Monday, September 14, 2009

Vacation Tales.

The main reason I go to central Illinois around Labor Day is on the Sunday before Labor Day we have a family gathering. This way I can see more of my relatives. I had an especially nice time with my Uncle Norman, Dad's older brother. He is 86 and gets around remarkably well for his age. He no longer drives and uses a walker, but he stays as active as he can. I went and picked him up for the gathering. He had told Mom that he couldn't bring anything because he had not been able to get his groceries. A van picks him up and takes him but they weren't able to get him that week. I offered to take him grocery shopping before I took him home. At first he wasn't going to let me, but then decided to. He told me that way we could spend more time together.

I think that part of my enjoyment of working in retail comes from him. He was a manager for Kroger and then opened his own store in Urbana, Illinois. He was an independent in the days when you could make money without being a chain. The name of his store was Norm's Shopping Bag. When I told him about that he told me the thing he liked about was the grocery business was you were always working. It was not quite as seasonal as farming. We went to a Wal-Mart, (imagine that) in Springfield and he picked up what he needed. After i took him home he offered to give me some money for gas, but I told him all I needed from him was a hug. You don't have to get paid for doing something for someone, especially family.

I didn't do any sight-seeing this time. I did talk to a friend of mine who is on a crusade to revitalize Mason City. He has spent a lot of time and money buying buildings downtown, painting murals and planting trees. There has been a definite improvement since he started. His name is John Means. In the '80's he moved to San Francisco and performed under the name Dr Gonzo. He appered in a few videos with Huey Lewis and the News. I will see if I can find a link to one he appeared in and will post it some Sunday. John showed me some of his current projects. Next year I will take some pictures and post them. I am working on another post about Mason City which I should be posting in a week or so.

My rabbit missed me while i was gone. He had started wanting to sit in my lap for about 5 minutes a day. Since I have returned he is now coming to me several times a day. I'll put my camera on my desk and take a picture of him and post that later.
Dana was right. Orange is the third of the secondary colors.
Today's question is Grade 3/English.
Adverbs describe what part of speech?
  • A) pronoun
  • B) verb
  • C) interjection
I knew this one. 134-22.


2 comments:

Travis said...

I hope the answer is B.

Sounds like you had a good time on your vacation, and welcome back, Howard!

Jeff said...

I think you made the most out of an ugly situation, Howard. Welcome back.