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Saturday, May 30, 2015

BOOKS & TEACHERS











BOOKS & TEACHERS   
      30 May 2015
   I love to read! Many places would be considered a good place for me to open a book and enter some other place in the world. It could be a chair that I curl up in, that has been placed strategically in front of my old Franklin Stove. It could be sitting in my porch swing at our cabin or waiting for an appointment in a Doctor’s office. Then of course it could be lying in bed trying to go to sleep at night.
   I am not really “picky” when choosing a book, but there are some I will not read and some I seem to devour in a couple of days and when I come to the end I wish it would go on longer.
   At the beginning of this BLOG on books, I must admit that I was not sure when I started reading, but I do remember (about) when. I was in Jr. High School or High School and I was encouraged by a wonderful English Teacher. Sadly I do not remember her name but I do recall exactly how it happened.
   One day she asked me if I would stay a few minutes after class to talk to her. Of course I thought I was in trouble and I could not think of why? However the conversation was not like I expected.
   She asked me how many books I owned. I indicated to her that I was not sure but I knew we had a few around the house. She then said, “No, I mean how many books do YOU own?”I supposed of course that she already knew the answer but I answered, “None.”
   Then she asked if I would do her a favor. Happy to please (and to find out I was not in trouble), I told her I sure would if I could. She asked me if sometime from that day hence, would I decide on a book and go buy it. It could be any book, but should be one I WANTED and not one my parents wanted me to read. Then would I read it and come back and tell her why I liked it? That sounded pretty easy so I told her, “Sure I would do that.”
   The book I chose was, “A Yank in the RAF.” As I recall it was not a big book, but it was about one of my dreams of flying, preferably as a pilot. I think I still have it stashed someplace in one of my “treasure storage boxes.” Yes, I have read it several times over the years and yes I did report back to the teacher on the book.
   Now of course I am not sure that it was this teacher that started me on my path to reading, but I have given her that credit for the past 70 years or so. It seems that under those circumstances it is a shame I cannot remember her name.
   Even so I will be ever thankful for that teacher and the fact that she was interested enough in me to kind of “force feed” me into becoming interested in reading books.
   When I started the Blog tonight I was thinking about books and reading and it seems I have, as I do many times, digressed a little. However I think Books and Teachers just naturally go together.
   The other thing that started me on thinking about Books and a Blog was one of my Grandsons. We were talking one day and I asked him if he liked to read? He indicated that he did, so we went on with a more in depth conversation. The upshot of the conversation was that books are a wonderful thing no matter how old you are.
   You can go almost anyplace, visualize almost anything and experience almost anything you want to with the help of a little book and a good Author.
   I have traveled quite a bit during my lifetime, but I have been places with a good book that I never would, or never will go, in person.
   From books I have some idea of things that went on in the past. I understand the hardships of settling the western part of the USA. I do not understand but I am more aware of the suffering of several wars in the past. I also have some idea of how people in other countries live, what they eat and what they do for recreation and even how some just get by from one day to another.
   As I said earlier, I can curl up by a warm fire on a cold winter day. I can sit on my porch on a warm summer day, or even just sit in the seat of my car while waiting for something else and if I have a good book I can be in some other place in the world, on my own for a short while.
   I do not know how many books I NOW own but it is a lot more than ONE. We have books stacked on every table and chest, closet & chair and any other place that is not being used to store something else. Several years ago I decided to keep a list of the books I have read and I think a good guess is there are 700/800 books in various places in our home and cabin. I hope that teacher is up above me somewhere and looking down and rubbing her hands and smiling.
   All of this because of a caring teacher who showed interest in one of her students and introduced him to READING A GOOD BOOK.

Monday, May 25, 2015

DEAD WAKE- A good Read



DEAD WAKE

        by

ERIK LARSON


This is a non-fiction book
about the sinking of the 
LUSITANIA which was
one of the pre-ludes
to the United States
entering the First 
World War. WWI

I have read "snippits" of
this story in the past but
never a  step by step
adventure. I Liked It.












Wednesday, May 20, 2015

THE DUCK PARK

                                
                
