So today was to be a lovely day at Giant City that was immersed in thoughts of new windows on Wednesday and Maine around the corner. But the shelf in the master closet had other ideas. I looked at it askance the other morning and thought it was leaning just a bit. Then I thought better of my first thought and went joyfully about my day without worry or care. In the middle of the other night, I awoke to wonder…was the shelf winking at me or my imagination. Today I understood that my sin had found me. Too many heavy clothes on a burdened friend. It had been groaning under the weight and asking…’ Don’t you see me…or don’t you care?’ A new shirt in May and then four in June and thoughts of one or two more L.L. Bean articles in September when we are in Maine. My shelf said…’No More!’ MJ told me that she had been thinking that there was a project or three that we needed to focus on this summer…I guess the overburdened shelf was one that emerged from the stress it had been experiencing…

Now and again life brings us a collapse from our own pursuit of happiness. In the midst of our revelries and as we search for another lion to hunt on our safari of life…our closet collapses. Then comes the paring back of our accumulated wealth of possessions. No more corduroy pants that have not been worn in years…but might be someday. No more Brooks Brothers Sweater that has wooden buttons but an entire sleeve blown out at the elbow and has been patched three times. No more L.L. Bean quilted shirt that has a collar frayed beyond repair. No more small sizes that I believe will fit me perfectly once again when I am older…

MJ says we need to start downsizing…but I am just in the thrill of acquiring… It has been said that we enter this world naked and that we exit it in the same manner…but can I at least take my Waffle Shirt and Khaki Pants…

Well…Maine is getting closer and my poor walking shoes are showing the wear of daily hikes at Giant City Woods. It was time to go to the shoe store. After much searching found the right pair and happily paid for the Columbia shoes and spritely left the store to proceed on my Sunday adventure. I considered that I had never owned a pair of Columbia shoes before but that I had some Columbia shirts and jackets. I love them. Such is the life of an old man who gets excited about new shoes…

Unknown horizons stir my spirit. I enjoy what I am doing now and anticipate what the future holds. We all need New Shoes to carry us through life which is a kaleidoscope of changing shapes and vistas.

‘It is time for us to go to P.N. Hirsch to buy some new school clothes for the beginning of classes in August,’ Neva J. said. ‘I wish I had some Time Travel Shoes,’ Billy B. said. ‘I think that those can be found in aisle 5,’ Chet added with a grin. ‘I wonder what 6th Grade will be like…I am excited about being in Junior High,’ Jane said with glee.

‘Those shoes are Boss,’ Chet said to Billy B. ‘Where did you find such colorful sneakers,’ Jane asked? ‘I noticed that when you were playing basketball this afternoon you were able to jump really high and dunk the ball with ease,’ Daryl mentioned with a quizzical look in his eyes. ‘Yes…and come to think of it I have never seen you play basketball before,’ Chet said with a look of being in on the secret. ‘It is 1967 and the only sneakers that I know of are Converse…what gives with the Sheik Footwear,’ Jane asked? ‘One day you will hear all about them…they are called Air Jordans,’ Billy B. said…

We live in the middle of a profound mystery. The movie was already presented on the silver screen when we found ourselves a character. Quickly we learned that we have a role to play and thus set on our job of discovering what it was to be. Others told us what our part should be…but we were unconvinced. Some of us wanted to be the good gal or the good guy and ride a white horse and save the day. Many found the role of Snidely Whiplash to be their calling as they tied Nell Trueheart to the railroad tracks. Dudely Do Right is a more satisfying performance…however, we are captivated by Snidely Whiplash. How often have we rooted for the Bad Guy With a Heart? Tony Soprano comes to mind. If there is good news to report it is buried toward the back of the newspaper…while bad news is the emblazoned headline…

George Costanza of Seinfeld was attempting to flirt with one of Elaine’s colleagues and Elaine grabbed the young woman away from the conversation and told her that George was a bad seed. Where the young woman had before been uninterested…now her curiosity was perked. George began to play the role of bad boy and then Elaine called and told her that George was a good seed…a very good seed…to George’s vehement protestations.

