Stating the obvious

Tami and I have been watching coverage of the freak, October snow storm that walloped the Mid-Atlantic and New England. One particular reporter was saying how trees (many still with leaves on them) are toppling under the weight of the wet, slushy snow. The reporter then picked up a large branch and said, "This here was a tree". I'm telling you folks, I could not make this up.

First of all, the word "here" in not necessary. Saying "this was a tree" would convey the same message. Next, seeing a big stick with leaves attached to it is enough to show me why all these fallen trees have knocked out power for millions. You don't have to tell me it was a tree.

This here was journalism at its worst :-)

Raising, umm... Awareness

Tomorrow is Breast Cancer Awareness Day at my school. Basically if the kids wear something pink to school, they are permitted to wear blue jeans (a deviation from the uniform they normally wear). The principal was making his daily announcements over the P.A. system at the end of the school day when he uttered the following: "Tomorrow is breast awareness day at St. Bernard Elementary". The blunder wasn't noticed by the kids, but the adults sure noticed. You can imagine the jokes flying around the teachers lounge after school. So let me be the first to wish everyone a happy breast awareness day. Maybe I should bake a cake or something...

Tacos and Aliens

Be honest... when you think of Mexico, what comes to your mind? Tacos? Burritos? Illegal aliens? Drug cartels? Sombreros? If you're like most folks, that's what you think of. However, there is so much more to our neighboring country south of the border. Our church is currently in the middle of its annual Bible Conference. Our guest speaker is Dan Hall. Dan is the director of the Mexican Indian Training Center (we haven't quite figured out why it's called that). Anyway, the MITC is a campus in Cordoba, in southern Mexico. It's a place where people come from very poor outlying villages to hear the Gospel and to be trained in teaching the people of their village. It's also a place where American missionaries can go to serve on relatively short missions trips. There is such a need in Mexico. Some of these people have absolutely nothing and have no means of getting anything. I know what some of you may be thinking... aren't there needy people the U.S.? Maybe right here in our own backyard? The answer is yes. But the difference is all Americans, no matter how poor, have access to some sort of assistance. The people of Mexico do not. Why do you think they're clamoring to get across our border? Now believe me... I do not advocate these people sneaking across the border and consuming our resources and undercutting the jobs market. If Mexicans want to come here, they should do so legally. I'm only saying there is a tremendous need in Mexico. Do not be surprised if you see me and/or my family on a missions trip some time in 2013. Yeah, that's a long way off, but the need will still be there then. Just sharing my heart...

I Love Oakland!

Earlier in the week, the Oakland Raiders traded the Bengals for Carson Palmer. The Bengals received a first round draft pick in 2012 and a first or second rounder in 2013. The Bengals should be locked up for robbery. They got rid of a whiny, quitter and got a fortune in return. To sweeten the deal, Palmer threw 3 interceptions (including a pick 6) in his first game as a Raider. Thank you, Oakland. You may have fast tracked our poor Bungles into respectability in the NFL.

Taking Chance

Just watched a really good movie called "Taking Chance". It's the true story of 19 year old marine Chance Phelps killed in Iraq. The whole movie is the story of how his remains were transported from Iraq to the U.S. and then how the marines escort the body back to the family and its final resting place in Wyoming. Kevin Bacon (not usually one of my favorites) did an outstanding job portraying the officer who escorted the body every step of the way. As an American you cannot help being moved by this emotional account of PFC Chance Phelps' final journey home. Make no mistake, this is a sad movie. For all its sadness, it's uplifting in a way that makes you proud to be an American. It's only an hour and eighteen minutes long. It's worth the time.

The deck is stacked against me

Sometimes as a teacher I feel like banging my head against the wall because I see the deck stacked against me. This is not going to be a rant about the the lack of parental support my students receive or the breakdown of the American family unit being the cause for nearly all of education's woes... no, this is going to be a more light-hearted look at what I'm up against on a daily basis. These are true things that have happened to me in my teaching career. Not my colleagues, but me! Ready?

I have a poster of the Statue of Liberty in my classroom. A student in all seriousness asked, "Why is that statue holding an ice cream cone?"

After a unit on inventors and inventions, I asked who invented the airplane. The response? Orville Redenbacher. I said no, you're thinking of Orville Wright. The student said, "Oh that's right. Orville Redenbacher invented popcorn." Sheesh!

After a unit on European history, I was asking some review questions. One particular question had the expected answer of Leonardo DaVinci. The answer I received was Leonardo DiCaprio. Oh Lord!

