Extended Family

I’m all done searching for the world’s best topics, titles, and catchy subject matter. In keeping with my blog’s title, I’ve suddenly realized that my Odyssey includes the present as much as the past. I’ll make an effort to write every day, ideally at the peak of the day’s caffeine high when ideas and stories are fresh in my mind. I will incorporate my oldest life experiences in with today’s when it makes sense. 

Look at the video below. I don’t have the writing skills to capture all of the emotional aspects of what you see, but I can explain the circumstances. Our 3-year-old Great granddaughter, at 1:30 AM, is greeting her father after 6 weeks of separation while he was in Louisiana, waiting to embark on yet another PCS move, this time in an effort to successfully complete one of the most coveted schools in the United States Army. Joan, my wife, and I are so very proud of him.

For those six weeks, an elderly couple, Joan and I, had the opportunity, or the challenge of understanding what it is to have a high-energy child under foot all day. 
Our TV watching routine was obliterated! Despite the challenge, we bonded. Mom, my granddaughter, fortunately, does child care for a living so, she fully understood. The first few days were a little rough, but the 3 adults settled into their new boundaries and learned that, when barefooted, watch out for those tiny hard plastic dinosaurs. Were they being strategically placed in high traffic areas??? 

It’s Sunday. The health club, where I swim 6 days a week, is closed. For Sunday’s exercise, I take a long walk. Before I begin today’s walk, I needed to get rid of a large, useless piece of exercise equipment which we were unable to sell through the internet. It’s now lying flat on the ground between the sidewalk and the street. Our son-in-law will make a great Green Beret, but he sucks at marketing. He has written “FREE” twice on the largest flat surface of the carton facing straight up into the blue. If birds could read, ———  .  

I quickly make an 8×11 “FREE” sign, tape it on the largest surface of the carton. Creatively using a little foot stool on wheels, I move it up to the high traffic corner, and lean it against the stop sign hoping someone will haul it away.

My next stop is the gas station/convenience store to buy lottery tickets. Yes, I know I won’t win, but I justify it knowing that some of my money goes to public schools (I hope).

Next stop — the beautiful little small park which is part of the development named after a woman with 3 names. There’s a walking path around the entire perimeter of the park. 3 laps later I’m heading back home when I meet Bill who’s wearing a Green Bay Packer T-shirt. 2 ”cheeseheads” engage in a 15-minute conversation about everything Wisconsin. I introduce him to my blog domain name and secretly hope that I just picked up a “follower”.

As I say good-by to Bill and turn for home, I can see the stop sign which I had used to “market” my exercise equipment. It’s gone.