‘I am excited regarding seeing Granpa Askew at the 4th of July Picnic,’ Billy B. exclaimed! ‘I did not realize that you had a Grandpa Askew…I have never heard anything about him until I heard the plans for the Picnic,’ Chet said. ‘Does he live in Mt. Vernon as Grandma A. did for many years,’ Jane asked? ‘He is a bit of a rolling stone,’ laughed Neva J. ‘He would be gone for long periods of time and when he returned he regaled us kids with stories of faraway lands and strange customs,’ Neva J. continued. ‘He walks with a golden walking stick and has a Bowler Hat nattily placed upon his head,’ Billy B. noted.

‘What do you say Banger, called out Neva J.? ‘Nevie Navie No…I am glad to see you,’ Wanda said. Wanda and Neva J. had been close since childhood. When they saw each other their eyes glistened and they reverted to the nicknames of their youth and most definitely the mindset. Charles Askew was an enigma. He possessed several different birth certificates and they were not only from different times…but different centuries. Neva J. had not seen him in 20 years yet she said that he looked the same and not a day older. Of late his son and Neva J.’s and Wanda’s brother Gene had been his caretaker and worked under the term Conservator. Gene was tasked with looking out for Grandpa A.’s financial welfare and endeavoring to ensure that he did not get into mischief. Grandpa A. had a wicked grin on his face as he sipped a Bullet Rye Whiskey. ‘Come and sit on your old Grandpa’s lap,’ he said with a wink to Billy B. ‘Would you like to have a gift, Grandpa asked Billy B.? ‘No sir but thank you,’ Billy B. said…because this is what Neva J. had told him to say. He pulled from his watch pocket a solid gold piece dated 1849 and handed it to his grandson. ‘Where did you get the gold piece Grandpa A.,’ asked Billy B.? ‘Why I was the first to stake a claim at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, Grandpa A. said with a wink.

‘Is there any more Rye Whiskey left…I have a powerful thirst,’ Grandpa A. said with a chuckle. Billy B. brought him another glass and Grandpa A. gave him a healthy sip…or three…

‘I wonder what I will do when I grow up,’ said Billy B. to his Grandpa. ‘You will do well and have many people work with you…you will be a great father…I bragged on you many times,’ Grandpa A. said to Billy B. ‘I was there…I called myself Jim A. and told you how mannerly Aaron and Jonathon were and how nice that you had them outfitted and I gave you $50 every Christmas,’ Grandpa A. said with a faraway look in his eyes.

‘Dad…what stories are you filling Billy B.’s head with,’ Neva J. asked? ‘Only the stories of an old man’s travels,’ Grandpa A. said. ‘Soon we will return to our youth again…I promise to be a better Dad this time…’

Billy B. turned the gold piece between his fingers that Jim A. had given him when he heard the story of how Billy B. had been forced to cash the 1849 Gold Coin in for groceries during a difficult financial downturn when his kids were young. Jim A.’s widow had given the Gold Piece to Billy B. after Jim’s passing…with the instruction to tell Billy B. how proud he was of him…

It currently feels like 107 degrees in Little Egypt and there is a promise of hotter temperatures to come. The air smells like smoke…and not the good kind. Earlier I witnessed a few drops of rain on my windshield and felt encouraged…and then it stopped. For a person who enjoys dark and rain, I am a bit like a fish out of water. I can not decide if it is hotter than it was in my youth or if an old man just can not take it like he did at one time. Our Ecosystem is precarious and I have taken it for granted for the majority of my life. Most of the planets that we are aware of do not have remotely an environment that can support human life. A fire in Canada can crown Chicago, Illinois with the title of the worst air quality on Earth.

Earl was terrified of tornadoes. He would wake me and Neva J. in the middle of the night and announce that we were going to the car to endeavor to outrun the tornado that he was certain was bearing down on us. Today it would be difficult to outrun modern tornadoes which often are over a mile wide at their base.

Acclimated we are to the devasting changes that are occurring. For some time prior to the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people gathered to watch the bombs being tested in the New Mexico Desert. The mushroom cloud was quite a unique show of human ingenuity.

