Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful; And since we've no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

All righty now, how many gentle readers have closed their browsers (the Internet equivelent of closing a book) after seeing the uplifting tribute to snow here? Well, despite the typical New England reaction to snow ("let's move to Florida") I like the snow, and offer some tips for enjoying it yourself. Get a pencil and paper, ok?

1. Go outside with your special sweetie at the first snow, and try to catch snowflakes on your nose.
2. Then close your eyes and feel the snow drifting onto your eyelids.
3. Walk a ways, stirring up the snow with your feet.
4. Go back inside, and have a cup of tea or hot chocolate together.
5. Find someone to plow or shovel you out after it is all over.
6. Relax, knowing you don't have to work in the snow, only enjoy the simple pleasures.

Simple pleasures. How we need to find the time to enjoy them. Even as I am not working, I still don't have the time figured to stop and smell the evergreens (it is not rose season, you know). But rest is very important, and even the Bible mentions that you need to find rest. I find the simple pleasures in smelling fresh flowers, tasting that first cup of coffee in the morning, seeing how the dew sparkles in the early morning light, and finding the best time for taking pictures of people are when the sun is low in the sky, for only a few minutes, and makes the trees and the faces of those you care about glowing in the warmth of the setting sun. Having the time to enjoy these snippets of the day for the beauty they represent and the good feeling that God is in control and created everything is the pleasure I see. And that is simple.

The ultimate Simple Pleasures guide is that same titled guide by John Hadamuscin. How many of your emotions are stirred by some of these snippets of life: listening to children at play, the smell of air-dried bedsheets, watching a butterfly as it dances through the garden, daydreaming when there's work to be done, a baby's smile, a walk through the woods in October. Notice what the common thread is with simple pleasures? You involve all of your senses in some, blocking out everything else and enjoying the simplicity of the moment. It is a romantic notion, for sure, but one we can all learn from too. I hope you'll find a simple pleasure to enjoy during this holiday weekend.

And speaking of the Thanksgiving Holiday (in the US), I am thankful for my God, my son and the life I shared with my wife Joann for twenty years. I also hope I don't eat too much, I am proud of the weight I've lost!

So, in closing, enjoy a simple pleasure, eat well, and come back for another helping of this blog soon. And that's the rest of the story...

permanent link posted by Larry : 11/26/2002 10:29:00 PM

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Has it really been a week that I have not blogged? Yes, indeed kiddies, it is I, your iterinent webmaster and sometimes ringmaster back with a plate that is half-empty (or half-full, as I would see it, being the eternal optimist).

What was yesterday's news chase away the blues. No, that isn't a song lyric, but rather a reminder that I am in writing mode again! Look toward the Musings page for now and future essays, stories, skewed thoughts that I will post. In the works is my novella, "Mary Margaret Hastings," which first premiered as a short story in 1973 and is now becoming something I want to sell, or at least have a Lifetime Movie made from it (thanks, Jan!). But first, Musings presents a skewed look at the Internet dating industry, and how the income opportunity for professional writers could be an untapped market; writing profiles for the women on these sites. I will have a separate view of the men's profiles, but for now, the preview version of that is; most of them have had their profiles shaped or written by women, and those that don't, well their profiles can't be revealed to a national audience.

I've signed up for the next Singles Conference at Word of Life in (or at) Schroon Lake, New York. It's January 23 through 26, and is a wonderful getaway for Christian single folks. Readers of this very blog have seen how positive its been for me. Unfortunately, I won't be speaking at this conference, but I am angling to get into one soon to talk about single parenting.

No word on the job situation, but several other opportunities have surfaced, all in the Mid-Hudson valley. Stay tuned.

Site of the day (or shuld it be the week as I have not written anything since Saturday) is Space Age City the home of the finest collection of Googie Architecture known to man. That's not Google, its Googie, the Jetsonian themed sweeps and swoops and stars that dotted pop architecture during the early sixties. I love this stuff!

I promise I will write more or less or, at least more often. Good night and good news.

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It's Saturday, November 16, 2002 and yesterday's tomorrow was today. Profound, eh?

