i turn 71 soon and am still riding my bike like a wild Comanche and contemplating a career change / sell the house and live in a van / travel around doing book events for my (as yet) unpublished book / of course i almost died a few months ago from a medical condition the doctors could have easily fixed if they had any sense or any respect for that matter / so i so respect your qi and your creativity and your ice fields far away / joe is a decent guy when we need a strapping hero / the farm lays fallow and the partridge sings in the pear tree
There are no strapping heroes left in politics. I can't think of one. The last one to run for president was John Kerry, a war hero who dared tell the truth about the war, and he lost to a pretender, George W. who had beaten another hero, Al Gore, the first man in high office to speak frankly about global warming and the threats to come. When Florida is underwater, I hope they remember who they voted for in 2000.
Thanks for this. Servers in restaurants now say "Perfect" like robots every time I order something. It drives me crazy in a minor way. That, and calling female patrons "guys."
I just LOVED the Lysol-recommending oyster-shucker simile! Not long ago we "Friends of GK" were gifted with a compendium of maxims (I didn't see: "If it were a dog, it would have bit you...", but there's always space for more...) , some of which were new to me! The oyster-shucker/Lysol comparison makes me wonder if there's a list somewhere of "standard similes" too. As a cliché-bound speaker, it's nice to see where I stand!
"Oyster-shucker" seems a particularly apropos description for one born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and nothing but hot air for brains!
I'm sure retirement has meant a lot of different things for you. But, speaking from the other side, I think there are thousands of us "Friends" who are thrilled to have a bigger chunk of your day to spend with you!
I am standing in at 83 now...well, actually, sitting now. I have been outside to pull weeds and feed the birds - had coffee, picked up the papers on the floor-had some more coffee, got dressed, made the bed and put on a load of wash. Plus, since I make beaded jewelry, I set up 2 pieces to put together later on. Also...took meat out of the freezer to thaw for tonight, swatted flies that hatched after the rain. It is closing in on 9 A.M. Cat got fed and is now napping. It is a gorgeous day here in AZ. The old joints hurt, but one must not give in and fall by the wayside...yet. So many lovely flowers left to smell...Bobbie Guillory
Perfect is one of those words I hear constantly. A waiter taking your order says, 'Perfect!' Awesome is another word I hear constantly. If everything is 'perfect' or 'awesome,' than nothing is perfect or awesome. The other thing I hear from time to time is 'Happy Tuesday,' Happy Friday.' This morning, though, I had to check in to have my blood pressure checked. It was 118/61, and when I saw that I said, 'Awesome!' I think my wife Judy & I will take up Scrabble again--a perfect way to spend an evening!
Whenever I hear "The Horses" song, it takes me back to my grandmother's house in Connecticut. Her parents were living with her. My Great Grandfather was in his eighties when I was in my teens. A mild old gentleman, the most memorable thing about him to me as a child was his "Grandfather's Clock." He wound it every day, keeping it's long pendulum ticking back and forth and its resounding gong ringing out the hours, day and night. To me, that song WAS my grandfather - minus the knothole in a wooden leg!
Beyond my grandparents "living reality", in a way, they were a tie to American History for me. They met, and married, as members of the "New Amsterdam Society" in New York City. Their ancestry went all the way back to the Dutch founded colony on Manhattan Island. There's a cemetery at the head of Wall Street - the street along the Wall that separated the Dutch section from the English one. My Dutch relatives declare that our family is related to nearly everyone lying beneath those headstones, some way or another.
Our host sometimes talks about his Scottish progenitors in Nova Scotia. It's important to have some sort of sense of "lineage" - whatever that may be. The APHC tales of Norwegian settlers in Minnesota - they add character and spice to the nature of Lake Woebegoners!
I remember how surprised I was when I actually came up to the gates of the "Prairie Home Cemetery" in Moorhead, Minnesota! It's those little touches with "reality" that give those stories temporal and spatial dimensions. Maybe there's a "Grandpa" or two resting there who actually did have a wooden leg - a knot-hole and all!
Happy Birthday GK, and remember you woke up this morning just one day older! Still enjoying all you do, and have done. If the octogenarian Rolling Stones can still tour the stadiums this summer, you certainly can keep writing, singing, limericking, and inspiring us.
I have a wooden plaque that I purchased many years ago from the Prairie Home Companion Catalogue. It reads - Anything you do for children is never wasted. That is wrong. The wooden plaque should read - “Time spent with children is never wasted”. They want your time.
Perfect. Wonderful. You are so crazy. Thank you.
i turn 71 soon and am still riding my bike like a wild Comanche and contemplating a career change / sell the house and live in a van / travel around doing book events for my (as yet) unpublished book / of course i almost died a few months ago from a medical condition the doctors could have easily fixed if they had any sense or any respect for that matter / so i so respect your qi and your creativity and your ice fields far away / joe is a decent guy when we need a strapping hero / the farm lays fallow and the partridge sings in the pear tree
There are no strapping heroes left in politics. I can't think of one. The last one to run for president was John Kerry, a war hero who dared tell the truth about the war, and he lost to a pretender, George W. who had beaten another hero, Al Gore, the first man in high office to speak frankly about global warming and the threats to come. When Florida is underwater, I hope they remember who they voted for in 2000.
we're lost then / these guys aren't getting it done / their messaging is from the 19th century / they can't articulate a compelling vision of anything
Thanks for this. Servers in restaurants now say "Perfect" like robots every time I order something. It drives me crazy in a minor way. That, and calling female patrons "guys."
