You probably already know my opinion of Rush Limburger, however today I learned something that just confirms my opinion of the Republican Party, particularly in the state of Missouri. Speaker of the House, Steve Tilley, is planning to honor Rush Limbaugh in the Missouri Capitol’s “Hall of Famous Missourians” this year.
You read that right. Speaker Tilley thinks Rush Limbaugh should be on display in the People’s Capitol alongside real heroes like Mark Twain, Walt Disney, Harry Truman and George Washington Carver. This is unacceptable. Fortunately, there’s still time for Speaker Tilley and House leaders to reconsider this outrageous plan.
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My home state Senator, Roy Blunt, has managed to successfully identify himself as a class A fool. The truly unfortunate thing is all the other Republicans ,save one, went along for the ride. Even more unfortunate is the fact that we have to live with him for 4 more years.
Christopher Hitchins died last week. Unfortunately I have been late to the party so far as knowing and reading his work. I’ m working my way through his collection “Arguably” (working, because I read at a turtles pace) and have found it to be one of the most informative undertaking of this past year. Originally drawn to him by his “God is not great” I quickly learned that he is hands down one of the great essayist of the past few decades. Now reading his book on Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man.
Wikipedia is a wonderful thing. Recently I had the term “dog days” stuck in my head. So consulting with the Wick, I learned that the original term came from the Romans, possibly earlier from the Greeks, who referred to the star Sirius called the Dog Star because it appears in the constellation Canis Major (large dog, or Big Dog if you prefer).
Between roughly July 7 and Aug 15 the star rose (no longer the case) in alignment with the sun. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. Betty, my brown dog, survived another year as there were no Romans around this past July. By no cooincidence the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of dogs, is August 16. I could not determine if the feast included roast dog. St. Roch or Rocco was a 14th Century priest who’s exploits were recently explored in a doctoral thesis by Pierre Bolle (not to be confused with the sunglasses Bolle’). Not sure where the dogs come in because St. Roch was actually more involved in healing folks from the plague that spead through Europe in the mid-1300s. He in fact is credited with healing himself. His demise is even more curious and there is a lot of confusion about whether he died in Montpellier, France or Voghera, Italy. http://en.comuni-italiani.it/018/182/ Predominent economy of Voghera today is based on Italian silk production and wine.
From here it is only a click to consult Wicki on the patronage for/of saints. We all know there are patron saints for virtually everything from hangnails to STDs. One of my favorites, St. Jude, is patron of lost causes, the fall back saint lest you forget one with a more specific cause. Creating patron saints began sometime in the Middle Ages first establishing patrons for specific towns, usually where the saint was born. By the beginning of the Renissance the practice of patronage ( I’m sure patronage goes back way before then) was applied to places, things, events, ailments et. al. As the story goes, the saint, already being in heaven, could chat with the Big Guy directly about a particular issue you might have, thus interceeding on your behalf. However, God and the Church got a little miffed when people started praying directly to a Saint as this might be loosely confused with idolatry. However, for some priests, never missing an opportunity to make a little wine money, it must have been only a short leap to the selling of indulgences.
My personal favorite is St. Alfonzo, made famous by Frank Zappa, in his song, “St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast”. Turns out this 18th century saint was a lawyer. I’m guessing the church had issues with petifiles even back then. Just sayin’.
To the Class of ’61…
I have been very ambivalent about attending the reunion. Knowing for several months that I will be riding the in the MS-150 (century route, 109 miles) from Olathe to Lawrence on September 17th, I have used that as an excuse not to plan to attend. But the fact is I don’t seem to feel any motivation to do so. If not the opposite.
Be that as it may, I am sending this note to serve in absentia. There are several classmates that bring back memories, so here goes…
Ralph Ager – “Hit ‘em in the mouth Ralph” was one of the unapproved cheers the Boy’s Pep Club came up with. Just wondering if you did? Hit somebody in the mouth.
Ken Aikin/Linda Marshall – congratulations!! Absolutely, I am in awe of couples that can stay together and have a successful marriage. I’m sure your lives have been filled with other remarkable achievements.
Leroy Arnett – One of my friends in school who was also an early casualty. We sang together in glee club (I don’t remember it being like the current show). He died in a car accident on highway 13 headed back to school at SMS.
Ed Brown – Interesting how we have connected over the years… Life has been something of a trial for both of us, but we are survivors! Live well my friend.
Ron Capps – One of the best looking (still is) guys in the class. Grade school friend. Loved a party! Keep smilin’ Ron!
Marge Chinn – Actually Marge and I barely knew each other in high school but connected through some of the early reunion planning committee sessions. One of a kind. BTW – I seemed to have gotten left off the reunion committee about fifteen years ago. Was it something I said?
Sandra Doolin – I would guess that everyone knew who you were, i.e. the daughter of the Superintendent. That must have come with a mixed bag of advantages and handicaps. From what I have seen over the years you and your sister faired well.
Dave Edwards – What a senior year it must have been hosting a beer drinking German exchange student. Probably drove your parents to fits. I understand why you haven’t come to any of the reunions. Thanks for coming to Matt’s service. I was truly touched.
John Erickson – One of the true success stories from our class. I can remember your dad trying to teach me how to play the trumpet atCooleySchool. It has always seemed a little odd to me that we weren’t closer friends but that I feel so strongly connected to you. Play on!
