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It will be my dads birthday on Dec. 11th and he will be 82 years old. George Plankey is a WW2 vet and is fighting a tough battle today with poor health. If you have the chance I was wondering if you might send him a birthday wish. His address is 151 E. McHattie Rd. South Lyon, Mi. 48178. Apartment 10. I know it would make him very happy. Thanking you in advance...Gene
The old man woke up to the smell of coffee and for a minute he wondered where he was. He knew it was 5 Am by the clock on the wall and like usual he labored to swing his legs off the bed and on to the floor. Life was a chore at his age. After all these years he still started the day with the hope that it would be a good one. He thought this was why he was so fit. And, his genes were good too. Both his parents had lived into their 80's and there was no reason he couldn't. He cringed, oh yaw, Missy was here. He wondered if he should get dressed. Usually, he would just wear his sauna robe until he took his first walk of the day. Heck, it was his home and he grinned as he heading down the hall to the kitchen... Missy was sitting at the kitchen table and looking out the big picture window where two deer were feeding on corn. A motion detector glared brightly hanging from the one huge Maple in the middle of the yard. She was fascinated by the deer. One doesn't see many in the city and Missy wondered why the bigger deer wouldn't let the small one eat any corn. That just wasn't right, she thought. How ...like...mean.... She too wondered where she was when she woke up. Grampa had helped her to the guest room last night and she had crashed. Her clothes were crumpled on the floor and her suitcase was setting inside beside by the chest of drawers. He must have brought them in for her. While dressing she had found a card balanced against a picture of Grampa with a huge buck and she opened it and read...."I'm so glad you are here Missy. I've been waiting for anyone to remember I am still alive. I don't know why you're here but it doesn't matter honey...I love you and you can stay as long as you want. I must say though, I live the hermit life and I don't plan on changing. I don't say much but when I do I'm old enough for you to listen. I know you will. One day at a time....Love, Grampa......Who was this man? Why did the family avoid him? She felt sad that she had been one of those people who avoided him. He was weird, her dad once said, and he had strange idea's. Didn't like people. Loved his critters. What does that mean? The old man shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee in a large mug without even looking at Missy. He evened hum as he poured a pound of sugar into his mug and then turned....."Oh my gosh. Who is this in my kitchen making coffee for me? Hey...wait..I know you...Good morning Missy" and he tipped his mug to her. He smiled..She got up and gave him a big hug. He blushed...oh my..."Watchin da deer are ya now?" "It's so quiet here Grampa." The second hand on the clock ticked..and ticked..and ticked..."I remember when you took us on that walk in the dark. With Dad and the twins. The twins were 10 I think...No flashlight you said...In a few minutes we could almost see down that dirt road. You told us there was nothing to fear out there in the dark. I didn;'t believe you. I thought you were weird..but...like...it was so much fun... The old man didn't smile. He sighed and said, "yaw. It was fun until your dad hid behind the tree and jumped out and scared you kids half to death. Took awhile to stop you from crying. It was a cruel thing to do. I was trying to teach you kids not to be afraid of the unknown. The darkness. To trust"......"It was still fun Grampa and, for the record, I begged Dad to bring me up to see you. I really tried...." I know you did honey." His eyes were glassy. He coughed. "That was when he said those things about me...." He got up from the table and went to pour some more coffee. The thought hung there in the air like a stink bomb in a elevator. These two had much to talk about...much to catch up on....like two ships meeting in the night.....
When I'm down I like to write. Create characters and leave myself alone. Computer only comes on a few times a day. So, I look at the snow falling and write offline. Like practice...lol..Enjoy...
"Grampa and Missy"....
