"The web of life is as a mingled yarn, good and ill together" (All's Well-W.S.)

.....Well, what do you know! President Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize which comes to about 1.6 million dollars. This certainly was a stunning surprise and disturbed a lot of people, of course, as whatever Obama does disturbs a lot of people who are color blind to any good that he does or has done or has tried to do. Look at what was left to him by the previous administration. Naturally, there are other people equally deserving of this award, but Obama is not undeserving. The President has inherited two wars, two nations on the verge of nuclear capability, global warming problems, a deep recession, tension in the Middle East, and a nation where millions of people are without health insurance. So, he went to Denmark to try to get some votes for the Olympics to be held in his favorite city; Pres. Bush started a war in Iraq and then went to the Olympics in China. I could name some other Gordian Knots for him to untie, but what's the point? People who criticize every step the man takes are not going to change their minds. Their man didn't win. So, why not turn to adolescent behavior? My own points may not be well taken, but at this point, who cares?

.....We retirees have our own problems. My good friend Mike Herbstman, who played, Colonel Pickering in "My Fair Lady" recently had open heart surgery, but he came home from rehab yesterday and we already have a date for dinner as Longhorn's. His surgery came hard upon my own surgery, and Marilyn Silverstein--Eliza in MFL--is having knee surgery; and no doubt about three dozen people in our community will be having some kind of surgery. I just returned from seeing my neurologist for some tests and he said that my spinal stenosis and neuropathy is definitely getting worse. So, that's the way of the world; the way the cookie crumbles as they say. I'm curious as to how my cuzzin Ruth in England would describe the situation.

.....Philosophers say that the primary goal of humanity is to achieve happiness. I believe that is the truth. People surely go about in different ways to become happy. Some want good jobs, some want to be rich, some want to get married, some want to have children, and some, like my two princes, want to play soccer, basketball, shoot pool, and ride a motorcycle, and some want to write blogs and publish books. But in spite of the loss of my mobility, (among other things lost), I am relatively happy. My marriage is impeccable, my wife is amazing, instead of golf clubs I have a scooter. I also have the wherewithal to have a lobster now and then. Life goes on and like my t-shirt explains: "Life is Good".