To Mr Anonymous

For several months an unidentified person, male or female, has chosen to criticize various parts of my blogs. I do not pretend to be a grade A student of English and this particular person served to have me go back and re-read those blogs on which had commented. He or she has never revealed his identity(note, I will now refer to this party as a "he") but in my going back he was correct in criticizing my work. While his criticisms were generally not of my grammar, my sentence structure or things of that nature, his comments were more sarcastic and the fact that he remained in a shadow was annoying. I'm not sure why he bothers and if he is supposedly giving constructive criticism, it is difficult to see it as such. As I started out saying, in going back to re-read my work, I deserved to be subjected to some sarcasm. Why I never audited myself is hard to explain, although some of it is a result of my lack of computer skill, it is now too late to worry about. I did what I did and now can suffer rightful criticisms.

However to now respond to this person that chooses not to come forward, I would really like to know who you are and as of now you are forgiven for any irritations I may have had of you. I receive comments from a couple of people I have never met but when they speak of one of my blogs, I send an e mail expressing my thanks for their interest in my work. For you who may continue to remain hidden, my blogs are a result of a continuing history of a Father who likes to write about his past or present life. I will still write an occasional blog when I am inspired to do so and this one is a challenge to you to reveal who you are so that I may find another friend who likes to comment on what I have to say. If you choose not to admit who Mr Anonymous is, at least make your comments so I can read them. Your last contribution was in French and as you have pointed out, my English is the problem.

The Exams

They were somewhat challenging but certainly interesting and I strangely enjoyed it for over two hours. It's rather strange that at this age I am still taking examinations. Well, it was actually only one test but it had to do with my mental acuity. Let me go back and explain. For some reason the VA decided I should be tested for my ability to demonstrate my ability to reason and determine at what stage was my dimensia. how was my memory or what had I forgotten etc. So I arrived at the office of a PHD and she was delightful. First off, I saw a plaque on her wall indicating she had attended the Un. of Buffalo-my old Alma Mater.That started up a lively conversation of where she lived and where I lived, both of which were well known areas to both of us. Later I realized our enthusiastic conversation was because she was sizing me up. But then the tests began. I did explain before we started that years ago I had gone through a battery of tests with another PHD and he left a bad taste in my mouth because his report stated nothing definitive about me. It was all qualified with could, should, might and so forth and I accused him of being gutless in a report that showed nothing of what or who I was. Dr Brown assured me I would have a specific report before I left her office and I felt placated with that assurance. She took out a sheet of paper and marked it with a middle mark and other marks on each side, which I found out later, indicated the middle mark being average and the marks on the right side were for above average and the ones on the left were below average. There were several forms of tests, math, cultural i.e. "who wrote Faust or who was leader of the French army during the 1800s". Several other tests for the purpose of determining the state of my memory. There were too many to go into but they all were ,as I said before, challenging but interesting. Dr Brown (Christina) was very social, so much so that I asked if I could take her to lunch one day soon. She replied not for two years. When I looked at her questioningly, she said "You are my patient and there has to be a 2 year period before further socializing could take place." Shucks, just my luck! Well, to sum up, all her marks were above the average line, some even high average, and two or three notations were"superior". She kept encouraging me when I faltered at one or another point and I did very poorly on one test which asked me to take some blocks and with the method they were colored, arrange them to look like pictures she showed me. As I tried to do so I said "This isn't my strength". and she replied "That's obvious." Oh well, one engineering failure isn't too bad for my age. She was very pointed in saying the tests had a limit for those up to the age of 85 and I was doing very well. So that sums up an unforgettable experience and as I departed, I remarked,"I'll look forward to calling you in two years". She smiled and said to me "Don't forget". I thought as I left, "I wonder what she meant by that"?

Songs of Old

I had such a great evening!! A new friend I had dinner with last tnight turned out to be a really good piano player. We got talking about it while we were eating and she mentioned she had a song book with all 50's songs in it. I said "thats my year--",rather excitedly! She then said "O.K., I'll meet you by the piano and we'll have a sing-a-long. She and her husband are winter visitors and I have met them during the past 3 years when they have been in our apartment complex but it was the first I realized she played the piano. And so it began. It was so much fun going throught the book page by page. Although she is many years younger than me,she had an immediate relationship with the songs that once were MY songs and she not only played them well but added her own touches with a little boogie-woogie thrown in on occasion. My voice is not very good any more but just to be able to read the words on the pages and remember some songs quite well and others only from what I could read brought back the recollections of what once was. It reminded me of those nights too many years ago when standing around a piano, having Jeanne (an old friend) playing the popular melodies of the day, that were some of those happy times of great memories. So I am grateful to my new friend, Jackie and her huband, Larry for one of the better evenings spent here singing those song of so long ago rekindling things I once loved. Thanks Jackie.

