Sammy's Phone Call

We find fun things when we shop now. It isn't just about princess dresses at Disneyland or dinosaurs online or even Star Wars and train sets. It's about seeing things that make my granddaughter's eyes sparkle.

Both make me smile.

When Lydia called us and had the kids sitting to talk on Skype. Tommy and Anna stood in front of the computer. They both talked at the same time, an excited chatter at being able to see us and tell us about the latest package we sent.

Sammy sat on the computer chair behind them.

Now you're probably asking yourself how I knew that. It was because Sammy stands and began jumping up to see us. Every few seconds, we would see her face rise above Tommy and Anna, before disappearing behind them once more.

And when she finally took a seat in front of the computer, letting the taller two grandchildren stand behind her, she began blowing us kisses in a way that Sammy invented. She would put her finger in her mouth, pull it out with a little pop, and they she'd show it toward the screen.

It's the simple things in life, that make it so wonderful. Each of my grandchildren do things that are unique. My own children were like that too, so I'm sure that most people will say that about their own, but it's just that I like mine best.

And when it comes to shopping for things, my own eccentricities begin to appear. Every child needs a hat. That's why my grandchildren have one.

Besides the whole hat thing. There is another fascination that I find interesting, something evident in world culture right now, but it also affects my grandchildren. Everyone seems to have this strange attraction with a cell phone.

One by one, all four have found ways to call Grandma and Pop Pop. We get a call, notice the ID, and when we talk, either silence or a child's breathing is on the line. Eventually, they get the courage to speak. That's when a parent notes the minutes disappearing on a cell phone.

The other day, our youngest called.

I hear the phone ring. I see the caller ID and notice that it's a call from Lydia, so I pick up. I hear nothing. Then Sammy begins to squawk a bit. I start talking to Sammy.

Then Sammy must have tried to get her mom to take the phone by hitting Lydia with it. "Don't do that. It really hurt." I hear Lydia's voice on the line. Sammy begins to cry, so I intercede.

Since Sammy was a baby, I would make growling noises to entertain her. She stops crying and begins growling. I continue. The phone suddenly grows silent.

I phone Lydia. "Dad, was Sammy talking to you on the phone?"

We laughed about it, but Lydia really laughed over the fact that she couldn't figure why the phone was making growling noises.

It's the simple things that make life so much fun.

When People From Idaho Understand The Duke UNC Rivalry

There was a time when I enjoyed watching UNC, Virginia and Duke play basketball in the NCAA tournament, and it happened almost every year.

While doing program called the Mandel Fellowship at The United States Holocaust Museum in DC, I had a colleague, who was a UNC grad. I've always had a habit of teasing people, and I made the mistake of kidding about being a Duke fan.

She found no humor in it.

It was the mid 90's, and I really had no idea about what happened there, until my son and my daughter-in-law basically schooled me on the whole thing.

But even before that time, I watched a large contingent of Duke students standing outside the Today Show one morning. The weatherman interviewed them, and it fueled the fire for what would eventually develop into my wearing North Carolina blue.

Ann and I spent some time in Carolina. I loved the "lightening bugs" at night. They have these large pine trees there, that remind me of the Kiefer in Berlin's Gruene Wald.

When you visit Chapel Hill, you start to notice things: blue fire engines, blue Santa hats, blue wigs.

But there is nothing like seeing a basketball game in their arena--feeling the passion and hearing fans cheer for Tar Heel basketball.

And when I attended my son's graduation, it shocked me just a little when--during the singing of the North Carolina fight song--people my age shouted the words "Go to hell Duke!" immediately after the last note.

I smiled.

Because I remembered seeing the pompous Duke students on the Today show, and since that time, they still irritate me while watching basketball games. They are poor losers, but even when they win, they are unbearable. It's a situation, where Duke plays both roles the same way: poor losers and poor winners.