We tend to get hung up on the trivial pursuit of politics/religion while the house is on fire. We want our candidate to win…we want our issues addressed…as we paint the living room while the kitchen is ablaze!

Dark is comforting if you are not afraid. Having spent the bulk of my career at SIUC on either the evening or the night shift…I became accustomed to the dark. Few people are around. Ample opportunity to think and ponder lives greatest questions. Several pots of coffee are needed…

The therapeutic sound of rain landing on my roof or against my windows is a delight to me. Life in the summer is a milieu of sounds and voices and lights and firecrackers. Rain subdues the savage beast.

Dark and Rain cause us to reflect on the Sunshine that we have experienced and the bright future in front of us…

‘The 4th is next Tuesday and we have not made a plan yet,’ Neva J. said quizzically. ‘I thought that we would go out to Grandma A.’s and watch the Fireworks Show that Eldorado puts on at the Starlight Drive-Inn,’ said Billy B. ‘You know they really are front row seats and no people jostling for a better viewing position,’ Chet added. ‘I lip read a little and sometimes can understand what the actors are saying in the movies on the big screen,’ Jane laughed. ‘The Attack Of The Fifty-Foot Woman is going to play on The 4th,’ Chet said with a wink. ‘I wonder how she got so tall,’ Neva J. ruminated. ‘I think it was One A Day Vitamins,’ Jane smiled. ‘Perhaps she is drinking a glass of your morning Egg-Nog,’ Billy B. guffawed.

The booms and pops and sizzles could be heard all over Eldorado. In the country, the folks were shooting off their shotguns into the air. Nellie came over and offered Neva J. a cigar and they both lit them up in celebration of Independence Day. Nellie gave Billy B. and Chet a stogie as well and they began to puff with great pleasure! The Fifty Foot Woman seemed to be upset. I suppose having your height magnified 10 times…would be a bit disconcerting. She was smashing cars at a Drive-Inn on the Big Screen when suddenly she stepped out of the screen and began beating the cars in the Starlight Drive-Inn Parking lot. ‘Now if everyone will just calm down we will begin our Eldorado Annual Fireworks Show,’ the Mayor said. ‘Is the Big Girl part of the show,’ Junior called out?

Suddenly 50 Foot Girl began taking massive strides toward Grandma A.’s house and toward the Fireworks Box Seat Audience. ‘Why sit down young lady…I will get you a glass of sweet tea,’ said Grandma A. ‘Oh I love sweet tea…I am from the south…I have been a bit upset when I discovered that none of my clothes fit any longer,’ She said. Now…never mind about that…I will sew you up something really nice once the Show is over…do you like cookies,’ Grandma asked? ‘I simply love cookies…and they are oatmeal as well…which is my favorite,’50 Foot Girl replied.

Could I have one of the sparklers,’ 50 Foot Girl asked? ‘Dad will help you in the morning with the antidote to the elixir that made you grow so tall…he said that it will reduce you to seven feet,’ Daryl said with a smile. ‘I have a feather bed that will fit you just right,’ said Grandma A. ‘You can stay with me and I will be your Grandma and help you,’ Grandma A. said with a kind smile.

One by one Billy B. and Chet and Jane and Darryl and Neva J. took turns being hoisted onto Abigail’s shoulders to see the Fireworks Display a bit better…and they laughed at their good fortune…

Jerry Seinfeld said that we all love to go out but once we are out we want to ‘get in.’ I think that is the story of my life. I dream of travel and have done some of it. Yet once I have reached my destination it is not too long before I long for the comforts of home. I have been vicariously enjoying my dear friends Ryan and Elizabeth’s photos of their Hawian Vacation. They have transported me to 2014 when MJ and I joined Ira Kaye and Ron in Hawaii. It was in December and we stayed very near the Ocean. However, throughout our stay, my right knee hurt bad. Toward the end of our time, I sat while they explored and took pictures of birds. This was an occasion that I was glad to arrive home.

Go…was my mother-in-law’s middle name. She was up for any trip at any time…anywhere. Former President Nixon said in his book on Leadership that families should travel as much as was financially possible for them as it was the best education that you could provide your children. I practiced Nixon’s advice when Aaron and Jonathon were young.

