Chair Man, and other oddities

Hello my fellow friends. This is Tom, your fellow friend, blogger, poster, and dancer. Remember, I used to do the gator, so yes, I have on my resume "dancer". Shut up Chris. Although I made it through the entire week without getting screamed at, I have been given the crabby look. Before I go on, scream is a funny word....in my opinion, which I rarely give to anyone on anything, (unless of course I am right and my opinion is needed) the word, "scream" should never be used. Unless it is used in the grocery store and you must find the I Scream. I love I Scream. Vanilla. All other flavors I can do without. Tillamooks Chocolate-Peanut Butter...horrible. Safeway brand Butter Pecan.....don't waste your money. Any brand of Chocolate Chip Mint......I'd rather watch paint dry, which, by the way I did a few weeks back when sweetness and I painted our bathroom. I did all the painting, and the whole time my wife said that if I did a good job, and finish that day, that I could have one scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I love that lady. I did ask for 2 scoops. She said I could have a second scoop when I paint our house this summer.

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Now, getting back to the original thought in the first paragraph.......I got the crabby look because

my 3 girlfriends were basically telling me that I was ignoring my blogger obligations to my pals. So, what the heck, I told 'em I'd go for it. I told them I'd do one next week, and they said fine. I'm fooling them. I'm doing it now! WOW. Brown Cow. I love poetry, especially when it rhymes. And.....here is a picture of my 3 girlfriends. Love them all. If you look carefully, you'll see that one of them has 6 toes. Weird. I'm just kidding. I'm the one with 6 toes.

Hi there. I just had a lesson on how to move words, and pictures, when blogging, posting, or whatever this is that I'm doing. Oh rats, my wife says I have to start cooking now, so I have to go. She's scary. Maybe I'll come back this evening when I'm done folding the clothes. You laugh....this is serious business......in addition to dancing, I'm a folder. Good with socks and towels. By the way, I have two types of socks, and, only 2 colors. About 20 pairs of white for casual dining, and, about 2 pair of black for when I go jogging.

So a fond farewell from my chair, who I taught to smile....... and me. (the smiling chair is way at the top of this post in case you missed it). You are all good people out there..... decide to make a difference tomorrow. Take care. Eat I Scream. Tom

PS It took me 5 years to teach my chair to smile.

Goodbye February, Hello March

So my daughter, Kimmy says "Daddy, do a blog, and make it profound"......or something like that. So, here goes.

2010 and we are down 2 months. Our winter here is nothing like back East......warm, sunny, and a little rain. Just right. The rain doesn't hurt us....we are waterproof. At least my smart wifey says we are waterproof, and I believe everything she says. I love that woman. (Sometimes afraid of her. See below).

I didn't meet any crabby people today. Hey, it's Sunday....there's never crabby people out there on Sundays. Monday through Saturday may be a little different however. We all meet someone who is crabby on those six days. You know how to fix that. Just smile at them....ask them if they need anything. Watch out though....you being nice may make them crabbier. Oh well. Go on being nice. Maybe that crabby person will be nice once you leave their space....I'm sure that is the case. (hey, that rhymes. Cool) Crabby to happy...all in a very short time. Keep smiling.....your crabby face will have a tough time developing. If you really need to be crabby...it's OK, just put a sack on your head.

I wonder what my mom and dad are doing today. My mom died almost 30 years ago. Dad about 5 years ago. Talk about crabby people....Jeez. Good parents in their own way.

My brother and I had to take my mother (after she died of course) down 2 flights of stairs in her townhouse on a gurney that the coroner provided. Mom was a little hefty at the time, and as we turned the corner on the mid landing, her body shifted and we almost dropped her. My brother and I started laughing, then crying. You ask, "hey Bob and Tom, why didn't the 2 coroners take your mom down themselves". The answer: those 2 boys were little pip sweaks, and they had trembling fear anticipating that task. So, brother Bob and I did the job. Whew!

My 40th high school reunion is being planned, for this coming fall. 40 years! Dang! I gotta practice up on the gator. That was a great dance, and man, I am a dancer! Just ask my wife.

"Hey Chris, is husband Tom a DANCER? No. "Got asked to leave the dance floor when trying to learn how to do country line dance years ago". The only dancing I do today is when Lulu wants to dance, and she thinks I'm the best dancer.....

Speaking of Lulu, I was asked by my granddaughter to play house today. It was great. She's not even 3 yet and is already bossing me around. I used to be afraid of just my wife. Then we had a daughter Kimmy. I'm afraid of her too. And now Lulu. 3 women in my life that I'm deathly afraid of. Of course I wouldn't trade any of them.

I get to make a difference tomorrow working with high school students with special needs. Talk about fun, and rewarding.....that is what life is about. High school students, great students.

It's Sunday night and I'm already excited for lunch tommorow. Haven't even made it yet. What's that about? I dunno. (I don't know) or (I do not know).

It has been fun Chris doing the hall bath. I did pretty good didn't I? Love you.

Is there anybody out there?

I love Coffee

Waking up at 4 AM and having coffee with my wife.....every day.