He was an old man when his grand daughter diddy bopped into his life. "What does diddy bop mean, Grampa?" "It doesn't matter. Why are you here?" She dropped her backpack on a green futon couch from the 70's. She looked up for a disco ball. She was Britteny cute, a bit plump with purple braids in her long blond hair. She loved purple. She thought she hated her Mom. "I...like..wanted to come see you." He got up in a huff, "No one comes to see me Missy...What's your name again?" She sat down on the couch and began to cry like she knew it was coming. "You don't even know my name?", and now she really started to cry. The old man knew what to do but was hesitant to do it. This is where he sits next to her and gives her a big hug, pats her on her back and tells her, "Here now...baby. It'll be all right." He tried to remember her name but couldn't. He scratched his head feeling uncomfortable to have someone jump into his life and change his normal routine of lally gagging around feeling sorry for himself. For what, he asked? That world out there doesn't owe him anything. Nothing. Never.... He did sit down next to her and she wafted of lilacs. A pleasant and unexpected aroma. It set him off on a smell memory from years ago when he could see his mother hanging sheets on the line next to the Lilac trees. He could almost hear the flapping of those sheets in the wind. When he slept at night in the top bunk he could smell those lilac's when he cuddled up on a cold night. Life was fun then. He couldn't understand what had happened to him. Oh, I guess he understood but he had a hard time dealing with what did happen. He lived day to day hoping tomorrow would be the day. Hope was barely enough these days but he plodded on....... "Hello. Earth to Grampa." Startled, he let go of her jumping backwards like he'd crossed some line and realized he'd been hugging her for maybe too long. She wiped a tear from her eye and sniffled, "That was real sweet Grampa. My name IS Missy. Silly." He smiled at her, "Really?" He ran his small hands through his light brown hair and she...like..really looked at him. He was old now. Flannel shirt, crisp Levi's and a Tiger ball cap. Inside all those clothes was a skinny man who didn't limp, could see like an hawk, and still ran the farm like a young man. Well, almost. He'd been forgetting things but we all do that no matter our age. I guess the older we get we talk about it more because there isn't much new to say or someone to say it to. Long hours trying to use the time in a positive way but with little to get motivated. His body told him to sit down, his lungs told him to quit smoking and his mind told him, 'I'll just get through today' and tomorrow will be better. The old man doubted that it would get better. And, now, with a young lady on his stoop he figured at least his life was going to change. He'd have something to do again. But, what was she doing here and why? "Do you remember the last time I was here Grampa?" She took a sip of a McDonald's pop through a straw and he sat in the computer chair looking out on the dense woods that surrounded his section of land. Pine tree after Pine tree looking out to nowhere every day. "It was when your mom and dad had that fight out when we were building the cabin. The big party. Fifteen years come May.".... "Yup. You got it pops....like.." Her phone rang. Well, it didn't ring it sang to her. An ugly sound, he thought. The Indian squaw braids bounced off her red cheeks and he saw his son looking back but now in her. The same mannerisms. That same smile and that same look of disgust. Like now and she said...like..hello. "I'm at my Grampa's. Like...relax...I know...Listen to me.....I'm going to stay with Grampa for awhile....I know...He's allright..really...whatever....gotta go......." The old man grimaced. What is it with these young folks and cell phones? If they weren't talking they were texting. If they weren't texting they were taking pictures and sending pictures to others who would send pictures back that they would look at. It is always in their hands. When sitting down it is in her lap.... "Have you heard from your dad?" Missy saw old this man was. The wrinkles on his face looked like the leather of a ball glove. Somewhere inside squinty eyes he was alert. His eyes were baby blue and Missy thought of what he looked like some 60 years ago. LIke...Robert Redford....yea. That's it.... "Not a word. You think he is alive Grampa? I can't go a day without thinking of him." She started to cry again and the old man knew crying too. He sat down ext to her again and put his arm around her and she leaned into his shoulder and cried some more. Nothing had to be said. They both missed Seth who was the prodigal son who didn't come home. He up and left his family a year after that party when Missy was last there. Never to be heard of again. Like he'd vanished into thin air. Puffff...father...son....husband....gone..... "I think he's alive pet. I believe he is out there somewhere. If he's still alive he's better off. That war ruined him...hon." He rose up off the couch and grabbed a pillow and a blanket and she laid down on the couch. "Why not rest for awhile. I'll be in the den if you want me. You must have driven all day. I'll have some dinner for you when you get up. Ok. Pumpkin?" She smiled. She sighed and she fell asleep. He tucked her in a bit and stared a bit too.....
