Mary Oliver Dog Poems

      Who knew that gifted Poet Mary Oliver wrote a book of dog poems, Dog Songs. Reading it reminded me of the gift of Odie. It also reminded me of the loss of Kaia, who should still be romping in the grass. Odie has made friends at the OFH. The other resident Springer hated Kaia and barked maniacally at sight of her. She walked over to Odie, sniffed noses while wagging her tail. Why the difference?  I have no idea.

A Bad Day

Ricky, why are you barking and trying
to rip up the couch? Can’t you settle
down? It’s been a long day.

“It sure has. First you forgot to take
me out. Then you went to the market
and heaven knows where else. And my
dinner was late. And our walk was
short. And now you’re supposed to
be on the floor playing with me but,
no, you’re doing something else. So I
thought I’d give this couch a little
distress.”

Well, don’t. Be a good boy.

“Honestly, what do you expect? Like
you I’m not perfect, I’m only human.”

-Mary Oliver, in “Dog Songs”

Takk for alt,

Al

Odie, in repose after his morning run in the park.

How often do you see Lutefisk in a comic?

 

Football is immoral!

    " CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a progressive brain disease caused by repeated hits to the head over months and years. It has been found in the brains of football players at every level, from high school to the NFL, and it can only be definitively diagnosed after death. The disease destroys brain tissue gradually, leading to problems with mood, memory, behavior, and eventually basic cognitive function." A recent news article reported that 25% of professional football players have CTE.

    The inordinate financial rewards of the minuscule minority of football players that make it as a professional tempt thousands of youth and college age males to play football, hereby risking permanent brain injury. That this is considered a legitimate sport is immoral.

   So, in answer to a posted question, "No, I do not watch football."

Takk for alt,

Al

 Sunset over the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, Thailand.

USA Wins!

     What do I know? Not much. apparently. Predicting that France would be a serious challenge to the USA World Cup basketball team was only true for the first minutes of the game. Early in the 2nd quarter France was ahead by 14 points. By halftime that lead was down to 2 points. The 3rd and 4th quarters belonged to USA. USA up 30 to 12 in the third. The final score? 97-79 and USA wins the fifth World Cup in a row. Yay team!

   So, now the WNBA schedule has each team with four games left before playoffs.

Takk for alt,

Al

PS We're still in the OFH.

Teaching 3rd grade in Thailand in 2020.

Still wrong...

     I shouldn't ever post numbers. The actual number of years since Ed and I entered boot camp is 67. Ed was there. He gave me the correct number.

    "The USA Basketball Women's National Team, commonly known as Team USA, is governed by USA Basketball and competes in FIBA Americas. The team is by far the most successful in international women's basketball, having won 10 out of the 12 Olympic tournaments it has entered. It has also won 9 of the last 12 World Cups (including the last 4), and 11 titles overall. The team is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings." Wikipedia 

    Today the USA women beat Spain in the quarter finals. They've gone through the tournament without a loss. They play France in the final tomorrow (Sunday) at 2:00 Central Time. These are the two best teams, and USA will have to play their best to win.

Take for alt,

Al

Oops, My Bad

    Michelene correctly identified my mathematical mistake. Yes, she's correct it's 69 years ago I left for boot camp. Reliability with numbers has never been my strong suit. That part, and probably others, of my brain is deficient.  Wow! that's a long time ago meaning I'm really, really old. Can you imagine boot camp in the fifties?

   An email from a new reader in North Dakota who is having trouble posting a comment may suggest that there are now three readers of this blog. The success is almost more that I can stand. This comes as my mind lacks an original thought. Perhaps I'll just post a random picture and hope I have a thought tomorrow.

Takk for alt,

Al

Question answer: Joanne's family were from Opdal and Songne Fjord.

Mortarmen covering their ears in anticipation the mortar blast. To the best of my memory, we had no hearing protection in the Marines. The VA ruled that 10% of my hearing loss was from the Marines. 

Fifty-Seven Years ago!

      This must mean I'm old! One of the clues to my age is when I remember things that happened decades ago. Such a long memory is only possible for old persons. A memory I have in mind is beginning Marine Corps boot camp fifty-seven years ago. My active enlistment began September 18, 1959, a date I never forget. 

    Prior to boot camp I was a rustic provincial. St. Paul, MN., was as far as I had been from my Brookings County, SD., home. Transported by plane to San Diego, CA., for training, the milieu was dramatically different from farm life at home. Surrounded by a coterie of young men whose life experiences were much different than mine, I now lived under strict rules enforced by drill instructors. The physical regimen was intended to shape us physically. Psychologically the intent was to make us fit as functioning parts of larger unit. Some didn't make it. More recruits washed out because of the psychological stress than from being physically unfit. 

   In retrospect enlistment was a good choice. Too immature psychologically, and poorly prepared academically, for college time in the Marines allowed me to mature. Fortunate to serve in peacetime there was never threat to my life. By the end of my enlistment, I'd chosen a path and was prepared to accomplish what was needed to achieve it.  

Takk for alt,

Al

Assigned to duty on aircraft carrier, the USS Princeton, we were frequently ferried to land by helicopter. The strap across the opening substituted for a door.