Life presents us with the quandary of how much we want to do to help others while still being a bit of a Badass… We all have a little mischief in us and that is what gives us our character and zeal to accomplish. Indeed we are a unique mixture of good and bad and we find ourselves in the ‘IN BETWEEN’. Full of ‘Piss and Vinegar’ as Neva J. used to say and yet with a heart of gold. Some of the most compassionate people that I have ever met are those who society has marginalized and forgotten. Often they understand Jesus’ admonition…Love one another as I have loved you…’

Have you ever heard a person refer to their Salad Days? Days where they were at the peak of their abilities and health and often carefree and full of fun. Idealism is a marker of our Salad Days. I have been thinking about salad a lot of late since our dear friends Laura and Jim put us on to the health benefits of a salad a day to keep the doctor away.

Throughout my life I have discovered there are many moments of Salad Days…if you just seek them out. At this time of year when I was but a lad I relished going to Pounds Hollow to swim and stop for Moo and Cackle Hamburgers on the way back to Eldorado. When I was swimming I was in my element…not a care in the world and at peace. Being with Neva J. and Chet and Cousin Brenda was a delight and I wished each day would never end. Then there were movies at the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday…all day Sunday…as well as often on Friday nights. What a magical and mystical world of exploration of thought and ideas they were!

The years of Aaron and Jonathon growing us were indeed Salad Days! I became a kid again with them and most days felt like Christmas. Their inquisitive natures and original thoughts stirred my mind and lifted my spirits! MJ and I and Aaron and Jonathon would take out on family vacations to the west coast and to the east coast and to the South with adventure and discovery on our minds. They grew so fast it made my head spin. On more than one occasion their little eyes were peering at me as I endeavoured to sleep during the day due to working the night shift. They could barely see above the height of the bed. I heard one of them say to the other, ‘Do you think he is sleeping.’

My Career at Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale was truly Good Salad! People seemed to like me and support me and appreciate my endeavors. I obtained promotions that I would have never dreamed would be available to me. MJ told me soon after I began as a Building Service Worker I that she believed I would be the leader of the department one day. I laughed in my heart…similar to Sarah when she heard that she would bear a son at her advanced age.

Retirement has been full of Days Of Salad! There has been much travel and much writing and photography and the ability to reflect on the beauties of nature and life. I have settled into who I am and the originality of my personality. I no longer worry about pleasing the Boss or morphing into what is expected of me…not that I ever did… Someone told me a few years ago that it appeared that I really did things my own way…a truer word regarding me has not been spoken…

This is not the end…this is the beginning…

‘The gladiolas are progressing nicely,’ Sally said. ‘Yes, the covering is helping our effort to grow plants,’ Socrates agreed. ‘I spoke with Abigail at the Market and she said that due to Supply Chain Issues, there would not be any toilet tissue for some time. ‘Well…I love our bidets but often there is not enough water pressure to run them,’ Socrates said. ‘I was able to purchase some hamburger that is manufactured by AI,’ Sally said with a smile. ‘Perhaps our AI will clean us after we do our business,’ grinned Socrates. Oh…Soc…you are such a kidder,’ Sally laughed.

‘I miss my books…I had hundreds you realize…a collection spanning over 60 years,’ Socrates bemoaned. ‘I have been reading online from the books of The Happy Traveler and The Book Of Jonathon…they are compiled from WordPress,’ Sally said. ‘Yes I love the humor of Garfield Hugs…it appears that Garfield was a god in the days before the Boom,’ Socrates said with a knowing look.

‘It seems that hate overtook our ancestors…they measured their wisdom by how many of those who were not like them that they could kill,’ Sally said with a tear in her eye. ‘As the Earth became hotter and the floods and droughts increased…they all sought higher ground…until the meteor…’

‘Would you like a cup of Sanka,’ asked Donald the AI assistant? ‘I did not realize that there was any Sanka left,’ said Socrates. ‘I hoarded several cases for you…along with Postum and Ovaltine,’ Donald answered. ‘I can not get over how much he looks like the former President Donald Trump,’ said Sally. ‘After the Boom, the AI’s manufactured their servant AI models after all of the former Presidents of the United States.

‘Remember Church, asked Socrates? ‘I loved Church…it made me feel so peaceful and hopeful,’ said Sally. ‘They all closed after the Boom…there was already spars attendance and the Storefront Preachers took over the remainder of Society,’ said Sally. ‘Yes, there were those who preached hate and venom and destruction for anyone who did not believe like them…and there were those who thought that a spaceship was on its way… with the express mission…to pick up the survivors,’ Socrates noted sadly.

