"Problems are messages." Shakti Gawain

.....Well, it's Sunday and I have nothing much to do, except to find a picture of me in WWII. Problem is I don't have any loose ones hanging around, they are either in my 90th birthday book or RH+s book of me as I looked in WWII and now. I don't mean that I look now as I looked in WWII, but it's close.  I need a WWII copy for an event here in November about all veteran's who live here or elsewhere. Problem is that all of these me pictures are either in a frame hanging on a wall or glued into a book that the kids made for me as a birthday gift. The book is a beauty  with pictures of me from the time I was born-- and I'm not about to cut the picture out that I need, thus spoiling the book. 

 

.....I suppose I can try to keep this open so that it looks as though I had no problem typing it.  But that is not the case, at all.  I had a plethora of problems correcting all the typos. I don't know if it pays to continue this blog. It takes up a huge amount of time. I don't know if too many readers are out there--or a paucity of them.  According to the comments that I get I can say that there are, or used to be, JR, BF, MH, EJ who used to be EB, PB, RH and a few more who read this blog occasionally. There also are about 749 who never read it! Now I can say there is one sure reader, and that's RG who comments on every post.  And insofar as there may be several typos in today's posting, who cares? ....

 

.....Having nothing much else to do, I've been working on a musical for next March. I call it "Generations America"  I plan to have skits, historical events, songs, celebrities, war casualties, & etc. from each generation since the Revolution. Problem is that I only have a stage manager--RH+, of course, and I have no Producer, Treasurer, Curtain Puller, Back Stage crew, & etc., etc. And as of now I don't even have the performers to do the songs.  It will be a doozie finding all this show talent!  I'll finish this off by informing you that each of us is healthy.

"God heals and the doctor takes the fee." (B.Franklin)

.....Yesterday, Aug. 14, 2015,was the anniversary of the celebratory day 70 years ago in 1945, the day WW11 ended-- the most ferocious war in history. I joined the Navy Air Corps in 1942 when I was 18 years old. I have lost all of my buddies, excepting one. All of my friends at home in Fort Apache, on Kelly Street, in the Bronx, are also gone, but have died either of old age or in aerial combat. I was a combat aircrewman, who during most of that war survived 60 perilous missions flying in a B24 Liberator--which, at the time, was called "the flying coffin." (I never told my children or my students that name.) You can see my wings to the right of this blog. I received those wings at the end of my training (to kill).  I was very proud when they were pinned on me. Not so proud of the killing part.

 

.....My father was a triple amputee, and died when he was 33, the result of his service in WW1, and I was 9.  And when I claim that WWII was a "ferocious" war, the number of the young who died in combat has been documented: In WW1, 53,000; Korea, 33,000; Vietnam; 47,000; Korea, 33,000; and in WWII we lost, in combat alone, not counting the wounded, 291,000 young men. That's atrocious! And that may be why the Yankees in WW1 have been called "the Lost Generation". That is the first time a generation has a used name.  I am thinking of writing a musical honoring the American generations. I wrote one two years ago, but the script was stolen--really, truly, actually stolen. I guess they thought a guy with a walker couldn't be a director. They also mutilated the script. After the "show" I took the thieves to court for violating my copyright! I won some  of their money, and laughed for three whole days!

.....Well, enough with the wars past, we are at war here--with doctors for both of us. RH went from RH- to RH+. Still no one knows why she lost weight. As for the ailments that she thought plagued her. I told her that there was really nothing wrong with her, and after a myriad of testing her doctors told her the same thing. Me? I feel chipper!

 

 

 

 

My First Amendment rights protect one's "twisted logic.".

.....The French Consul Brunet awarded the Legion of Honor, the French government’s highest medal, to eight veterans because of their contribution to the liberation of France in WWII. Only a small number of Legion of Honor medals are awarded each year in the United States and much care is taken to recognize only those with the most distinguished records. (Brunet was or is now the Consul General or France)

 

.....and the Legion of Honor medal was awarded to me in a ceremony last November. However, the bottle of wine they gave to me was appreciated more than the medal, although neighbors helped RH+ to imbibe it on the catwalk  on New Year's Eve while I slept!
  

.....Well we have arrived at the wonderful...perhaps despised would be a better word--(what the hell is wrong with me?) Is old age catching up with me...perhaps elderly would be a better word.The Presidential election era is the time when we hear about it on the TV, and we get phone calls from the candidates, and we see them on Utube, and we hear about it in the newspaper, and we learn about their ratings on the polls and etcetera, etcetera. I feel like the king of Siam, etcetera.  At any rate, it's a real pain. It's like taking pills each day.  We even have a comedian alleviating our stress in The Donald. Gee, I'm glad he's a real T-Party Republican.  And, by the way did you hear that Lebron James sold his palatial  home for $19,000,000 and he only paid $13,000,000 when he bought it. (You can tell that I love zeros).  Apparently we live on a different planet. 