When I ordered in Ireland on my last visit over, the reply to my order was always “brilliant!”
I am a weak man and I admit that "Brilliant" would brighten my day.
Barbara Daly
Oh My Word. Belly laughs abound.
What would I do without Garrison Keillor and Friends
Married 56 years to a newly anointed octogenarian.
Watching him put on his socks is Performance Art.
I just LOVED the Lysol-recommending oyster-shucker simile! Not long ago we "Friends of GK" were gifted with a compendium of maxims (I didn't see: "If it were a dog, it would have bit you...", but there's always space for more...) , some of which were new to me! The oyster-shucker/Lysol comparison makes me wonder if there's a list somewhere of "standard similes" too. As a cliché-bound speaker, it's nice to see where I stand!
"Oyster-shucker" seems a particularly apropos description for one born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and nothing but hot air for brains!
I'm sure retirement has meant a lot of different things for you. But, speaking from the other side, I think there are thousands of us "Friends" who are thrilled to have a bigger chunk of your day to spend with you!
This is one of your best. Thank you from a 78-year-old.
I am standing in at 83 now...well, actually, sitting now. I have been outside to pull weeds and feed the birds - had coffee, picked up the papers on the floor-had some more coffee, got dressed, made the bed and put on a load of wash. Plus, since I make beaded jewelry, I set up 2 pieces to put together later on. Also...took meat out of the freezer to thaw for tonight, swatted flies that hatched after the rain. It is closing in on 9 A.M. Cat got fed and is now napping. It is a gorgeous day here in AZ. The old joints hurt, but one must not give in and fall by the wayside...yet. So many lovely flowers left to smell...Bobbie Guillory
Thanks for that itinerary. I'm four years behind you and you're more productive. Happy days to you.
Really just thankful they seem to have left "amazing" behind us. Confused, probably in my dotage, whether "perfect" is a degree higher or lower.
Shopping For My Ice Floe
When at last it’s time to go,
Time to head out on that floe,
I may want to choose with care
The right ice to get me there.
If I just want to get wet,
An icecube is a good bet.
But for rapture or beyond,
I may need a small ice pond.
If, for perfect, I wait too late,
I’ll lack strength for that last skate.
I should shop now for choices
‘Tween ice scooters and ‘Royces.
So, please, be patient, young man,
It takes time for a good plan.
I will get out of your way,
But maybe not quite today.
Clap clap. clap clap, I'm applauding with one hand.
Inspired by your praise(?)
Better Poetry Thru Engineering:
https://thebickerstaffblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/better-poetry-thru-engineering.html
Perfect is one of those words I hear constantly. A waiter taking your order says, 'Perfect!' Awesome is another word I hear constantly. If everything is 'perfect' or 'awesome,' than nothing is perfect or awesome. The other thing I hear from time to time is 'Happy Tuesday,' Happy Friday.' This morning, though, I had to check in to have my blood pressure checked. It was 118/61, and when I saw that I said, 'Awesome!' I think my wife Judy & I will take up Scrabble again--a perfect way to spend an evening!
Wonderful and so true
Whenever I hear "The Horses" song, it takes me back to my grandmother's house in Connecticut. Her parents were living with her. My Great Grandfather was in his eighties when I was in my teens. A mild old gentleman, the most memorable thing about him to me as a child was his "Grandfather's Clock." He wound it every day, keeping it's long pendulum ticking back and forth and its resounding gong ringing out the hours, day and night. To me, that song WAS my grandfather - minus the knothole in a wooden leg!
Beyond my grandparents "living reality", in a way, they were a tie to American History for me. They met, and married, as members of the "New Amsterdam Society" in New York City. Their ancestry went all the way back to the Dutch founded colony on Manhattan Island. There's a cemetery at the head of Wall Street - the street along the Wall that separated the Dutch section from the English one. My Dutch relatives declare that our family is related to nearly everyone lying beneath those headstones, some way or another.
Our host sometimes talks about his Scottish progenitors in Nova Scotia. It's important to have some sort of sense of "lineage" - whatever that may be. The APHC tales of Norwegian settlers in Minnesota - they add character and spice to the nature of Lake Woebegoners!
I remember how surprised I was when I actually came up to the gates of the "Prairie Home Cemetery" in Moorhead, Minnesota! It's those little touches with "reality" that give those stories temporal and spatial dimensions. Maybe there's a "Grandpa" or two resting there who actually did have a wooden leg - a knot-hole and all!
Happy Birthday GK, and remember you woke up this morning just one day older! Still enjoying all you do, and have done. If the octogenarian Rolling Stones can still tour the stadiums this summer, you certainly can keep writing, singing, limericking, and inspiring us.
A very Happy Birthday to the Old Scout...
I have a wooden plaque that I purchased many years ago from the Prairie Home Companion Catalogue. It reads - Anything you do for children is never wasted. That is wrong. The wooden plaque should read - “Time spent with children is never wasted”. They want your time.