For the past several years we have been infatuated with Maine. We are preparing to go for the 6th time. We love it! It will be especially enjoyable with my brother Brock and Marcy who is like my sister. Each year it has been challenging to get to Maine. Everything from layovers to missing our flight…and yet we remain undeterred. The Maine towns are captivating. The climate is invigorating. The lobster is to die for!

So…we will go and about halfway thru the experience, I will think…I need to get back home…

Did you ever have the feeling that someone was watching you? You may look over your shoulder or behind your back and yet see no one. Still, you feel eyes upon you. The age-old question is if a tree falls in the woods did it really happen…if no one saw it?

‘I waved at our neighbor this morning as he was watering his plants while I was watering ours…he was looking right at me and yet did not acknowledge my presence,’ He said. ‘Perhaps the Sun was in his eyes dear,’ She said. ‘You know I was at the Market yesterday and the cashier called me by my dad’s name,’ She said. ‘I was unaware that the Cashier knew your father,’ He said. ‘She did not,’ She said.

‘I had the strangest thing happen on my way home from school…a deer ran up to me and stopped abruptly and then asked me if I had the time,’ Son said. ‘Well did you give him the time,’ He asked?

‘We must hurry and finish packing for Maine,’ She said. ‘I simply can not believe that the time of our departure has arrived,’ Son said. ‘I hope we do not have to lay over due to inclement weather,’ He said. ‘I have a goal to eat lobster every day we are there,’ Son said.

‘Look, the clouds look remarkably like faces,’ Son said! ‘Some are scowling and others are crying…while others are laughing,’ She noted with some trepidation. ‘That one in the corner looks like Grandma,’ Son said. ‘The one in front of the window looks just like you,’ She said to Him.

‘How are we back home…I do not remember anything about Maine nor eating any lobster or the giant Lobster Roll at the Taste Of Maine,’ Son said. ‘I remember the faces,’ She said…

It is 96 degrees and 6 months until Christmas. For us Christmas Aficionados this is excellent news! It is Christmas in my mind all year long but I try not to give voice to my Yule Passion until we reach the 6-month mark. I have heard the suggestion that we adopt two Chrismas per year…and I like the idea…

Cedar trees remind me of Christmas. The kindness of my fellow travelers reminds me of Christmas. My daily hope for the future is in the Spirit of Christmas.

I was thinking of ministry yesterday. We all have a ministry in our souls if we want to use it. Ministry comes in a variety of forms. These ministries do not come with a lofty title or a large paycheck. They are driven by the desire to help someone. Neva J. loved to help those who society shunned. If you were alone and lonely…she was your buddy. If you were denied entrance to The Club…you were a charter member of Neva J.’ Club.

We suffer from a bit of tunnel vision. We work and struggle and strive and assume that everyone will do as we have done. I vividly recall as a young man working 18 hours per day and being called lazy. A Cute Term for the members of The Club to banter around over a round of golf. It must have been empowering and an assurance that they were God’s Chosen and that at least they were not as bad as the poor 18-hour-a-day worker…who fell asleep on the road between job assignments. I understand what it is like to be marginalized. I empathize with those who are painted with a brush of misunderstanding by the inflated egos of many who really have nothing to crow about.

So…Christmas is in 6 months and the additional focus will be on the hungry and those who are homeless and cold. We will remember that Jesus was born in a manger in a barn. It will dawn on us that many of us suffer and Christmas is a bitter reminder of their want and need and their lack of being seen or heard.

Being a Christian is about helping others. Christ taught a simple message to love each other as he loved us…and that if you do good to the least of these my little ones…you have done it unto me.

There is no doubt in my mind that the primary reason so much division exists in our nation is due to the extreme difference in treatment between the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Nots.’

I smile when I hear many extoll the awful and destructive tenants of Socialism and then equate it to Communism. Many of the benefits that we all enjoy are Socialist in process and that is including Social Security.

