I N V E N T O R Y 2011

Once again the time has come to take inventory of your past days.
What happened in the now gone year-a major or minor role surely plays.
If there were no great upsets you can look back with pride and joy-
hopefully the mistakes you made :admit them freely, don't be coy !

It is human nature to err on the beaten path and perhaps go astray-
you can be boastful if you overcame obstacles that barred your way.
Always there are hurdles to overcome,to master them is not too easy-
should you do the best you can and fail, it might leave you queezy.

Just hope springs eternal and expect the best for the years to come
the past may have taught you to avoid mistakes, but there will be some.
When you take inventory and prove to yourself-you did the best you could,
there is no reason why the future should not bring much good.

To admit past mistakes is the best way not to let them happen again,
staying off the beaten path is second nature to all mice and men.
To be optimistic is a sure way to overcome sorrow and fear,
what will happen, will happen that is man's destiny and ever so clear !

Night and Day at 99, parts 1 and 2

A N I G HT AND A DAY AT 99 First of all, let me praise the Almighty that he has seen fit to enable me to write about my life at this stage. To be able to still think clearly and to put words on paper is indeed a miracle. Let me start with the evening before the upcoming next day : With the exception of my poker nights- two weekly and one every other week, I am in bed by right after a nine o'clock program on TV which varies. There is no such entertainment watched during the day, especially no news. I want to sleep peacefully ! Just Jepardy and the Wheel. Promptly at 8 PM I hasten to the telephone to exchange good news with my dear kids in Santa Fe. Now I am in my so comfortable bed which ,years ago, was the best purchase I ever have made. The head position is electrically raised and an easy to read pocketbook about crimes committed and the felons brought to justice, will usually fill the half hour before lights out. My nightly sleep is often interrupted about four times a night-I have a bottle on hand for the necessary purpose of dispensing liquid only. Blessedly I then fall asleep again and I have to report that dreams are frequent but not frightening, a lot of them having to do- you guessed it,with footwear. With peculiar regularity I wake about one hour before my rising at 7 AM. Time to put on some heat-I get cold easily- and retrieve the daily paper from the front porch- always on time ! So, the day begins and the best meal of the day is being prepared by me . Who else ? First things first : an aspirin pill and a vitamin pill. Ain't I lucky to have such a great doctor who does not believe in a lot of medicine ! A dish of cornflakes joins my daily banana(except a piece saved for lunch) sliced into the dish and enhanced by sliced fresh strawberries, a jolt of blueberries, a good dose of regular milk-and there is just half of my best meal of the day. This to be followed religiously by a cup of my so beloved Ovaltine with chocolate in it, for which I blame my longevity. Then a roll heated, laced with cream cheese and jam: what more can a man ask for ? To be continued Night and Day at 99 Part II Then, in my humble opinion, comes the best part of the new day. With the exception of Saturday when I work in the "friends of the Library" in the morning,my good bed once again awaits my presence.From 8- 10 AM it will keep me warm in winter and, with my back in an upright position, I do the daily crossword puzzle from Sunday to Wednesday. For the next three days the puzzles get too difficult,laced with people and things I never heard of. Therefore these two hours are spent with reading and snoozing. At 10 AM the time has come to begin the day for real ! After a nice warm shower and shave, the hair comes next and that is the only part of my body that I can be proud of. The silvery top is treated with a so-called "Pomade" and carefully parted to present a crowning cover to my head.The rest of the face is marred by ugly growths under my eyes which I had removed once. But they came back and a doctor I consulted about a repeat removal told me to leave it alone. Since I do not contemplate to enter any beauty contests-so be it ! Now comes the time to get dressed for the day which,unfortunately, does not call for much activity. yet I am blessed to look forward to my two half hour walks daily,either in the house or outside and so far I have been able to follow this healthy regime pleasantly although somewhat slower than before. By then it is usually midday and time to contemplate lunch at 12:30 PM.My good neighbor, for a reasonable fee, has gone shopping for me ever since I quit driving a few months ago. She is presented with a shopping list about every three days and fills my orders perfectly. Thus-and I want to mention this-I am happy to be able to report that i have not missed my now 20 year old Swedish Volvo which snoozes in my garage awaiting use by my dear kids on their visit.However, by request, it is fired up each Tuesday for seven minutes to keep it running when needed. It gets a "swipe" once in a while to keep it presentable and still looks good. It is the best car I have ever owned and is up to about one hundred thousand miles now. Since I can walk to the clubhouse where I "gamble" or take lectures I am happy to say that I do not miss my trusty steed. My good neighbor takes me to the doctor appointments or haircuts, so all is well in Leisure World in that respect. To be continued

A LIMITED FOND FAREWELL

The time has come, my conscience said, to give up driving !
My good old friend, the VOLVO, for his service will not see me arriving.
With my conscience I wrestled but it prevailed over wishful thinking-
when I come to visit with him-my eyes with tears will be blinking.

