Bruce 的个人资料What a Journey!照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
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11月9日 Been a Long TimeI have been away from the blogging arena for 11 months. Unfortunately, the urge never struck me. It seems like so many people who used to blog don't any longer. It is nice to see that Bethmarie is still here. I will try to get back with some updates soon. 12月25日 Amen!I am so sorry I haven't been around to visit in some time. We lost Sharon's sister in Florida quite unexpectedly on December 3 (routine appendectomy). The days leading up to Di's passing were quite different and the past three weeks have been a blur. Circumstances surrounding her passing were peculiar. Say no more. We do wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! May the blessings of this season be yours. 11月27日 We wish you allA most Happy Thanksgiving More Than A Day As Thanksgiving Day rolls around, It brings up some facts, quite profound. We may think that we're poor, Feel like bums, insecure, But in truth, our riches astound. We have friends and family we love; We have guidance from heaven above. We have so much more Than they sell in a store, We're wealthy, when push comes to shove. So add up your blessings, I say; Make Thanksgiving last more than a day. Enjoy what you've got; Realize it's a lot, And you'll make all your cares go away. By Karl Fuchs 11月24日 Recipes by Mrs. Hufnagel's Kindergarten ClassTurkey:
You buy the turkey and take the paper off. Then you put it in the
refrigerator and take it back out and cut it with a knife and make
sure all the wires are out and take out the neck and heart. Then you
put it in a big pan and cook it for half an hour at 80 degrees. Then
you invite people over and eat. - Geremy Applesauce: Go to the store and buy some apples, and then you squish them up. Then you put them in a jar that says, "Applesauce." Then you eat it. - Shelby Turkey: First you shoot it and then you cut it. And then you put it in the oven and cook it for 10 minutes and 20 degrees. You put it on plates and then you eat it. - Alan Pumpkin Pie: First you buy a pumpkin and smash it. Then it is all done. And you cook it in the oven for 12 minutes and 4 degrees. Then you eat it. - Christopher Deer Jerky: Put it in the oven overnight at 20 degrees. Then you go hunting and bring it with you. Then you eat it. - Jarryd White and Brown Pudding: First you read the wrapper. Get a piece of water. Stir. Then you eat it. - Nicholas Pumpkin Pie: Get a pumpkin. Cook it. Eat it. - Wai (Reprinted from BBHQ) 11月10日 Veteran's Day 2008Veteran's Day - November 11 We pay tribute to those who died in military service to America on Memorial Day. That is mostly symbolic, since, of course, those to whom we pay tribute are not here to appreciate it. On Veteran's Day we pay tribute to all those who have served in the military. How fortunate we all are! So, if you know a veteran, please take time, especially on Tuesday, to remind them how much we appreciate their service! 9月19日 An old one for boomers:Doc, I can't stop singing "The Green, Green Grass of Home." That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome." Is it a common condition? Well ... it's not unusual. 8月14日 Summer vacation nearing an end.We seem to have missed summer as such. We had about a week in July.
 Vacation is coming to a close. I have a day-long seminar next week and it's off to school on the 25th (actual school start is the 27th). I figure summer will arrive around the 1st of September.  I am trying to finish certain projects which is interesting. I must fit projects and housework around the gym and lunch at the Senior Center. Lunch at the Senior Center! I started going a few weeks ago with a friend and have found it to be very enjoyable.It does seem strange, after more than 40 years working, to have the summer off and then go back to work. I have learned that I really could enjoy retirement or semi-retirement. I like to call what I am doing now semi-retirement. The only problem is I wish Sharon could join me. Some day!
Must go take out the trash. One of the projects is cleaning out the basement. Have a wonderful day everyone. 8月11日 Quick, to the point, accurate:While filling out an employment application, a man paused over this question:
"Person to notify in case of an accident." Finally he wrote, "Anybody in sight." 7月25日 She did it!Well, Sharon did it. She staged a big bash on the 13th for my birthday. I knew she would do something; however, I thought it would be just a few people. I knew something a bit bigger was up when a truck backed into the yard on the 12th and a tent was erected. OK. Maybe a few jugglers, someone on stilts, a small elephant, a baby zebra. Maybe not. On the 13th people started arriving around 130pm and they just kept coming. More than 90 people were here. As I glanced down the road I noticed cars in the neighbor's field across the road. It didn't sink in at first. Yes, I was caught off guard by the number of people and who they were. There were cousins and aunts and uncles I haven't seen in more than 10 years. My uncle Ced, about 5 years older than me, who I grew up with was here. We played baseball together. We played basketball together. Wow!
There were friends from Cannon who I used to work with and friends from the high school. Talk about Scouting friends. There were bunches of them. Even 89 year old Leo and his wife, Dorothy, were here. To top it off, two friends showed up late, around 630pm. We talked for quite a while and then went for ice cream in their 62 Buick convertible. Afterwards we rode around until the rain threatened. What a way to top off the day.
I am still a bit overwhelmed by what Sharon and Sean and Dan and Louie (and others) did for me. I am so thankful for these friends. It cured me of the "blahs" I was experiencing a few days before the 13th. I only wish that Di and John, Will, my brothers, and the Livestons could have been here.
