summertime

i know it's only the 26th of april, smack dab in the middle of spring but it is HOT, HOT, HOT. these last couple of days have late july written all over them. i'm not complaining, not after what seemed like six months of winter. all the blossoms in bloom, gardens strutting their best, bees all a buzz......it feels great. last night, with the warm air blowing in my windows felt so right. here in the northeastern part of the country we don't get this weather too often. oh it gets hot and we do get those humid days that wilt even the hardiest souls but.....it never lasts. it, meaning the weather, likes to change its mind a bit. temps go up and down like the dow jones. rain appears and disappears at a moments notice. today i'm wearing just a pair of flip flops and old jean shorts[ calm down folks, no pics available...heehee]the sun is still shining brightly, well it should be, it's only a quarter to four, and i'm waiting till the sun retreats from my front porch so i can read a little more of the paper. i know this hot stuff won't last, spring will return and those summertime blues will be put on hold for a month or two but for now i''ll enjoy the heat, the lazy day and perhaps a glass of red. yes, that's what sounds good, take care blogers....jack c

thats all folks

it's noontime, the 20th of april and i'm sitting here at the ol' computer, watching the redsox with one eye and tapping away with one finger. go ahead and laugh but that is how i type. i'm supposed to be working but alas i choose not to. it is patriots day and though it's a holiday for very few folks i decided to join the few and stay in bed today. after working 50 something hours last week with a nagging cough and stuffy head i thought today would be a good day to catch up. i saw a promo for a new show on the history channel [i think...] tuesday night about life on earth without people. interesting concept if you think about it. what if everybody disappeared, gone, blotto. the only things to remain would be animals, insects and what we left behind. nature would slowly reclaim its turf. it would take......a thousand years?....two thousand? before all our manmade work would return to dust. cities would no longer exist, roads, cars, everything would over time would just cease. and then what? it's hard to imagine because everything we know, all that we built is based on.....us. people. take away the people and you have?....could it happen? i don't know.....but i will be watching, tomorrow night. cuz i'm curious and well rested. heehee.....take good care blogworld, jack c

hoarse

i'm not feeling well today. actually i woke up monday with the proverbial frog in the throat. i'm trying to fight it. i have to work the whole week, plus saturday. just have to....and yet i ache. not alot of energy, quieter than usual [and thats not easy]. i hate feeling this way. i had been good for the last three months but without warning the easter cold struck. been going to bed earlier than i'm used to, which is okay.not much on the boob tube. my computer has been acting up so i'm trying to catch up on old blogs. i'm sure ya''ll read about captain richard phillips and his rescue. i am happy he's safe but the way in which it happened will lead to more trouble down the line. thats just the way the world works. it's brutal, it's harsh and it doesn't slow down for anybody. well , gotta go now.....sipping on some fine red and getting ready to crash. it will be a challenge to see who lasts longer...me or the computer. take care bloggers, hope to see ya soon, jack c

happy easter everyone

quick blog....just wanted to wish everybody in the world a happy easter. i know this is not the best way as my audience is somewhat limited to the people who actually read these words. pass it on pray tell. i think most of the world has some beliefs, though they differ greatly. it would be nice to put aside our differences for one day and reflect on the world today. a man named jesus died for our sins and his life and death still reverberate strongly. faith.....faith is what holds us together in times of trouble and faith is what carries us forward daily. so say a little prayer to whomever you believe in tomorrow, whatever faith you are and try and remember why we are here today. and say a prayer for captain phillips and get him home soon. i knew the man, he was the brother of a friend i met many years ago living in worcester. played some basketball with him in the late eighties and haven't seen him or his brother for some years but they were good people and i hope for a safe return. it brought back memories when i saw his picture all over the newspapers. take good care captain, jack c