For about 20 years this faithful servant took me where I wanted to go,
no doubt about his comfort and reliability- I now shall miss it ever so.
We treated each other with care, I always knew on him I could rely,
the very thought of being no longer being behind the wheel, it made me cry.

Very seldom now his trusty wheels will hug the streets of my city-
that he will now be used very sparsely, really it is such a great pity.
It is in my mind to keep him around close and have him near,
hopefully I can visit him ,remove any spots, he is so ever so dear.

Never have I found a truer companion, always ready for good aid,
the thought that he will still be there, when needed, makes me feel great.
With many thanks I shall keep thinking highly of this true friend-
we both shall persevere in keeping up hope that this is not yet the end !

T H I N K I N GNearing a hundred years- it is so very easy to pretend that a lifetime on This Earth may soon come to an end. It is such a great blessi

Nearing a hundred years- it is so very easy to pretend
that a lifetime on This Earth may soon come to an end.
It is such a great blessing to be able to presently find
that one did reach this goal in health and sound of mind.

This is when one remembers people of the long ago past
and the many occasions when the proverbial die was cast.
There were times when the outcome was in balance either way-
but some one watched over me and I am still here this day.

Much have I seen on two continents, both in war and peace:
made many friends, now mourn their going, so few left of these.
So very long to be without my dear wife has been a dreary existence,
yet, I made the best of it and there was not much resistance.

Thus I have to be grateful to have come this far with grace,
and have no dread what may come in the coming days.
To look back with no regrets is what now keeps me going:
however this shall end,hopefully, courage I will be showing.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Used to be, in times gone by, it was word of mouth, one to the other.
Well, Adam and Eve had conversations, there was no Mother !
When there was written language, notes went back and forth-
and the trusted mailman came to your door as a matter of course.

Now this changed again because the computer is much in use,
in seconds you can get in touch, for delay there is no excuse.
You can even see your caller if this new gadget you possess,
it feels like with this screen you can touch each other,more or less.

Seems like the old phone will soon be gone and be obsolete,
to dial long numbers surely will be no more of urgent need.
Just find a button to push and your subject will be on the screen
even the place of the conversation shall clearly be seen.

Of course the privacy of the person will be a thing of the past,
he or she will be definitely present, secrecy will not long last.
But, surely they will overcome such an obvious flaw :
The will even convey thoughts that may stick in your craw !

T H E O L D G R A Y M A R E

He sure ain't what he used to be! He found that out today !
When he went shopping for food- what can I truthfully say ?
The weather was great, I felt fine and had had a good night-
to-morrow my helper will do this chore-for me today, alright.

I climbed in my good old Volvo,it started right off as before,
so I was ready to go,sat down and carefully closed the door.
It felt like it knew where to go,had been there so many times:
the parking was easy,the buyer to Target most easily climbs.

After a holiday not many shoppers-on leftovers they will feast:
I produced my prepared list,no problem, I am easily pleased.
Everything in it's place it was a pleasure to walk and shop,
got what I wanted,next to good old Ralph's I wanted to hop.

An hour an a half pleasantly spent and then homeward bound,
had a good lunch- but that I was really" pooped" I found.
It was time for someone else to do this necessary chore:
glad that my neighbor is willing: I don't want to do that no more !

WEATHER OR NOT

if the truth be told
yes, I hate the cold.
With too much heat -
I stay off the street.
You soon will gather:
I challenge the weather.

It causes me stress
how to rightly dress.
A fan to be desired?
An overcoat required?

Your feet are too cold?
Perspiration: you scold.
Caught sans umbrella
an unhappy, wet fella.

Wind blowing grumble.
Dense fog - big mumble.

Temperature displeases:
Weather much used thesis!