Thank you everyone for such great experiences and memories. Thank you for such a wonderful first 60. 7月23日 Ten Commandents of LeadershipI posted this quite some time ago and, as I was recently told, "Good stuff never grows old and needs repeating.". Thanks Rosebay.
These are St. Edward Wrestling Coach Howard Ferguson's "Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership."
1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. 7月22日 A good one!Two guys left the bar after a long night of drinking, jumped in the car and started it up.
After a couple of minutes, an old man appeared in the passenger window and tapped lightly. The passenger screamed, "Look at the window. There's an old ghost's face there!" The driver sped up, but the old man's face stayed in the window. The passenger rolled his window down part way and, scared out of his wits, said, "What do you want?" The old man softly replied, "You got any tobacco?" The passenger handed the old man a cigarette and yelled, "Step on it," to the driver, rolling up the window in terror. A few minutes later they calmed down and started laughing again. The driver said, "I don't know what happened, but don't worry; the speedometer says we're doing 80 now." All of a sudden there was a light tapping on the window and the old man reappeared. "There he is again," the passenger yelled. He rolled down the window and shakily said, "Yes?" "Do you have a light?" the old man quietly asked. The passenger threw a lighter out the window saying, "Step on it!" They were driving about 100 miles an hour, trying to forget what they had just seen and heard, when all of a sudden there came some more tapping. "He's back!" The passenger rolled down the window and screamed in stark terror, "WHAT NOW?" The old man gently replied, "You want some help getting out of the mud?" 7月10日 It's that time of yearThis song, Gentle Annie, could also be called Gentle Sharon. A beautiful song to be playing as Sharon and I celebrate another anniversary today. 37 years and toasting for another 37. 6月29日 Time has a wayof passing by so fast. Not too long ago I used to wish for Friday on Monday. Becoming older has a way of trashing that wish - at least for me. As you see others pass on you begin to think about life from a different perspective. Where is this leading me? No where - at this time. 5月25日 Memorial Day 2008Soldier, rest, thy warfare o'er,
Dream of fighting fields no more.
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, Morn of toil, nor night of waking. Sir Walter Scott
Waterloo, New York was recognized by President Lyndon Johnson and both houses of Congress, as the birthplace of Memorial Day because the town decorated the graves of Civil War veterans as early as May 5, 1866. The claim is contested by Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, which claims to have begun the practice of decorating soldier's graves two years earlier than Waterloo. Another source claims that two years after the Civil War, it was southern women in Columbus, Mississippi who decorated the braves of both Confederate and Union men. Nevertheless, sources agree that it was General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic who designated May 30, 1868, " as a day for strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, or hamlet churchyard in the land...It is the purpose of the commander-in-chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept from year to year while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of the departed." No survivor of that war remains, but the memories of it grow longer. As do our memories of the parades with floats; civic organizations and drum majorettes twirling their batons; lines and lines of young veterans from The Gulf War and shorter lines of older men who saw service in the Second World War. As long as there are wars, there will be veterans and casualties. We will still decorate the graves of those men whose bodies came home and remember those who don't. The custom of placing flowers upon graves is an old one, and exists in many countries. The Greeks had rites called zoai, which were performed over each new grave. If the flowers took root and blossomed on the graves, it meant the souls were sending back the message that they had found happiness. The Roman festival, called Parentalia, or Day of the Fathers, lasted for eight days in February--violets and roses were the special flowers. Whatever the flower, wherever the grave, this placing of flowers upon graves has always seemed the natural thing to do. Today, most states officially recognize the May Memorial Day as a legal holiday, but it is not celebrated on May 30th in every state. Over time the holiday has expanded to encompass our other national wars. Although Veteran's Day is celebrated as well, Memorial Day has become the most important day of recognition of our armed forces. Excerpts from: Krythe, Maymie, American Holidays; Harper and Row, New York, 1962. McSpadden, J. Walker, The Book of Holidays; Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1958.Santino, Jack, All Around The Year; University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1994. 4月27日 Where does time go?I am here. I was away for a few days for school and I lost my two computers for weeks. One of them is still down after being infested with spyware. The one I am using now is just a bit boggy. Further, I have been out straight planning a scout trip to Pennsylvania and assisting a close family who suffered a loss. I have just not gotten on the computer - anywhere.
Tomorrow morning we leave for Fort Indiantown Gap in PA for the week. This will be our base of operations. From there we plan to visit Gettysburg two days, Hershey, Indian Echo Caverns, and Lancaster another, and visit an Amish family and their farm for dinner one night. Plenty planned - just sucks up so much time getting there and getting home. We will be driving so that adds interest to the journey.
I am sorry I haven't been around. I haven't let any of you leave my mind.
I'll return next weekend with trip tales. 3月9日 As time goes byWith basketball season over, I was looking forward to a bit of kick back time. No siree! Tuesday found me tripping to the dental hygienist. This is a bit of horror in itself as one is picked and prodded in the mouth. The evening found us getting ready for St. Patrick's Day with a trip to Dartmouth College for a concert by the world renown flutist Sir James Galway. Just close your eyes and let his flute take you to another world.