Another time we were doing research reports on animals. A student asked for my help because he could find no info on his animal. "What animal did you choose?", I asked. The student replied, "The Pink Panther".

Early in my career, I decided to have the students bring in donations for the "Adopt a Whale" program (gimme a break, I was a rookie, okay?). A student asked if we were really going to adopt a whale. I said we certainly were. He innocently asked, "Where are we going to keep it?"

Here's one from the parental side of things... I have a parent who regularly picks up and drops off her child. She wears (almost every day) a sweatshirt that reads, "If you think I'm a b**ch, you should meet my sister". Seriously? In an elementary school?????

Here's another one involving a parent. Occasionally parents come in to observe their children in class. This is something we teachers encourage. Yep! Come on in and see why your little angel is getting an "F". Anyway, on this particular day I was teaching and kept hearing this murmur. I thought some student was talking and doing a good job of hiding it. Boy, was I wrong. It turns out this parent was on her cell phone having a conversation in the FRONT ROW of my classroom!

And there my friends, is just a small sampling of why teachers need that summer break. A person can only take so much :-)

Bookend Birthdays

Tuesday marks the 76th birthday of my father-in-law, the patriarch of Tami's side of the family. Happy Birthday, Frank! Thursday marks my son Michael's 18th birthday. He is the only male of that generation on either side of the family. That's right. He's the one and only grandson on both sides of the family. My poor son has been drowning in an estrogen ocean for his entire life. He has no male cousins. Of course you know what this means... the responsibility of carrying on the Meyer family name falls squarely on his shoulders. Well, not exactly his shoulders, but you get my drift :-)

And speaking of that... I remember when Tami was pregnant with Michael (at the time we didn't know the baby was a boy). My Grandpa Meyer was so excited for us. But he was also concerned about the continuation of the family name. He talked about that a lot and said he'd prayed about it. 18 years ago Thursday, when the doctor announced, "It's a boy!", I BAWLED. Yes, because I was happy to have a new baby, but mostly because I knew my grandpa's prayer had been answered. Thursday my boy officially becomes a man... and a fine one he already is. Happy Birthday, son. We are all proud of you and we love you very much!

My memory is slipping

This is a family friendly blog, so I need to tread lightly here... CNN.com had an article that basically stated that having a particularly good romantic interlude with your spouse may lead to memory loss.

Have I posted this before? I'm not sure. I don't remember.

Ummmmmm....Uhhhhhh.... What was I talking about again? I forgot.

It must be a sign of my age. My memory has really been slipping lately.

On second thought...

I deleted my post about the couple calling 911 because they were lost in the corn maze. A few reasons for this... In addition to the 3 month old baby I heard they also had a 5 year old with them. I also heard the maze had 7 miles of pathway. Okay, maybe a little larger than the one I visited last year. But mostly the post was a bit mean-spirited and I don't want to be that way.
So the event ended well and there is still a bit of humor in the situation, but I decided it was best to take the post down.

I'm the only one in this room...

Another favorite. A cop is doing a demonstration for a school group. He proudly states, "I'm the only one in this room professional enough to handle a gun"... then promptly shoots himself in the leg. It's only hilarious because he wasn't seriously injured. Watch it below.

Cop Shoots himself in the leg

I want to hear from you

To date, I've had 180 pageviews in my little corner of the blogosphere. First of all, I'm surprised the few people who know about this blog would check it that many times. Second, I'm also surprised some people haven't commented. However, it may be that folks don't know how. So I copied and pasted a post from Tami's blog to help y'all out. Wanna comment? Here's how:


Unfortunately, some of you have tried to post a comment and haven't been able to because you don't have a Google or other account.

So, I did some experimenting and found an easier way to post a comment. If you'd like to leave a comment you can bring up the comment box by clicking the bottom of the post where it says comments. After you've typed your comment in the box, choose anonymous from the select profile drop down menu, then click the post comment button. Voila! Of course, the trick here is to type your name inside the box with your comment. Otherwise the blog will only show it as anonymous and we really want to know who the comment is from!


If you get a chance, I'd love to hear from you. (Even if your feedback is negative) I can take it.

Cute Baby!

I won't be posting a lot of videos, but this one is too funny to pass up. The mommy is blowing her nose and the baby can't decide if it's funny or scary as heck. Check it out below.

Should I laugh or cry?

