Exhausted

 I think that it must be exhausting to be my wife who I love dearly. I believe this because of the stress involved with living through a pandemic, being a type "A" personality person, having moved away from her family and no longer having a regular job. After over twenty years of being married to me has also not been helpful. It it has taken me a considerable amount of effort just to start putting these thought in writing.

During this year we have been forced to social distance and spend almost twenty four hours together. With just one vehicle I have become the designated driver. This has become an exhaustive task for me, not because of the physical idea of driving, but the constant narrative that I hear during any trips anywhere. These include driving instructions, including pointing out the obvious like the light is green, there is a pothole, watch the curb, look out for that car ahead, they are driving angry, they are doing something other than driving, don't stay in this lane, and the list goes on. As I have gotten older I would like to think that I have grown my patience level and try not to take it the comments personally. One of the greatest mechanism that I have developed is not to respond to every thing that is said to me. 

I gone to calling my wife (at least in my mind, never out loud) captain obvious. We can both be looking at the same thing or I may have just made a comment, and my wife will feel the need to tell me about it or say it back to me as if it is something new. As we watch television shows and things happen there is a need to let me know what just happened or why it happened even as we both watch it together. I believe a portion of all these things is her need to try and take care of me. Since I'm more of an introverted and reflective person she has to keep the conversation going and our "team" dynamic communications.

The other reason is that she has a somewhat messiah complex. She believes that she has to say or do things in order for them to get done. If she does clean up, it won't get done properly. I virtually feel banned from kitchen seeing that I can't load the dishwasher properly, cook anything, move things where they aren't supposed to be in the pantry or refrigerator. Commentary of my need to do things properly even as small as putting the trash bag in the waste basket come daily. Handling her family activities with our grown children, grandkids, and mother are a must which she relishes.

She also has super intuition. She basically has a background story for everything and some very strong racists opinions. You could call them mini conspiracy theories. Reasons why people are walking on the wrong side of the path at the park, why someone has some old furniture outside their house, why the grass isn't cut, or fence being painted, why that car is over the line, or anything that draws her attention. I find that some things just are not important enough for comment since they have no impact on me. Also the most reasonable explanation for most things are the simplest versus the more elaborate. She can even tell what the animals are thinking from dogs, to squirrels, to insects. 

While all this is going on during stressful times, with the pandemic and the Trump presidency, I wonder will there be post pandemic stress disorder to look forward to. It would be nice to go out to restaurants, museums, shopping and have family visitors again. The ability to see the world and what we have in terms of blessings as opposed to what we don't have is something I am striving for everyday. I have so much to be thankful for, including a loving wife who's heart is always in the right place. 

Ain't Love Grand During A Pandemic

 After downsizing and moving to Florida last year I started a  new phase of life. Me and my bride of over  20 years were on our own, in a condo without any family around. It was just the two of us striking out without jobs and minimal responsibilities. No big house to clean, yard to cut, one car (paid off) and a reasonable income to enjoy ourselves. The grown children visited from both sides of our mixed family and some even brought the grandkids with them. We were able to pick up and go to our sons wedding in California and even take a staycation down to the Florida Keyes. Life was pretty good.  Then the pandemic hit and everything changed.

Now we were on lockdown with limited movements from time to time. My wife, who already was a germaphobe became extremely vigilant against the virus in every way possible. One of the things I quickly learned was that being together with someone, even someone you love, 24/7 has its pitfalls. You really learn alot about your spouse during times like these. I've learned that the triggers for my wife belching sessions are coffee and wine. Therefore, I have to be ready for them and be patient enough to let them happen, and know it is not her fault, or that she is just rude. I'm sure I have things that my wife is tolerating about me, and I have to be aware of them.

My wife has become a kitchen Nazi. That is her domain and I know it. It is disheartening that when I try to help or do things for myself I am told to "stop, leave that alone, get this and move, you put those things in the wrong place, etc." But I know that she is in control here, and only trying to do things her way. She feels her job is to keep us eating healthy meals and the kitchen clean. The same kind of things go for the bathrooms and the bedroom. I have been relegated to the dinning and leaving room areas, which is ok with me since I get to control the 75" TV (great for watching sports).