                                                      THE DUCK PARK
   Now that I am the only one living in my home I seem to have times when my feet start to shuffle and my hand starts feeling for the steering wheel and I just feel like I must GET OUT of the house. I am sure the feeling is all in my head, but never the less I start to get nervous and MUST be on the go.
   Well recently I have got into the habit of grabbing the newspaper and going over to the Duck Park to read it. I have my morning Diet Coke, read the paper and watch the “goings on” while I feed the ducks.
   Of course if you go to the Duck Park you would think it would be to feed the ducks, Right? That is not so in many cases. Even though it is called the Duck Park, it is much more than that. It is what you might call a multi-faceted, or an all purpose urban Park. We started taking our kids there many years ago, then we took our grandkids and now there is JUST ME. Of course I will not fit on the slides or the monkey bars.
   Now in one short venture there I see a lot of things that I did not notice when I was taking my family there, many years ago. I see families, some obviously multi-generational. I see single people of all ages (why are some kids 6-9 years old there by themselves, with no parents?) It is interesting to watch the people and their activities, even though I don’t do much but sit and read and watch. It seems like one of the favorite activities is for the children (all ages) to chase the ducks and try to catch them—right under the sign that says, “Unlawful to hunt or interfere with any wildlife.” The thing I do not like the most is the people who bring their dogs to walk them, and as soon as they let them out of the car they run over and (do their job) right in front of the sign that says. “All dogs must be on a leash & please clean up after your dogs.”
   Of course there is always a group kicking a soccer ball around and having a great time. Then there are the “worker bees”, putting food on the table and setting up play pens. It usually looks like a Mom & Dad. They are hustling about trying not to step on or knock down the toddlers who seem to be ever present under their feet, unless they are in a high chair or a stroller propped up so they can watch the action.
   Several times I have been there when there is a young guy or gal sitting off in one corner of the park with a guitar. I usually wonder what he is singing and what he or she is playing and why he or she is alone when almost everyone else is with at least one other person or else a group of people. He and I are the loners I guess, and I am pretty sure it is for different reasons.
  Well what usually happens on one of my trips to the DUCK PARK, is my big task of finishing the newspaper, watching the people and feeding the ducks. It is then time for lunch so I am off to get a burger or home to make a sandwich or perhaps a bowl of dog food (This is a private joke in the family.) This is not a typical everyday happening but it seems to happen quite frequently.
   I am sure I could read the paper at home, but at THE DUCK PARK I get to watch the interaction of the people as well and I enjoy that.


W.R. Baldwin May 2015

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Carl on Patriotism

Carl says: If you do not pledge Allegiance to the flag--- Why do you want to live in the USA?

Monday, May 4, 2015

A MINORITY

                                            A MINORITY
   I recently went to lunch with a friend and like we usually do we started talking about a lot of different things. He said,”What do you think it would be like to be a minority?” Well you never know where a discussion like that will take you. Both of us being over 80 years old, does not necessarily mean we are really smart, intelligent or well informed—but we have had a LOT of experience, been a lot of places and done a lot of things in our lives.
   We talked about when we were young, which is a big difference than what it is today. I guess each person has to decide if it is better or worse? We talked about when we were in the military and served our country. And of course depending on a lot of things, each one of those experiences was different. We also decided a lot of people enlisted in the Armed Service for A LOT of different reasons.
   We also discussed families, both ours and others that we knew and came to the conclusion that most of the families we knew were about like ours in many ways. (That kind of surprised me, but I do not know why.)
   We were just about finished with our lunch and I said to him,” You know what, I think we are a minority.”
   We are both over 80 years old.
   We are both Mormons.
   We are both white US Citizens.
   I am happy with my life.
   I like to talk to people, even strangers. (That is if I can get them to speak up?)
   We are both overweight.
   I love my kids, and yes I still love my wife.
   I love to be with friends.
   I have the necessities of life, and some additional comforts.
   I am proud of my ancestry.
So we kind of agreed we may both be in the minority. So if you do not think you would like to be in the minority—think again- you might decide it is not so bad?
“Touche”   

4 May 2015

Friday, May 1, 2015

MOTHERS DAY

 I wrote this in 1993. The first year after my Mother passed away. In reading it tonight I thought it was still how I felt so I decided to post it. Wally                                

                    Mothers Day     1993 by W.R. Baldwin
The day to honor Mom’s is finally here at last.
It is different this year, not like in the past.
Mom is no longer here in this earthly state.
She has gone to meet our Dad, through the pearly gate.

She has been our anchor, of all things that are good.
We were taught many things. We learned what we could.
“Love at Home” we always sing, in an old Church song.
It was a reality for me, for my whole live long.

This was the first year she was gone, you see.
It was much more different that I thought it would be.
We went to her grave and stood and looked down.
Her body was there under the grass so brown.

But my spirit did rise like the wings of a dove,
When I realized she had gone to a Heaven above.
I thought to myself, and I am sure there were others
Who said,” We need more than one day to honor Mother’s.

This is a day, or so to me it seems
We think about Mother’s and all of their dreams.
To them, their kids will always be great.
They teach them to love and never to hate.

Mom’s want you to grow, to be honest and fair.
They want you to be careful, not fall in a snare
Laid out in the world by designing men
Who hope you forget Mom’s teachings now and then.

Mom’s grandkids and great grandkids were her pride and joy.
It did not matter to her if they were girl or boy.
In her house all lifelong she kept toys in a box.
Spools for the “little ones”, sometimes balls and some just rocks.

As I stand at her grave on this Mother’s Day,
I ponder, I mourn and I think and I pray.
I know we will be together in another life
If we live like we should through good times and strife.

My Mom is special, and my Kid’s Mom is too.
She is a special Mom to them, but she’s my wife too.
Where is the line drawn that says that we
Must honor our Mom’s and our wives separately?

When the day is all over and my thought are gone
I still think of the Mom’s still here and those who are gone.
They give us love in abundance and lots of advice
To honor them at all times would be very, very nice.