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Sunnier skies ahead…

Yeah, maybe we should have been out sooner…

When I was a kid, I hated pizza with a capital “H-A-T-E-D”. I don’t know why. Maybe it was to be different, maybe it was because I didn’t like tomatoes, maybe it was because I was sometimes a stubborn kid who just didn’t want to like it because I didn’t want to like it.

Today, I love pizza. It has all of the major food groups in it. It’s an everyman’s food. If you could just put potatoes somehow on it. Love me some potatoes. Ahem, I digress.

In college, there was a Pizza Hut up the street and every time I could scrape together enough money, I’d get a Supreme Pan Pizza with black olives and I’d commence to eating on it. (My homage to Narm, we’re country boys). That pizza would never fit into the dinky refrigerator we had in our dorm so that leftover pizza would sit out all night long. Did I throw it away for fear of food poisoning of some sort? Heck, no, I’d commence to eating it for breakfast the next morning.

I love some Pizza Hut pizza. I had some last night and this morning in true taawd fashion, I had some for breakfast, sure it sat out all night long again but am I worried? Heck no! Pizza Hut pizza is almost better the day after you get it.

Oh, I wish I’d remembered to tell them to put the black olives on it this time. Oh and right now, they’re offering a medium one-topping pizza for a cent when you buy a large pizza.

What a deal, talk about a way to beat the recession!

When I was a kid, I enjoyed wearing slippers. Actually, when we lived on the farm, drafts in that old house encouraged the wearing of the slippers. One of the best parts about the farm were the registers that were in the floor. When the heat came on, we all ran to the registers to stand on them. That would warm your tootsies.

Now, I’ve become obsessed with always wearing slippers indoors. Not necessarily because of how cold or warm my toes are but because I hate getting my socks all dirty. If you have hardwood floors, like my sister does, people’s socks pick up any dirt on the floor. Think Swiffer. Of course, I’m not saying my sister keeps a dirty house, that’s not the case, but you can’t sweep the floors 24/7.

I’ve taken to transporting my Dearfoam slippers with me on the road. I, ahem, wear them at work. When I go to my parents, relatives and other places that I’ll be spending any sort of time. Now, I guess I just need a housecoat and a pipe.

I’ll admit, I’ve learned some things during my life. A lot of that knowledge, I feel, has come over the past years. Actually, I may have always known it but I think now, I’m starting to really practice it.

I find myself preaching to people to stay positive. Negativity attracts more of negative energy. It’s a magnet. On the other hand, being positive only attracts positive energy.

Worrying was something that, at one point of my life, ruled me. I’d hear bad news, think of bad things and worry myself sick, literally. How did I change? I realize worrying is wasted energy. It does not change anything in the future. It simply ruins the present.

I believe you can’t change the future. What’s supposed to happen, will. Whether you believe it’s divine intervention, the universe playing itself out or fate, I think there’s very little you can do to change what’s going to happen. Now, I look at life like a lazy river. You float down it and have fun along the way. If you get stuck, you give yourself a little push and continue on down the stream.

It seems simple to say but a little harder to live. I’m using it to help guide my life and allow faith to lead me down the path that’s the right one for me.

I’ve always admitted to loving snow. I can’t wait for the first time it happens each year. Nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit like a good “Charlie Brown” snow. I love it.

BUT!

I have to admit I’m not loving it as much right now.

The last time I can recall seeing all of this snow was back in the 70’s during the great blizzard. Every time I’m out and about and the wind is whipping around, slapping me in the face, I remember fighting Mother Nature back then to get home.

My parents heard the weather reports and decided to go “into town” to get some groceries before the snow hit. I had to go with them. Of course, going into town meant traveling about 3 miles, if that, to the two-aisle general store. John Etling owned it and kept the little town of Sterling stocked with groceries. We didn’t have a big IGA like people did in Rittman. We didn’t have a big supermarket like Buehler’s or Hawkins like they did in Wooster.