My wife is a type A personality and sometimes I feel that it must be terribly difficult for her during these times. She has to be involved in everything and to some extent has a Messiah complex. When we go to the park to walk, which has become a regular and great benefit for us to get outdoors, she is constantly aware of everyone's activities. For example, the people coming towards us are on the wrong side of the path, the park workers haven't cut the grass yet, people are feeding the squirrels which she believes have made them all aggressive, any person with a fishing pole down at the waters edge is feeding the alligators, that couple talking must be having an argument, is that person's dog on a lease, why is that sofa outside that house by the curb, and the list goes on. Me, I just want to be outside and sing the music that's in my earphones in my head.

Driving is a completely different experience these days. I love spending time with my wife but traveling in the car to a constant narrative on the other drivers shortcomings, my driving choices, and her fears of trucks, curves, and potholes  can become a little  disturbing.  Also, she is one of the worst navigators I have ever seen, even with the GPS. It is almost funny at times. But, with that being said I can understand why she prefers not to drive in our new home city and surroundings. We had previously agreed that I would drive during the day, and she would drive at night, since my night vision was getting bad. However, with the pandemic we just don't have places or the need to be out after dark. Hence, most of the driving falls on me, unless I just want a break, and ask her to take the wheel.

Hopefully the pandemic will eventually be controlled and some semblance of normalcy will return, I know we all miss having contact with our families, I know it is extremely hard on my wife missing her mother, daughters, and grandkids. She was  always the one everyone went to and she feels obligated to help, even when she can't be there in person. It is part of her purpose in life, even when she gets herself overwhelmed. She keeps adding things to her plate, and it is my job to help her balance things out. That's what I am good at, and I think helps make our marriage work. Her latest project is to invest in some real estate, in the hopes of "building wealth." Since my years left are probably fewer that hers, and she wants to use our retirement funds for this, I'm all in if it makes her happy. I just will need to be able to say no to things that I feel are very risky or can't be done.

The grandkids call my wife "extra". Everything she does is to the extreme or  extra. Many things are always framed in a paranoid or conspiratorial manner. Spending all this exclusive time with her that she is envious of many things. She has aspirations for houses, cars, clothing, that match those of the rich and famous. There is a difference between wanting to have nice things and obsessing over them. believe while she says she doesn't care about what others think, she really does, and has a strong desire to be recognized. That helps us match up because I want her to have nice things, within reason, and constantly strive to try and recognize her for what she has accomplished and who she is. I probably don't do it enough, but I hope she knows this fact.

Anyway, love is grand in 2020 and God has blessed us with good health so far, and many other blessings. 

Prepared for Bad News

 As I have grown older and experienced many more thing in these United States of America as a black man, I have grown more patient. To reduce the stress of everyday life in a racist society, where the Eurocentric standards are imposed on everyone, I have become more reflective. I spend much more time with myself and spiritually thinking of  all my blessings, versus my shortcomings. This becomes even more obvious as I look around and see the horrible conditions that have befallen others around the world and within our own country. As a racist who sees the difference between people of color, and the white race, my life has always been written as them and us. I would like to think though that I have always wanted to treat people as I would like to be treated, while looking down on others because of their race, religion, or economic status. 

With everything that is going on in the year 2020 I realize that even though I am an optimist for the most part I have come to be prepared for bad news. When Barrack Obama was running for President of the United States, with the opportunity to become the first black president, I was prepared for his defeat. I was also prepared for the treatment he received from white supremist and even the whites within the government. The Republicans did not try to hide their intentions of doing whatever they could to ensure he did not succeed and thwart his efforts at every turn.

When the Donald Trump ran for president against Hillary Clinton, and people said he didn't have a chance, I was prepared for his victory. I was only believable that a person with little moral fortitude and no experience in government or even service, could be elected in these United States.

After the tape was shown and Rodney King was beaten, I was prepared for those police offices would walk and not be held accountable. After all this had ben going on for years and the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and suspecting a different result. This of course was reason for people to be angry and resulted in violence. Now in 2020 the same scenarios are playing out over the country. With the killing of George Floyd, Breoona Taylor, and others, the Black Lives Matter movement is once again asking for justice and police reform. While this movement is much more widespread between races, ages, and genders I am prepared for what will or will not be the outcome. I remember that 6 years since Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson Missouri, the findings were finally revealed. And that was that there will be no prosecution of the officer involved.