I sat outside next to the sauna today catching some rays now that the snow has stopped. We didn't get much; maybe a couple of inches and I don't mind it at all. Now that hunting season is over I can once start walking in the woods and exploring a bit. On my walk today I noticed the deer are finally moving and looking for food. They've had it pretty much their way during the tennis shoe season and the reports of the deer kill recorded at the Mackinac bridge was down 37% from last year. Lot of whining going on up here lately..... My bud Burner's brother Francis, "Della", died Sunday and it's a tough one to take. He had a heart attack in the Pine Grove and I had just talked to him about an hour before it happened. I'd been on a road hunting trip with Annie Oakley most of the day and we were kidding about him winning $840 on the keno lottery game. Della had just gotten his approval for disability with a hefty check in retroactive pay. I've known Della for many years and this is what he had been waiting for. To say he was happy would be an understatement. And, now, I'll be going to his funeral on Thursday. I can't begin to figure out life other than to say live it for today. I'm glad I got to say hi to him that night. I'll miss him... My computer said 'that's enough' a week ago and now I'm using an old one that barely works. It's slower then I am when I have nothing to do on a walk to the mailbox. I'm jonesing for sure and not happy with spending money on me for Christmas. I'll be short the whole month downstate when money disappears faster then the bucks did opening day of hunting season. My mood is still precarious at best with rays of sunshine and moody, dark nights. I wish I understood life better but think maybe were not supposed to know it all. The Bible tells us there are things we will never understand until we leave this world. Della had much pain in his life and I know now he is in a better place with no pain. The pain I feel getting old and lonely is pale in comparison. I think it helps me put it into prospective and to smile and be thankful of what I do have. I get great advice from friends and I'm thankful for each and everyone of them. Most are here on boomer.... Heading out in 12 days and with my new laptop I hope to keep in touch while I'm gone downstate. Happy Tuesday :) Easy...
And, now it is on to the Christmas holiday even before the left over turkey sandwiches are eaten and before the shoppers head out on black Friday. All I know is it's grey here this morning on Island Lake. Snow is on the ground and a lone Eagle soars over Island Lake as he has been for the last few days. Feels like we have been alone together. I cringe thinking of the TV commercials and the overkill of Christmas Carols. I love the songs of the season but when Metallica does a version of pa rum pa pum pum I think we have lost the reason for the season....... The baby Jesus was born on Christmas day in a manger and the world rejoiced and we celebrate it as Christmas. If I was Jewish or any other religion I would celebrate in another way and that is a choice we have because we live in a country of diversions and beliefs and free will. I have no problem with that. I choose to be a Christian. God is my salvation and the One I go to when I am hurting or when I am happy. I believe in the power of prayer.... In one respect this Christmas will be far different from ones in the recent past. I think we are reverting back to what made this country strong. A time when we didn't buy it if we didn't have the cash. A time before credit cards and no down payment homes we couldn't afford in the first place. A time when we bought American made by Americans. A time when instead of buying presents we made them. Lets face it folks, the days of big spending are over for now. Will it last? I doubt it but for now it is a way of cutting expenses and relearning how and when to shop. I like the feel of this even though I wish our economy was better. I think it is all a wake up call on our spending in general..... The big sell items today is electronics. Big flat screen TV's, laptops, cell phones and music systems that keep us amused at home instead of going outside to spend money to enjoy. Burner was lamenting on how the computer is to blame for changing the world. I don't care to pronounce blame but it is true computers have changed our way of life. We shop for presents from home and save on gas. We buy cheap and probably from China. The cat is out of the bag and it is never going back in..... So, we hold on to my Christmas spirit in a time when we are bombarded with all the commercialality of the holiday and I decipher what is good and bad. What to listen to and what to avoid. I live a simpler life. I don't watch much TV, I surely don't shop much. I will give simpler gifts of blackberry jam from here on my own property this holiday. I will remember Christmas is a celebration of life. A time to gather with family and friends to spread good cheer and hopes of happiness. A joy of the season. Nothing commercial about that... Easy....