Bob Farmer – I remember a wintry Saturday night Bob picked me up and we were headed for the Red Barn in Overland Park. He made a detour through KCK to pick up a jug of wine and we ended up in a little fender bender. He quickly scrambled and stuck the bottle in the snow so when the cops arrive we filed the report (the other guy’s fault) and went on our way. A few short months later he wasn’t so lucky.
Ed Fulton – I remember sitting at a reunion about 20 years ago, reminiscing about Journalism class and your aunt Mildred. What a character! Paul Clark and I were Co-Editors of the “BUZZ”. What an unlikely pair. I always thought we got that “honor” by default. You turned out to be the real journalist.
Larry Hurtado – I really did not know Larry (read his bio on the class site). He has certainly folowed a truly unique path of success.
Jack & Jean Lewis/Don Rea – Class mates since Kindergarten (right?) Wow. that would be a 60 year reunion. You guys lived in the upscale part of Avondale, actually part of Kansas City. Don, I can remember playing touch football in the dirt field behind your house. Good to see you are all still doing well.
Larry McThompson – Larry and I were neighbors in grade school. Played together a lot. Larry, I can remembere how we would tease your neighbor’s little dog bu jumping off the wall into their yard and then running to the street, trying to outrun the barking dog. Also remember a couple of bits on my ankle when I was less than successful.
Bob Modeer – King of the snappy come back and a child prodigy, so I am told. Some of the stories better left untold. I do remember you telling on on Clark Ferguson. Late in the 4th quarter of a basketball game he benched you and said something like, “I want you to rest up for the 4th quarter” Ah, those were the days.
Eddie Morgan – God knows where you are – last I heard, years ago, you lived inSanta Fe. Great, funny guy. Played drums in Larry Stogsdale’s band. Don’t remember if the band really had a name. ’53Plymouth, right?
Tom Serviss – Now living inArizona, I think. I guess, like me, at some point reconnecting lost its appeal.
Dan Smith – My best friend in high school and certainly my alter ego. You were (likely still are) the outspoken, daring, in your face, give a shit guy I couldn’t be. With that came an unquenched drive to succeed. Married to the same fantastic woman all these years. There are so many stories that choosing one would diminish all the others… WOW.
Judith Ann Werner – Great smile. How did a surgeon’s daughter end up going to church in Avondale? MYF, not the same as WTF, or is it? One of life’s mysteries. See you have been involved in the planning this time around. Thanks for all you’ve done. Your dad was the one that sewed up my sister Julie’s ear after that horrific car accident.
A special acknowledgment of the classmates I went to grade school with. Not all of them were there for the full 8 years at Cooley School and a couple didn’t graduate with us from Northtown, but here they are as best as I can recall – Alfred Bradshaw, Ron Capps, Keith Cameron, Carolyn Collins, Marilyn Johnson, Jack Lewis, Jean Lewis, Diane Lewis, Joe Magee, Larry McThompson, Carolyn Mynatt, Don Rea and Gary Westcott.
To all the other grads whose name I didn’t mention…I still remember a large number of you. We were in classes, clubs, and sports, sat on the detention bench or have some other connection. My best wishes go out to all of you. Thanks for the memories.
Please read my bio on the class site – I’m on Facebook
Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin’s
And drinks his Green Label each day
Writing his memoirs, losin’ his hearin’
But he don’t care what most people say
Through eighty-six years of perpetual motion
If he likes you he’ll smile and he’ll say
‘Jimmy, some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic
But I had a good life all the way’
Jimmy Buffett
We should all live to at least 86!
Muppets Green Album – Hy’s Birthday – Gatorade – rent a car in Chicago – MS-150 Shuttle – hair cut 1:30- window to repair – check on i-Pad 3 – press 2 for Spanish – watermelon – hotel inVenice – Rick Perry – Perry Ellis –EllsworthKS – Flint Hills – Facebook – silver Cadillac – Carl Sagan – massage.
A little free association…free from me to you.
The brain is a wonderful, almost magical, and hands down most complex organ in our body. I know, some of you guys would beg to differ, but let’s get real. The brain function resulting in dreams is most intriguing to me. Being a light sleeper I remember most of my dreams and that means waking every morning with a new set of memories to ponder. With the advent of several milestones in my life it is more than curious that the preponderance of recent dreams deal with high school friends and acquaintances, sometimes in the context of days gone by and other times woven into the context of my current life. I won’t pretend that they are interesting enough (to you) to bore you with the re-telling of any of them. The most interesting aspect is the why and what (if anything) do they mean? Are they reflections of waking thoughts, revealed in a more honest light? Are they the longings of unfulfilled desires or aspirations? Are they the revisitation of sometimes painful reality? Whatever the theme, dreams arouse a curiosity in me that has no resolution. For too many of us to ask “WHY” is too often a means for focusing blame. That is certainly not my objective. Most often the best resolution to pondering dreams is to simply say, WTF!
With my 50th high school reunion looming large in the windshield of life, lately I have found myself dwelling on thoughts of aging. Some good, some not so much, some “normal” whatever that is, most all of them real. I love song lyrics! In a lot of ways they are my modern literature. Not being an avid reader they provide a window to the minds of folks who’s writing skills provide entertainment as well as some insight into the human condition. In the same way readers pick and choose authors, I have my favorite singer/songwriters. Over the years I have particularly enjoyed Bob Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, Jackson Browne, Joe Jackson, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Buffet, Mark Knopfler, Lucinda Williams, Pete Townsend, Robert Earl Keen, Van Morrison, Randy Newman and the list could go on. I close this entry with these haunting lines from “Running on Empty”
Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too
js
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