We’re two days into my favorite time of the year. Ruth’s a year older than me until the end of May. In spite of her advancing years, she’s holding up pretty well. This is her diamond anniversary. No, I didn’t buy her diamonds, but at seventy-five, it’s her diamond year. I am taking a public …
Author: Robert
The Cost of Living
I ran into this chart from 1971 the other day. Ruth and I married that year, and we both bought new cars, so it struck a chord with me. We were in our third year of teaching and making about $7,500 each. It may have been a bit more, but it wasn’t as high as …
Lucky Streak
Once we landed, I took my bag of five-dollar bills on the shuttle to the casino. During the drive the five of us decided to try to parlay our collective stash into an even greater win. We’d place several wagers on a variety of games. We’d bet on blackjack, play a hand of pai gow …
Another Poker Tale
I started playing poker with a new group of guys in The Villages about six weeks ago. There’s a guy from Virginia, one from Pennsylvania, another from Maryland and three from New York. Nobody drinks alcohol. They’re focused on the cards. They take fifty cents from each pot until they reach twenty-five dollars (fifty hands), …
March 30th
March 30, 1975, changed my life forever. Our first child, David, was born. Back in the seventies when a baby was born, it was potluck. There were no procedures for determining if your child was a boy, or a girl, or if they would have all their parts. You got what you got. While it’s …
He Turns One Today
Our youngest grandchild, Jackson James, turns one today. Ruth and I have traveled to California to see him four times this year. Our latest trip was last weekend. He wasn’t aware his birthday was a week away, so we celebrated a bit early. When you’re only one- year-old you have no real sense of time. …
Cowboy Ethics
Ruth and I recently watched “Yellowstone”. We’re Johnny-come-lately to the series, but once we got started, we binged watched every episode. Now we’re plowing through the prequel, “1883”. We’re equally impressed. We also attended the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas last December. Ruth has always been a fan of cowboys. She likes the broad …
Young Republicans
When I was a freshman in college, I met the guy on the top left of this picture. He was a junior at the time and had worked with my dad at Faygo Beverages in Detroit. I’ve forgotten his last name, but John was from Grosse Pointe. He liked my dad and loved Faygo, the …
It’s Just a Thought
When I set out to learn more about the Coleman Prison, I discovered the following. The prison complex sits on 1,600 acres and as of 2010 was the largest correctional facility operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It housed more than 7,100 prisoners and had 1,300 employees. The prison has housed a variety …
I Had a Thought
Ruth and I purchased our first home in The Villages in 2004. Since then, we’ve owned four. Each was larger than the previous and in a new Village. In the process we’ve determined a 2,000 square foot home serves us best. I control about a hundred square feet including a recliner in the living room, …