Item 1: Leaving on a jet plane. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahhhhhhh!!!!! My big sister, Maria Nadauld, and her talented daughter, Megan, will be boarding the big trans-Atlantic bird today to fly over the pond so they can trace the haunts of Liverpool’s famous foursome, the fabulous Beatles. I doubt if any CBA member has traveled as much as Maria. Hell, Southwest Airlines has Maria on THEIR speed dial! Have a safe and comfortable trip, enjoy, and have a pint on me. If you see Paul tell him he put on a great show at Candlestick.
Item 2: And speaking of my big sister. Maria is in the running for a position on the CBA Board. It seems like only yesterday Rick approached me to run his CBA campaign many years ago. Unfortunately I was busy trying to rid the world of pestilence and cancer and had to turn Rick down. Although Rick was crushed by my answer he set in forces a CBA election campaign that has yet to be duplicated or matched since.The rest is history. Rick not only got elected but served as Chairman of the Board so many times the CBA had to buy him a new Corinthian leather recliner to sit in. Rick was able to infuse the CBA with new invigorating blood, ideas, and computer technology that brought the CBA into the twenty-first century and set a new standard for Bluegrass Boards everywhere.
I am convinced Maria will be able to produce equally ground shaking results. The fact that Maria is my sister has a little bit to do with my full support (well a little) but to those who know her will nod their heads in agreement. She will do wonders for the CBA.
Item 3: November is quietly sneaking up on us and that means the mid-term elections are rapidly closing in on the unsuspecting citizens of this great country of ours. Soon all of us will be assaulted verbally, visually, and audibly, via the airways, using TV, social media and yes, signage.
I was on my walk the other day and came upon a vacant lot, and there, side by side stood two campaign signs not more than two feet apart. The first one read, “Elect Denham, a local farmer.” The other sign read, “Elect Eggman, a REAL local farmer.” I am thinking that there might be yet another candidate running who might have on their sign, “Elect John Doe, a SURREAL local farmer.”
Item 4: More medical stories but bear with me. I made the long trip to Oakland Kaiser to check with a specialist about some surgery I might need. We discussed the surgery and I asked her how complicated the surgery was. She paused and replied, “It is an extremely complicated surgery and will take about five hours.” I gulped and said, ”That is a long time. How many days will I be staying in the hospital?” She looked at her notes and responded, “Well, you do live in Turlock, and that is about a two hour drive, so we will possibly want to keep you overnight.”
I am thinking to myself, “I’ve just had a five-hour complicated surgery and she is THINKING of keeping me overnight.” Isn’t that rushing things just a bit? Bullets on hand.
Item 5: Wednesday my oldest grandson walked into his third grade classroom for the first time.The day before my second oldest grandson bravely strolled into his kindergarden class in Woodland. I don’t know who was more proud or elated, my two grandsons, parents or grandparents. I can’t believe it has been eight years since our oldest grandson was born and almost two since our granddaughter has been brought into this world. Time doesn’t fly, it moves at Mach speed.
I was sharing with my grandsons how the first day of school would always be a sense of excitement and fascination for me. It wasn’t so much the fact of going to school but the preparation especially the routine of laying out all my new store-bought clothing items, notebooks, pens, pencils, and erasers.
I can remember laying out my new “husky” jeans my mother picked out for me at Penny’s. The pant legs would have to be rolled up a bit more than other boys because of my ample girth. My plaid shirt (maybe Pendleton if my father had received a raise that year) would be spread out neatly on my bunk bed. My high-top Ked sneakers stood tall with their bright and shiny sparkling new laces, and right next to them were my recently purchased three-to-a-package white sports socks with the three multi-colored rings at the top.I would spend Sunday evening arranging and rearranging my array of new clothes with a big excited goofy grin on my young face. Of course, after the first day of school all bets were off and, “It really didn’t matter what clothes I wear, or how I fare or if my hair is brown, when it’s only a Northern Song.”* (* G. Harrison – “It’s Only a Northern Song”)
Until October 3: Read a book, hug a child, pet a dog, stroke a cat, eat a bar of chocolate and say something nice behind someone’s back.