Oh well, silly is as silly does. I'm back from the mid-Hudson region of New York, having survived two job interviews and viewing some six houses. I woke up this morning with a chilling feeling that this is all unreal, that I will wake up and be soundly reposed in my bed. But to wake up in a strange city, thinking that you may be living there soon, is weird. I've lived in my home seventeen years and are about to face one of those decisions that many single parents face: making a BIG decision without counsel from the spouse. So, in the absence of that I got silly, and thought silly thoughts all the way home through the snow, freezing rain and rain of our wonderful (and proprietary) Nor'Easter.

I know that this is all in "the plan" and that I need not worry or fret about the coming months. God knows I will be working, somewhere, and may be living, somewhere. But can't you just turn the page, Lord and give me a peek at the future? That is why I valued the word of my wife in those decisions, because two can be closer to the will of the Lord than one, I thought. See the previous blog; am I really getting closer to fine?

So, silly me takes to the internet, an everlasting source of sillyness, and believe me, I don't want to repeat the road trip I took today. I decided to revisit some of my links in my favorites list to see if they are all working. Predictibly, this being a paying internet, some web sites and domain names go by the wayside. And those that remain, well. Let me give you one example.

Now this is perfectly serious, even though we are supposed to be silly here. A link that went to a page dedicated to the Animaniacs (I told you, silly!) has a bunch of links reporting on something called Anthronot or something. This girl has attended these conventions of, you'd better sit down, costumed cartoon characters. Filling up a hotel with these, mind you. And this girl is reporting the goings on as seriously and solemnly as possible. I can't repeat the text, as that is infringing on her right to be downright silly, but reading it made me fall on the floor laughing. First rule of comedy, contrast what is real with what is not. Would Dan Rather give a report from the floor of the convention center, talking with a Tony the Tiger wannabe? Or visiting the many "puppet" displays of cute characters entertaining as if it was Vegas? Not.

One of my favorite sites is George H. Gobel's site. If you think back, he is the guy that barbequeues with liquid oxygen. That's right, meals in a millisecond, and you'd better hurry as it vaporizes right after it is done. The grill and all. Ashes on the ground. He's got videos and team coverage from many newspapers on his experiments. And, sadly, the fire department shut him down, so these pages are all the documentary evidence of the ultimate fire starter.

And speaking of science, there's the scolarly Characterization of Organic Illumination Systems, which showed what Digital Equipment engineers did in their off time. The subject of their incandescent illumination is, of course, a pickle.

Another for the silly hall of fame is this, that really fries my potatoes. Fun With Grapes reports: "We have made an important new discovery in the field of culinary entertainment. Properly prepared, the common seedless grape can be made to combust spectacularly when subjected to a short (5-10 second) duration of microwaves." Don't try this at home.

Finally what is science without talking about the breakfast food of college students, and a new way of "lighting them up." The guy who figured out the deal with the grapes contributed his scientific method to Strawberry Pop Tarts.

And a plug for my cousin, who is now on tour as "Rock 'N Roll's First Science/Performance Artist." Combing his love of magic, his college career at Wentworth Tech, and his days as the metronomic timekeeper behind the Pixies and the Martinis, he is now a "scientific phenomenalist." Check out David Lovering's web site, and find a place near you where you can catch his wild performance.

I'm sillied out, and need to get unsilly and look for a job. But this was fun, wasn't it? Toodles.




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Hello, fellow travelers, welcome!

Today is Wednesday and I'm getting closer to fine. Fine is what I call that response when people ask you how you are doing, right? "Fine." Of course, your answer might be rooted in the Indigo Girls version, which is a "whatever" response to how all of the things that shape your life confuse or condemn, and "put you in a crooked line." I know that my paths are straight (Proverbs 3:6), that I can and will suffer setbacks to build character and increase my reliance on the Lord (Romans 5:3) and that being closer to fine means I give up all my concerns and not worry (Romans 8:28). Thanks also to Walt Grayum for the kind reminder of the prophet Jeremiah, who carried these words, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). Stay tuned.

