Nicknames

A long time co-worker and E-mail compadre sent me a list of police deparmtment retirees and wanted assistance to fill in the blanks for nicknames. This was truly a trip back in time. Starting with the letter A for Adams, I began to laugh out loud with my recollection of the names and why they were assigned to a particular person.

My old squad car partner, John was known as "Troll", since his stature resembled that of a troll. Then came Jim, who had a rather long face and was called, "horse-face" and "Mr. Ed". My dear friend, Bobbie, was called "Mobie", after that large whale of folklore origin. A detective named, Al was known as "Idiamin"...well, he did long like him!

One of the school officers who was folically challenged and decided to get a perm was called, "Bozo". There is Leo the Lip, Shorty-hog, Humma, Asa, Abie, Smokey, Two-dogs, Bear, trooper shoes, God (given with respect) and the list goes on. The scary part, I didn't have a nickname or did I ?

Our African Queen

Since Mother doesn't drive anymore, we have taken over the 1991 Plymouth Acclaim and all of the idiosyncrasies that go with her. The steering wheel squeals when you turn it, various pieces of trim are flapping, she has a bad left ball joint and the brakes failed last week.

When I look out to the driveway, I can't help but think of her as the "Queen" that wreck of a boat in the 1951 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Mr. Allnut, played by Bogart, has to constantly make repairs on the boat as he and Miss Sayer make their way down the river. His repairs included forging a new prop, "kick her in the slats" and tying rags to keep her steam up.

Last week, the role of Mr. Allnut was played by "Pete" who worked his magic on the brakes.

We can only hope that our "Queen" will fulfill her mission and get us through the winter.

Wayward Rodent

A pound of peanuts were included with my Mother's laundry in the trunk of the car. It seems that someone has decided that his/her nuts should be stored in the laundry!
We had purchased a large bag of peanuts in the shell and forgot to take them out of the passenger's compartment of the car. The peanut bag was raided and most of the contents found their way to the trunk, some left under the driver's floor mat and I hate to look under the hood.

Toothless

In the last three weeks, Olivia has been losing her puppy teeth! I've recovered several and figure that if we find enough of these teeth, place them under her pillow, she might receive 25 cents from the Tooth Fairy.

The Graduate

Our little Olivia graduated from Puppy Education at the Pet Smart Store in Washington Township on Saturday, Febuary 6, 2010. She and her buddies, Dino, Mika, Bella and Peggy received a certificate after eight weeks of training and puppy socialization. Olivia will truly miss Dino, the largest dog in the class and Olivia's playmate. Our little beaner dog picks the biggest dog in the class to befriend. Her actions remind me of an old Warner Brothers cartoon featuring Spike the bulldog and Chester the terrier!
I'm proud of Olivia, she's a great little gal and hopefully, she will ride on the Harley with me. (Yes, she will have ear protection!)

Cobblestone Bob

It is almost February 2, Groundhog Day and I'm very sure that Cobblestone Bob will not even open one eye, much less actually come out of his burrow. He is a true hibernator and once he "taps out" for the season, he will not emerge until his body is ready. It will not be ready this GHD ! This is our Bob's third season of life on the farm. I so miss him while he's sleeping, but I mark the front of the burrow to determine when he does actually come out to see us. I'll have a large bowl of peas and grits waiting for him.

Pickleball Junkie?

April 5th, is the beginning of softball season and I'm not in shape. I have been trying to get rid of what I call, "Dad passed away/Mother's in the nursing home stress weight", and at the same time get my arm in shape to play 3rd base. Not ready to panic yet, I have embarked on a new adventure in sports with the purchase of a pickleball racquet or perhaps it is really a paddle.

Since I have now played twice, I'm hooked. This funny tennis-like, badmitton-like,
racquetball-like, ping pong-like game is something that anyone can play and enjoy.
Whether you are 50 or 80 years young, you can learn this game, I think.

Convinced by a couple of ladies on our "Over 50" softball team, I thought I'd show up see what all the hype was about. It cost $3.00 to drop-in and play at the local church gym. It is always fun to meet new people and everyone was so very helpful to the newbie. After several minutes of instruction I was paired with one of the older gentlemen and we began hitting the baseball size whiffleball over the net in preparation for our match.

Easy, so I thought, until the other team proceeded to clean our clock. This is a sport of finesse. As I watched these players guide the ball with ease incorporating spin and some english, I was reminded of the story of the old bull and his triumph over the inexperienced youngster in the pasture as he went after the cows.

After two hours of play, I realized that pickleball is something that will get the old arm in shape and perhaps the bootie too! I'll keep you posted on my new addiction.