Many people say that one of the strengths of black people is their pride or their ability and resilience to bounce back from the injustice and adversity they have had to face. I think that it being prepared and knowing that it is coming may be a greater strength. If these adversities were not placed upon us to start with then we could live our lives with all races equally dependent with each other in America. Like everything else here though, I am prepared for this not to happen, since those in power have "always" needed or had a lower group of people to be above. 

As the 2020 presidential election gets close and closer, the polls show that the Democrat Joe Biden and his African American Vice President candidate Kamala Harris are leading in the polls against Trump (I find it hard to call him president). There is a groundswell of anti Trump sentiment due to his handling of the Covet 19 pandemic, which has led to the loss of over 200,000 Americans and counting, the loss of jobs,  as well as his lying to America on many fronts. With all of this I am prepared for the bad news if he wins.

Pandemic and Panic

The coronavirus pandemic has attacked the world as we know it with mass infections and deaths. Over 150,000 Americans have died within the course five months with millions infected. Our government and president have done a very poor job of mitigating the spread, as false information is spread against what the infectious disease experts tell us what needs to be done. Also, the so called privileged "Americans" feel that they have the right to do as they want. This includes younger people of all races,  and those who have been informed that "me first" is the way to go. Even as senior citizens and minorities continue to die at an alarming rate. For many people the stress of the outbreak and its impact on housing, joblessness, and the economy is causing a severe sense of panic.

Panic is defined as "sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety often causing wildly unthinking behavior." Certainly the sense of impending doom or death from this terrible disease can trigger panic attacks. The fact that millions of Americans have lost their jobs and their income, and their government has failed to help them would constitute a time for panic. When you can't feed your children or possible have a home can definitely be considered impending doom. 

My wife has always been a germaphobe, which is to our advantage, during a time like this. It is also a big trigger for panic, as she often does, as news is reported on the dire situation our country is in today. Each report on deaths and possible ways to get the virus feeds her already negative nature towards life. Every activity no matter how small could lead to infection, even those that the scientist have identified as having a very low risk. Just dealing with it everyday is stressful in and of itself. We are fortunate in the fact that our income has not been affected, but only the need to socially distance, However, that means isolation together almost 24/7. Life begins to take on a groundhog type of existence.

During this time I tell myself that it is not time to panic and try my hardest to reassure my better half. I truly believe that I have been blessed and it is reaffirmed everyday as I see and read of the suffering of others. Fear is not a bad emotion. It is put there in us, so that we can make the proper decisions in difficult or harmful situations. The key is being able to overcome the fear while not being controlled by panic. I can only imagine the panic of someone without income after working most of their lives, and seeing their lives slipping away from them with nothing they can do, I once was told that if you worry, just pray. And if you pray, don't worry.  With the pandemic being out of our hands, I think we should all worry, but don't panic. And definitely PRAY.

Running on a Treadmill

You always have to wonder about the timing of historical events. With so many African Americans killed by police, it was the death of George Floyd that sparked a movement worldwide against racism under the banner of Black Lives Matter. Was it the fact that it was recorded on video for all to see, so that even the most liberal, moderate, or conservative of people would feel that it was morally wrong. Enough is enough as they say. This is America, the land of the free and home of the brave. How could something like this happen here. I think back at other ah hah moments I have seen. The Rosa Parks moment on the Montgomery bus, the shooting in the street of Saigon of a Viet Cong by a Vietnamese officer that was shown live on the evening news, the march on Washington, the assassinat ions of JFK and MLK, and the 911 terrorist attack. These things all moved us to action.

I have been reading more about our country and it's history daily, and the fact that the experiment of democracy states as a founding pillar that all men are created equal, that was not a belief under which our, (or should I say the) country was built. It is an ideal that is set out there for us to strive to achieve, and one we are still a long way from. The idea of white supremacy over all the other inhabitants of the earth is one that goes back way before the colonization of the Americas. Those who are in power gain it  through the oppression of others. While African Americans thought they could not be racist because they didn't have power, they still are because of cultural, ethic, and even economic  racism.  I'm trying my best to be an antiracist where I don't lump the action of individuals into a believe about all members of a group. I don't look for the worst in people or situations without having any facts. However, in the case of many police brutality cases th facts appear obvious, while the outcomes for justice are not.