I realized after a year that my view of myself wasn't much of a "single" parent but a "solo" parent, and no they are not the same. You can have a solo parent in a marriage, one who does everything while the partner does nothing. In my case, it was the tug of being married so long that it felt like an attachment to me. I am looking forward now to defining my "singleness" in the context of my life and relationships, while serving the Lord with all of my heart and all of my soul.

Today's Internet pick is one of my favorite sites, Crosswalk.com, and an article that dovetailed with my thinking earlier this week on being single. It's at www.crosswalk.com/community/singles/1171129.html. If you are single, check out Crosswalk's articles in their singles section.

More comment on the kids TV shows; Kerry reminded me of Dancing Bear and Grandfather Clock on Captain Kangaroo, Kyle reminded me of the name of the space ship that Major Mudd supposedly flew in on (the Nervous One), Sarah told me about her Romper Room experience in Cincinatti, and Samantha elucidated about Frank Avruch, the Boston "Man-About-Town" and TV personality, for many years hosting movie programs but having a prior life as Bozo the Clown on Boston TV. So, there is life after clowning, and we do wonder what size Frank's shoes really are now. And if you think Bozo is some nonsense from the past, the big-haired (was he from Johnston? Only Rhode Islanders know for sure) is sure popular in South America. If you read Spanish (or is is Portuguese, or even if you don't, check out Bozo Maniaco. They even have a page about Frank.

Bub-bye!




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Today is Friday, November 8, 2002 and this is the news.

A personal story today, and I hope you'll indulge my thoughts and understand that this is a bit difficult to write. Some friends have asked about "the Epilogue" on my biography pages, and wondered what or when that will come out. I've been thinking about that for a while, and wanted to frame these thoughts. First, in conventional literature or theatre, the epilogue implies the "rest of the story" after the ending. I wonder then, why I chose the word to close the bio, or if it implies an end to something. As an end to something, perhaps it is the life that I lived with Joann, a wonderful life and one that we thought would never end. I don't want to get maudlin here, but for a long while after she died, I kept thinking in the vein of a lifelong relationship, because grief tied me there. It was in the framework of our vows that we stood facing each other, eyes locked on each other's as we carefully said those words, "Till death do us part." Neither of us could grasp the gravity of that, and it was easy to honor the others, but please, not that. I don't want to get into a match between those whose spouses died suddenly, or after a long illness. We all feel the same the hour after the final breath. And for a long time afterward, I felt like I was holding my breath. And when God roused me and basically told me, "I have not left you, but you sure are doing a good job of ignoring me," I prayed that He would bless me, as I didn't know what to ask. And things, events, people started happening in my life and shining a light back into it.

Being a Christian, I know where Joann is, that is an assurance given to us by God in the Bible, Matthew 11:28-29 says, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls." Matthew 5:4 says, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Why with the head knowledge I posess about the Lord and His Providence and grace, do I not accept that and move along. It's not that simple. Twenty years of marriage cannot disappear overnight. The deepest of emotions, the love between husband and wife do not come out and dry up. Love is forever, and I will love Joann forever. So, is an epilogue a good place to start? Start what?

It must be a new life, as a person who is saved by the grace of God begins a new life. Change is naturally resisted, until they become overwhelming to a sensitive person. A change in job, in location, in relationships, all of this cries out for a new plan, a new creed, a new life. Nothing will ever be the same again. How will I face this new life? Do I acknowledge the "epilogue" to the past twenty years and begin a new story? How can I?

First, I need to recognize that my aloneness is not due to my wife dying. It is a result of my singleness, which until a few weeks ago, was very hard to acknowledge. I hated the thought of being single, being a single parent, making decisions alone, no one to talk "adult" talk, not having a warm body to snuggle against and confide my thoughts. What was it that changed my attitude? It was being in the company of single people, people who loved the Lord and, seemingly liked their lives. I didn't like my life very much, and these people really had fun and really honored God. And you know, I could identify with them, me, stuck in a holding pattern, could now say, "I am single." Now what?