Play Ball

I am excited!! I was awake until after 5:00 this morning with no sleep. I got up twice to play at my machine. I sat up for quite a while and watched a good movie. I did all those things trying to go to sleep--no way! And why?!Baseball starts tomorrow!! My Twins are starting out playing up in Toronto and will probably freeze their little tootsies. But so what; its the opening of 6 months straining my eyes, looking into my computer and groaning or cheering depending on who's at bat. Do you know baseball, as we know it, has now been in business for some 150 years. Do you also know that the various distances from base to base are still the same and the pitchers mound is still 60 feet,6 inches from home plate. Do you also know that baseball is the only competetive sport where the defense cannot score a basket,a point,a run, nothing?? Ha!Got ya didn't I? Its part of what makes this a great team sport. I love the Minnesota Twins and have been a baseball devotee from the time I was about 9. I played catch with all my kids in the yard. I refused to buy a lovely home in Minneaplis because it was a street on which I would not be able to play catch with my sons and occasionally a daughter. Incidentally she made the Little League team by tucking her hair under her ball cap and that was before they allowed girls to play America's game. True! Buffalo, my home town, was a farm team for Cleveland and I remember the team there with Bob Feller, Bob lemon, Mike Garcia and a host of others. Who alive today recalls the time in the 1954 World Series where wonderful, Willie Mays ran all the way to the back fence to take a monstrous hit away from Vic Wertz. I think that was the first time I died. I have died more times than the proverbial cat, sometimes more than once in the same game. My team has won our divion 6 out of 9 years and yet we always come up against the Yankees-- the Damn Yankees for the uninformed. Maybe this year? But I get ahead of myself. Lets wait and see how the season plays but I can't. Wait that is. Thankfully I won't have much longer. I will be at my post waiting for that clarion call---PLAY BALL! I'll try to sleep tonight but don't count on it!!

Wuzzy Fuzzy

I was watching a commercial, although I usually have no interest in them, but this however, was about a golfer I once knew. Fuzzy was a member of our golf staff and our company had quite a few golfers that wore our product--you know, the shirts with the little penguin embroidery on the chest. Our shirts were very popular and once upon a time we sold more of those shirts than our 3 nearest competitors combined. However, returning to Fuzzy: back in about 1979 he won the U.S.Open- a very honored tournament which carried a lot of prestige for the winner. As he was a member of the staff, it was my job to give him $5000 bonus and to send him a new contract. I upgraded his present one from about $2500 to a new $5000. I had begun to have some concerns about why I had not received a reply regarding the new contract when I had a call come in from a person who introduced himself as Fuzzy's agent. I thought I was now about to put that new contract to bed. Wrong! I was advised that Fuzzy had a new offer from a "better" company that wanted to sign him for a lot more money. Question? Was I willing to let our golfer out of his contract so he could sign with a different company? I mulled this over while the agent droned on about new, better opportunities and I'm. not going to stand in his way am I? I said in reply "I'm not sure I would look at this change as being beneficial to a company that had carried him at a minimal gaurantee for a few years and now was a looking to get a return on our investment. This was the first time I had run into an agent and was in new waters. The discussion continued with him threatening to have his client wear another company's logo and me saying then we would have grounds to take him to court for violating his contract with us. The agent then said " Well, I guess he will just not wear your clothing anymore".To which I quickly replied. Well I guess he won't get any bonus from us if he wins for this next season. Had him again didn't I?! Anyway,it went back and forth until he hung up angry that Fuzzy was signed for the following year as well as the one coming up. I would think that any agent should read the contracts of the persons represented by him, don't you? To make a long story short the discussions continued with him trying to get me to let Fuzzy out of the current contract. I finally became resigned to the fact we would lose a golfer and told him, "If Fuzzy wants to send us a check for $10,00 I'll tear up his contract". And that is not the end of the story. A few weeks later I had come to Phoenix to view other potential golfers that would make good members of our staff and I am at the practise greens early one morning and there is only one golfer practising his putting and of course, it is Fuzzy. I had never met him before and thought "Oh well, I should go and say hello". Not knowing what he would say to me I took a bold approach and said "Fuzzy, we have never met before but I'm the guy that cost you $10,000" He looked at me suspiciously and I followed up my remark with "I'm with Munsignwear and I just let you off the hook so you can sign elsewhere" He stuck out his hand and said "Hell, Jim thats business. I'm glad to know you". A nice guy right!! The sad thing is that whoever the other "better" company is, they never signed Fuzzy to any contract and he was not a member of any of the company staffs of which I'm familiar. I wonder if that agent is still connected with any golfers?