They taunt the losing team, especially the Tar Heels, and even when UNC plays on their home court, the refs seem to make calls against North Carolina. My son sat behind a supervisor of the refs in their conference and watched the man berate his colleagues for poor calls in a game. I keep hoping that sooner or later, those kind of people will no longer officiate games, but it's an imperfect world, and Duke--contrary to their own opinion about themselves--are part of that dilemma.

So now, I own a Carolina blue Santa hat; I curse the refs whenever I see a call go against UNC; but most importantly, I enjoy watching Coach Williams, who by the way, is everything that embodies "class" on the court. You notice him, especially when you see a Duke game. He's the classy guy who never curses, not even the little word like damn, but if you read lips and don't mind looking at an ugly face, check out Mikey on the Duke bench. He'll teach any crude redneck some new takes on any number of interesting combinations of choice references.

The difference between both benches is more than noticeable.

Now I would never admit to have been a Duke fan from afar, but I do love the Tar Heels that way, and I will for a very long time.

And yes, this past week when Duke played West VA, I cried tears of joy when the Blue Devils lost. You do that, when you get the rivalry.

Anna's Stay In Florida

Pink is still Anna's signature color.

One thing for certain. Skype took the pain out of not seeing my little ones more often than once or twice in a year's time.

Phone calls are nice, but seeing live pictures of the kids in front of their computer is too much fun.

This picture is one that hopefully will remind Anna of her first year in school. And I hope that next year finds Anna, Tommy and Sammy closer to Idaho.

Tommy's Picture

We had pictures taken of Tommy and Jack when they were still very little. It was early in Jeff's journey toward becoming a practicing doctor, and during that time, they were able to spend a bit of time with us in Idaho Falls.

It was a great time. The two boys were fun, and they still are. They remain cousins and friends. It's like it should be.

This picture is not one that is really something I view as realistic. Tommy is not a hugger.

At this age or a bit older, I could see him gripping a small Thomas The Train locomotive or even a car, but not a teddy bear. That's just not Tommy, but the picture brings back wonderful memories.

It would only be a few months later when both boys were one year old. We did a trip to Disneyland. I finished my fight with leukemia. I was in remission.

Being sick again was a picture that I never viewed. It was a happy time.

But now things are even better. Anna arrived. We did Disneyland, and we even discovered that I could buy a child in my family princess dresses.

I swore I would never do that.

Ann was tolerant of that attitude too, until we had grandchildren. But I warmed up to the idea, as soon as I saw the smile spread across Anna's face while wearing that tacky gown around the park. She had the gloves, the veil and the glass slippers too.

And that night, like she did with every princess dress we bought at Disneyland, she cried at the thought of not sleeping in the thing too.

And we'll do the same thing for little Sammy too, if she truly wants that.

Oh, and Lydia, please send me pictures of Tommy. This is the only one I have from the last batch, and I would sure like to see some video clips or pictures of one of his baseball games.

Wonderland Florida Style (In Winter of Course)

I always found the South a great place during the winter. When Cles graduated from UNC Chapel Hill, I flew out for December graduation, and we walked to the ceremony in shirtsleeves. Even at night, the temperatures were warm.

Cles and Leslie drove me to Charlottesville while I was there that year in December, and the weather was the same. It was sunset, and we still walked to the car without coats.

This year, the winter of 2010/2011, was an exception to what I experienced a number of years ago.

I'm not sure, but I think Lydia took this picture of Jeff and the kids while visiting St. Augustine a while ago.

Even in the year when we went to The Bahamas, before our children married and before grandchildren, Christmas in Florida was incredible.

Cles and I walked to the hot tub at the beginning of that trip, about 100 yards from our room. We went dressed in swim trunks, sandals and short-sleeved shirts, and we didn't stay in for very long. The water was too hot for the outside temperature. It was like a summer night. I loved our time in Orlando that year on Christmas Eve, yet after we returned from our cruise, the days there were unusually cold that year.

I just remember wearing coats like Jeff and the kids have on here in this picture. In fact, that year in Orlando found me being chilled all day. I wore a sweat shirt, much like what Tommy wears in this picture.