The seminars at the conference taught me a lot about how God saw my life and what I couldn't see. I learned that He wants us to fulfill His obligations that is put on us. He wants us to "shuck off the armor," and go out to face the world as ourselves, not in the guise of anyone else. And He wants us to know that He loves us, in spite of anything we can do or think to the contrary. Proverbs 15:13 says, "A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken." Oh how I felt that, and now desire that cheerful face and restore my spirit.

The next few weeks will be a test of that faith, when I go to job interviews far from home, and pray for all the unknowns that I cannot burden myself with. My obligations is to my family, my son, and the difficult time he will go through if we need to move. And I need to see the future as one that is laid out by God, when I acknowledge Him and make decisions in concert with His leading. But if you see me on the street and I look a bit overwhelmed, stop me and tell me that God has it all under control.

It would be easy to escape from all of this by pulling up the covers in the morning and hiding. I am determined not to do that, but to ask Him to guide my every thought and action in this post-Epilogue world. If you are struggling, join with me in knowing that God has it all under control.

And that's the rest... of the story.




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Well, it looks like there are a lot of you with those same Saturday morning affections for TV as I had. "Plunk Yer Magic Twanger, Froggie!" Yes, it was Andy's Gang, with Froggie the Gremlin. And who could forget that other show seen 'round the country but Romper Room, and I always wondered why, if Miss Jean said those names in the magic mirror, why she never said Larry? Maybe she was only saying the names of the good boys and girls!

And ok, Captain Kangaroo. Did you ever see films of the captain when he was younger and then older? The older Captain, he needed no makeup! Fortunately my TV wasn't good enough to see what a bad job they did on the younger captain. And who could forget Mr. Greenjeans, Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit and Tom Terrific, with his dog Manfred, the mighty wonder dog.

Finally, Howdy Doody. How I wished I could be in the Peanut Gallery, but my fate was sealed after I drew on the TV screen during a Winky Dink program. Princess Summerfallwinterspring, didn't she show up on Mister Rogers? Oh well,

Site of the day is Yesterdayland, where I never would have seen an interview with Kathy Garver of Family Affair. Check it out, especially the video interviews.

Say kids, what time is is? Time to go. I'll just plunk this magic twanger and...

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Yikes, its Sunday! The beginning of a week to resume the job search. And I was thinking tonight, how a nice, hot In-N-Out burger and fries would taste right now. Now to those who know me and my quest to lose weight without exercise, it is impossible to think of hamburgers and fries and have it be compatible with my goals. But In-N-Out is different, my conciousness sings. No matter, I'd have to get on a plane, and at the last minute a $1200 flight to Southern California to satisfy this craving. That is one expensive hamburger.

But amazingly enough, this is the internet, and if you want something, go find it (be sure to use Google to search for it. And besides the official company site, there are fan sites and sites with prose about In-N-Out. What is the plot here? Zen Lemur's site is one example of a tome to In-N-Out, and carefully describes the "secret" menu items, like the Animal burger (spread the mustard and special sauce on the bun, then grill that sucker so the sauces are fried). Any way, the folks who own In-N-Out are good people, always family owned, always the freshest ingredients (when was the last time you knew a restaurant cut up potatoes to make the french fries?) and you won't find a microwave or heat lamp anywhere on the premise. Mmmmm good.

The site also reveals that you can find Bible verses on the wrappers! Several sites went to the Bible for the decoding. Like Bess Eaton here in New England, I am a great fan of those who show their Christianity in their business.

Thanks for stopping my my little corner of the web, and that's the rest of the story!

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And so ends another week in the fun house! How many remember those children's shows that were shown locally? Bozo was ubiquitous, a local Bozo in every market. In Boston, we had Brother Bob Emery in the early sixties (he had been on radio for many many years before), Major Mudd and Rex Trailer. In Rhode Island, it was Salty's Shack. Why am I remembering all this today? Must be a flashback. Who do you remember? Email me at blog@southstation.org and I'll publish a comments page.

The Picture Pages are all up now, and include pictures from this past weekend's Singles Conference at the Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, NY (or is that at Schroon Lake?) The long missing pictures from California and Colorado are there too.

That's all for today kiddies. And remember, always keep laughing!




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