George Michaels

Our Granddaughter Georgia came over the other day for a visit.  Got there about 8:30 or so.  I was still on the air, and Carole had the radio on.  Georgia asked if Gramma could put on Lady & The Tramp, or as Georgia calls it “Lady AND Tramp”…accent on “and”.   Carole said “But, don’t you wanna listen to Grampa on the radio?”  Then this sweet little innocent blue-eyed ray of sunshine said “Grampa off…Lady AND Tramp on”. 

I guess if you lose out to a Walt Disney classic, it’s not such a bad thing.  Had it been Barney…

Got me through winter???  As in the past tense???  As I’m writing this on Tuesday afternoon, it looks like Christmas out my window.  But I think it’s time to let go, emotionally if not physically, of winter.  Buh-bye.  Been nice knowing ya’. 

Where was I?  Oh, yeah.  The three things that “got” me through winter.  And, no, these are not paid endorsements.  These are products I’ve recommended to friends & family.

1.  Kodiak.  Actually, when I was going to high school, I used to work part-time for Greb/Kodiak.  They were over on Ardelt at the time.  If not Kodiak, get yourself a pair of Kaufmans.  Nobody understands Canadian winters like Canadians.  At least I think they’re still made in Canada.  All I know is my feet haven’t been cold all winter.

2.  Craftsman.  Last year I went to Sears & got myself a 9-and-1/2 horsepower (Tim the Tool-man Taylor grunt here please) Craftsman snow blower.  I don’t know how I could’ve got through this winter (past tense again, eh?) without it.

3.  Jeep.  Yeah, any 4×4 would be great to have, but there’s just something about a Jeep.  Maybe because it was the original 4×4…I don’t know.  But it’s nice to know no matter how much snow we get, I can always get in to the station in the morning.  Yes, like everybody else, when we get a lot of snow overnight, I’ll leave a little early.  But not because I worry whether I’ll get through the snow.  I’m taking every side street I can, looking for, as the skiiers call it, fresh powder.  I explained to Carole years ago my theory that most men don’t really mature beyond the age of twelve.  On mornings when we’ve got a ton of snow, and I’ve got Jeep keys in my hand, I’m like a 12-year-old with a driver’s license.  (The police don’t have time to read blogs, do they?)

    Yesterday, our Granddaughter Georgia turned two-and-a-half, so Carole & I asked if she could come over for a little visit.  She came over in her little green hoodie, and we just had the greatest day.  Her & Gramma did some drawings.  I took a pass on that.  I’m sure my stick-people wouldn’t impress her.  Then, we watched The Bee Movie…three times.  The third time, she & I both fell asleep.  Gramma stayed awake though, and made sure nobody fell off the couch.

    If you’re still at that stage in your life where your teenagers are driving you up the wall, hang in there.  It pays some huge rewards in the not-too-distant future.

Nobody has ever come to me for fashion advice. And for good reason.  But Monday night, I knew what I was wearing was just plain wrong.  I have worn a Hawaiian shirt with a pair of long pants before, but never with wool socks & winter boots (yes, pants too).  It was our monthly meeting of Parrots on the Grand, our local Jimmy Buffett fan club. And one of our members, I believe Lee Proctor, suggested we ought to wear Hawaiian shirts to the meeting.  Well, it may have looked a little wierd (does a light brown scarf & black leather jacket work with a VERY bright blue Hawaiian shirt?), but it did provide a little mental escape.  As does Jimmy’s music.  Say, if you’re a Jimmy Buffett fan, and wanna hang out with other fun people, we’d love to see you at one of our meetings.  We meet on the second Monday of every month at the Edelweiss. Things get rolling by 7:00.  Most people show up early. And (trust me on this) it’s not a late night.  We’re a non-profit group, and have a few local charities we help out, including the Cambridge Humane Society.  You can get more info about our group by going to our website: www.parrotsonthegrand.com.  Maybe we’ll see you out there sometime.