Rites of Passage

Michael will turn 18 on the 20th of this month. We asked him what he was going to do when he turned 18. He replied, "Buy cigarettes and lottery tickets". He was joking of course, and it really got us tickled. I can't believe he's turning 18. He does have to register to vote and for the selective service. My boy is becoming a man.

Heaven on earth!

It really doesn't get any better than this. It's Saturday mid-morning. I am sitting on my deck with my laptop. For the majority of the morning Tami and I have been drinking coffee, having a nice conversation, reading our Bibles and watching the kids go off to work. As stated in a previous post, the weather is as close to perfect as it's going to get. We have been marveling at God's creation, a lot of which goes unnoticed unless you slow down and really pay attention. Black walnuts are falling off the tree with a thud, squirrels are busy gathering in for winter, leaves are falling gently to the ground. We have nowhere to be and nothing to do.... and we like it that way.

Later this afternoon Tami and I are going to take a long walk and soak in the beautiful day. Tonight after dark we are going to have a bonfire in the backyard. The kids will both be home by then and we will roast some marshmallows as we enjoy some family time around the fire. I can't think of a better way to spend a day off from the stress of work.

I am just amazed at how blessed this family is. I am sitting under my gazebo in my backyard paradise. The paradise that in the summer teems with tomatoes and peppers from my earthboxes and where we lounge around our pool. The paradise that in the fall plays out scenes like the one described above. The paradise that in the winter taunts me as it is covered in snow. Reminding me that after the long, cold, dark winter... paradise will once again be there for me. I realize that if I didn't suffer through winter (and yes, I do mean SUFFER!) I would simply take for granted what God has blessed me with.

Life is so good for me right now. Even as I watch leaves falling from the trees, knowing that everything is dying as we slide inevitably toward winter. Even as I face the idea of going back to work on Monday. Life is good and I could not ask for anything more. I have everything I need and want for nothing. To God be the glory.

Mama told me there'd be days like this

Thursday was a horrendous day at work. The reasons would bore and/or sadden you, therefore just suffice it to say it was "one of those days". We all know that children are not always little angels. Yesterday they nearly put me under. But as advertised, this blog will not be a forum for me to whine and complain. I wanted to put a positive spin on an otherwise awful day.  When I arrived home I was not feeling too chipper. Tami allowed me to vent and then said we should go out to eat. Michael and Abby were busy so it was an easy decision to make. We went out for a nice dinner and each had a drink. I vented in the car on the way to the restaurant and maybe even a little during dinner. It was so nice to be out alone with my wonderful wife. She listened sympathetically to my trials and tribulations of teaching at an inner city school and offered kind, non-judgmental words of encouragement. We had a good time and enjoyed each others company (I probably enjoyed her company more than she enjoyed mine). Anyway, I wanted to use this space to thank my wife for talking me down off the ledge and for putting me in a much better mood. God sure knew what he was doing when He put us together more than twenty years ago. Mama told me there'd be days like these, but she didn't tell me I'd have a wife that would make yesterday's troubles seem like they never even happened. I am the most blessed man alive!

The easiest job in the world

I once heard a comedian (Lewis Black, I think) say the world's easiest job must be that of the weather forecaster in San Diego. Can't you just imagine the scene as it plays out on your television screen? The camera zooms in on the weatherman, a cloud free map behind him. "The weather today will be fair, mild, sunny and warm with no humidity. There will be a nice breeze blowing in from the Pacific. Now back to Steve with more news". The same scene must play over and over on TV stations in San Diego.

For the last 3 days in the Greater Cincinnati area we have enjoyed clear, blue skies. Temperatures in the mid 70's with no humidity. Just plain gorgeous is the only way to describe it. This weather pattern is expected to last at least another 7 days. All I keep thinking is, this must be what folks in San Diego get to enjoy year-round. I'm sure they have no idea how good they've got it. Let them spend a few days in Cincinnati in mid January. They'd count their blessings real quick. I'm counting MY blessings this week. This weather is unbelievable and only reinforces my desire to spend my winters in a warmer climate when I retire. Tami says she doesn't want to leave the grandchildren. I say, let them shiver their tails off and come visit grandma and grandpa where it's warm. They'll be here waiting for us when we return in the spring.

I'm sure there will be a lengthy blog post in the future about how I despise everything winter. People often tell me they'd rather be cold than sweat profusely on a hot, humid summer day. My argument is simple. I've never had to shovel humidity out of my driveway. So long, summer. I already miss you old friend. Hurry back!  