All major civilizations have reached a peak and or them replaced by something or someone else. I truly believe that will be the case here in America. Whether it will be a good change or a bad change will be determined by whether the oppressor or the oppressed win out. Power does not normally surrender unless violently opposed by the oppressed. I have protest all my life from one group or another. Many succeed in getting some change, but most have made it by achieving one step forward and two steps back. This has been demonstrated by the civil rights movement over the years. 

It is difficult to watch the activities of our government over the past decade. Democratic or Republican, the party in power uses all means possible to oppress the opposition. Even with the first black President where change and reconciliation could have been made, many could not see past the

racial fact or the difference in ideology to work together. Now that the country was looking for an opposite type of leader they have elected a narcistic, paranoid, ill prepared con man to run the country. His stated modus operandi is to cause chaos and division so that he can win at the expense of others and never be seen as being wrong or in his words "a loser". His ineptitude during the coronavirus pandemic will lead to thousands of Americans dying and our economy will never be the same. I'm sure he will walk away with his finances in tack as millions will be unemployed and homeless. He will claim that it the fault of the other party which has been after him since his election, and that he was treated worst than any president in the history of the country. Again with no regards to the millions of other people who will suffer from his incompetence and moral ineptitude.

 I can only pray for our country and my children/grandchildren for what lies ahead once I am gone. I would like to be optimistic and say we will get through this, since history repeats itself and we have come through things in the past, but unfortunately I can't. Two steps forward and one step back.

Have You Got 2020 Vision?

When you take a look at the year 2020 how do you see it? Are you farsighted, nearsighted? Do you have stigmatisms or cataracts? Or do you see clearly. There is so much going on in America that the divide between people and what they believe is greater than ever before.

Let's start with our President that has divided us the most. My eyes see a person with very little moral capital, a great deal of prejudice and racial bias, a narcissist who has a need to win at any cost and be praised by everyone. I see a conman with little empathy for the common man and a desire to rule as supreme commander. A person who has never served anyone's cause accept himself, yet has been able to convince a great deal of people that he is working to keep them in power. Supporting the growth of the rich and capitalism over sharing the prosperity of the greatest country on earth with the less fortunate. While his TV ads say he is not Mr. Nice Guy, he just does things his way, and get's things done, he really has accomplished little and has torn down a lot without better options that help anyone else but those in power. His handling of the hurricane disasters and the coronavirsus pandemic demonstrated his incompetence, and have led to the death of thousands of Americans. And he uses his position to remove from office anyone who does not share his views particularly the inspector generals of agencies, who are there to watch out for the peoples interest in an apolitical capacity.

However there are those who see a savior. A man telling truth and not being taken advantage of by liberal Democratic politicians. A man who is tough and will "tell it like it is" and get what we deserve.Other countries will not take advantage of the USA anymore. We will rule again. The white race here in America made this country and they are not going to give it up to immigrants , blacks and hispanics. He has exposed the lies of the government and we are going to do things his way to bring the white America back to greatness. The stock market believes and proves it. We need the wall to hold back the flow of immigrants into our country. They are taking or jobs (even though these are jobs we don"t or will not do) and are criminals. Just like African Americans they are thugs and lazy people looking for a hand out. He has exposed Obama and the Democrats of trying to tarnishes his victory as President and he'll be showing how much crooked things were going on in the government before he arrived. 

I feel a sense of sorrow for what has become of our country. While there was plenty to fix this year and the whole last four will set us back so far from maintain and becoming the best place of earth to live. I see how blessed we and I am blessed to live here, when I see scenes from the middle east, Africa, South America and almost everywhere in the world. The war on poverty didn't work here and it hasn't worked for the world. I do know that as we move away from clean water, air and food regulations we get closer everyday to not only climate change but also world poverty. The divide between the have and the have not's will widen and millions will suffer. Race wars and violent outbreaks will continue and move to the breaking point for our country. Our justice system is broken and the people in power in both parties have no way to fix it, Our infra structure is crumbling as we look to keep funds in the hands of corporations.

