and filed my state by mail in February because I was getting money  back from them. I had to pay the federal and I wanted to check my figuring with the software and they came out the same, so I'll probably E-File again next year. The snow finally went away in early April setting a record of over 106 days with snow covering the ground and being the coldest winter since 1950. Phillip bought a 2013 Cruze from Bud Kouts and is practising for his drivers test for his license. There was another snow day March 12 but I've been working everyday until last week's spring break. The Ybarra's got back from Florida March 27 and sold their house and moved out the 30th into Mark's. Jon and Sharon were here that weekend for our birthdays and I had told Gramma they needed 2 Men and a Truck to move them but they managed somehow without our help. MSU and Michigan both reached the elite 8 but both lost to the teams that went to the final with Connecticut, a #7 seed winning it. We went to the Caesar Chavez movie with Luke this week and the MSU Science Fair last Sunday. We had the temperature reach 70 for the first time since last October this weekend and spring is finally showing it's signs of life. I finished cleaning up all the branches and cutting them this week with some piles of brush still out back.  Green is slowly appearing and buds are opening up to bring renewal to the earth and souls seeking new life.

Arctic Vortex

   The polar vortex continues to keep us cold and snow laden.  Mr. Chahine next door has recreated the cedars of Lebanon with his snow piles between the driveways. It turned out to be 3 days of canceled school the first week after break. We've had 2 more days off because of minus wind chills and recess has only happened twice. This has been the coldest and snowiest winter in around 40 some years. Snow banks block your view at many corners or exits and it's been below freezing for a long stretch. We took care of Kaiser for a week as Andrew checked into the hospital for depression and we have been taking care of the Ybarra's mail and plants as they have been in Florida since January the 8th. I'm back to subbing at my old schools again and the teachers are happy to see me.

Spartan Nation

MSU 24, Stanford 20, 2014 Rose Bowl makes a green and white new year! People also got back their power after 8 to 11 days without it due to a lack of urgency by BWL as 40% of BWL customers lost power. Dottie decided to cut down all the trees on our properties border so the clean up is easier but it looks so bare now and without that shade it will effect us this summer. I cut all the wood up in the fenced in backyard with the electric saw for the Ybarras.  Jim Phillipich's mother died Christmas Eve and I attended the funeral Monday.  I went to the cemetery and luncheon with Steve Martin and talked to Tom Roman and Dave Ellis at the funeral.  John Rashid died on New Years Eve and I was hoping to see Raymond at Tiffany's but he wasn't there.  We had some cold nights and are supposed to get a lot of snow and then a couple of days of zero and below weather this coming week. Change is definitely the theme for the new year so I'll trust the Lord to adjust and grow into the unknown. We had 15" of snow and wind chills of  -22, with school canceled for 2 days.

Back Again, Interupted

  Last night I began this blog after a long hiatus. The internet connection went down as we had an ice storm on the 21st that had knocked out cable for two days. Last night they finally got electricity back in Mar Mor and Thomas L as well as the traffic lights on Waverly from Willow to Saginaw, which were four way stops for five days. I was not able to save all I wrote so I begin again today with an assurance from Comcast service is restored. Back to August, I got a call to be building sub at Winans. Until Thursday I worked there every day subbing for teachers or following Isacc, an autistic student in third grade. Friday school was cancelled due to the first ice storm that made the roads and sidewalks slippery, I had been told Monday that I would not report everyday after the first of the year. It was a good gig knowing where I'd be and not have to depend on the computer to pick up assignments where they were available, especially after my recovering with my leg. We went to Hebron to visit Jon and Sharon on September 14th and spent the night at their repainted house. We went to an apple orchard and craft show before heading home. They've been here for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve for our family dinners. In October we went to Remus for Jim and Betty's 55th and earlier to spend the night for the first time there. Greg was in a play, MASH, at the Riverwalk Theater and his daughter Becca was married in Grand Ledge November 14th. We took Aunt Peg there at the Opera House and had a good time celebrating with family. At home we painted our bedroom and tore out the carpet as well as having the porch redone with stone brick. Over 50,000 homes were without electricity for many days in Lansing and I thank God we and the Ybarras didn't lose it. It was very surreal driving down the Saginaw strip with no lights and then through Thomas L like a ghost town. The paper has the number down to 15,000 now and Jane's brothers have their power back. MSU won the Big Ten championship and are playing in the Rose Bowl. Phillip went to Indianapolis for the game and has been busy working at the Lear Center on campus. He did many interviews for summer internships in the fall and accepted Marathon's offer to work in Canton Ohio. Lukas is a supervisor at MSU and is hoping to finish up his schooling by getting into a one year education program. Simon hurt his ankle at the Crown Plaza and is waiting to find out how that is going to work out. Jane is still tortured by her jaw pains. It is a lot of work rehashing four months of life, hopefully I will be more diligent. But about fifty limbs wait outside to be cut up and discarded.