The Goodness of People

The Goodness of People


I awoke late this morning and remembered I had promised to buy a certain loaf of bread for my friend so I rumbled about and left the apartment after 5 minutes had passed. For me, that was fast. I hurried to this bread company that was about 6 miles away and it was a madhouse. It has never had much parking but this was the first time I had seen, not only parking space filled, but cars sitting and waiting for an opening and such was this morning. After some shuttling back and forth I finally managed to get a parking space and hurried from my car. I got inside and there were many persons moving back and forth and the shelves were loaded with various breads. I grabbed my selection and got in a line with several others to await my turn. In the process I began speaking to the lady in front of me saying to her,"What in the world will you do with this much bread". She must have had 20 loaves. She replied "Oh I will freeze it. I have a very large freezer". We were about to approach the lady who was taking the money and the woman in front was giving her a credit card when I reach into my back pocket.Whoa!! Wait a minute, Darn! I forgot my credit card and realizing this turned to leave when the lady in front said to me "I got yours?." I asked her if she heard what I was thinking and she said "No, I just wanted buy you a loaf of bread". Now how nice is that?! It was then I said that I had left my wallet and would have left except she steped up. I asked her if she was married, not wishing to lose an opportunity, she laughed and said she was and that ended what could have been a beautiful friendship. " I said " Well, we'll always have Paris". What a nice early morning experience! Life is good at times.

Days of Yore

Days of Yore
Lying in bed early this morning, I began to think about various things of my youth and younger years. It probably won't mean much except to those over 75 and they are getting fewer and fewer. So I guess you might say this writing will be for my own amusement and possibly, some where down the line, maybe one of my great, grandchildren may stumble across this and wonder how Grampa ever survived his childhood. But let me begin by saying there was very little religion in our home. Oh I used to go to Sunday School and carry my pennies that, supposedly, were intended for the collection plate. But, to be honest.I some times used them at the corner candy store across from the church. Yes, I was incorrigible at a very early age. I spent my pennies on Jujy Fruits because they lasted a long time. I tried Jaw Breakers but they were very noticeable in my cheek and I didn't want to advertise my pilfering from the church. I often wondered if Reverend Jolley would have missed my donation? I managed to become confirmed, having learned the various gospels and creeds so I guess I got somethings right! I remember strange things about my childhood-some of which are still around. For example, sneakers. Only someone my age would still be calling running shoes, sneakers, And then there were Thom McMahan (sp?) shoes. My Dad wouldn't buy any but that brand back then. Was there a different brand for kids? Growing up in Buffalo, it was curious to see cream frozen and extending beyond the milk bottle top when the weather was cold. Homogenized milk hadn't been discovered yet?!When Mom wasn't looking I would sneak a spoonfull to eat--another example of my nefarious character. I recall going to high school and my first remembrance of Louise was when I was standing on a corner waiting for a friend to walk to school with me, when she and two other girls went by. I remember her nice legs but never saw her again for five years. Just think I might have married at age 17. Does anyone remember the zoot suiters? They were the "creeps" that attended all the dances and had these strange clothes that had baggy trousers with tight ankles. They also had very long suit coats with key chains that dangled to about their knees and wore very wide brimmed hats. Very weird! As I gradually matured I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and looking back loved that 3 years of my life, much of which has previously been written. There were many things of my childhood but they have been put on paper in earlier days and repetition is unnecessary but I wonder if Dentyne or Beemans gum is still around? Somehow I managed to get into the Men's clothing business and became, amongst other things a Men's hat buyer. Any salesmen that came into the store in those days was asked to leave if he wasn't wearing a hat. I still like hats and would wear one if it was still the fashion. Besides my hair is thinning and a hat would prevent any stares or strange looks. One thing which I really liked was the silk or nylon clad legs with the seams up the back. Man, I thought they were very sexy and even at my advanced age would love to see them back in style. Does that make me a dirty old man? Color me guilty!! Lastly, I wish to say a few words about my first car. My Dad bought this Graham Paige which was of the 1929 vintage. It wasn't much but it had wheels that worked and I can remember driving Linda around the block on many nights because that was the way she went to sleep, Well those are just a few of the things that disturbed my slumber this morning and if and when any of my grandkids find these meanderings amongst my papers, I hope they find some amusement in the early days of Old Gramps.