But the weather, in spite of the odd cold snaps during both winters, was much better than here in Idaho today. It felt warm outside, while Ann and I were running errands this past afternoon. The temperature was actually higher that 35 degrees for a while. I saw some ice melting, but maybe it was just my wishful thinking.

Hey Jack! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

Eight years have passed quickly. That was a time, when I suddenly realized that speaking perfect German and taking students to Europe in the summer conflicted with what I would want to do in the near future. Leaving grandchildren behind and going for a month was not something I wanted to think about at this time.

Change is a good thing.

And besides Jack at this time in late February or early March of 2003, my English Bulldog kept a curious watch at a new fan, who would eventually play and frolic about the house.

But things change, sometimes for the worst. I became sick. I had to give up my dog, and this first grandson became the focus of our hearts.

And then more changes happened--good ones too. I survived leukemia AML. And one at a time, we suddenly had four grandchildren, four beautiful grandchildren--all with distinct personalities, all with eccentricities like everyone else in our family. It's what makes them special. It's what makes them fun and easy to remember forever.

But this day is about Jack's birthday.

It began slowly. He went to bed early, so that we didn't make the same mistake twice: a grouchy Jack means that he stayed up too late watching DVD's with Pop Pop.

My alarm began at 6:50 a.m. The train alarm, that I bought in Germany in '97, not only chugs but sends exceptionally loud train whistles. I figure that the entire neighborhood becomes startled momentarily, whenever it begins to race at the selected hour.

Jack was in his room playing. His TV hooked up to his Wii was on, and he started watching a film from Netflix. I peeked around the corner through the doorway.

"How's my birthday boy?"

His eyes flashed suddenly, because he forgot about this special day. Jack dropped everything, the sword in one hand and knight's mace in the other. They rested beside his battle ax. He'd been up long enough to create a minor disaster in his version of a "man cave."

Grandpa found Star Wars gift wrapping paper, so that in itself was a fun deal.

The Lego games featured three small tops, atop which you place a tiny Ninja warrior with a spear, a sword, an ax, or a bone. I'm not sure how the game works, but Jack was ecstatic. It's something we can do that is easy. I'm not much for games with confusing instructions, unless of course it's some sort of board game with great pieces that come with it.

Suddenly, Jack is old enough to play Risk or Broadsides or Conquest or any number of the other games that we once played when my own children were older and I wasn't too exhausted from working two and three jobs.

I'm still tired, but it's not the same.

The birthday celebration went quickly. Grandma had meetings in Pocatello. It's a job she enjoys, and not only does it give her a chance to make a difference in schools, but it gives her something to do to occupy her mind.

Grandma never liked sitting still. I didn't either, but my choices are limited in some ways. The chance, however, to spend as much time with her and my grandchildren is incredible, and this day was no exception.

Time passes so quickly.

It seems like only yesterday, when I cradled a tiny boy in my arms, one so small that it made me feel uneasy. My English Bulldog watched and seemed to mirror the proud smile I wore on my face during those times in the past, but now suddenly, not only is Jack a little boy, but he becomes a Cub Scout today.

And as much as I hate that whole Pine Derby thing, I'll do anything for my grandchildren--even put up with the ridicule of having a car look and run miserably.

I never was good at making those things, but at least now I possibly "know a guy or two," who can help us out and get my grandson into some serious competition. After all, the whole Pinewood Derby thing is more about dad's reliving a moment.

I'm not sure what that moment is, but I don't like seeing my little ones lose big time.

Today is a great day, because I lived a moment, where a birthday means getting old enough to play board games and wear Cub Scout uniforms and do "big people stuff." I forgot how fun it was to look forward to getting older,

because there is something about the past that makes me smile too.

But some time in the future, I hope to visit Berlin with my Sweetie and my grandchildren. I want them to hear the language. I want them to taste a great Currywurst. I want them to see the magic of a city I loved, and hopefully someone--in the vernacular of Berliner Schnautze--will say this to one of my birthday grandchildren at the time: Allet Jute ooch zum Jeburtstach!