My heart suffers and my mind is taxed by the killing of African Americans by those who are supposed to protect us. The police, and not all of them, has been empowered by the President and his Republican cosigners to take out their frustrations and racist fears on people of color. White privilege has taken on a whole new level. These things remind me of the civil rights tragedies experienced in the 1960's. Make America Great Again has Made America Hate Again. Protesters of these criminal racist acts are called thugs and should be tear gased and shot, while while Americans can be armed with assault weapons and storm a government building unharmed, and called good citizens who want their rights to get a haircut and go to a bar during a pandemic. All African Americans want is the right to live and not be killed by police. And those African Americans who can still support Trump because he says he is having the Justice Dept look into the killing, I feel sorry for. These may be the same people who said Obama didn't do anything for African Americans, as if he was supposed to be our savior. Obama made life better for "all Americans" and tried to end the racist feelings, but it is hard to do when the Republicans gained power and vowed to obstruct everything he tried to do.

History will tell what kind of  glasses you wore during 2020. The election is coming up in November and we will see which way our country will move. It get better or worst. Will our democratic institutions be torn down? Will we be part of a global world or not? Will we have one party rule or will we have checks and balances in our government? Will racism and economic inequality tear us apart? I can only hope for the sake of my grand kids that we make the right choices.

Stay At Home Update

It has been two month now since our Stay At Home order has been in place here in Tampa Florida. Due to the coronavirus we have been told to stay at home except for essential trips to the grocery, pharmacy, and gas stations. All retail businesses/malls, parks, beaches, restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and anything else not considered essential to maintaining the community and fighting the spread of this deadly virus have been shut down. Social distancing orders are in place to reduce the spread and wearing masks in public is now socially acceptable as the norm. Older individuals like myself and my wife are in the group that is highly vulnerable to the virus, as well as being African American and having risk factors including heart disease, high blood pressure, and respiratory illnesses.

After living in confines quarters with my wife who is an acknowledged germaphobe is a blessing and a curse at the same time. She has always been disinfecting our surroundings, telling me to not touch things like door knobs, public railing, or anything in a public restroom. Washing my hands has been mandatory throughout, even with a killer virus. Kitchen and bathrooms are spotless and cleaned with military precision. She is taking excellent care of both of us. It is difficult sometimes though to not be able to live casually without the constant reminders of potential dangers from everything and everybody. Conversations come up aver the most trivial of things, which cause her to be stressed, and me to try not to respond similar to the grandchildren who call her petty. I just call her Extra.

My wife is a loving woman who is cursed with the need to take care of everyone, and critiques the needs of everybody. The neighbor should toss those dead flowers on her porch, this person should cut their grass, the motel should paint and put up a new fence, No one knows how to drive properly, including yours truly who receives instructions and narration constantly. I worry about her and her stress levels, as even when we go the park for our daily walk. She is terribly angry about the fact that people have fed the squirrels and now that don't really have a fight/flight response. She is convinced that they will attack her. She has no tolerance for bike riders who pass us on the pathway and do not say "on your left" to alert you of their coming. Walkers on the wrong side of the path are admonished yards away and told to move over, which they normally do before getting to us. Bugs and sweating are almost unbearable. But after all this, she loves the beautiful day outside the condo and breathing the fresh air.

This week begins the phase 1 for reopening the state. Beaches and parks are reopened. Restaurants can reopen with social guidelines and serve inside and outside, as well as take out orders. Beauty and barbershops are back open.  Gyms will be open next as well as swimming pools. It will probably be some time before we get out to any of these with the virus still out there and still infecting people. A vaccine is a ways off and I will put my money on my loving germaphobe wife to keep me safe and in line.

Social Distancing

For me 2020 will be known as the year of the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. This was the year that everything changed in our society. A new term came into existence called "Social Distancing". With the virus killing thousands of people worldwide and no cure, non medical action was needed to slow down the spread of the disease. Things as simple as washing your hands 

regularly, not touching your face, sanitizing surfaces, and staying away from others.

With social distancing people are expected to stay indoors, and if they are out they should stay a distance of at least six feet from each other. No groups larger that five to ten are allowed to gather together. Also, wear a mask while out in public is recommended. Many feel that this is infringing on their democratic and god given rights. After all we are a "society" that is built on social interaction.

This had not been quite a dramatic change for me, particularly since I have had a six month preparation period. Last year in 2019 my wife and I sold our big home in Louisville, KY and move to Tampa, FL with no jobs (retired) , no family, and no friends living there. We downsized, went to one car, and had been living together since then. We went everywhere together and got accustomed to be inside together with just each other, similar to what the "stay at home" orders demand now. Yes, we did get out, go to festivals, museums , a restaurants, but basically we were socially distant. Seeing that my wife was a germaphobe before the outbreak has been a plus for us now. She is used to not shaking hands, not touching doors and banisters while out in public, and definitely keeping the house disinfected. 

