The What and Who of Death

      We live our lives with memories that are our own and then there are the stories that fill in the gaps of our memory timeline. This blog will be partially written by just such stories.      Both of my parents had jobs when I was a newborn and when my mom returned to work, my grandma Dorothy took care of me at our home in the Helena Valley. I like to use the word "surrogate:" rather than babysitter. Is that weird? They are like parents, in the case of my grandma, well, she's my parent's parent.      There is one story that has been told over and over about the day I went missing. In an age long before Amber Alerts, I went missing and my grandma did not know what to do. The county sheriff was alerted and my father apparently knew someone in the National Guard and they sent in a search party. The story goes on to say that I just came strolling back with my two dogs at my sides as if  I were out on a normal walk. About my two dogs, one ...

      As a citizen fulfilling my duties as a citizen, it occurs to me that something has gone horribly wrong in our country. People are voting by emotion rather than ruminating and digesting what they are voting for or against.      I have other blogs/memoirs ready for upload, but I feel compelled to write about the current political environment from my perspective. I know that many will stop reading right here, because there aren't many who care about another's perspective. That is fine, of course, because the purpose of this isn't to change your mind but only to show you different vistas with how I view this election and why I voted the way I did.      My life has taken me to some very interesting places during very interesting times. I've seen the Middle East floundering and I've seen it flourishing. I've seen Ground Zero in New York thanks to some great friends that I met in the Navy. I was raised in the rural north, but have been to...

 I was only 8 in 1980 and in the second grade, Mrs. Rouse. I remember there was a new teacher taking over the third grade class and his name was Mr. Skelton, but to us he was skeleton.  Another change that year was taking place in the White House. At age 8 I never paid attention to politics. At that age I couldn't tell you who the president was, but the atmosphere surrounding the election of Ronald Reagan really left an impression on this 8-year old, 2nd grade student whose only interest was the burgeoning space shuttle program.  It was only in later years that I learned why Reagan's election was so celebrated. The country was turning the corner from war and cold war. Jimmy Carter was a highly criticized president unable to deal with Iranian hostage takers.  40 years later and the parallels are astonishing. A US president unable to deal with a pandemic and highly criticized for his foreign policy being voted out after 1 term. Hey, Biden already has the dementia part ...

    I  should start this entry with the earliest years that I can remember. I was born in the city of Helena Montana and, at the age of five, moved with my parents to Hamilton Montana. These two cities help me remember the chronology of my early life. Music is also a good way to jog the memory. REO Speedwagon; "Time for me to fly".      Some of my very earliest memories are of flying a kite near our home. The field that my father and I flew this kite in was very large and still exists to this day. The day was cool, overcast and windy. The wind was good for flying the kite, however, I remember distinctly letting go of the kite string and watching it flutter about before crashing into the ground. That was the last time I ever flew a kite. My father pinned that kite on my bedroom wall. I do believe this memory is so vivid because it was pinned to my wall and I saw it everyday in its wrecked state. It was like a test of what activities would interest me. It was...