Wednesday Sharon and I had a monthly Scout Commissioner's meeting. It was the quarterly meeting so there was a potluck meal involved with every variation of chile to be found.
On Thursday I went for a quarterly followup with my doctor - weight going down and blood pressure going down. Now that was exciting and he was happy. Everyone likes a happy doctor. From there I went home to get ready for the high school's winter sports award banquet. Just before I was leaving the head coach called and said he was way to sick to attend and did I mind pinch hitting. Of course I didn't mind. Right! I bolted for the school and spent extra time preparing the awards and going over his notes. His notes were great and I just took it from there. It was a great time. It can be a difficult time saying good bye, so to speak, to the seniors you have been with for four years (and probably have known longer than that). There were five seniors on the team and it was a bit emotional.
The rain came in Friday and did it come in. Flooding in areas around us. No real harm in this area. Temps warm until Sunday when the bottom fell out of the temperature (back into the high teens with 15-25 mph winds). It felt like spring on Friday and Saturday.
Good week ahead. Another Irish music concert at week's end and a visit to our local pub on St. Paddy's Day for more Irish music and Guiness.
Have a wonderful week! 3月2日 Sunday and the end of vacationWOW! Another bright sunshiney day!
The scouts are off the hill and probably sleeping in their homes. A special thanks is extended to the adults that went with the boys. They took time from their lives to make sure these guys had a great weekend. A special dedication is shown when the son of one of the fathers who spent the weekend camping did not go. The father came into the house this morning and talked about what a great time he had.
Back to school tomorrow. School vacation week is almost at an end. Even though it was a busy week with basketball practices and the playoff game, it was an enjoyable week. On one hand it seems like it was short and on the other hand it seems like it was just right. I saw a couple of the students yesterday with whom I work and they said they were ready. Isn't that interesting?
Well, have to go clean up some more of the snow. Seems like a good thing to do - get some air and bright sunshine. I don't want the winter blahs to get me. Since the Weather Service began tracking snowfall in 1868 this season is 8th on the list of top 10 in New Hampshire (102.2 inches thus far). 20 inches more this season and we will break the top record of 122.0 inches in 1873-74. That should be easy. By the way, our normal snowfall is 64.5 inches.
Have a wonderful one! 3月1日 Snow, Sunshine, SnowI've got to find something else to talk about. Sitting in the den at the computer I have three windows to look out. I saw snow most of the day. Spent some time in the basement. I am determined to get it cleaned and organized before the next century. I found boxes of my parents things today. When something like that happens you slow down. Have to look over the contents. Then I opened an old wooden cupboard we've ignored for eons. Canning jars galore. Some old, old, old ones. Even found canned jars of pickles and jelly. Hmmm.
The scouts are having a great time at the campsite. Roscoe went out to the bathroom and up the hill he went. Sharon and I followed, although it took us almost 15 minutes trudging through the snow - Roscoe was up there in about 2-3 minutes. They had built some snow shelters and were now sliding on the backside. Only six showed for the campout but those six are having a great time.
Stay warm! 2月29日 Another bright, sunshiney day!Police cars and fire trucks led the Stevens buses out of the city yesterday on its way to its first boy's basketball playoff game in eight years. Down to the seacoast city of Portsmouth we headed.
It was tied up at the end of the 1st quarter last night in Portsmouth, 10-10. Two of Portsmouth's big players took over in the 2nd with the result being a 33-20 lead at half-time. Halfway through the 3rd quarter Portsmouth had a 44-28 lead but Stevens rallied with a 10-0 run to draw within five points, 42-37, with two minutes left. Unfortunately, Portsmouth turned around and went on a late 10-0 run of their own putting them in the lead 52-37. The 4th quarter saw an earnest Stevens effort with the Portsmouth boys pushing ahead. The final score was 68-48 Portsmouth (heading to the 1/4-finals at UNH this Sunday).
At midnight the Stevens bus pulled into the school parking lot. Yes, they are going no further this year. Yes, five seniors who have been with this past four year goal have played their last high school game. The light at the end of the regular season that we've been searching for over the past eight years was found this year. The basketball program has shown increasing stability. All the players know what is expected and what sort of focus and commitment is expected. Consistency has really brought the program to where it is and this program is going to be competitive year in and year out. Everyone is on the same page and the athletes have bought into it.
People in our community need to remember where Claremont's program was and where it is now. One area veteran coach recently stated that "What coaching has done here is it's brought some sense of purpose, some direction and a desire to achieve. There's less inappropriate behavior and less kids not making the commitment. There's high skill there. This Stevens program is headed in the right direction."
Now it is time to rest and be ready for summer basketball. This year was a big steppingstone.
Weather. Beautiful day out there, except for the cold. It was -5 when I drove home from the school last night and -10 when I finally made it to the kitchen this morning. I don't know where more snow is going around the house and garage but we are being prepared for another round of the great white tonight into tomorrow. Boy Scout winter campout this weekend but Sharon and I are staying home!
Make it a great one! |
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