Christmas is coming in 6 months or…as John Lennon sang…’The rich and the poor ones…the black and the white…’

‘What a day to be at the beach…the cool breezes are blowing and the water is calling my name,’ said Jane as she ran toward the inviting waters of Pounds Hollow. ‘Did you see Jerimiah as he exited the dressing room…he has his Bible with him. When I asked him if he was intending on catching up on his scripture reading he answered that he was determined to convert some souls before his hot dogs and hamburgers lunch,’ Chet noted. ‘He spoke to me the other day at school and when I told him that I was a Christian he disagreed with me and said that I would be lost if I did not accept the teachings of his church,’ Billy B. said. ‘When I asked him if he thought that only the members of his church would see Jesus…he said yes and that everyone else was lost,’ Billy B. continued. ‘Look over there at the man under the big beach umbrella…I think that it is Mr. Seagraves,’ said Neva J. ‘He looks different without his three-pieced suit,’ Brenda laughed.

It was Friday and the Hollow was full of kids out of school for the summer and nature enthusiasts. A black bear had been sited in the woods surrounding the swimming hole but that did not appear to frighten the summer revelers any more than the knowledge that Water Moccasins were known to swim with them in the cool and cloudy water. ‘Who wants a hot dog and some smores,’ Chet asked? ‘Merlot for all,’ Neva J. proclaimed as she poured it out of the picnic cooler to hide its alcoholic potential. Along came Jerimiah with a wide grin on his face as he said, ‘I would love a hot dog and a more. He had his Bible with him and a look of subdued superiority. ‘Please join us Jerimiah…do you drink Merlot,’ Neva J. asked in hushed tones. ‘No alcohol crosses my lips…our church prohibits it…but it is permitted to eat smores, he said.

Jerimiah ate his hot dogs and smores and smiled contentedly. ‘How long have you been a member of your church,’ Chet asked? Oh…I was born into it…my grandmother was a member as all of her daughters, of which one is my mother, became members as well, he said. ‘We work at helping the fellow human beings that surround us who are hungry and poor and wanting of the basic necessities,’ said Neva J. ‘We seldom give thought to their church affiliation or doctrine or even if they are Christians,’ Jane added. ‘We believe that the Earth is going to be consumed by God’s wrath and the fires of Armageddon…where the scripture says that the blood will run to the horse’s bridle, said Jerimiah with a sad look for the majority of humanity who were not members of his church who boasted a membership of ten thousand people. ‘So God is unhappy with most of his creation and is subsequently going to destroy them if they are not in your little group,’ Chet asked with a slight smile. ‘Yes we are the elite of God…his only children and we will rule on Earth when it is transformed by God, Jerimiah answered.

‘Time for hiking,’ said Billy B. ‘Please join us Jerimiah,’ said Neva J. As Robert Frost said, ‘The woods were lovely dark and deep….’ Roar said the black bear as he emerged from behind a massive oak tree. ‘Stop in the name of the Lord,’ said Jerimiah. The black bear charged him and bit a sizeable chunk out of his leg…and the blood flowed. Chet and Billy B. and Jane and Neva J. all took a limb of the fallen Jerimiah and carried him to their car and rushed him to the hospital. Jerimian almost died from his wound. They sat with him all night and he awakened to see the concern on their faces. ‘You know if you had not jumped in front of the bear he would have certainly killed me, Jerimiah said with tears in his eyes for the fearsome four. Greater love hath no man than he would lay down his life for a friend,’ said Chet solemnly…

‘

The summer days are getting shorter and it is only the second day. It has been said that what you are going to do…do quickly. I mentioned to MJ that we should try the new Peach Beer for July 4th and she said that we do not want to get it too early for Thanksgiving…and we stared at each other with a smile on our faces. Eldorado was booming yesterday with the police out near the old Orpheum Theatre and a general feeling of goodwill. I continue to travel to my hometown for the purpose of snapping some photos and I enjoy each set more than the last.

We humans like color…thus we like light…without light, there is no color. When I receive a compliment on my photos I often hear that the person enjoyed the color. Color and variety and change enliven our outlook and quicken our spirits for additional discovery. The Creator made a bouquet of colors for his human family.

Summer enhances color. The lush green of the grass and trees against the azure blue of the sky and the fluffy white clouds floating by are indeed an En plein air delight for the artist. I am looking at our pond and see the sun rays reflecting off the mirror finish of the water. A few minutes ago I saw a man pull a sizeable fish out of the water.