I like to call it a tennis shoe hunting season so far in the great white less north country. I sit here today and its over 40 outside and a black squirrel is picking at the grain wheat cereal I wouldn't eat on a bet. I still move outside most afternoons and sit on a chair by the sauna and thinking way too much. Not having anything substantial to do besides a few chores and not seeing any of my friends leaves me to pass the time in a melancholy manner. I have my ups and downs like most people do but I never doubt that this is where I should be. I'll spend Thanksgiving alone and probably without a computer as this one is turning itself off on its own and makes a sound like a baseball card hitting the spokes of my old sting ray bike. I hope I can get this blog posted... Yesterday, I went to town for the first time since I've been back and nothing much has changed. My cousin Sherri is getting a Bone Marrow transplant down in the Detroit area and I ask you to keep her and her husband Ken in your prayers. And, my good bud Bob has finished his chemo and radiation and is doing better than expected. It was good to sit down and talk to him and I have a great deal of empathy for his cancer battle. He is taking it well and is upbeat. His dog Sancho is way happy too... I wish I wasn't alone for turkey day but that's the way life is. The life I have chosen. Snow is due that day and I think once it starts it won't stop until May. I know it won't. Burners plow truck is still broke down and I dread the thought that I may be dragging stuff in on my sled again. I'd have to pay someone else double the money if Burner can't do it. I can just see me coming home after the new year with two feet of snow on the trail from the mailbox. Well. I do have my shovel. Somehow I will make it fun. A lady told me not long ago that the key to life is to have fun. I've been trying to do that but it's hard sometimes when matters out of my control affect me in a negative way. My Dad is having his second blood transfusion today and I ask for your prayers for him and my mom too. I imagine their thanksgiving won't be the best but I do know they are both thankful having been married for 61 years. I'll get through my funk. I may even shoot a pumpkin.... Happy Thanksgiving friends and thanks for listening to this old man in the woods....Oh yea..Sorry about your loss Marty...
Easy....
A thin layer of ice covers Island lake on a blue sky kind of morning in the north woods. Distant gunshots can be heard with the rifle deer hunting season in full swing. Venison is on the menu at any hunting camp with huge buck racks above the front door. Hunting stories are being told around a card table where cribbage is the game and one guy is sitting on his bunk cleaning his 30-30. Another is passed out in a top bunk. Cigarette smokes fills the room and long underwear hangs from a nail on the wall. The smell is vintage body odor, beer and Brut after shave. A radio hooked to a car battery plays 60's sounds through lousy static filled speakers. It doesn't get any..stinkier...than this.....A glorious time.... Eino and Toivo are in the shed gutting a shoestring doe that won't go far with five hungry men but so tender a knife or teeth aren't needed. Eh, Eino? Dead beer cans are laying around and a path through the snow leads to the outhouse. Inside is a copy of the Porcupine Press, wadded up paper towel and a roll of toilet paper that is shriveled up after getting wet. It's not a place to dilly dally..... The camp I did most of my hunting was the Black River camp East of Republic. It was there I shot my 6 point buck. My only buck I have shot. Deer gather outside my blind because they know I can't hit the ground with a 30-30 round. Yup. I was a Marine. I...barely...qualified or I would have been wearing a skirt in sunny California. I was sipping on coffee when this buck came in from my left. I could see then. Lol. He walked right up to the bait pile and I sighted in my shot.... Lets go back a couple hours before I left the camp for the blind. I'd seen on the Michigan Sportsman TV show that human urine brings in the bucks. My buddy Burner and I had been...filling it in a Jack Daniels fifth...for three days and I had poured it all around my bait pile. Ok. I was 50 yards away so I couldn't smell it. This was my plan to shoot my first buck... I squeezed the trigger.....BOOM....and that buck fell forward on his face. Never moved an inch only buckled his legs and went down. I did a Tarzan yell pounding on my chest until I started coughing and stopped, My first thought was now what do I do? I didn't want to go back to camp and leave the deer alone but I did. I tagged it first though. The only one in camp was Dodger who was passed out in the top bunk and snoring to beat the band. I thought, naw. Most people dodged dodger for the most part because he always gets wasted. The only reason he was here was because he was Toivo's grandson who didn't get Toivo's genes but..at any rate..we tolerated him... I sucked it up and snuck up on Ticky's blind which one should never do. About fifty feet from his blind I surveyed his bait pile and prayed there was no buck that he was ready to shoot... "Hey. Ticky". "What the he-- you want?" "I shot a buck. I need your help. Please." No one says please at deer camp. I did. Ticky is my childhood bud and he ^%*'d but helped me get my 175 lb. buck back to camp where I gutted it and we hung it on the buck pole and laughed as the deer had his huge red tongue hanging out and Ticky took a lit cigarette and hung it in the deers mouth and we laughed for 10 minutes. Then, we took pictures of me and my buck. Wish I knew where that picture was now.... So. That's my obligatory Upper Michigan deer hunting tale.... I missed three decent bucks since I shot that buck... I lost half of my eyesight two years later.... I'm so mellow now I can't pull the trigger anymore. Not after I've been feeding the buck I would shoot. And, I met Janet.....Fishing isn't the same either...lol... I've gotten soft. I love it.... Easy....