We rushed into our little town to get milk, bread and everything else my parents thought we’d need before the storm hit. We got back into the car and zoomed back home. The cinder topped Frick Road didn’t contain a lot of homes. There were only four houses on the street. The township road crews didn’t give it a lot of priority. By the time we got half way to our home, my dad made the decision to turn around and attempt coming in from the other direction. Snow had already blown the bottom part of Frick Road close. The top part of Frick wasn’t much better. Winds whipped across the bare fields that just months before contained corn, hay or soybeans. My dad’s Chevy truck got stuck and it was decided we’d walk the rest of the way back to the house.

I was just a little kid, about 5 years old and walking wasn’t an option for me. My dad carried me, some groceries and a gallon of milk. I wanted to see what was coming at me. It was only one thing, the wind carrying face piercing snow flakes. My dad implored me to turn around. I would listen to him for so long and then get curious again to see where we were going. The winds hit my face again.

The weight of it all was too much for my dad. He had to drop something and it wasn’t (thankfully) going to be his son. The groceries had to be dropped until he could get me home. My mother walked right beside us, trying to get to the house as well. Finally when we got there, someone had to go back out and get the groceries and the milk. My dad took the task and believe it or not, found the groceries and the milk. Milk=white, snow=white = tough job.

So as the snow falls, I have to think back to a time when I didn’t worry about my job, money, relationships, my future. I just wanted to see where I was going. I guess I still do.

Dear Caller Who Calls My Cell Phone Number Thinking It’s Their Friend’s Number,

I understand that you may not start your calls with “hello”, rather, “where you at?”

I understand that your sleep schedule may not match mine. I mean, I’ve called people at 2:30am but I make darn sure they’re in my contact list and that I also know they’re up at the time.

I don’t understand why you want to argue with me about who I am. I believe I know that rather well after 36 years. Yes, for you to say “no, no, I don’t have the wrong number, it’s me the Caller Who Calls Your Cell Phone Number Thinking It’s My Friend’s Number.” I know you aren’t someone who calls my phone number because no caller ID pops up on the phone.

I really don’t know why I answer your calls. Maybe it’s just the thrill of moment, maybe I’m adventurous, maybe it’s because my friends call me “Whiskers”.

But, in closing, maybe you want to check that number once before you rush to dial me, especially if it’s at 2:30am. I promise you I won’t be very happy or forgiving for you calling me.

You know it’s time to update when taawd’s mom says it’s update.

I got this e-mail from the “ma” today.

Hi, how are you doing?? I just checked your blog & it hasn’t been changed in over a week! How about something new???

I miss reading it!!

It goes on about what a good, wonderful son I am and how she and my father did such a good job raising me and my sister and about how successful I’ve become and how good looking I am and how proud she is of me and a bunch of other things but I won’t write them, even though they’re all true on this blog because it would just bore you anyhow. (That’s the longest sentence I’ve ever written and take it for the humor it was intended.)

So, here we are already into February and life has me hanging from a car’s window doing 65 miles per hour on a 50 mph freeway. I can’t tell you it ain’t fun but there’s a lot going on.

I’ve got a lot to do today. There’s first of the month bills, there’s cleaning up the place, there’s booking a ticket to South Texas. Yep, I’m going back to be in a friend’s wedding. I can’t wait to see Beau and Phil again. No, they aren’t getting married but Beau is, He’s ready to make the jump into wedded bliss with his fiancé, Angel. Unfortunately it’s not going to be a long vacation but we’ll get some days in the 70’s, hopefully and enjoy some of that South Texas air. I hear more wedding bells are in one of taawd’s friend’s futures. Hmmmm….

I digress, before the South Texas trip happens, I hope to actually get to use my skis before the season is over. It’s been a busy winter and time’s running out.

So ‘net folks, I hope all is well out in your neck of life. I’ll probably be turning around your corner at 55 mph and hanging on for dear life. Loooook out!