Thirteen Years Ago Today

How time flies.

Thirteen years ago today I met James. He was short, kind of pudgy and a bright color of pink. The nurses said, they thought he was beautiful. I knew he was. All my kids are.

Today he is taller. A lot less pink and far from pudgy.

He is my youngest son. He is my constant companion though we speak very little. He sits and plays on his computer a few feet from where I work on mine. We are in the same room and we rarely talk to each other. Not because we don't want to but because we don't have to.

I know when he quietly chuckles he has found a web site he likes. He knows when I lean back and shake my head I have hit a snag in my writing or editing. It doesn't have to be spoken out loud. He does on occasion say, "Dad, look at this", then he will turn his screen towards me and show me a funny picture. It, as happens in life, is usually at the worst time. It is when I have stumbled upon a problem or an obstacle. It is, maybe, when James thinks I need a laugh.

Obstacle or not I take the time for James. I look at his source of amusement and it is more often than not worth a laugh. Even if it wasn't I would still take the time.

Not just because James deserves the time but because time is short. It wasn't but a blink of an eye since eighteen year old John, twenty-one year old Christopher or twenty-four year old T.J. was sitting there.

They too would share things with Dad. Now not so much. Their lives are busy. They have more important people to show a cartoon to than their father. It will soon be the same with James.

In another blink, thirteen more years will pass, and James will be a man. He will have other people to laugh with him. He might even have his own James to share pictures. If he does I hope he remembers to take those precious seconds while they are there.

I think he will because boys as good as James turn out to be very good men.

It is the reason I look forward to seeing how he turns out.

But I will still miss my little boy, and where ever the winds of change places him in this world, I hope I have done enough to make him miss me too.

Back to reality

There is nothing like Tuesday trash day to bring me back to reality. Most week days I am a gifted but unread literary genius. On the weekends I am, perhaps, the greatest arm chair quarterback in the land. Then there is Tuesdays.

Every Tuesday I get the pleasure of gathering up and emptying small trash cans into bigger trash cans and then depositing the whole mess into a gigantic wheeled trash container which I push to the end of my driveway.

One hundred and twenty-five feet of humbling asphalt. Every inch I question the choices I have made in life. Mostly the choice to claim this one chore as mine. It looked better than nightly dishes. It certainly gets me more fresh air than vacuuming. But all in all it isn't a great job. For one thing it has to be done on a schedule and I prefer to live my life on a whim. Secondly it really bites in the winter. It is for this reason I will soon propose a scrambling of the chores.

I will pick a new one and leave trash to some grass is always greener vacuumer or dish doer. My new chore will be to paint the exterior of the house when ever it needs it. It has all my requirements. It will provide fresh air. It has no schedule. It never has to be done in the cold.

Sure maybe some of you will say painting the house is a hard and tedious chore. I do not agree.

My disagreement comes from a year of Tuesday pondering and careful thought on a great choice in life.

You see, I like the third pig, live in a brick house.

You can huff and you can puff but it will never need paint.

Paula Creamer, Dale Earnhardt Jr and West Virginia Football

This weekend was a bust! Paula Creamer finished second in Mexico, Dale Junior finished 35th in Phoenix and West Virginia couldn't pull off the upset of Cincinnati.

Paula Creamer's effort was the best and so was her looks - which is the main reason I watch so as long as second gets her air time I am good with that. Michele Wie won the tournament, her first ever so it was a pretty good day for the Americans.

Dale Jr had his usual bad luck when oil leaked on to his rear tire causing him to wreck on a restart. The good part was he was able to take out loud mouthed, rolly, polly Tony Stewart.

West Virginia was hosed in their game against the Bearcats. The Big East and their review team has shown nothing short of the integrity of professional wrestling this year. I won't rehash the play or the call, but it was only surpassed by the the terrible replay call made in the final minutes, stopping Notre Dame's attempt to upset Pitt.

If the Big East wants to be in the business of sports entertainment and not real collegiate sports, just say so and it will save me from watching the games.

My advice to The Big East - look up the word "indisputable".

My advice to Dale Earnhardt Jr - finish Homestead then finish about 12 Mojitos in South Florida and look forward to next year.

My advice to Paula Creamer - bend more at the waist during your putts. it won't help your score but it will help TV ratings!