round world

since i got home today i've had a guided tour of manila, courtesy of my friend half crazy, smelled the beautiful flowers of northern california with shey and dined at a quirky little pub in the english countryside with veronica, my lovely host. and i'm not a bit tired. thats what i love about blogging. its everywhere, its anytime. blogging has shrunk the globe. the internet has reached the loneliest outposts and the next town over. a person can share breakfast with the world if he wanted to. by the time i finished putting some jam on my bagel that piece of minutia can be the talk of europe or instant fodder for bloggers united. [i'm sure thats a land....heehee]here i am, living in the northeastern part of the usa and blogging has made me realized how some truths, some hopes and fears, desires and pain are universal. drop a stone in a pond and the ripples will reach the shores in a steady, measured wave. what happens in one part of the world affects everyone. as easter approaches we might do well to remember the old saying.....do unto others as you would like them to do unto you....or something like that. take good care and stay safe, jack c...........a quick poem for you.......''under an atlanta moon i walked past photographs and twisted glass and felt a calmness about the place, the night was warm and i strolled on , the air was filled with taste. i thought about home where i'd be soon as i wandered through the haze and at just that moment a shiny light quickly caught my gaze.''

opening day

the red sox were to open their season today but rain got in the way. cold rain. it's forty something and damp on this 6th day of april. oh yes i'm home too! i didn't take the day off just to watch my beloved sox but a day off is a day off. a three day weekend beats the standard two days off anytime. i tried my hand at fishing but a quick downpour soon ended that notion. i tried reading some blogs and there's not much going on[ though the blog the tidings of magpies has a wonderful poem in it]i did fall asleep round noon, a nap being one of lifes little pleasures, but was rudely awakened by the phone. thats allright, i didn't want to sleep the whole day away. right now i'm just sitting here feeling as blue as the weather, perhaps a shower will charge me up. oh one more thing before i go....in most towns around here the church was always the tallest building in town. the spires reached up to the heavens with a stylish grace. standing in my driveway i can see the red tile of sacred heart and off in another distance the castlelike walls of saint marys. beautiful buildings really. stepping back into the street a little i see the golden dome of the town hall with an outstretched eagle crowning the top. not a bad view from my dead end street. all three buildings are at least a century old and built with great pride by the local townsfolk. and maybe with the help of deedee i can show you them sometime.....ciao, jack c

thats me

thanks to my friend deedee i now have a picture of me on this post. i'm guessing its at least 25 years old. i recognize the tshirt as one i picked up in brattleboro, vermont. probably on the way home from one of our yearly pilgrimages to the great state. actually we went north on memorial day weekend and once again on labor day.we had found a nice reservoir smack in the middle of the state, just outside rutland. parking our caravan of vehicles underneath the NO CAMPING signs we walked a narrow goatpath of a trail for a half mile or so to a nice peninsula with a rather large rock standing guard. once we set camp if was off to gather firewood and explore. the whole setup resembled a squatter's camp, which it kind of was. day hikers would stop and chat and marvel at our little paradise. we offered food or drink and whatever we might be smoking at the time. most folks partook and then ambled off to other adventures. sitting around the campfire at night was always the best. we'd cook and swap tales of past trips make plans for the next day. once the sun set the woods took on a whole different aura and every noise was magnified. alot of people woke the next morn with bleary eyes and aching backs from sleeping on the hard ground. i haven't been back to chittenden since the early eighties but i'm sure i would recognize the place and 100 memories would come flooding back. it was a different time and a special place and it will always remain that way. so as i look at that photo [and that stache] i will remember my friends and the times we had.....jack c

i miss winter

i miss winter, i truly do. the snow, the ice, the ever present cold. oh i forgot the long hours of darkness, the layers of clothing, the sand that sticks to everything. what about the dead batteries, broken windshieldwipers, the frozen car seats. wait, theres more. the slip on the steps, the snowball in the face, the wind howling through leaky windows. yes there's much to be said for winter in the northern climes. fortunately this is a pg blog and most of the words would have to be bleeped out. but i do miss winter and i can't wait to miss it this year. but hey, there are no mosquitoes and that ain't half bad......jack c....[april's fool]....todays question.....who said april is the cruelest month?