He Ain't Weird, He's My Brother

Here are promised is the photo from Halloween.  Featured from left to right are my shy brother, Jay; his lovely wife, NB; her sister, a distinguished physical therapist and mother of three; and her sister's husband, a noted dentist.  Sweet, huh?  I think they should use this as their Christmas card.

The Last Leaf

There are only a few leaves left on the maple tree outside my window -- few enough that I can count them on one hand.  This makes me think of O. Henry's short story " The Last Leaf " that I first read when I was a teenager. Have you read it?  It's one of my favorite short stories.

Lookin' for Fun and Feelin' Groovy Revisited

Some months ago I posted on memories evoked by my hearing the song "The 59th Street Bridge", and of a good friend whom I had not seen since the day we graduated from high school.   Several of you suggested that maybe Steve and I would meet up again -- perhaps at a reunion.  Frankly, knowing how our class was and how scattered everyone is, I highly doubted we would ever see or speak to one another again.

The 40th reunion of the Upper Darby  (the same high school of Jim Croce and Tina Fey (and the home of Cheri Oteri)) graduating class of 1969 was held earlier this month.  I didn't attend , but Steve did and gave a friend of mine his address.  The first question he asked me was, "Do you remember singing "The 59th Street Bridge" with me?"  Little did he know!  :)

Punishment vs. Protection

John Allen Muhammad was put to death on Thursday night in Virginia.  He was the man, who with his 17-year old accomplice, terrorized our area for about three weeks.  I remember traveling south during that time and not stopping for gas until we were well on the other side of North Carolina; we were that scared.  Muhammad and Malvo were finally found not too far from where we live, sleeping in their car.

Some time before this all happened, I met a man who works as a psychiatrist in a prison for the criminally insane. I asked this quiet man with a quick smile what he thought of the death penalty.  He answered me quickly and assuredly.  "I'm all for it."  I was really curious.  Wouldn't a psychiatrist understand the gargantuan strength of mental illness and have compassion for its victims? 

He said that mental illness aside, he believes that society has the responsibility of protecting its innocents as best it can from predators, those among us who will never be cured, never affect change, but provide a substantial and formidable danger to society.  I'd never thought about it that way.  I have thought that life in prison is probably more cruel, more unnatural than a lethal injection, but never thought of capital punishment as a means of protection.

Sometimes We're Just Sleepy

A Case for Altruism

It had always been surmised that two-year olds were the epitome of selfishness:  the strong will and the tantrums; the 'terrible twos' frequently used as evidence.  I've read several pieces, however, that strongly dispute this.  In one study, toddlers sitting with their mothers were subjected to videos of both happy and crying babies.  While the happy babies evoked recognition and smiles, the distress of the crying infants clearly affected discomfort.  The toddlers, to a one, turned to their mothers and clearly sought intervention.  When none came, the toddlers themselves became distressed.  Even more amazingly, they tried to comfort one another.

Our middle daughter is blessed with an 18-month old daughter and a 7-year old stepson.  Last Saturday, the step son was upset because during his touch football game, a touchdown he had made was taken back because of some infraction.  After the game, my daughter first put the baby in her car seat, then took a still crying, 'K-bub', around to the other side to strap him into his car seat.  She consoled him as best she could, got him into his seat and thought all was well.  As she got into the car, however, what met her was a total MELTDOWN.  Not only was our football player in tears, the baby was wailing, too.  "K-BUB CRYIN!!!"   "K-BUB CRYIN!!!" was all M could make out.  When he'd stop, she'd stop.  But the baby watched him closely and any sign of distress brought her again to tears.

A long ride home, yes, but yet more proof that we are all innately  kind.

So Where's the Vaccine????

I feel like a two-bit hooker when I call my doctor every few days to see if the H1N1 vaccine is in yet;  it isn't.  The assure me that I'm not bothering them and to continue calling, but they're dealing with lots of sick people and I don't want to take them away from their work.  Meanwhile our older grand daughter has just been diagnosed with a mild case of the virus.  Still scary though as we brace to see if it goes through the rest of the family.  I understand the priority list:  pregnant women (for some reason H1N1 is often fatal when contracted by women in the third trimester), small children, health care workers, aged, then people with chronic diseases.  This only makes sense.  Rumor has it, though,  that a lot of the vaccine is going to prisons. I hope that's not true.  Protection of prison personnel is necessary; protection of prisoners -- that just angers me.  

A laudable decision was made to innoculate all the students in our 12 county high schools -- about 150,000 kids -- a significant number in our community.  This should help, while the rest of us continue to wash our hands, stay home when we're sick, and use lots of Clorox wipes.  Meanwhile, I'm still calling the doctor...

Sunny with a Chance of Football

We've been busy.  All good stuff:  busy with the business, the baby, scrubbing floors and windows, putting up new ceiling fans, going over to Eastern Shore for a Residential Energy Co-op presentation and a great meal of fried oysters and crab cake at The Narrows, and searching for a house for daughter and her family, and, of course, watching Sunday Ravens (they're getting spanked as I write) and Eagles football.  ("Yes", said the English teacher, "this is a run-on sentence"!)

It's been beautiful here and when I went out about an hour ago, noticed it was warmer outside than it is inside our house, and because of the golden yellow leaves, everything has this glow.  We haven't raked, yet, because the trees are still sporting most of their leaves.  I figure next weekend should be the big show down.

I had the absolute worst time trying to place these photos and caption them.  Not use to the new set-up, yet, but this will have to do.  I'm tired of playing with them.

The Last of the Pink Knockouts...

Purple Phlox and a Bumble Bee... (look closely)

                       Raspberries in November

Solar Fountain in a Fall Rose Garden... or Still Tinkling...