I'm EXHAUSTED! Thank Goodness.

The main theme of this blog has been silence or me being a quiet man. The very name of this blog says it all. I don't talk much and I enjoy my times of solitude when I can just sit quietly.

For this very reason, Abby exhausts me. Abby is the extrovert in a family of introverts (Jessi is extroverted too, but she doesn't live in my house anymore). Abby draws her energy from being with people and interacting with them. She is the proverbial social butterfly. She thrives on action! The rest of the family is just the opposite. We draw our energy from our down time. Those times when we don't have to interact with others.

One of the ways Abby exhibits this extroversion is through conversation. Putting it simply... Abby is a talker. She's never quiet. She admittedly talks a blue streak. She says she can't stand it when things are quiet and therefore (maybe somewhat subconsciously) talks to fill the void left by the rest of us introverts. Since she's been a baby (and still to this day), Abby gets a burst of energy right before bedtime. Just when Tami and I are are the most tired after a long day, Abby ratchets up the talk, cranks up the energy level and is ready to PARTY!

Abby's mind goes a million miles an hour. Every thought that pops into her head, also comes out of her mouth. The result is an overload of information for me. But bless her little heart... this is the way God made her and this is how she processes everything... aloud. I confess my ears sometimes have trouble keeping up with the verbal barrage, but I do my best with my little chatterbox.

Abby can tire out this middle aged man, but I wouldn't have it any other way. There's never a lack of conversational topics when we're in the car. The dinner table is often a blow by blow description of the day at school and what particular teenage boy annoyed her and how he did it. Watching "Survivor " on TV is accompanied by a running commentary. Sometimes we tell Abby to "Take a breath". She knows that means we need a little break from talking

Abby exhausts me, but thank Goodness! I am often reminded there will be a time in my not-so-distant future that our nest will be empty. A time when things are all too quiet in the house. Maybe then I'll be the one talking to fill the silence. Take a breath, Abby, but only a short one. I'm listening.

I love you, Sugar Lump!

I love me some dogs!

I love my Grand-Dog, Gryffin. He's a lovable red bone hound with the softest ears in the world. I love Chewy, the cute, furry little dog of my dear friends Mike and Betsy Annis. I also love the little white furball that once kept me awake all night while dogsitting. Kerry and Toni's very energetic Mia. But I dare say none of these dogs can talk. But this dog can... watch the video below.

The Talking Dog

Michael Reconciles With The Leaves

Well, Michael and I took a long walk this evening. We collected enough different varieties of leaves for the completion of his project. It also gave us a chance to have a man to man talk. I did my share of explaining and he did his share of apologizing for his attitude and admitting collecting these leaves wasn't so bad. He also thanked me and said he appreciated all my help. What a great guy he is!

The comic relief came near the end of our walk when I decided to drive my point home and let him know why it may be helpful to know what different kinds of trees look like. I asked what he was going to do if one day his own little boy looked at him with big, brown eyes and said, "Daddy I have a leaf project for school, will you help me please?". I asked if he was going to tell his son, "Sorry, I don't know a maple from an oak. I can't help you son." I felt like I really knocked it out of the park until Michael simply replied, "I'll tell him to call his Grandpa". We had a good laugh over that one. 

It was a good evening. I really enjoyed the time with my son. However, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness knowing he is almost grown and will be off to college before I know what hit me. There aren't many days like this remaining with him. Except when he brings his son over to collect leaves with his Grandpa :-)

Michael doesn't like fall leaves either

Michael is taking a class in botany and zoology. To say he doesn't care for it would be an understatement. Michael's M.O. is if he doesn't like the class, the teacher or if he sees no value in the information being presented, he puts minimal effort into it. We've always told him that sometimes in life you have to jump through hoops to get where you are going. He's not buying it.

The teacher recently assigned a leaf collection project. He needs to collect, name and scientifically classify 25 different leaves. Michael views this project as pointless. In his words, I can't tell a maple from an oak, and why is that important to know in life? *Sigh*. Oh youth.... If you're an adult and reading this, you already know the answer to that question. If you're not an adult, one day you'll understand.