.....We've been to a plethora of MDs recently--mine: Dental Hygienist, Pulmonologist, Internist, Psychologist, etc. RH+: Internist, Gastroenterologist, & Cardiologist & a few more that I can't remember.  These are the Golden Years? And worst of all, I hate when they call me "mister."
.....There is supposed to be a hurricane here tonite.  The weather guys call it "Erica", so if it does come, with it already named, it's like a baby's birth without the possibility of an abortion--which should make quite a few politicians very happy to religiously interfere with a woman's choice. It's much like many people in the south refusing to acknowledge that the Civil War is over and that they lost, and that Lincoln did not really release the slaves, and that waving the confederate flag gives them the opportunity to express their racist views. The Confederacy was "aborted" you know.

 

 

 

 

",,,not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters." (Seneca)

.....Once upon a time I was connected to Trish Ravitz whose dad was a member of Fleet Airwing 7. Well I received an email from her today to say "Hello". She said she found me on my blog. I didn't know that anyone was looking for me.. But I'm glad she found me--alive! I say "alive" because I suspect that FAW-7 has been decimated by old age. Trish's dad has passed away.  Anyway, I was very happy to hear from her, and it made my day.  I am connected to one guy who was on our flight crew--Hal Mack, that is.  I don't know if Trish knows him. The rest of my crewmates are gone--unfortunately. Hal is a terrific guy, but I very much doubt that he reads my blog in order for him to increase his terrificness.  Amazing! Trish, I love you--   Rosie
(nee Baron Von Rosieberg)

.....Received news today via Bonny that Sean's grandfather passed away.  Of course, he once was Bonny's father-in-law and I am fairly certain that Gene was in his late 90s. I knew Gene very well when Bonny was married to Sean's dad, and I and my very own -ex saw him and Sean's grandmother quite often in those days. But "those days" are water under the bridge. (I wonder who made that up?) Well life goes on, and those who don't know, Sean is my grandson.

,,,,,I've been able to type fairly well these days without making a lot of mistakes, and thus I am able to work on my blog without getting really very angry and go around the house cursing at computers, keyboards, printers, Facebook, and Tweedle Dum. However, the doctors I have visited recently have given me a clean bill of health. I even feel healthy, and I have all my mental acuity to go along with it.  If you can recall how you once felt in your 40s, well that's the way I feel.  And since I have all my hair, people don't believe I'm 91. Neither do I.  I attribute my age to the running I used to do when my legs worked. I was used to taking one aspirin and running 10 miles a day for many years after the war. We will observe how far I can go now...maybe even to 92!!

"To know how to grow old is the masterwork of wisdom." AMIEL

.....Is reaching 91 an achievement? It may be, but I'll leave it to others to decide. However, in reminiscing I know I have accomplished many goals in my life; I believe there are not many around who have done all the things that I have done, ergo: In golf, a 7 handicap, I've fought in a war and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 11 Air Medals (yes, that was a premium goal), I received an Ed.D from Columbia (another angsty goal), I raised a family of 4 great kids (a really tough accomplishment), I taught English for 30 years, I ran many 10Ks and two marathons, performed leading roles in 3 Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and several productions of Broadway shows, I back-packed around the world for a year, I was a soccer and track coach, I wrote and published a book, but now I need to use a walker in order to get anywhere, and I can do barely nothing!!  Pardon me for claiming the skill I am gaining is a goal in doing nothing.   

 

.....Now, my only exercises are having RH+ put on my shoes and socks and driving me to MDs. These activities are not the sine queue non of enjoyment, entertainment,  or education. I did, however, learn that most doctors here are incompetent-- except very skillful in the art of making money. But we still visit them hoping that by accident they might find the cure for whatever illnesses we come to them with. In the meanwhile we continue to suffer. RH+, though certainly not 90, still has her own ailments, but continues with the chores of driving me places--besides all the other chores she is capable of.  But, fortunately, the odds are great that I will go before she does. And my twins are approaching 60, my eldest daughter is in line for medicare and SS, and my eldest son on the road to--who knows?

 

.....I know it has been awhile since the last post to this blog; I am sorry for that, but I have lost a lot of energy and motivation and I cannot figure out Facebook and Twitter.