I haven't felt relaxed since I've been home and that is not like me. I figure this is because I'm not sure if I should be here or downstate with my parents. I listened to advice from many boomer friends and I appreciate your concern and wisdom. I've decided to head back down to South Lyon and spend Christmas with my family. A neighbor with a camp up the hill will be heading to Flint, Michigan on the 12th of December and I'll be in the back seat. Parts of the trip still have to be worked out but I never worry about the small stuff. It will all come together like a holiday puzzle. How sweet it will be! I plan on returning soon after the New Year. Mom and dad are elated to say the least. It will be a fun trip and one I need and want to take.... On another topic, think that I have let boomers down. I have been part of the founding members and we, all of us, built a home knit community and it thrives. A site where we get to meet new good friends that laugh with us, cry with us and help us through the 'normal' days of our lives. We share photo's of our grand kids, pets and wilderness that opens up our own like corner of the world. We are all so special and so unique when it comes to websites.... I've been away from boomer for extended periods and have had trouble getting back into the flow on boomer. In the same respect that I have trouble calling people. I just don't follow through on comments I'd like to say but don't take the time to do. For different reasons, I have drifted from boomer. Like many on this site I have joined facebook with the hope of finding old friends and renewing acquantences. I'm not sure I like facebook or not after a week online. It has its benefits but it is no boomerplace for sure. Facebook is different in so many ways of which many are good. I don't like how it seems to be able to gobble me up hours at a time. I plan on using facebook as a tool to get future members for myboomerplace and my blogs. I also plan to live on a deserted Island and grow cabbage. I can have fun on both; in moderation... I'm dedicated to get back to normal on boomer and be a larger part of why it works. I have so much more to give willingly. I thank you for your patience and your best wishes and love. I feel the same about all of you. My friends. My good friends on a good site where good people meet to share our love of life.... Easy....
Lost in the shuffle of my extended trip downstate was the fun time I had in Chicago with Janet. Not wanting her to drive to Union Station in downtown Chicago I decided to take a city bus to her house. I just kept hopping on buses until I found the right one. I've come a long way from the days when I lost some of my eyesight and it felt good to do something on my own. I called Janet and she met me at the last stop near her home. When I first saw her I smiled because she looked so nice with her new haircut. Oh my, she looks good. Am I allowed to say she looked much younger? I guess I just did. It was almost like going home again.... I was as happy seeing my good buddy Pippen as I was to see Janet. It took me only a few minutes of unpacking before we took off on our first walk. And, we took many more. I even took lego, her daughters dog, on a nice walk. I did notice Pippen giving me a few looks like he was saying, "Where ya been, dude?" It was nice to be back in the windy city in so many ways.. On Sunday came the big ball game between my Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox. I was quite excited. I'd brought a glove for Janet to wear in case any foul balls came our way and we wore matching Tiger caps even though I did have to assure Janet that I had her back covered if any White Sox fans got out of line. It never happened. It's the second time I got her to wear a ball cap and I was on a roll. The fans were all cordial and when the Tigers first batter hit a home run on the second pitch of the game I was thinking world series. Alas, the Tigers lost...and they lost...and later in a one game playoff with the Minnesota Twins we lost again. It wasn't a lost season though. They did Detroit proud in a time when not much good is going on in the city of my youth. It was a special treat to go to a game again; with a pretty lady.... Once again Janet was a great hostess and the days flew by. I tried to help out any way I could and we watched some great movies including "Gran Torino'. We spent hours talking of the old days, boomer and our future. Then, it was sad once again saying goodbye at the Amtrak stop near her home. Parting is always such sweet sorrow but I am thankful to have such a great friend in Janet. If we're lucky she will post some pic's we took of my time there. Eh, Janet?..... Smiles... Easy....
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