Great, great, great, great, great, great, great, Grandpa Billy B. use to say, ‘Well, it is just about bedtime,’ when he went to sleep at night and, ‘Wakey…Wakey,’ when he awoke in the morning,’ Socrates said with a sly grin. ‘Well it is just about bedtime…power off,’ said Socrates.

‘Power On…Wakey Wakey,’ Sally said the next morning.

The Brooks had the golden opportunity to visit our Dear friends Jim and Laura and Greg along with their lovely granddaughters last evening. We had a wonderful dinner in their new home and the salad was so delicious that MJ sent me out for Salad fixings today. Greg taught me a new word, ‘Bougie’ and I have already inculcated it into my vocabulary.

We have been friends with the Sheffers since the last century. They are a wonderful big-hearted family. I was reflecting yesterday that Jim and I have gotten a bit older while Laura and MJ have stayed eternally young…and Greg has grown into a wise and thoughtful man. He and I have a similar hat…

There is a satisfying continuity to having old friends. Life around us changes…but dear friends are eternal…

The weather today is much more relaxed than what we have been experiencing. A contributing factor to the relaxed atmosphere is the cooler temperatures. I visited the Eldorado Museum yesterday and was taken aback by how nice the women that run it are when I am there. I feel at home and that is not something that I say regularly. They displayed antique wedding dresses and included the wedding dress of my favorite teacher in Junior High School. I was transported to Mrs. Baker’s class and saw the blue tint in her lovely hair. Mrs. Baker spoke with me as if I were an adult and her respect for me endeared me to her instruction. I have had several teachers in my life…but not many stand out for their recognition of a student as a thinking individual…

Not everyone gets you. Communication is a mysterious enterprise. Kindness and empathy are the milk and honey of effective discourse. Why do people act as they do? What caused one of your friends to be liberal while another is conservative? One person believes in God while the other would like to but feels that it is a fool’s errand.

We macho men claim invulnerability and we suffer from a John Wayne complex. I was watching a segment on CBS Sunday morning where a young girl was a fan of a rock and roll star that was much older than herself. She attended one of his performances and was thrilled to have seen him. The interviewer asked her if she thought that she would ever be able to speak with him and she answered that she did not. Then…the gentleman appeared on her Zoom screen meeting and she broke down in tears of joy. We fill a bit like the young lady when someone truly gets us and takes time out of their busy schedule…just for us…

Southern Illinois is comprised of small towns and villages. Many of the towns that surround Carbondale which is the home of Southern Illinois University have a group of people who truly know each other. When they see someone who is not from their town…they know it. Many years ago MJ and I were having dinner with some friends and it was not in Carbondale. In the little restaurant, we sat down with them and everyone in the place looked at us. Ray stood up and introduced us and mentioned that we were from Carbondale and then they slowly went back to their food.

I passed an African American gentleman this morning as I was visiting Cobden and he looked to be of senior status. When he saw me he said, ‘Hot enough for you?’ I answered that it was and he laughed because we were both in on the inside joke. Little towns and hamlets are nice. There is room to grow and explore and develop a sense of place and self.

Our good friend Emily from Vermont visited us this week. She mentioned that Vermont is one of the smallest population states in the Union. When folks think of Illiois they automatically think of Chicago where I was born. However much of Illinois is rural and dotted with people here and there. If anything Carbondale seems to be getting smaller. Business are closing on a regular basis and restaurants are having a difficult time staying afloat. Our University Mall which was once a booming enterprise is now a shadow of its former self. Tom’s Place which was one of only two five star restaurants in our region closed on July 1st. SIUC is less than half the population of when I was working there. Yet Little Egypt is a picturesque place to live. Indeed people that move here often never leave. The feeling is a bit like living in another century. Good and hard working people who mind their own business and who will lend a helping hand when needed.

Stress is lessened in Little Egypt. Giant City State Park is in our backyard. Southern Illinis University has woods on the campus. We are much like the noted butter…Land Of Lakes. Students from Chicago come the Carbondale to experience an alternate life style that often becomes their life.