Birthday Boy

Today is a special day, and it begins now with Pop Pop trying to figure just what to write in a blog.

Today was a bit difficult. Jack stayed up too late last night watching a DVD, so he was grouchy this morning, so much so, that he didn't really get a chance to enjoy his breakfast of a scrambled egg and sausage.

"Tomorrow, I'd like it in a burrito," he said. But he did plant a kiss on my cheek to soften the harsh criticism. We were upset last night, because he couldn't find his spelling lists, so grandma picked him up from school.

It was like salt in the wound. Jack relishes his ride home on the bus. The chance to be with siblings and friends a brief few moments at the end of the day is exciting. That's a change from his earlier experiences, but it's been a great year at school--not a lot of bullying, not a day of hoping that a snow day would happen.

Jack actually likes being in school every day. Monday is fun, because it's the first day of the week. Tuesday is library day. Jack has P.E. on Wednesday, and Thursday is just great because they do "stuff."

That's Jack's patent answer for what they do at school. He has excellent grades, but he doesn't talk about it much.

We picked him up today at school and went to Sam's. He smiled briefly, because he likes the samples they do occasionally, and there was one booth serving meatballs early this afternoon, so it was worth the trip, and it may have even been worth missing that bus ride.

We arrived home. Jack finished his homework and did his reading. There was one sheet of math, like there is each day. He read from a chapter book he enjoys, and then he finished some reading on a project Jack and I have been working on for the past few weeks.

Dinner was great, Cajun Steak with vegetables. Jack liked the steak. He's like most boys. In fact, I thought it was incredible that he ate the dish with the spices we had used. Vegetables were not a option.

Jack doesn't like peppers or onions. And Jerusalem Artichokes looked too weird for comfort food. Jack did some more reading, while I made a batch of soup for tomorrow. We had the things for Butternut Squash Soup, and he likes that a lot, so I thought it would be something he might like to try in the evening.

We watched a video tonight. He's been coaxing to see The Mummy Returns for weeks, so I finally decided tonight would be the right time to see it. We watched it until about 8:10, and then I reminded him about our rough day today. It just doesn't work to have him get tired early in the morning. And mornings start early. I don't remember getting up before seven in the morning to get ready for school in second grade, but the early 60's were a long time ago--longer than I want to admit.

In the evening, Jack tried to "con" us into opening "just one gift," but that's Christmas. At least that's what we assured him around 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.

It turned out to be a perfect evening, and even when he's difficult, our Jack is an incredible little guy. He makes me smile when I think about the things he says and does.

He gets in the freezer tonight, after I told him not to touch things in it. Some items fell to the floor. "Don't touch stuff." I repeated the words and looked at him in the eye. He thinks for a moment. I knew something profound was about to be said.

"I'm touching the floor right now," he said. "It's just impossible not to touch things."

Now my dad would not have found humor in that, but after a long day, it made me smile. Jack makes me do that. He isn't a smart aleck every moment, but occasionally he says things that are really funny.

He showered. And without argument, he went to bed at 8:15 a.m. Grandma and I wrapped presents around 10:30.

Tomorrow will be a great day. We'll open presents at 7:00 a.m. They are on the breakfast table waiting for an excited boy.

Lunch after school will be exciting for him. Jack loves the chicken hoagie-style sandwiches from Subway, and with a bowl of home-made Tomato soup I'll make tomorrow and have ready when he gets home from school. He'll have a better day on his birthday, but it will be a busy one.

But he'll have his wish to ride the bus with friends. And he'll find presents with his egg and sausage burrito.

It's fun to be a Pop Pop. I would never have been patient like this as a dad. That was my mistake. Walter Mathau raised a son after he was older, and he gave the key to raising children successfully. He said something like this: you smother them with love and cover them with kisses. It's not hard to do when you have grandchildren like Ann and I have. They are easy to love and fun to spoil.

