Blackjacks and Gumbo

When I was about 18 I was dating the daughter of a doctor in Columbus Georgia. Her uncle was a Federal judge. They were as old school as you could get, even for the Deep South.They also had the family duck camp (established 1920) in the panhandle of Florida. There's a point I promise. I was invited to join their clan on opening day. I can still see the sunrise, hear the bark of the L C Smith doubles, and smell the wet old Labs as they climbed back into the blind. These men were true gentlemen, and they made the day great. The Blackjacks(Ringnecks to you Yankees) were plentiful and the day too short. And now to the point. When we returned to the cabin I was given a jar of sweet tea and a bowl of duck gumbo. My first gumbo, and thank the L0rd not my last. That day started a 40 year love affair with gumbo. I have had it in NYC and New Orleans, I even had a decent bowl in New Lexington Ohio. I learned two things that day. How to make a real roux. Also that a real man doesn't need to brag about how many birds he has bagged or beers he can drink or women he has known. A real man only has to smile and say"nice shot son" to show what hes made of. Francis ( the daughter) headed to Auburn University and I was off to the Big Ten. I never got to go back. The lessons stayed with me and oh yeah Gumbo!

Lifestyle Thoughts

One of my favorite sites to visit is "A Femme d'un Certain Age" Well written and very interesting, if you get a minute go to my profile and follow the link . On her page she has a quote . "I love my past, I love my present. I'm not ashamed of what I've had and I'm not sad because I no longer have it."...Colette. Wow that statement is the way life should be lived. It is hard to live the last part I know. I do get sad that its not like it was when I was a child. I see people acting the way they do do and I am saddened that they seem to just not know any better. The whole "I'm outraged and offended" society in America drives me crazy. The PC police will take me away some day, but hey sometimes things aren't meant to be hurtful.
Accept an apology and move on.
To be honest I wasn't sure who Colette was, so I "googled" her. Turns out she was a very talented and dynamic woman. I can't say I would approve of her lifestyle, but I am sure she wouldn't have cared less.
So thanks Tish for introducing her to me. I'm really going to work on that last part of her quote.

The $10.000.00 Man

This is Ethan. He is the son of my oldest and her husband Joe. Great name Joe and he is a great guy. When my daughter was 14 she lost an ovary and part of the other to large cyst. She was told she had two chances for children, slim and none. Fast forward ten years and its up to maybe. So a couple of expensive procedures later ( hence the title) Hereeeeees Ethan! On the fashion front he's wearing a gingham shirt, fisherman sweater,and tan cords by Baby Gap. Shoes are leather and suede by Strideright. Take a bow Ethan. On the TV its Elmo, so the stare. You always assume that you'll be there for your children until they're adults, and beyond trust me! But grandkids, you know the odds are against it. So you hope you did a good job with your own and they'll pass it on. Take what time you have and instill a little in the wee ones. Its that time to be thankful. Near the top of my list are my guys. They are the brightest lights in my small universe.

I'm so proud

Gabe comes in today,big grin on his face, and announces " Look Grandad I'm dressed like you!" Both my boys wear khakis as much as jeans, collared shirts and nice shoes. Ethan has a pair of Bass beef rolls . When I pick up Gabe from school and I see the 7 and 8 year olds with mohawks and mullets , Harley shirts and sweat pants.....I mean it just looks like nobody cares. And thats the point, the way to show what you are is how you dress. No one else can respect you if you don't respect yourself. Its not a snob thing, its a caring thing , and how these guys perceive themselves . I'm proud my daughters put the time and effort in showing they do.

Lazy Day

Being retired gives you a lot of time to think.Things you wished you had done, but didn't. Things you did and wished you hadn't. If you try to talk about it too much you turn into a boring old man. So I blog, risk boring anyone who reads this drivel. Sometimes it sounds like I'm a grumpy old man ,but I'm really not. Today is a good example. This morning I pan fried about a pound of stew meat. Then I put some beef broth,pearled barley and new potatoes in the pot with the beef and let it simmer all morning. A little seasoning and wait. It's a rainy, chilly day here. So a big steaming bowl , bread and a glass of cold milk. JAG is on the TV. I'm a happy man, honest.

No I'm not that stupid.

If anyone is reading this they may be thinking is this clown for real? He thinks everything was perfect back in the day. No I don't. There was crime. poverty, bigotry and many of the ills we have today. Was it better? Yes I think it was. Do I think as a society we could go back ? No of course not. We just need to try to live our lifes with a little dignity. And stop taking things so seriously. The minority ain't the boss of me.

Teacher may I?

I'm watching TV with the Grandsons the other day, PBS can't be bad. A show "Sid the Science Kid" is on , sounds good. Then this kid goes to school and addresses his teacher by her first name, and I'm thinking maybe PBS does have a hidden agenda! Not really, but what has happened to us? You have to have respect for people with authority.Not blind obedience, but simple respect. If you allow children( they are not young people, they're children) to dress like bums and the teachers don't dress much better you are never going to have an environment for learning. My daughters went to private school. When my oldest was home for the first time from Kent State she thanked me for that. She was amazed at the kids who didn't have basic study skills. She graduated Cum Laude and is now........a public school teacher. So I know a little about the state of schools today. When you stop teaching values in school where are they going to be learned?

Happy Birthday Mr Ryan

November 11th, 2009 is Robert Ryan's 100th birthday. He is one of the best examples of a man of the 50s, He was an Ivy Leaguer( Dartmouth '32) , ranch hand in Montana, and a Marine Corps DI. A boxing champ at Dartmouth and in the Corps. He help found actor studios with the likes of Henry Fonda and John Houseman. He also help start SANE, an anti nuke group, supported civil rights and challenged Joe Mc Carthy . At the time this made him a leftist, maybe by today's thinking he would be more of a moderate. The thing was he stood by his convictions at a time when most of the Hollywood establishment was pretty conservative. Unlike today, when leading "men" threaten to leave the country if things don't go their way like little boys or go to hostile countries and kiss up to sworn enemies of America. Just another reason I was born too late.

Too much time, but not enough

That's Ben Johnson. He played Sam the Lion in "The Last Picture Show", an OK movie , I guess. An old cliche "the book was better". I'll come back to Ben/Sam in a second. When I was in my late 40s I got a real case of "whats it all about"- itis. The kids were all past being daddy's girls, job sucked, my wife didn't understand me etc, etc. I couldn't afford a Corvette and thanks to Mother Nature, 20year old blondes were pretty much out of the question. So I read. Hemingway for starters, then John D McDonald, Peter Hathaway Capstick, WEB Griffin, and many more. Then I found Larry Mc Murtry. He wrote "Lonesome Dove" and "Terms of Endearment" Quite a range. But in all my soul searching about what I was going through I found it in Sam the Lion. (I can't find my copy of the book so I'm paraphrasing) " Old age just doesn't fit me" Summed it all up neatly and I moved on.

The apple fell aways from the tree

That's R Lee Emery, not my father. He looks a great deal like my father, but very different personality. My father was quiet, scary but quiet. He could stare a hole through concrete.
30 years in the Army. Army of the occupation in Germany, Korea and two tours in Nam.
He was what they call today a manly man. Spit and polish ,would check my brother and me for "line of dress" . And God help us if we had bad posture.
I basically learned three rules from him. A real man:
1) Never apologizes
2) Never cries
3) Shaves every day
Number three is about the only rule I worry about.