Inklings

Blog

  • Surgery

    If you haven’t heard about the healthcare bill in Congress being pushed for a vote on Sunday you’ve been living under a rock. I don’t mean to be cynical because I know there are some serious problems with our healthcare system but I’m of the opinion that Uncle Sam will do little to actually improve the situation. I see it more as saying that our capitalist U.S. government can fix the problem of greed. The money will most likely change hands. The unfortunate thing is the taxpayers will be left to pick up the tab… as well as their children and their children’s children. So much for controlling the deficit.

  • Contentment

    In today’s ‘fast food’ world it’s hard not to get things our way. Often times we dispose of something perfectly suitable to upgrade to something better, not out of necessity, but preference. How spoiled are we? It’s times like these that I am thankful that we live with the blessings we do. I try very hard not to take for granted those things I have which I don’t deserve but strive to be content instead.

  • Sláinte

    May ye all feel better than I do, this St. Patty’s Day. My apologies, but with this head cold in full swing any profound thought that I may have had has been replaced with mucous. I shall toast my Day-Quil to your good health. Sláinte!

  • Luck

    Is there really such a thing as luck? I guess when you really, really long for something to happen your mind tends to be extra perceptive to those things that seem to go in your favor, but is it luck when it happens? Luck suggests something unbridled and uncontrollable. It’s not attributable to anything. It’s based on nothing more than changing circumstances. One person’s good luck is another’s bad misfortune. I guess it’s all relative. In the end I don’t consider myself lucky at all, but blessed.

  • Sickness

    It never fails. Just when the weather starts improving the sore throats start scratching their way into our home. Our oldest started complaining that his stomach hurt and has been pretty hoarse the past few days. The kid’s ten years old but his cough sounds like croop. I’m starting to wonder if it isn’t the beginning of allergy season. I don’t know the first thing about allergies but am starting to believe that I, too, suffer from some spring allergies. Is it too early? I mean there’s still snow on the ground. I’d love to be able to justify this sore throat and headache.

  • Potholes

    The ice and snow really does a number on our streets. My brother is a bridge engineer with the state so he has a fair amount of experience with road design and maintenance. On a recent trip to Arizona, he couldn’t get over how immaculate the streets looked. Their condition made them appear that they were all freshly paved when in fact they were years old. The lack of extreme temperature and weather conditions makes road repair not only easier to do but less frequent.

    Meanwhile, there are several streets in our area that need some serious attention… and soon. When you have to drive on a main thoroughfare like you’re navigating a minefield it may be time to get the tar and gravel crews out. Some of those potholes are more like foxholes. The inconvenience of road crews tearing up our streets during the spring and summer isn’t exactly pleasant but considering how long our winters are we really can’t be that ungrateful.

  • Waterproof

    The spring thaw is underway and things are getting wet. The milder temps have kept the kids busy outside playing in the soggy snow. It’s weird to think that just a few weeks ago you couldn’t get them outside if you paid them. The battle now is trying to keep them supplied with dry caps, gloves and coats. If an overnight stay in front of the heat registers won’t get their saturated stuff dry by morning we’ll throw it all in the clothes dryer. The one item that’s most difficult to keep dry are their shoes and boots.

    There’s nothing worse than soggy, wet socks when you’re outside playing. Especially when you feel them sliding off your feet. The breaking point has to be when your socks reach the balls of your feet – it’s the point of no return. The only way to keep from losing them all together is to surrender by going inside to do what your toes were unable to – pull them back up.

    Mom had an ingenious way of keeping our feet dry when our boots failed to do the job; bread bags. It certainly wasn’t the most dignified solution but it seemed to work. When it was time to change from boots to shoes at school, the only comfort that saved us from embarrassment was the fact that nearly all of our classmates were subjected to the same ‘brilliant’ solution. No sir, there certainly never seemed to be a shortage of bread bags in our home. I wonder if we could get our boys to try it.

  • Time

    Just a few weeks ago my youngest son had a very interesting conversation with my wife. He started by commenting that “the day after yesterday was a great day.”

    To clarify, my wife corrected by asking, “Do you mean the day before yesterday?”

    “No.”

    “Do you mean today?”

    He responded flatly with, “No. I took a time machine back a day.”

    It’s no secret that he and my wife look at time differently. My wife is very punctual. The adage “if you’re on time, you’re late” is very true for her while my son is a bit more relaxed. I realize he can’t tell time just yet, but he really operates on his own time. Some days I can really appreciate his perspective – especially when I’m not on a tight schedule.

  • Playgrounds

    School playgrounds have gone through a bit of an evolution since I was a kid. Padded plastic and rubber have replaced the metal and timber structures that endured the use (and abuse) of hundreds of schoolchildren. It’s a wonder that more of us weren’t permanently maimed by these ‘slaygrounds’ of yesteryear. Next to today’s brightly colored, safety-approved ‘play kingdoms’ the old equipment looks medieval. Don’t be fooled; if there’s one thing our children have proved to us is that no playground is 100% safe. In fact, every playground you visit has at least one guaranteed discovery – the infamous used band-aid.

  • It’s a Mystery

    We spent some quality time last night playing with our youngest. I’m amazed at how perceptive he is, though strategically he’s still a little green. It appeared that he knew what he was doing but overall I think he was more intrigued with moving from room to room. It was a great way to pass the time on a cold and rainy night. Hopefully nobody’s left in the dark about what we did.