Captain Jack: Malad's Punxsutawney Phil

What I miss about my hometown is the sense of humor that was a part of the culture. There were notable people, who lived in Malad, throughout my childhood, and these men and women were important for the community.

With their passing, things changed. The town lost something.

Swede was the name of an incredible man, who ran the local newspaper. His comments were hilariously funny, and former "Malad people" from across the country subscribed to The Idaho Enterprise to read the articles each week. It was a small town paper, reporting on 4-H Club news and giving updates on various quilting or Bridge Clubs that women were active in there at that time.

I remember my grandmother always having "Bridge Club" chocolate or peanuts at her house. Friends, regardless of their age, found things to do that were entertaining and fun, without having to use a remote to activate a TV, Blu-Ray, or Game Center. Games were things you did with board games, or in most cases, they were things that young people did outside.

There was a recent article in the local paper. reporting about Captain Jack, the "Keeper of the Fire Station."

The great part about it is that Ann's brother Dennis is one of the people mentioned in the article.

Ann's family has this sense of humor that is typical of Malad. I've always been curious if it was typical of those people coming from Wales. Many, in fact the majority of the families, settling in Malad were of Welsh heritage, yet there were a lot of those people who had no sense of humor at all.

The ones who did have a sense of humor made up for the rest, but the town's "characters," a word most Malad people use to refer to "fun" people, were what made Malad a fun place to live. And I'm glad to say that it appears that it's still that way.

Here's the article from the February 10 issue of the town's paper:

Captain Jack predicts six more weeks of winter!

Pennsylvania has Punxsutawney Phil and Malad has "Captain Jack, Keeper of the Fire Station!" The problem with Captain Jack is that he is dead, but he can still cast a shadow. On Groundhog Day, February 2, Captain Jack's shadow predicted six more weeks of winter for Malad residents, as opposed to Phil's prediction of an early spring.

There is an interesting story about the life (and death) of Captain Jack. Apparently Dennis Thomas and Ron Blaisdell were in the fire station one evening and saw a big "rat" run across the floor. They tried to catch it but it got away.

When questioned by the other firemen on why they thought it was a rat, as opposed to a mouse, they said it had to be a rat because it was so-oo-oo big. A little skeptical but ever industrious, the firemen set a trap loaded with bait but could never catch the rat.

Christmas season came and it was time to decorate for the annual Firemen's Ball. The boxes of decorations were hauled to the Legion Building, and when Geoff Green opened the lid of one box, there staring back at him was a rock chuck.

It jumped out of the box and ran around the room. Ron was not going to let him get away again, so he smacked it over the head and threw it outside. Mr. Rock Chuckie had met his maker . . . or so it appeared.

Brad Hess retrieved the departed varmint and took it to Sid Lewis to mount. Brad proudly presented Captain Jack to his fellow firemen and he was mounted on the wall in a prominent place in the fire station. He is now "Captain Jack, Keeper of the Fire Station."

Besides protecting the firehouse and our firemen, Captain Jack can now act as Malad's own spring predictor. After all, Pennsylvania is a long way from Malad, Idaho, and based on the severe winter we have been experiencing, his prediction this year of six more weeks of winter seems very logical!

My Sweetie's Birthday Begins For Me Today.

My Annie's birthday is tomorrow, so the ritual will go like this today. She is now in Driggs doing some work to help the school system there.

It's a great job. It's fulfilling and satisfying. There are no supervisors to make things miserable. Working for ISU has been a true pleasure for her. I found it that way too.

Oh, and it's nice to see her so happy doing something like this.

I expect her home any minute, so I'm hurrying with the last minute details of this blog. I found a perfect card--funny but not crude, cynical but not pessimistic, interesting but not boring. I like the Far Side stuff. Our family finds this brand of birthday card hilariously funny. So here it is.

I've been working on her "this year's poem" for several weeks now. I put some things together, and then I let it sit for a bit. I felt inspired this morning.

I set my player downstairs. The volume is loud, but not disturbing to my neighbors. I figure Robert Plant is something great for a time, when I my hopes for spring are so intense.