Shadow and Sun work together to make nature beautiful. The same may be said for our lives.

We waited all winter for it…and now it is gone. I recall the days of zero and chill factors below. There were days that even I did not venture out of doors and I go out almost every day. There were the joys of Christmas and then the ringing in of the New Year and then wishing all that we encountered…Happy New Year…until February…
Snow and a considerable helping of ice were in store for us this past winter. 2023 was just getting underway and we knew that we had an abundance of time until 2024.

Then spring dawned with its hope for the future. I watched the trees in the Woods regain their leaves and the grass turn from brown to green. ‘The days are getting longer,’ Earl would say on about December 26th. Tomorrow is the longest day of the year. Although it is the first day of summer we have been enjoying the meteorological summer since the beginning of June and the children’s calendar for fun is about one-third done…almost before it began.

Summer brings the illusion of endless outdoor activities. ‘It once was cold…but that has passed, and now we are in the Kingdom of Light and Warmth,’ we say. ‘Coats we exclaim…and sweaters and gloves and neck scarves…not for me…not now that King Summer has arrived,’ we shout from the housetops! ‘More swimming…more hiking…more badminton…more picnics…and do not spare the old-time rock and roll,’ says the young man and his blushing bride. ‘We will build a beautiful house and fill it with kids…we will fulfill every career wish and attain the riches that eluded our moms and dads…we will fight all comers and wipe our brow for more excitement,’ Youth says.

The Fourth of July comes quickly and with patriotic fervor. We fought the battles and we won the wars and now we must enjoy the spoils of victory. Some of us seem to be lagging…some of us seem to be half-hearted in our approach to our ever-warm and promising day of summer… On July 4th it was unusually chilly. We wore our sweaters as we sat around the lake. We were thinking…autumn is coming…

‘It is a bit windy most of the time these days don’t you think,’ asked Billy B.? ‘Not so much like the old days when you seldom felt a cool breeze in June,’ replied Chet. ‘I remember fondly our trips to Pounds Hollow with Neva J. and Jane as we drove down the dusty streets in her 57′ Chevy,’ Chet said as he smiled to himself. ‘The frogs croaked and the Bluejays played over our heads as we swam in the cool water, ‘Billy B. noted wistfully. ‘We did not drink lemonade so much but rather Kool-Aid and at times Choc-Ola,’ said Jane with a wink. ‘Don’t forget the Candy Cigarettes…I always had some Candy Cigarettes with me at the Hollow,’ Billy B. exclaimed. ‘How about the time that we convinced Junior to buy us some Charles Deneby Cigars when we told him that we had flushed Earl’s down the commode,’ Chet laughed. ‘The blue smoke hung in the air for days and I got sick from coughing, ‘Jane offered with a wink.

The fourth of July is soon to be here and that is a simple fact. The epitome of gunpowder revelry in Eldorado will be obtained with illegal cherry bombs and firecrackers. Billy B. was accustomed to the black pill-shaped forms that when you lit unrolled into what was referred to as a snake…sparklers were legal as well and they had a nice effect once darkness had fallen on the magic night. However, the most fun Billy B. had was with Roman Candles. Once lit they shot off several rounds of explosions and produced a colorful display against the black sky. You could see the Star-Lite Drive Inn’s Fireworks well from Grandma Askew’s front porch. The elite seating and ready popcorn and Coke produced glee for Billy B. and Chet and Jane and Neva J. The gigantic screen could be seen in the inky blackness as clear as day when the patriotic explosions were at their zenith. There were both mosquitoes to smack…unless you wanted to observe their stomachs grow large with the blood that they sucked from you…and fireflies to catch.

‘That looks like a funnel cloud near the Drive-Inn,’ said Jane as the fireworks show over the July Fourth assembly of cars and people sitting on their hoods laughing and gesturing with awe at the magnificent explosions. ‘Oh my God…there goes the screen,’ exclaimed Grandma A.!

‘What do they call this place…you told me once…but I seem to keep forgetting,’ Billy B. asked? Well…they made a television show about it called Lost…others call it Purgatory…I just call it the Waiting Room,’ Chet said matter of factly…