Father’s Day, 2022

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But no matter what’s said, there’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, American novelist

For those of us who’ve lost our dads, Father’s Day becomes “just another day.”

No special meal with your happy family gathered around the table. No decorated cake or grilled burgers. No Hallmark cards. No gifts of goofy ties, men’s cologne, or hand tools.

Just another day.

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Giving Out Smiles

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If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine. ~Author unknown

I think a very caring young person at one of the houses Monkey and I pass on our long walks must be familiar with this quotation.

If not, perhaps they’re just blessed with a happy personality and derive a sense of joy from making others smile.

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Diet Inconsistencies

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Some people have a foolish way of not minding, or pretending not to mind, what they eat. For my part, I mind my belly very studiously, and very carefully; for I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly will hardly mind anything else. ~Samuel Johnson, English writer

Call me strange, but I’ve spent decades minding what I eat.

Long before it became popular, my mom transitioned us to a heart-healthy menu that I continue to follow as an adult.

But over time, I’ve noticed there are several things I just can’t eat. Some upset my stomach; others I don’t care for for a variety of reasons.

Here are my five top problematic foods:

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Fighting Families

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Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go by any rules. They’re not like aches or wounds; they’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald, American fiction writer

Silence just might be
Worse than angry words.
At least with angry words
One has communication.
Silence is so … quiet, so empty,
Like the vast wasteland
Decried decades ago.

Still, it’s angry words
That wound so bitterly.
Angry words that scar,
Leaving hurt feelings
And bitter memories.
That cause rifts in relationships
And once said, cannot be taken back.

Family isn’t the place
For this type of insidiousness.
Family is where love should prevail.
Support, encouragement, and loyalty triumph.
And peace predominate.
At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Sad that too often it doesn’t happen.

Loss Magnified

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There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go. ~Author unknown

My mom went to the hospital a few weeks ago, suffering from unexplained dizziness.

That might not sound too serious, but when you’re as old as Mom, it could be, so they ran just about every test they could, yet they still have no diagnosis.

And that’s not the worst part.

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Planetary Conjunction

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Whatever else astronomy may or may not be who can doubt it to be the most beautiful of the sciences? ~Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemistry professor

Venus (left) and Jupiter, early morning sky, May 1, 2022, looking east

I guess I’ve always been fascinated by outer space.

The stars and far away planets — and the possibility, slim though it might be, of life existing there — are the stuff of the science fiction books I immersed myself in as a youngster.

And while my reading preferences might have switched to mysteries, I still find myself looking up, up, up — daytime or night.

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Dog Egg Hunt Rehash

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I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday. ~Author unknown

Monkey here.

It’s a challenge when you’ve got a sneaky Mama.

I think she stays up late at night, trying to outsmart me. And you know, sometimes she succeeds — but don’t tell her that.

She’d be impossible to live with.

Take this Easter holiday, for example.

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Happy Easter, Happy Spring

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The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month. ~Henry Van Dyke, American author, educator, and clergyman

I’ve been waiting for a pretty day to capture some of Central Illinois’s Spring beauty, but alas! By the time that rolls around, all the good blooms will be gone and it will be 90 degrees outside!

So I’ve decided a nice walk around town in search of blossoms, Easter/Spring decorations, and such will have to suffice.

Let’s get started.

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