Besides, the vibes are great too for my muse. So Annie, here's your online peek at your poem:

A Slice of Joy Is A Window Into A Soul

Bob Dylan sang Mona Lisa smiled

because

she had The Highway Blues. Looking at a woman’s face

is like looking into depths of the sea. You never know

what lurks there

what boils beneath rolling waves

what changes lie

beneath a surface reflecting blue skies and clouds.

Science believes

they know Da Vinci’s secret--facts about

the painter’s task. But they

will never understand

the look

the power Mona Lisa retains in her eyes.

I figure I married a woman like that, except I like mine

better than

Da Vinci’s woman hidden behind finger-smudged glass

in the Louvre.

Some days I look at her eyes and try to read omens in summer skies

but nothing conjures satisfaction for me

except the look she gives me

any given morning--eyes shining and teasing

a sparkle that tells me

what I need to know.

Why stand and wonder before life’s jigsaw puzzle?

If God wanted life and relationships to be simple

each woman would be

like a fortune cookie

a slip of paper stuck in her ear at ambiguous times.

But nothing appears as it seems

and innocence is an illusion that offers no solace on a winter night.

No infant I observed understood Bob’s blues

or understood

what The Highway Blues

might be: an asphalt python trail that leads

from East to West

from North to South.

Some might contend that a tiny child’s smile might imply

wisdom or understanding

but my wife always said

grinning babies had gas. I never found

happiness

in that bit of trivia, especially while cradling them in my arms.

Who knows why they really smile?

I owned a big yellow tomcat, and although I preferred dogs, I loved him

anyway. I trained him

and he begged. I trained him

and he would sit

on yellow haunches

before looking up at me. A smile

would spread on his feline face

and he would turn his large head from side to side.

I gripped prime roast beef in my hand. He

never gave up the idea

of charming his way through life. He would spring

to bat the beef with paws of recessed claws.

I hoped he did it out of love

out of respect

but those concepts never appeared on his face

as his eyes focused on roasted beef

yet he never scratched or bit me. His grins

infected every audience

who watched with a Cheshire mirror image.

The cat’s new-found love

was for a taste

of the same species of creature

that provided mammalian nectar in his bowl.

Who knows why he really smiled? Maybe he understood irony.

I married a woman with chocolate chip eyes

of mystery

yet she gazes my way

and I realize

that I wrapped my heart

around those orbs decades ago.

It was a time of youth, a time of new love, a time of yearning.

I still love her, even more deeply now as so long ago.

Her face lights up like new dawn in early spring. It tells me

what I need. Doubts fade away

mists disappear before rays of morning sun.

I embrace her eyes and wallow in their beauty.

I know my love. She will never live The Highway Blues

even if she likes to hear Bob Dylan sing it.

I bask

in the velvet softness I see on her face

and I yearn

to feel the static electricity of her touch.

I hear her image whisper to my muse. My love

I wear openly. I flaunt memories

of holding her in my arms. I sing songs of love

in my heart. A vision I see

in those chocolate brown eyes that bewitched me long ago.

They cast

their spell on me as a youth.

Their message remains constant. My love is my Polaris, my guide

because she remains at my side during my brightest day

and the darkest night.

I cherish

each moment and savor the taste of life

because

I know my love will always be at my side.

This is my favorite current picture of my Sweetie, although there are other favorites as well. There are some of those she doesn't like at all, so no one will see them, but I smile right now thinking of those pictures of our past and present,

and for her, I won't put on any pictures of us riding roller coasters or clowning in front of a camera, or standing motionless in distant childhood black and white poses.

But I will place a final picture that someone took during our 2001 class reunion.

It was a good time--a time in our life when cancer was a disease someone else struggled with, a time in our life when our biggest concern was about work and teaching and parking the new car away from the potential scratches of other people's cars. It was a time in our life much like right now.

Nothing that really matters has changed in our times together since that summer day in 2001, so I post the last photograph and smile at the memories it conjures up for me.