It is hard on her to not be social. especially without her family here. She got into the habit of talking on the phone with her mother almost daily, as well as her daughters. Since she likes to talk this fills in time. She also enjoys cooking, so a lot of time is spent in the kitchen coming up with new dishes and trying recipes. Being together has also shown me that me attempts to help or do anything in the kitchen are usually rebuked. Therefore I have learned to stay out, since I can't even load the dishwasher to her standards, and I definitely don't put things away in their proper places. 

We have been married for over twenty years now and as soulmates I have learned to listen, while my wife is the conversationalist in this relationship.  We have our own little society going right now as we wait for the new world order to come.

Day to Day

    I consider myself a pretty organized individual. I have never been much for clutter. My mother never ever had to really tell me to clean up, and since we didn't have any sisters, my brothers and me had to do all the household chores. When I went into the Air Force these organizational traits were heightened. Even now I always make my bed in the mornings to get my day started.

With that as background my days and time have always had some type of structure. After the service I joined the workplace with an eight to five outside sales job. Monday thru Friday was established with a route itinerary each day. After five o'clock it was home or out with friends at the club, eat, sleep and do it again. The Saturdays were reserved for sports, either actual or on tv. Sundays were for church and professional sports watching. After getting married this stayed about the same with some adjustments as the family took priority after work hours. I also moved up into management with more time in an office environment with meetings, and less travel time.

Once I retired this whole routine changed. No longer did I have to get up at a set time in the mornings with a designated place to go, people to meet with, and things to be accomplished at the "job". However a new schedule developed. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings were designated as work out days at the gym. Tuesdays and Thursdays became household chores and activity days. Afternoons were filled with things such as book reading, music listening, and tv watching. Evenings again went to entertaining my wife's interests. Whatever she had in mind for us to do, and any grandkid after school activities.

The next change came with the downsizing and move to Florida. Now both myself and my wife Donna were retired and life was again unstructured. The first part of the transition we spent together making changes to the condo. Including new flooring, some new furniture, fixtures , etc. I continued with the Mon, Wed, Fri. daytime schedule at our complex's gym. However, I was getting up later, or should I say getting more and better sleep. Our weekly schedule now revolved around looking at the newspaper to determine what festivals, farm markets, museum exhibits, or events were occurring in the Tampa Bay area that week. There was "always" something going on and we filled our calendar accordingly. Evenings were reviewed as to whether to eat in or check out a new restaurant. There were many. Each night of the week there was at least one primetime tv show that we watched together.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic and time changed again. The new words for the day were social distancing. No more crowds, sports, restaurants. We stocked up on food and my wife jumped into her passion for cooking. At first we could get out to the park, and began walking one to two miles each morning during the week. All sports both college and professional were cancelled, even the NCAA Basketball Tournament. What is March without March Madness. All my sports channels went null and void as they began to show reruns of past events, which really were of no real interest to me. Businesses were shut down. No school, gyms, pools, or parks were open, and people were told to stay safe by staying at home.

Now each day seems like the previous one. We walk around the circular complex waving at neighbors who are home now with children, or working their jobs from home. The afternoons are spent reading or playing games on my cell phone, while sitting on my sun drenched balcony. There's the occasional ride in the car, just to get out some and Donna fills the time making meals and doing online shopping. Saturdays are like any other day, not the highly anticipated end of the week. Sundays can be identified by the gospel music being played through the sound bar and by watching our pastor, Kevin Cosby, preaching live over the internet on our big screen tv. All in all we are handling our self imposed isolation pretty well. Since the move I am spending all my time with someone who I love and care about, without the stress that comes with other family members and their problems. We stay in contact with them via telephone, Facetime, and social media which helps keep us from being completely disconnected from family.

Hopefully the pandemic will eventually come to an end and be under control. The world can go back to being connected again and people and business can get back to living. While it will not be the same world we had before the pandemic in many ways, we can be optimistic that we will have learned things that will make it better.