Answering the phone and hearing 'HI PAPA' .

And then talking to my beautiful granddaughter.

Listening to the birds, the rain, the wind.

Sitting silently on the back patio.

For those people that I come across today, and every day,

can I make a difference for them in some small way?

Looking forward to mowing my lawn this Spring.

Looking forward to barbeque's with family.

Taking Arthur for a walk.

Knowing someday that Arthur will take me for a walk.

and......lots of other joys......

Like drinking coffee. With sweetener, and creamer.

In big mugs, and little mugs. Most of the time hot.

At other times not so hot. It really doesn't matter. I'll drink it

and never complain. It gives me joy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes.....Coffee. It has really changed my life. Three years ago I never drank coffee. I didn't care for it...didn't like it...didn't think of it. My choice was from the liquor store, and that drink also changed my life. A little over 3 years ago I came home to a living room full of friends, business associates, brother, sister, son and daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law, and my loving wife. They were all there for a reason. To save my life. And they did. I think about 20 people. An intervention.

I reflect back to December 9th, 2006 almost every day. It was that day that these people told me that they loved me, cared for me, and wanted to help me. And before that day on December 9th, I never, ever thought I needed help for anything. Was I ever wrong. I told myself that I could stop drinking anytime I chose to. Like most alcoholics, I did not realize that at this point in my drinking, there was no possible way I could stop drinking on my own, for even a day, or a week, or, forever. It is not possible. I needed help, but was not willing to get help on my own. Remember, I was a strong guy. I did not need help.

Then a true miracle happened to me. It was this. I sat at my desk on a Wednesday morning and prayed a simple prayer...'God, I need help'. I will never forget that prayer. That is all I said. And thinking back now, it is probably the only time I asked for help from anyone, let alone God. But it was an easy way out. No one could talk back to me. But God did answer my prayer. For it was 3 days later that all of those people gathered in my living room for me. And to think that my intervention was planned, by all of these people, well before I sat down, on that Wednesday morning, and asked for Gods help. It was a miracle. And, on that Wednesday morning, my desire to drink left me. I have not had a drink since.

So.....what does this have to do with coffee? It is this. All of the joys that I now have can be done with others, anywhere, anytime over a cup of coffee. And even if it is the worst cup of coffee, I will never complain. The worst cup of coffee gives me a reason to laugh. 3 years ago I had no laughter. God introduced me to really bad coffee, and gave me my laughter back. Thank you Lord.

Now my wife laughs at me with my coffee. I leave cups everywhere. Half full. Full of cream and sugar. Always a cup in the microwave that I warmed up, and then forgot about. I'll find a cup at my desk. How old is that coffee? Ah, who cares. Add some more and warm it up. My perpetual cup of coffee. Sorta fun. And, it fits me perfectly. No worries. Just happy.

Stay tuned. Oh, and by the way. I am now a full time employee at the treatment center that I was once in. Helping others.....it is the best job I have ever had.

More stuff from the new Blogger

Hi Crew. Tom here. I've got my eye on you. Just started this blog and I'm already hearing from people across the world. That's just wonderful. Someday maybe we can all meet at my house. Excuse me for a moment...my wife is yelling something to me......"yes honey, I finished the dishes"....I'm lying, I actually stuffed all the dirty dishes back into the kitchen cabinets. I'll get to them tomorrow. Yes, there is always tomorrow. Just thinking...I ain't using spell check this time, so I really have to concentrate on spelling things correctly. It is a challenge for me, not to use spell check, and, doing the dishes the way my wifey wants. 31 years of marriage (thank you Lord)....I think it's 31 years anyway. "hey honey, how long have we been married?" 8 Years! Holy crap....I think I've been in a time warp. "Honey, our kids are 28 and 26" Not our kids? Where have I been. OK, enough of this.

Now to get serious. My wife told me that my son is going to start a new job within his company......my son is a Biologist, and is halfway through his Masters in Biology from the University of Nebraska......doing it through the Internet. Sort of peculiar as he and his wife live in downtown Nebraska. Anyway, his new assignment is to watch for wildlife and marine life off of a boat, that may be affected by a new pier being built with lots of noisy pilings being pounded into the earth....6 month assignment starting in June. My wish for my son is that he sings "I'M POPEYE THE SAILOR MAN" to the boats captain every day. That's the kind of stuff our world needs. I think so. I'm very proud of my son. He is a very smart guy, and he is married to a very smart lady, who just received her masters also in Environmental Science. Hey pal, what is mitochondria? Text it to me.

My sons name is either Bill, John, Allen, Todd. He lives with his wife in the city of Nebraska, Oakland, Tacoma, Missoula. Good luck.

OK, what else. Talking of family, I am so proud of all of them. Even the ones I've never met. Those guys are probably good people. But, my wife, my beautiful daughter, her husband, and my 2 grandchildren, plus my son and daughter in law.....I could not be more proud, and I am very blessed. Someday I'll let you all know real names, give pictures, towns, and generally more personal information. I will do that when my wife lets me. I'm afraid of my wife. She's scary. Well, off to do some dusting. I love dusting. I love life. Thank you Lord.