A New Dawn-A New Day

Today is going to be a wonderful day. Don't laugh when you read this but when I awoke at 8 am this morning the sun was shining. (Sol doesn't shine in central Ohio in winter). I've tried to get up earlier but to no avail. Elizabeth is careful not to wake me when she goes to work. Yes, sometimes I feel guilt over this, that she works and I don't, but the feeling soon passes. It's sort of nice, though, being my own boss and crawling out of bed when I want. The high temp today is going to be 36F. This makes for a fabulous mindset! Even better, it's going to rain tonight so we can all say, "good-bye" to the snow. I heard a report from some news source a month ago citing a reputable news firm from Pennsylvania. This guy said that Spring will arrive to the Midwest in mid-February. I don't want any wise guy responses, either, referring to a furry animal from some fake sun celebration in some Pennsylvania town I can't pronounce or spell. Understand, I live in Ohio, the "phony-Midwest". The real Midwest includes, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. Please don't forget this, ever! This is the rule about the Midwest. If you live in the eastern time zone you cannot live in the Midwest. I never want to have to repeat this again. Regardless, I trust it's going to get warmer sooner and, being the eternal optimist, I'll have visions of being a candidate for the Super Senior Tour with a handicap of 1.
Another reason it's going to be a special day is I get to see my grandson and granddaughter. My grandson's name is, Oscar, and he's four-years old. Don't laugh about the name. With a moniker like that it automatically means he'll be a butt-kicker when he grows up. For his sake he'd better be. Besides, he's the best looking, smartest, most like able boy--ever. He has curly blond hair and the best smile. We laugh together at stupid things. One day we went looking for "dust bunnies" in his bedroom. "Dust bunnies" was one of those set of words that made him giggle so we overdid it. His mom didn't think it was all that funny. My granddaughter is five months shy of two so she's just getting used to being around me. Her name is Genevieve but we all call her VeeVee. She was named after a lady who, at one time, was a model for Christian Dior. I've met this woman. She lives in France and is a very nice lady. She wouldn't qualify as a model anymore, though. I'm fascinated at how VeeVee's grown and the extent of her vocabulary. She has a universal word for any piece of food she likes. It's 'cookie'. Pretty special, isn't it!
I live in a neighborhood where our neighbors are physically close to us. It's a very nice condo area. There are two widow ladies nearby; one on my left and the other across the street. When it snows I shovel their walks. I get their mail. I run errands for them if they need it. A cousin of mine said that I was a nice guy for doing this. Wrong! I've done so many crummy things in my life I need to burn off some days in Purgatory and God has provided me this particular outlet. I'm not exactly singing, "Zippety-Doo-Dah-Day" when I'm shoveling. I hope it's the act, not the attitude, that gets one time off from the flickering flames. This is how bad I can be. One day I wondered if they had any surviving relatives and if they maybe had bad coughs. This thinking can easily add another thirty days to "you know where".
I might get to the rec center today. I've gone from the treadmill to the stair master; less stress on my hips, knees, back, neck, spine, feet, toes, tongue, hair, and fingers. I'm looking forward to exercising today, too.
A near miracle happened last night. Iowa beat Wisconsin in basketball. That pleases me. I went to bed happy which means I woke up happy.
There's a guy who lives across the street who is a dentist. He's 74 years old and still working. Get this! He's invented a process of using stem cells from wisdom teeth to regenerate lost teeth in kids. I met him the first day we moved in. He played football for the legendary Woody Hayes in the late 50's and is recognized as one of the great ones in OSU football annals or so I've been told. Actually, I had one of the men in the neighborhood tell me he "was a real piece of work," whatever that means. I enjoy talking to him. He initially comes off as a gruff fellow but is far from it. His fingers are the size of Vlasic pickles and he lumbers when he walks but he's a very nice man and enjoyable to converse with. The Doc told me the Buckeyes went out to Iowa in 1957 and got their butts beat 6-0. He said, "I hate that State"! He sounded as though he had gravel in his throat when he said it. He's also best friends with Jack Nicklaus and David Ledbetter. You'd have to know golf to know Ledbetter. He's considered one of the top golf instructors in the world. I see him on TV giving tips. Mr. Ledbetter sends the doctor a set of golf clubs every month. I was in his garage looking at all his clubs. It's like being at Dick's Sporting Goods except I don't have to drive to get there. I could stay in there all day. The Doc said he'd take me to Muirfield this year. If it happens I'll write about it. I was talking to my college baseball coach two nights ago. He started at QB for the Univ. of Iowa in 1951 and he'd heard of my neighbor so he must be something special. 1957 was a fun time to root for Iowa. They went to the Rose Bowl. It'd be another twenty-five years after that before they had a winning season.
I could continue writing but I want to see the grandkiddies.
It's going to be a fun day!