Times, They Are A Changing

     Now that I have reached my seventies I can reflect on some of the events of my past. I can first remember people saying "I Like Ike" , talking about President Eisenhower running for election. As I went through school I remember the inauguration of JFK and his assassination. I lived through the cold war with the USSR, the Vietnam war, and the civil rights movement. Two more assassinations , including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy.

 Then, there was Watergate where we had a sitting president resign in the face of scandal. Spent four years in the Air Force as the Vietnam war wound down. Constant wars in the Middle East kept the world on edge. The worst attack on America since Pearl Harbor, came 9/11 2001 with the attack on the World Trade Center. While George Bush was not my popular favorite the country came together against a common enemy. Wars escalated including one still going on today in Afghanistan.  I've seen three recessions  including the latest in 2008, climate change demonstrated throughout the world with major weather disasters. Last but not least, the election of a black man to the highest office in the land Barrack Obama, with the promise of change  and a better America.

 I watched politics torn apart by this and the death of political compromise. Then the soap opera drama that ended in the election of our current president Donald Trump. The greatest con of all time on the American public. A egomaniac who has never served anyone but himself, with no empathy for the plight of the common man, since he has no idea of that life, used America's fears and racism to secure the Presidency.

 I have survived several epidemic threats, including, Swine Flu, SARS, Ebola, H1N1, and others. However, the current pandemic the Coronavirus is the most serious of all, and will have catastrophic consequences on America and the world. More people will die in America alone, than in all the wars mentioned above combined. The King is naked and has shown his incompetence in the face of this emergency. He claims no accountability for our slow response and indecisiveness. It is the broken system that he inherited, it will miraculously end on it own, he says "he" is doing a great job as people die in the thousands. He says "who knew". Everyone knew, and was trying to be prepared except him. He disbanded the agency responsible for addressing just this type of crisis, and then said he didn't do it, and we would have to find out who did it in his administration. I recall seeing a movie called Outbreak that showed this same happening. The task to try to contain the spread and the projections of massive deaths if an antidot was not found. Only in the movie they do find the antidote to make a serum, and worldwide devastation is averted. I hope that our real life story can end as promising. 

Making a Move

     I haven't written anything for a year now, basically because I didn't want to continue to always show my disdain for our current president and the activities surrounding his presidency, including a lengthy impeachment hearing and so called trial.

During this time a lot have changed in my life. We spent  several months including Christmas 2018, opening our home to our middle daughter and her three children, after they were evicted form their home. The first half of 2019 was spent coordinating getting the children to school and looking out for

everyone. We were finally able to secure housing for them in May as the school year was ending. After that, my wife and I decided that we needed a change in "our" lives. 

We put our house up for sale and began looking to downsize to a retirement home in Tampa. We finally agreed on Tampa because of its location, for the next stage of our lives. I worked to get our finances in order, sold the house much faster than we anticipated, found a condo in Tampa, and completed the move by July 1st.

The move did not go smoothly. We were taken advantage of by some unscrupulous movers, who did not deliver our items as promised. Instead of moving directly to Tampa, they were taken to a warehouse on the southside of Chicago. After consistent phone calls and request, we eventually had to travel there and get our things, and had them shipped from there to Tampa. We reported this to the Department of Transportation and the local police, however nothing was ever really done and we were out several thousand dollars. Eventually we got our things and got settled in by the end of July.

It was a blazing hot summer but we have enjoyed our change of scenery and lifestyle. Particularly the fact that we could still go to festivals and beaches during the winter months. we did have a hurricane scare, but we were spared in the end, as it turned north up the coast and missed us completel

My youngest son remarried in October, and we traveled to the wedding in California. It was a wonderful trip and wedding. After that our oldest son and his wife visited in November on their way to a wedding in Miami. It was great getting out with them to restaurants and the beach. At Christmas our youngest daughter, her boyfriend and her three children came down to visit and stayed till New Years. We took the kids everywhere and they loved their trip to Legoland.

Now 2020 has come and along with it a pandemic which threatens us all. Right now we are living under a Stay Home order, with business coming to a halt, beaches, parks, and all gatherings shut down. We get out when we can, to walk around and get some exercise and sunshine, but the world has been turned upside down and the future is unknown. Fortunately my faith sustains me and still see that everyday is a blessing and we should rejoice in it. My wife is the best of companions and the love of my life, which makes going through these trying times tolerable. Stay safe and with plenty of time on my hands I guess I'll be writing more in the days to come.