Michael has asked for my assistance on the project. He knows I love trees and plants and figured he would tap into my passion for all things flora (I really like fauna too). Well, he collected 4 or 5 specimens on his own and asked if I'd help ID them. I said I would but didn't get to it right away. Michael hasn't collected anything more and says he's waiting for me to ID those 4-5 specimens before going any further. Flimsy excuse. He views this as me dragging my feet and thinks it's okay to wait until I get moving on things. I think he could collect more and I could help ID all of them at the same time. Michael openly admitted that he didn't like the project and was waiting until the last possible minute to do it. That's his choice (he is a senior after all). But when he enlists my help, his procrastination affects my life and that's not okay with me.

Sunday morning after church, I suggested taking a walk and collecting some leaves for the project. It was a GORGEOUS day and would have been a nice way to spend the afternoon. Michael said no. He didn't want to work on the project. Then Sunday evening after church, Michael and Abby were hanging out and chatting with friends. At my suggestion, Tami and I took a stroll around the wooded church grounds and picked up a few leaves for the collection. I figured if I was waiting on the kids, why not do something productive? We gathered 4 or 5 more types of leaves. Here's my problem. Some of the other adults jokingly chided us for doing Michael's homework for him. They said, "Gee! If teachers do their own kids' homework, what chance do we regular parents have?"They were just giving us some good natured teasing of course. They weren't trying to be critical. But it did cause me to think. I'd already had reservations about picking up any leaves at all, but did so anyway. After the fact I'm feeling some heavy duty guilt. Some as a teacher, but more as a parent. Am I only reinforcing to Michael that it's okay to procrastinate and if you do, I'll bail you out? It didn't seem that way at first, but now I'm not so sure. Am I a terrible parent? Am I sending the wrong message to my kids? I want to do what's right. I want Michael to be his own man and not depend on his parents for every little thing. How much damage did I do? Should I discard the leaves I collected? Should I voice my concerns to Michael about what I did? I also picked up a few leaf identification guides at school. Did I further screw up? Should I leave well enough alone? He can probably get better information about leaf identification on the internet anyway. I'm in a pickle here... when do I cross the line from helping to enabling? Did I cross that line miles back? Am I well intentioned, but maybe to a fault? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. I just want to do the right thing where my kids are concerned. They are watching and learning from me every second. The easy way out would be to not say anything. But being a good parent is not about making the easy decision. It's about making the right one.

P.S. --- To be fair. Michael has been working his tail off lately. McDonalds gets ahold of a good worker and they abuse his willingness to be helpful. He has been asked to work extra hours lately and he always agrees. He is generally a good student and a top notch kid. I would match him up with anybody... and I do mean anybody. I don't know of anyone, including adults who don't like him. He's the best (he just doesn't like his botany project :-)

Your SILENCE is deafening!

More on this quiet man. There have been a million occasions in the past when I've been silent. It is most evident in the car. I can ride for hours looking at the scenery and thinking of any number of things. My mind is miles away from what's going on. Tami's favorite way to call me back is to say, "Your silence is deafening". She couldn't be any more right. I'm lost in my thoughts. Meanwhile the kids are arguing in the back seat or somebody is trying to engage me in conversation. I'm oblivious to all of it. It has also been described as daydreaming or being "in the zone". Whatever you call it, it's not always a good place to be. Oh, I love it there, but it's not good for Tami and the kids. I don't go there on purpose. I don't make a conscious decision to tune everybody out. It just happens. I just drift there.

The problem used to be a lot worse. I think I have gotten better at not going into the zone at the wrong time. I'm not sure if Tami would agree. You'd have to ask her. I realized that my kids wanted to be with me. To spend time with me. To have my attention. I have made a genuine effort to actually be in the car with my wife and kids. We've had good conversations and even though I'm quiet in the car, my family doesn't have to wonder where I am. I'm right here.

Autumn Blues

I'd like to say I can't explain it, but in truth, I think I can.

Autumn (the fall season) depresses me. I tell this to people and they are shocked. "Why? The changing leaves are so beautiful!" or "Oh don't you just love the crisp fall air?". I know everyone means well, but autumn has always signified the end of things I really enjoy. Summer is over and it's time to go back to work. UGH! Summer is over and fishing on the lake is done for another year. Summer is over and it's time to close the pool.

Some very important people in my life have died in the fall. My grandpa Meyer died on October 9th. My dad died on August 31st (I know that's technically still summer, but it's close enough to fall for me). My cousin Harold "Ossie" Ostendorf died in October (not sure of the exact day).

