I met my wife, Ruth, in the fall of 1969. We were both first year teachers at Plainwell Junior High in Plainwell, Michigan. I didn’t like her when we first met. I thought that she was too brash for a first year teacher. There were five newbies at the junior high that year – Ruth, …
Author: Robert
Christmas Evening
My earliest memory of Christmas – beyond attending mass and opening Christmas presents – was traveling to Detroit in the late afternoon/early evening for Christmas with the Barner family. While my aunts and uncles rotated the hosting of Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas was reserved for my grandparent’s house. Thanksgiving was important because that was …
Eva
When your children are born your first concern is for their health. Do they have all of their fingers and toes? If the answer is yes, the celebration begins. As your grandchildren are born, you take the same inventory. Eva is my granddaughter with the emphasis on grand. She reminded me early on …
Out of the Mouth of Babes – Brady
I have two grandchildren. Both are healthy, bright, and fun to be around. I enjoy teaching them things and I have learned from them as well. Here are a few stories (all true) about my grandson, Brady. When Brady was being “potty trained” he received a jellybean when he accomplished his mission successfully. One …
Nana and TGO
Ruth and I love being grandparents to our two grandchildren, Brady and Eva. While we love them, and enjoy being with them, becoming grandparents was a challenge for both of us. We really weren’t ready to become grandparents. The issue was not associated with life’s role of being grandparents, but rather with the thought that …
That’s Normal For A Man Your Age
I turned seventy this year. Turned is how my wife and granddaughter refer to birthdays. We turn. It’s a turning day. When you are young you are happy to celebrate birthdays because they come with presents, birthday cakes and a rousing song. As you get older, you’re happy to just have birthdays. They are a …
Treaming
Treaming is a new word I recently created. It’s a combination of Thinking and Dreaming. I went with Treaming rather than Dhinking for what I hope are obvious reasons. Treaming is that place where you wonder if you are thinking or dreaming. Mine always takes place in bed where I should be sleeping but I …
Buddy Trips
My wife, Ruth, and I were staying in Cathedral City, California (next to Palm Springs) for two months – January and February in 2012. We had rented a condo that sits on the 14th hole of Cathedral Canyon Country Club. One day, Ruth, my daughter in law, Kate, son, Mike, and I played golf at …
The Origin of Social Media
Social media is a permanent fixture in today’s world. We are a Twitter with Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I’m told that you can identify a generation by the media it prefers. Old timers, such as myself, prefer Facebook. Generation X is into Twitter, and Millennials are fans of Instagram. Some people celebrate social media. Others …
AKA Woody
My cousin, Gene, is four years older than me. He’s the oldest of twelve cousins. I’m number two and his sister, Ruth Ann, falls third on the list. His given name is Harry Eugene, but most of his friends call him Woody. I believe his mom and dad called him Gene (followed …