Fall is also the season of Halloween. Anyone who knows me well, knows I have complete disdain for everything Halloween. I'm sure I'll get all kinds of grief for this. I have felt this way since I was very young. Oh sure, I went out begging for candy and ate it until I was ill. But there are so many things about Halloween that just plain bug me. The darkness of evil behind everything, the morbid themes, the so-called pranks (busting pumpkins, putting TP in trees, stealing candy bags from unsuspecting, innocent children etc...). I remember one particular halloween when my young son wrote a note and taped it to the pumpkin on our porch. It read, "Dear Teenagers, please don't smash my pumpkin". That only reinforced my existing feelings about this pagan "holiday".

You may say I'm a stick-in-the-mud or some kind of killjoy. I will gladly accept that label. I'm not talking about three year old girls dressed as princesses or 4 year old boys dressed as Super Man getting some candy on October 31st. I'm talking about the overarching ideas behind the whole deal and what many adults have turned it into.

I do enjoy some aspects of fall. A nice drive to look at God's beautiful handiwork in the changing leaves. Football season and the World Series. The fact that "it ain't winter yet".

But as much as I despise winter, the fall is not far behind. Give me spring and summer any time! You can keep the crisp air :-)

To God be the glory

Above all else, I want this blog to glorify God. I wish my every keystroke, my every post to glorify Him. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Without His grace, I am nothing. Will I sometimes slip? Probably. Well yeah, definitely. But there is only One who is perfect and I have chosen to follow Him.

Hurry Home, Sveta!

If you are remotely familiar with me, you already know that my daughter Jessi and her husband, Barry Morton are in the the long, difficult process of adopting a three year old little girl from Russia. Svetlana Grace Morton (Sveta for short) currently resides in an orphanage near Vladimir, Russia. To be more specific, she lives in a place called Gus Khrustalny. We pray for her every day and eagerly await her arrival home in the USA. The prospect of being a grandpa was a little strange at first, but I quickly warmed to it and now I can hardly wait to meet Sveta. She is already my pride and joy and she has no idea who I even am yet. Please join me in praying for Jessi, Barry and Sveta. Both before Sveta gets here and after. Our family is growing and I am so excited about all that lies ahead.

BTW- Gus Khrystulny roughly translated means Crystal Goose. I have made it my quest to find a crystal goose, leaded glass goose or something similar. If anyone reading this comes across something like this, PLEASE let me know. I want to display it prominently in my home as a reminder of Sveta's first three+ years of life and as a symbol of our love for her. To the casual observer it may just look like a dusty knick-knack (no knock on Tami's housekeeping, of course :-) But to anyone who knows the story, they will know everything that goose represents. And hey, I'll probably dust it once in a while too.

P.S. I'm serious. If you find a crystal goose or something resembling crystal, please contact me. I know they're out there. I just need to find one.

Why did you name it THAT?

Hello friends and family. Welcome to my blog. I've been looking for a way to express my thoughts and decided to join the "Blogosphere" to do it. You may be wondering why I named it "Silence Runs Deep". Well, first you need to know I didn't name it. Tami did. I told her of my desire to blog and asked for her help in naming it. We brainstormed ideas and tried to come up with something that exhibited my quiet nature. I also wanted it to show that although I'm a quiet (sometimes even SILENT) man, there are thoughts running through my head all the time. Sometimes they are simple thoughts (Tami would say most of them), such as, "I wonder what's for dinner?". Other times they may be more complex or DEEP. Hence the name for this blog. The sometimes deep thoughts of a usually silent man.

It probably doesn't matter to most of you what's on my mind. However, on the off-chance you are interested, I will post my thoughts on many topics whenever the fancy strikes me. I may discuss my faith, my loving wife, my three wonderful kids, a terrific son-in-law, a grand-dog (probably the only dog I'll ever love), my granddaughter Sveta who will be arriving home from Russia very soon or any number of my family and friends. I may discuss sports. Anybody who knows me knows I love the Cincinnati Reds. Knows the Bengals have been the epitome of pathetic forever and I truly don't care anymore. I may discuss food, cooking, gardening, grilling or anything else that involves the preparation and enjoyment of good food. I may discuss my job as a teacher. And yeah, I may even whine about it from time to time. But rest assured this won't be a blog where I whine and complain all the time. Nobody wants to hear or read about that. You all have plenty of problems of your own, you certainly don't need to add mine to your plates. I may discuss my adventures in lawn care or pool maintenance (exciting stuff!). I may discuss good books I've read or good movies I've seen. Who knows? Maybe I'll even post something that you find interesting or entertaining. Please feel free to comment and participate in this blog. I am looking forward to this.

Mick